Below is a transcript of the video for optimal reading.
I'm going to show you how to make a vegan natilla which is a creamy custard without any eggs. Natilla is a Cuban dessert and like other custards it's usually made with egg yolks. As a kid I had a Cuban babysitter who would make me natilla all the time as an afternoon snack and pretty much that's where I developed my love for custard. Anything filled with custard like cakes or doughnuts is pretty much my kind of dessert.
Custard is normally made with egg yolks and milk, so I wanted to make a vegan version that substitutes the milk and the egg using some fresh almond milk and some vegan egg. Vegan egg can be used as a substitute for any egg dish in a meal or in baking. Let's get right into making this recipe.
First, I'm going to make the almond milk. Now you don't have to make your own almond milk to make this recipe. You can use the store-bought milk but making fresh almond milk tastes so much better and it'll bring out the flavors of the almond milk in the custard. I'm going to make the almond milk in my Nutramilk machine. If you never heard of The Nutramilk, it's a machine that makes milks and butters out of nuts and seeds. It's so easy to use and you can make nut milks and butters in a matter of minutes.
If you haven't seen my review video on The Nutramilk machine, go ahead and check it out I'm going to link that video up above and also down below I'll let you know where you can get your own machine. I want to thank Nutramilk for sponsoring this video and sending me their machine to use.
I'm going to take a cup of almonds and add it to the machine. The machine is going to then grind those almonds and make them into a nut butter. Once the nut butter is smooth and creamy, I'm going to add coconut water to the machine. You can use any water I'm using coconut water because it gives it a nice sweet taste to the milk. The machine will mix the almond butter and the coconut water together to create the milk and strain it out through the sides. Once the machine is finished, I'll dispense the milk into a bottle and store it in the refrigerator.
For the custard, I'm going to take some of the almond milk and heat it up in a pot with some lemon rinds and a cinnamon stick and heat it but don't bring it to a boil. Once it starts to look like it's going to boil, remove it from the heat.
In another bowl, take another cup of almond milk and combine the vegan egg powder with it and whisk until it's well combined. Then add the sugar and vanilla extract and stir it to mix. In a separate smaller bowl, mix some arrowroot powder with about 1/4 cup of almond milk until the powder is dissolved.
Heat the stove to medium high heat and remove the cinnamon stick and lemon rinds from the pot with the milk. Slowly pour the vegan egg mixture into the pot while constantly stirring the contents of the pot. Add the arrowroot powder mixture and continue to cook the custard while constantly stirring the mixture until it thickens. It is important that you constantly stir the custard to get a smooth texture, if not it will become lumpy.
Once it's thickened remove it from the heat and pour the custard into ramekins. Cover each ramekin with a plastic and store in the refrigerator for at least three hours before serving. Sprinkle as much or as little ground cinnamon as you want over the custard and serve. Now this custard is not going to have the normal yellow color you’re used to seeing because it doesn't have any egg yolks in it but nonetheless it still tastes like custard.
Watch my Nutramilk review video here.
Get more information about The Nutramilk machine here.
Get Vegan Egg here.
Vegan Custard (Natilla)
Get the printable recipe here.
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients:
2 cups almond milk
2 lemon rinds
1 cinnamon stick
¼ cup vegan egg
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
½ cup cane sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
ground cinnamon for sprinkling
Directions:
1. In a small pot, add ¾ cup of the almond milk, the lemon rinds and the cinnamon stick and heat over medium heat until it is about to boil. Remove the pot from the stove and set aside for 5 minutes.
2. In a bowl, combine the vegan egg with 1 cup of almond milk and whisk until well combined.
3. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and stir to mix.
4. In a separate smaller bowl, mix the arrowroot powder and the remaining ¼ cup of almond milk until the powder is dissolved.
5. Heat the stove to medium high heat and remove the cinnamon stick and lemon rinds from the pot with the milk. Place the pot back on the heat.
6. Slowly pour the vegan egg mixture into the pot while constantly stirring the contents of the pot.
7. Add the arrowroot powder mixture and continue to stir.
8. Continue to cook the custard while stirring the mixture until it thickens. It is important that you constantly stir the custard to get a smooth texture, if not it will become lumpy.
9. Once it thickens remove it from the heat and pour the custard into ramekins.
10. Cover each ramekin with plastic and store in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving.
11. Sprinkle some ground cinnamon over the custard and serve.
