How To Prepare A Delicious Dairy-free Pastry Cream

Although there are different types of pastry cream, most contain milk or butter, flour or eggs.

In this recipe we will not use any of these ingredients to be able to prepare a suitable recipe for people intolerant to lactose, gluten or eggs  or, simply, a healthier and also delicious version.

Discover in this article how to make a vegan pastry cream that will serve you to decorate, fill and accompany all kinds of desserts. 

What is pastry cream for?

Pastry cream is a simple recipe that allows us a lot of versatility when filling or accompanying all kinds of cakes, sponge cakes, crepes and ice creams.

To make it, the traditional recipe is based on ingredients such as milk, butter, cream, eggs or flour, depending on the version. This makes it an unhealthy treat for many people.

The recipe that we propose in this article is an alternative that stands out for its delicious taste and its beneficial properties for health.

This pastry cream is made with nutritious, light cereal drinks  and agar-agar, an algae that gives consistency to any food, while being highly recommended for the digestive tract.

Vegetable drinks

Today we have a wide variety of plant drinks to choose from.

We recommend not opting for the soy drink, since its benefits have been in question for a few years and some experts even warn of its health risks.

Instead, we can try one of the following:

• Almond : creamy and consistent, excellent for making creams and sauces to replace milk. Ideal for children and athletes, as it is very nutritious.
• Hazelnut : delicious and delicate in flavor, it combines very well with all kinds of sweets, especially those with vanilla or chocolate. In addition, hazelnut regulates blood sugar levels.

• Oatmeal : a very nutritious and inexpensive option, with a slightly sweet taste. Oats provide energy while regulating the nervous system.
• Rice : the rice drink is naturally sweet, very digestive and neutral. Very suitable for sensitive stomachs.
• Spelled : this variety of wheat is much more digestive and healthy. The drink has a very pleasant taste.

Agar-agar

Agar-agar is an increasingly popular seaweed thanks to its health benefits and it offers many alternatives in the kitchen.

Regarding its properties, agar-agar contains vegetable proteins and minerals such as potassium, calcium or iron.

It is rich in probiotic fiber, very beneficial for the digestive tract and to combat constipation. In addition, it regulates cholesterol levels and helps you lose weight, since it is also very low in calories.

• When cooking, agar-agar allows us to give consistency to any liquid-based food. The more seaweed we add, the harder it will get.
• In this way, we can make our own jellies, as well as thicken compotes, jams, sauces, creams, etc.
• To achieve this we will always have to mix the liquid with the agar-agar and heat it until it boils.

How to prepare the pastry cream

Ingredients (for 4 or 6 people)

• 1 liter of vegetable drink (almond, hazelnut, oatmeal, rice, spelled, etc.).
• One level teaspoon of agar-agar powder (2 g).
• The peeling of a quarter of a lemon.
• One teaspoon of ground cinnamon (3 g).
• 15 drops of vanilla essence or extract.
• A pinch of turmeric (to add color).
• Sweetener to taste (we recommend brown sugar or stevia).

Elaboration

• We will mix the chosen vegetable drink with the agar-agar powder and put it in a saucepan over low heat.
• We will add the lemon peel, the cinnamon, the vanilla extract, the turmeric and the sweetener to taste.

We recommend trying it so as not to overdo it or fall short with the sweetness, which will also depend on the vegetable drink we have chosen.

• We will stir with a spoon until it reaches the first boil.
• We will put out the fire and let it warm. We will remove the lemon peel.
• As it cools, it will gain the desired consistency.
• We recommend keeping it in the fridge and consuming it within a maximum period of 5 days.

Do you dare to prepare this delicious pastry cream? If you don’t want to consume dairy or are lactose intolerant, this is undoubtedly a very good option. You’ll love it!