Homemade Vegan Irish Cream

This is an emergency post. I tried this idea out on a whim yesterday – and it is so ludicrously good and easy, I couldn’t wait to share it with you! I love Irish Cream. But in my quest to gradually eliminate dairy from my diet, I have avoided buying any this Christmas. There’s a vegan Baileys (Baileys Almande) already being made and sold in America – you lucky things – which uses almond milk as its base. Sadly it hasn’t yet arrived in the UK. In the meantime, here is my offering.

I have used Oatly non-dairy cream as it is quite a neutral-tasting base and works extremely well. The end result looks like Irish cream. It tastes like Irish cream. It is a fraction of the price of Irish cream! You don’t even need a blender, just a large, clean glass bottle. You do need to store it in the fridge, and give it a good shake before pouring as it will separate a bit. Not sure what else to say really – give it a bash and let me know what you think!

Makes 500ml – just double as required!

150ml (1 carton) Oatly Organic Oat Cream **2024 update: Alpro soya pouring cream is great here**
100ml non-dairy milk, something neutral like oat or cashew would work well
100ml Irish whiskey
150ml maple syrup* see notes below
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cocoa powder, combined/dissolved into a paste with 1 tbsp of the milk (this makes sure it combines properly with the rest of the ingredients)

Place everything into a large, clean glass jar or bottle and give it a really good shake. Or use a blender. Chill and enjoy – give it a good shake before each use. Keep refrigerated and use within about a week.

*If you’re craving Carolans, the Irish cream made with honey, then try using honey-flavoured agave instead of maple syrup. My Mum adores Carolans (and it can’t be found for sale anywhere here) so I have just made up a jar of this for her – I had a sneaky sip and it tastes brilliant!