7 Delicious Desserts You Can Make With Plant Milks

For people with lactose intolerance, any dessert made with cow’s milk is a no-go. But did you know that you could use delicious nut or grain milk as a substitute for regular milk? The health benefits aren’t limited to those with lactose intolerance, either, as most kinds of plant milk are free of cholesterol and contain less fat—making them an ideal choice for those who want to up their intake of plant-based nutrients. In this post, we’ll share some simple types of desserts that you can try making at home.

1. Brownies

Crunchy on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside, a well-baked brownie is always hard to resist. Most brownie recipes call for a simple mixture of flour, sugar, baking powder, butter, eggs, and cow’s milk, which you can easily substitute with soy milk, almond milk, or cashew milk.

2. Cheesecake

You can make a simple cheesecake crust with a mixture of ground nuts, oats, biscuits, or dates. A basic cheesecake filling can be made by combining cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and a hint of vanilla. A vegan take on the recipe, though, could use ground nuts, almond milk, and coconut oil instead of cream cheese and eggs.

3. Cookies

All you’ll need are butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and milk. Just combine them in a bowl, shape the resulting dough into small balls, and pop them into the oven. Before you know it, you’ve got a freshly baked batch of soft, chewy cookies. You can easily substitute regular milk with almond milk, but if you’re making oatmeal cookies, oat milk is a perfect match.

4. Fruit Smoothies

To make a basic smoothie, just blend together ice, milk, sugar or honey, and a sliced fruit of your choice. You can also experiment by combining different fruits together into one smoothie for an amazing medley of flavors. You can substitute almost any type of plant milk for dairy milk, including soy milk, walnut milk, and hazelnut milk.

5. Ice Cream

Making ice cream is as simple as combining heavy cream, half-and-half cream (equal parts whole milk and light cream), egg yolks, sugar, and salt together and then chilling the mixture overnight. Coconut milk is a popular substitute because of its sugar and fat content which contributes to a creamy texture. You could also use cashew milk combined with a certain amount of coconut oil to make up for the lack of fat content in the plant milk.

6. Muesli

Though you can buy muesli at the store, it’s incredibly easy (and much cheaper) to make it yourself. You don’t even need to cook anything! All you have to do is find the perfect mix of dried fruits, rolled grains, nuts, seeds, and seasoning. Top off your muesli with oat milk, and you’ve got a quick, affordable, and healthy breakfast.

7. Pudding

You can make rice pudding by boiling water, rice, and peanut milk or rice milk, adding more milk as it gets absorbed by the grains. Top the cooled mixture with your choice of fruit, nuts, or preserves, and you’ve got a simple, healthy, and delectable dessert that you can dig into anytime.

These are just some of the many desserts that you can whip up using plant-based milk. Indeed, incorporating nut or grain milk into your daily diet can bring you a lot of health benefits without sacrificing taste for nutrients. Though you may have to make a few adjustments to the ratio or cooking time, you should be able to get similar if not better results compared to using cow’s milk. Give yourself a guilt-free treat by including some of these recipes in your next meal plan. Your tummy will thank you for it.