It’s a lame Monday morning with 1 hour less sleep than usual and you’re probably thinking about this weekend.
So let’s talk St. Patrick’s Day. :)
It’s on Saturday. Fun will be had. Drinks will be consumed and parades will be watched. And we’ll probably be missing a lot more than 1 measly hour of sleep. Consider today your sleep deprivation training for the 17th.
Picture with me if you will, a thick and creamy homemade Baileys Irish Cream, free of any glycerol monostearate, dairy cream, refined sugars, maltodextrin, artificial flavours, modified milk ingredients, and colour.
I have no idea what I just typed.
Using just 5 natural ingredients, this homemade Baileys has a light hint of coconut and espresso. It’s vegan, but you’d never know it.
I also never would’ve guessed that Jameson Irish Whiskey would be vegan either. Who needs Guinness when you have this bad boy?
Last year, when I was putting together one of my vegan recipe round-ups, I came across Janessa’s submission for her vegan Baileys Irish cream. I suddenly realized that a homemade version didn’t look so difficult after all. I filed the idea away for later and finally got around to trying out my own version last week.
Coconut milk provided the ultra creamy texture. I “cooked down” the coconut milk with some Sucanat (or use brown sugar), until it thickened, for about 10 minutes.
During my first trial, I cooked it down too long and discovered how to make vegan condensed milk!!
Check out how thick and creamy this is after about 20 minutes, cooking down 2 cans of full fat coconut milk and 1/2 cup of Sucanat. I’ll have to use this in a baking recipe…it’s crazy delicious.
I decided that I didn’t want it that concentrated for the Baileys, so I bottled up the first attempt and went back to the drawing board. This time, I only boiled it for about 9-10 minutes, instead of 20. It was perfect..slightly thick, but not overly so. I removed it from the heat and stirred in the rest of the ingredients.
Like this homemade espresso. ZING!!! Can you tell I drank espresso all weekend long? You can use coffee too, but I wanted it bold.
Let’s just say that I didn’t feel the effects of the time change at all…..wheeeeeee.
However, my hands may be a bit jittery.
With a pinch of salt and a hefty dose of Jameson, it was complete..and incredibly easy to make! My batch made about 3.5-4 cups, as shown below. The actual yield is unknown because there was a lot of sampling going on!
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Homemade Baileys Irish Cream, made vegan.
Yield
3.5 to 4 cups
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Ultra creamy and delicious, this vegan Baileys will knock your socks off. And not just because it’s strong!
Inspired by Janessa.
Ingredients
- 1 can light coconut milk
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup Sucanat (or brown sugar should work)
- 3/4 cup strong espresso or coffee, or to taste
- 3/4-1 cup Jameson Irish Whiskey, or to taste
- pinch of salt
Directions
- In a medium or large pot, add the cans of coconut milk and whisk. Now whisk in the sugar. Bring to a low boil, stirring frequently. Simmer for about 8-10 minutes, while stirring frequently, until it cooks down and thickens slightly.
- Remove from heat and stir in the espresso or coffee. Don’t have a coffee maker? Just buy a cup from the coffee shop and use that. Add in espresso/coffee to taste.
- Add a pinch of salt and finally the Jameson, to taste. I added about 3/4 + 2 tbsp of whiskey and it was strong, but so is the original! Make it as strong or weak as you prefer.
- Store in sealed jars and serve over ice, with coffee or tea, or in baked goods. The whiskey and espresso settles to the bottom of the jar slightly, so give it a good stir before using. I’m not positive how long this keeps in the fridge, but it’s been good in our fridge for a couple days now and I expect it to last 4-5 days. Well, not technically…!
Tip:
I’m thrilled with how this turned out. It’s very strong, but then again, the original Baileys is as well and I wanted it to be as close to the original as possible.
You can serve it over ice…
Add a shot to coffee or tea…
or even bake with it…yessss.
Now I just have to find a way to sneak my Baileys into the pub…
Just made this!! Amazing! Thank you! Xx
Great to hear it was a hit, Emma :)
Wow brilliant mus try this for christmas, I wanted to share to facebook but no share button :(
So excited to try this for christmas gifts! Do you know how long it stays? Does it need to be consumed in a few days/week/etc?
