The creamy irresistible flavor of eggnog in a healthy plant powered smoothie that doesn’t rely on coconut cream or refined sweeteners. Roasted Japanese sweet potatoes are the secret to this mind-blowingly delicious eggnog adjacent experience. Wholesome enough for breakfast but festive enough to be served as a holiday mocktail.
WHY I LOVE IT
Before becoming vegan I’d always loved eggnog. Now that I’m not just vegan but also whole food plant-based and alcohol-free, traditional eggnog is a no go. This smoothie has a flavor and texture profile that’s poignantly reminiscent of traditional boozy eggnog without relying on dairy, eggs, alcoholic beverages or refined sweeteners. I’ve had a similar smoothie made with bananas which did provide an eggnog-like experience, but the distinct flavor of bananas was still noticeable in a way which, in my opinion, clashed with the vibe. What smoothie ingredient is just as sweet and creamy as bananas but farm more neutral? Oven baked Japanese sweet potatoes, that’s what! And being the sweet potato smoothie fanatic I am, I knew I had to try to create a Japanese sweet potato eggnog smoothie recipe. The recipe I concocted was spot on my first attempt. Now I’m obsessed with this smoothie and will be making multiple batches throughout the holidays and beyond. It’s an amazing mocktail even without the rum extract. But for those who imbibe, this smoothie could easily be turned into a full fledged mind altering vegan cocktail.
JAPANESE SWEET POTATO PERFECTION
First I want to say that I love using all kinds of cooked sweet potatoes and yams in smoothies because they create a velvety creamy texture while adding natural sweetness. In most of my sweet potato smoothie recipes more than one kind of sweet potato or yam will work. This recipe’s different. You really do need the light neutral ivory color and custard-like sweetness of Japanese Murasaki sweet potatoes.
BAKE SWEET POTATOES AHEAD OF TIME
You’ll need a cup of pre-cooked Japanese sweet potato for this recipe, and that means thinking ahead. I’ve noticed that yams and sweet potatoes, even when kept in the fridge, don’t last as long as other root vegetables like beets or white potatoes. This is especially true if you buy organic. What I like to do is to bake up a batch as soon as I get them back from the store. Then I keep them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week and snack on them or use them in recipes as needed.
My favorite way to cook yams and sweet potatoes is in the oven at 350 F°, on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet, for at least an hour and up to an hour and a half. Larger yams and sweet potatoes require more cooking time. The idea is to cook them until they are very soft with a lot of give when you squeeze them. They need to be soft so that you can cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the mushy inside to use in recipes like this one where you don’t want the peels. For a step by step guide to cooking sweet potatoes and yams click here.
TURMERIC FOR EGGY COLOR
I love using ground turmeric as a health-forward natural way to add a little golden color to all sorts of recipes. The flavor of turmeric is so subtle that using just enough for a light yellow tinge doesn’t have much of an effect on the overall taste of a recipe. If you taste it at all, you’ll find it adds a nice bit of depth to this smoothie. Turmeric is absolutely optional in this recipe but I wanted to explain the method to the madness.
WHAT’S YOUR EGGNOG AESTHETIC?
Traditional eggnogs vary quite a bit as far as color depending on the number of egg yolks, the color of the yolks themselves, the type of spirits used and other flavorings. I love the flavor I get by using dark deglet noor dates and pecans in this recipe and embrace the resulting beige tint. If you prefer an eggnog smoothie that’s as light as possible, I recommend using raw cashews and replacing the dates with maple syrup. For a very light yellow color go ahead and include the turmeric.
BOOZY FLAVOR OPTIONS
The first time I made this smoothie I didn’t use rum extract and the flavor combo was still so convincingly eggnog-like that I could swear I tasted spirits anyway. That being said, rum extract is lovely in this smoothie and it’s widely available in the US, Canada and some parts of Europe. The tiniest bit of rum extract will give you that boozy flavor while keeping things G rated and health optimized. If you want to turn this smoothie into a full fledged adult beverage, aka a cocktail, you can add a small or moderate amount of your favorite eggnog compatible spirit such as rum, bourbon or brandy.
MAKE IT TREE NUT FREE
If you need a tree nut free smoothie, you can use 1½ to 2 tablespoons of tahini or sunflower seed butter as a substitute for the pecans. Both are rich and delicious and won’t interfere with the color.
related recipes you’ll love
Vegan Eggnog Smoothie with Japanese Sweet Potato
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 1½ cup plain unsweetened plant milk*
- 1 cup Japanese Murasaki sweet potato, cooked in oven then peeled**
- 2 to 3 Tbsp chopped dates (or maple syrup)
- 2 Tbsp pecan pieces (walnuts or raw cashews are also good)***
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ to ½ tsp rum extract (optional)****
- ⅛ tsp ground turmeric (optional for egg-like color)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in the bowl of a blender and process until smooth.
- This recipe makes 19 to 21 ounces (1 very large smoothie, 2 medium smoothies, or up to 4 sample size smoothies).
- You can garnish each smoothie with a small sprinkle of ground nutmeg and/or cinnamon. A cinnamon stick in each glass is a nice touch too!
Leave a Reply