This vegan condensed milk is a rich, creamy, refined sugar-free way to sweeten your favorite coffee and tea beverages and add extra wow factor to desserts. Only four ingredients and 10 minutes!
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Why You'll Love It
If you're anything like me, you love recipes that fall into the "anything you can eat I can eat vegan" category. And sometimes it's fun to not only veganize a recipe, but to put a healthier spin on it, too.
And that's what we're doing today with this cashew-based vegan condensed milk. It's every bit as rich, thick, creamy, and sweet as you expect but without the saturated fat and refined sugar usually found in sweetened condensed milk.
So if you're a fan of more wholesome, naturally-sweetened beverages and desserts, this vegan condensed milk is right up your alley!
Stir vegan condensed milk into your favorite coffee and tea beverages and creamy cocktails. Drizzle it on baked goods or fresh fruit for an elegant, easy dessert. There are so many ways to use this luscious treat!
Ingredients
- Raw cashews - the naturally occurring starch in cashews is what thickens this dairy-free sweetened condensed milk. Cashews are key for making this recipe work as written, so I can't recommend any substitutes at this time.
- Maple syrup - I used golden maple syrup, which is slightly lighter in color than other grades, but any pure maple syrup is fine. This is the only sweetener I've tested in this recipe so far, but I suspect agave nectar would also work.
- Non-dairy milk - I used unsweetened almond milk, but any other milk you like is fine. Oat milk would add even more creaminess.
- Vanilla extract - for that extra milky, creamy, and sweet flavor.
- Fine sea salt - just a pinch; this is also for flavor.
See the recipe card below for amounts and full instructions.
How to Make Vegan Condensed Milk With Cashews
This recipe is sooooo simple. Are you ready? The process goes like this:
- Combine all ingredients in a blender. Tip: a high-speed blender like a Vitamix works best, but if you don't have one, soak the cashews overnight to help with blending.
- Blend for about 1 ½ to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed.
- Pour into a small saucepan over low to medium-low heat. Whisking frequently, cook for about 5 minutes until thickened and creamy.
- If it gets too thick, simply whisk in another 1 or 2 teaspoons of maple syrup and a tablespoon of milk.
And that's it. Your vegan condensed milk is ready to use!
Add richness to your coffee or chai tea, and add irresistible decadence to your vegan scones, cakes, brownies, and cookies!
Or chill the cashew condensed milk to pour over fruit and stir into iced beverages.
As you can see in the photo above, before heating the vegan cashew milk mixture it is very thin and liquid-y.
After a few minutes on the stove, the non-dairy condensed milk becomes wonderfully thick and creamy.
Ways To Use Vegan Condensed Milk
No need for any fancy or complicated recipes to put this dairy-free sweetened condensed milk to use.
- Use it to sweeten coffee, tea, and espresso drinks and create decadently creamy cocktails.
- Drizzle it on fresh fruit.
- Incorporate it into your favorite vegan ice cream recipes and cheesecakes.
- Use it as a glaze for baked goods like muffins, scones, and cake.
- And with the natural maple flavor of this alternative condensed milk, it's also an easy way to level-up your vegan pancakes and waffles!
How to Store
Once cool, store vegan condensed milk in a lidded glass jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It can also be frozen for up to 1 month.
Tips
If the vegan condensed milk is too thick after heating, simply whisk in more milk and maple syrup, 1 teaspoon at a time until it's as smooth and pourable as you like.
With such a short ingredient list, you can taste the cashew and maple flavors - just as vegan condensed milk made from coconut milk has a coconut flavor.
So if you're not a fan of those ingredients or prefer a more neutral-tasting condensed milk, you may want to experiment with incorporating oat milk or agave, or follow a recipe that use white sugar instead of maple syrup.
If you try the recipe I would love to hear from you! Comment below and let us know how you like to use this cashew-maple vegan condensed milk.
More vegan sweet treats:
Recipe
Vegan Condensed Milk (No Coconut)
Equipment
Ingredients
- scant 1 cup raw cashews - Soak overnight if not using a high-speed blender.
- ½ cup non-dairy milk, plus another splash, as needed for consistency
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender. Note: a high-speed blender like a Vitamix works best; if you don't have one, soaking the cashews overnight helps them blend. Blend until completely smooth, about 1 ½ to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed.
- Pour the sweet cashew milk into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until thickened. If it gets too thick, whisk in more milk and maple syrup, 1 teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Use warm to sweeten hot beverages and drizzle on desserts like brownies, etc. For cold uses, allow the condensed milk to cool, whisking occasionally. Then transfer to a lidded container or jar and refrigerate until ready to use. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Can also be frozen.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and ingredients used.
Jan says
I made this for iced coffee. It's excellent! Thanks for a coconutless version.
Hiroshi says
Hello.
Could I use coconut or date sugar or does it have to be a liquid sweetener?
Thank you,
Hiroshi
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Hiroshi, yes that should be fine. It will affect the consistency a bit, so just add a touch more milk if you need to.
Shakira says
I am so thankful to have come across this recipe. Most other condensed milk recipes call for hours of stovetop monitoring. This one is so quick and it’s also tasty.
janet mcalpine says
I was just thinking I need to make another batch of this. I've made it a number of times and it's great. I put it in my coffee and have used it as a topper for nice cream. Yum.
Tomi says
Could this be used in baked goods where sweetened condensed milk is used? I am so very excited about any good substitutes that aren't made with coconut! So many things are not a option for us because they are made with coconut. Looking forward to trying this!
Thank you so much for this! You have given me back some of my favorite recipes since no longer eating SAD.
Lori says
Thank you, Tomi. I'm so glad you're finding the recipes helpful!
I can't say for sure whether it will work in every baked good - may depend on the recipe. But with similar fats and sugars I do think it's promising! If you have a particular recipe in mind give it a try and let us know.
Pam says
It worked wonderfully in Loopy Whisk vegan cinnamon rolls.
Allyson says
Yes! I used it here, too, and it was perfect!
LouAnn says
Could date paste be used in place if the maple syrup?🤞
Lori says
I haven't tried it with date paste so I'm not really sure how it might impact the texture. Possibly a little thicker and darker in color. It could be great! If you experiment with it let us know, LouAnn!