- 1 cup soymilk
- 1 tablespoon Sucanat or brown sugar
(optional)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup corn oil or other bland oil
- 1 teaspoon liquid lecithin, see note
I use plain homemade soymilk with this
recipe, so I usually have to add sugar and
salt to the milk to make it taste right. If
you are using store-bought soymilk then it
is probably already sweetened, so you can
omit the sugar and salt.
Pour the milk into a blender container. Add
the remaining ingredients. Do not omit the
lecithin, it is one of the main ingredients.
See the note below, if you are unfamiliar
with lecithin.
Place the lid on the blender and process for
a full minute, by the clock. This is
important to get the oil completely
emulsified with the milk. The milk will
thicken slightly, just like real cream.
Store your Soymilk Sweet Crème in a clean
container in the refrigerator. It will keep
for a week or so. Shake the mixture before
using, to make sure everything remains well
mixed. It doesn't separate, but the texture
is smoother if you shake it or stir it
briefly about once a day. I use my Crème in
tea and coffee most often. It can also be
used in cooking and baking if you like. I
haven't tried to whip it, but I suspect it
wouldn't whip the way the dairy cream does.
It can be poured over apple cobbler, peach
crisp, or fresh strawberries without
whipping, and it tastes out of this world. I
prefer to use corn oil, because the flavor
is more dairy-like to my taste buds. You may
use any mild flavored oil though, to suit
your tastes. If desired, you may add 1/2 to
1-teaspoon of vanilla to give your Crème
extra flavor.
I invented this recipe after trying
store-bought Soymilk Creamer. My version
tastes better, has a creamier, thicker
texture, and is a darned sight cheaper too.
Note on Liquid Lecithin: I buy this at the
health food store. Lecithin is a natural
byproduct of soy beans. It acts as an
emulsifier. This means it makes oil combine
more completely and smoothly with other
liquids. Lecithin is also the active
ingredient in nonstick cooking spray.
Lecithin costs about $5 a bottle, but it
lasts for years in the cupboard or the
fridge. It is amber colored and tasteless.
If you really want to try this recipe and
cannot find liquid lecithin, then try
spraying a full 5 second blast of nonstick
spray into the blender before processing.
This will not be the equivalent of a full
teaspoon of liquid lecithin, but it may be
enough to emulsify the mixture for a while.
Crème made this way may separate briefly
after about 24 hours. Stir or shake it
vigorously to reblend. You will not get your
best results using nonstick spray instead of
real liquid lecithin. The results are
adequate though, and nonstick spray is more
likely to be in the cupboard for a spur of
the moment creative cooking urge.
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