Hi Madison, I’d say this keeps safely at least 4-5 days, but much longer than that and I’m not sure (it’s not very long in our house before it’s all gone! Haha).
Delicious! I used a cup of Jameson and cold brew coffee. Thanks for sharing!!
I’m making this for gifts and would love to be able to tell ppl the shelf life. Does anyone know? Also will it be okay if it’s not in the fridge for a day while transporting ? Sorry for the silly questions!
Fantastic recipe! Made a batch last year, as well as this year for St. Patrick’s Day. This time, I decided to bring a couple jars into the office. My coworkers are not disappointed with this non-dairy alternative! Now we’re all sippin’ Irish coffee until our 10am standup starts. (:
Cheers!
I’m sure your coworkers appreciated the thought! Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all!!
Hi Angela
Do you have to add coffee?
Hey Patrycja, I think you should be able to make this without coffee, perhaps subbing it for more almond milk. That will change the flavour profile a bit, but it should still be pretty tasty!
I made a recipe almost identical to yours and it didn’t call to cook the coconut milk first. The Baileys turned out thick and clumpy like full fat coconut milk. I’m going to dump it out because I can’t even get it out of the container. Does your recipe stay smooth and creamy?
Hey Geri, When chilled, it does firm up due to the fat in the coconut milk, so I recommend letting it sit on the counter before using and then giving it a gentle shake to redistribute.
Tried this recipe and love the idea, but when I put it in the fridge the coconut milk condensed and it was a bit chunky when we drank it…
Hey Jillene, Yes, the fat from the coconut milk does harden when chilled. I suggest leaving the Bailey’s at room temperature for a little bit before serving then give it a good shake.
This recipe is incredible and I am now making batches for Christmas presents. However, I am unsure of the shelf life, how long should this last in a mason jar?
Hey Becca, So glad to hear you love it so much! It should be refrigerated and will last in the fridge for 1-2 weeks I would imagine. It’ll solidify a bit when chilled so let it come to room temp before using and give it a good shake. Hope this helps!
Nice recipe! I am lactose intolerant, and love Baileys! This is a lovely substitute. I used half brown sugar, half golden. It tastes coconutty, which is lovely.
This is so delicious! I just finished making a huge batch and will gift some to my family for Christmas. I used coconut sugar and it worked beautifully. Thank you for a fantastic recipe!!
Hey Tara, I’m so glad you love it so much! Thanks for letting me know. I hope your family loves it too :)
I just made some; it’s beautiful! I love it! Thank you for the recipe!
Hey Armandine, I’m so glad to hear that! I’m making some today too. Have a great holiday!
I just tried making this recipe and it worked really well! I am not keen on coconut flavour in things, so wasn’t sure how this would work out. However, it was really nice! I couldn’t actually taste the coconut in it! I think Baileys is slightly more chocolate than coffee, but that didn’t matter. The end result was as good as a bought drink! I will definitely make it again! Thank you! Xx
I’m so happy to hear that Lucy! Thanks :)
Have you tried this with other milks? Wondering if almond or cashew would thicken up like that.
Thanks!
Hey Emily, I’m sorry I haven’t tried it with anything else. I feel like the high fat content/thick cream from the full-fat coconut milk (and the light a bit) is key for its success, but that said, I haven’t tested it with other milks so that’s just my guess!
I’m going to try it. (I’m allergic to coconuts.)
Will report back!
yes please do! Thanks Emily :)
Dear Angela,
I love this recipe and have made it a lot of times. Recently I started a vegan lifestyle blog in English and German and I have written a review on this recipe, and also translated it into German. I hope that is ok with you :)
http://flymetotheveganbuffet.com/vegan-baileys-by-oh-she-glows/
thanks again for this amazing recipe and kind regards
Nina
This looks great! How long can it be kept in the fridge for? Thanks
Hey Meg, It should keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks in an airtight container. It’ll solidify (partially) when chilled, so you can leave it on the counter for a bit before serving and then stir it well.
OMG. I wish I knew about this 6 months ago!! Absolutely amazing, just like Bailey’s. Thanks so much for this!!
I think my ‘no drinking at Christmas’ pledge has just gone straight out the window!
Thank you kindly for making the vegan version of “Bailley’s Irish Cream” without the disgusting condensed milk. Very much appreciated! Less calories & healthier!