What's better than a delicious light and creamy custard treat? A cinnamon and carob version. Trust me -- it's good.
In the week after making this delish vegan flan recipe I just couldn't stop making it. It became my new favorite treat (ok, amidst many favorites... but you know what I mean, I'm sure ?) . I made so many versions that it became a daily thing for a while. I just couldn't get enough.
This particular carob cinnamon version was a huge winner, and not just with me but also with all the taste testers I enthusiastically loaded up with miscellaneous containers of flan / custard as soon as they stepped into the kitchen... So I'm giving it the spot it deserves in its own right on the site.
Plus I'm sure some of you are looking for more things to do with agar agar after purchasing some for the flan, so here you go -- another treat to whip up with it.
And on this note, quoting what I said in my other recipe post about agar for reference since it tends to be a tricky ingredient for some:
I don’t share recipes with agar agar often (though it is an amazing ingredient that can help you make things like gelatin-free jello or eggless lemon curd) because it tends to be one of those things that causes people unfamiliar with it go “what’s that?!”, “is there something else I can use?!” etc. And I don’t like to create such panic ?.
But in this case the agar agar is necessary, and I promise it’ll be absolutely worth going outside your comfort zone for.
By the way, I'm calling this treat a custard because I don't want the flan police to come after me ? ? -- it's already weird enough to take out the eggs, sugar, and milk from the flan, I know ?. Adding cinnamon and carob to it would be pushing it over the edge, I felt. So a custard it is... but we all know what's going on here... ?
And if you wanted it to be more flan-like, you can see from the photo above that it pops out of the ramekin quite nicely as well. So you've got options. Although I have to say, my favorite way of eating this treat was drizzling it with maple syrup and tucking in with a spoon straight into the dish ?
One other thing I did differently here is use freshly made almond milk instead of coconut milk and it turned out really creamy and delicious. So now there's an option for the coconut-free folks too :) It turned out just as light, smooth, and satisfying with this almond milk version.
P.S. if you wanted to give homemade almond milk a try but weren't sure how, there's a chapter dedicated to it and a video tutorial available in Unconventional Treats. Otherwise you can also always use your favorite unsweetened store-bought version.
Carob Cinnamon Eggless Custard
This refined sugar-free eggless custard is a simple, light, smooth, and comforting little treat, with the warm flavors of cinnamon and carob to make it extra cozy. Vegan and free from: gluten and grain, added oils, soy, and coconut.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 minute
- Total Time: 11 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings
- Category: Pudding
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Custard
- 2 tsp carob powder
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup almond milk (I used homemade)
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp agar agar flakes (mine were finely crushed; see notes re: powder)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Topping
- a few tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
1. Place the carob powder, cinnamon, and a 3-4 tablespoon of the almond milk in a small cup and stir to combine (note: this step prevents the carob and cinnamon from clumping up when added to the bigger pot in step 2).
2. Place all custard ingredients (including the mixture from step 1) into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer on medium heat, stirring regularly. Once the mixture comes to a light simmer, let it simmer for about 30 seconds to 1 min, then turn off the heat.
3. Divide this mixture between three small ramekins (or small glass containers), let cool to room temperature, then carefully place in the fridge and refrigerate for two-three hours (or overnight) to set.
4. When ready to eat, drizzle with some maple syrup and enjoy. Or alternatively run a knife around the edge of the custard to loosen it up a little, then flip the ramekin onto a plate and tap the top to release the custard. Top with some maple syrup and enjoy! Keep leftovers refrigerated.
Notes
Note: agar agar flakes are not the same as agar agar powder. They are the same source product, but the change from flakes to powder is significant as the powder is a lot more concentrated. I used flakes here as that is what I had on hand, but if you want to substitute agar agar powder in this recipe you’ll need to reduce the amount to about .66 of a teaspoon (the conversion of powder to flakes is 1:3).
Erika says
And in grams this recipe would be ... ?
As I 'm nOt at all into cups but yet very much into an unusual way of living ; alas as for that , I 'ld rather have it most people thInk before they do .
Thanks in advance anyway !
Renee says
Hi! I wanted to make a large batch of custard and serve it in a glass bowl and have my guests scoop it out onto their dessert plate for Christmas. Have you done this before? I'm thinking ingredients x5. I'm having 14 guests and will be making v cookies as well.
Audrey says
Hi Renee, that sounds like a fun idea! I haven't tried making it in a large dish before, but I think it should work just fine. It'll probably just need to set / chill longer to cool through entirely. Enjoy it :)
Brooke says
Audrey, my Opa is a big custard/flan lover and I would love to try these! I prefer to use date paste as a sweetener here verses maple syrup. Would that be too heavy? (Even if it was on the thinner side?)
Would regular almond milk from the store work as well?
Hanks for you opinions!
(Love your cherry torte cake by-the-way.)
Audrey says
Hi Brooke, yes, date paste would probably be too heavy to gel up. You can try using date syrup instead, though it will darken the custard somewhat. Also maple is typically sweeter than date syrup, so keep that in mind. Another idea is to blend some dates with the almond milk in a power blender first until the mixture is smooth.
I'd say if you're planning on making this as a surprise I'd try out the recipe first just to make sure it's good with the date syrup, or blended dates, looks right, has the right level of sweetness, etc.
Store-bought almond milk works great too -- homemade milk is a bit richer, which is why I prefer it. But commercial almond milk would work too.
Olga says
Hi Audrey. Wanting to make this recipe, looks so yummy! I’m looking to make it with what I have on hand, which happens to be everything plus gelatin instead of agar agar (don’t hate the non-vegan in me). Would I just follow usual instructions and proportions for the gelatin to the rest of the ingredients? Or should I just make the extra trip for the agar?
Audrey says
Hi Olga, going based on reader feedback from similar recipes it should work fine (though I haven’t tried it myself). The substitution should be in the same quantity — I’m assuming you’re using gelatin powder, which would be equivalent to agar agar powder (not flakes), so see notes section in case you haven’t seen it already.
Anna says
I made this and it was really great, but the texture was a little off...it looked a tiny bit separated? Maybe that's because I used powder instead of flakes. I really want to make it again and achieve the texture shown in the photos. The taste was very good though!
P.S. What's your absolute favorite thing to do with almond flour? I really want to use up my big bag of it!
Audrey says
Hi Anna. Thanks for sharing. I've had several readers share that it worked well for them with the powder, so I don't think using powder is the issue. Assuming you used .66 of a tsp of the powder and everything else in the recipe was followed as listed in terms of quantities, I would guess the separation has to do with the agar agar not dissolving and therefore not gelling properly. That's happened to me before when making vegan jello, for instance. To remedy that, make sure things are stirred well together in step 1 so that there are no clumps, and then heat it a bit longer in step 2 to make sure it's fully dissolved (just don't let it start boiling or bubbling too much). I'd love to hear how you go on your next try :)
Almond flour: I love this fig and chocolate cake -- it's an old blog recipe, but still a favorite. These cookies are pretty good too :)
Anna says
Thanks for the troubleshooting, Audrey! I will probably give it another shot tomorrow.
Those cookies look absolutely stunning-I was eyeing them before, and now I really want to make them!
Thanks again,
Anna
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
Ah, how brilliant! I have long wanted a replacement for egg custard and this clearly is going to be it :)
Audrey says
Thanks Kari. Hope it fills that custard void for you :)
Anna says
Oh my god this sound so yummy! And its even healthy! I guess I dont have another choice but trying it out... <3
Audrey says
Haha. Enjoy it, Anna :)
Randy Thill says
Gotta say...custard has been on my mind lately. You must have received the message, too!
Audrey says
Good timing then :) Enjoy!