Crema de Vie is Cuba's sweet, creamy answer to eggnog, traditionally made with egg yolks, milk, sugar, vanilla, and rum. This vegan version keeps the rich, velvety texture and classic Cuban flavors without the eggs or dairy.
"Cream of life" is a grand name for a drink that spends eleven months not existing, then turns up in tiny glasses the week before Christmas. But it still earns every syllable.
Growing up, we had bottles of it living in the door of the refrigerator from about the second week of December until it was gone, which was never as long as anyone planned. It came out after dinner, in small cordial glasses, and the kids got a thimbleful and felt extremely grown up. I loved it and had to veganize it.
It belongs on a Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) and a New Year's Eve table, which at my house means it comes out after the Moros y Cristianos, next to a plate of Pastelitos de Guayaba and a bowl of Cuban Suspiros. If you want the Puerto Rican cousin instead, that's Vegan Coquito.
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Why This One's on Repeat
- No tempering, no curdling, no egg anxiety. The one thing that can go wrong in the original is the one thing that I have removed.
- It gets better sitting in the fridge. Make it days before you need it for an easy drink, ready when you are.
- Bottled with a ribbon, it's the gift people actually finish.
Shopping List
- Raw cashews: Raw, not roasted, not salted. They stand in for egg yolks, so they do structural work here, not flavor work. Soaked properly, you will not taste them, and you'll get a creamy finish.
- Vegan sweetened condensed milk: Nature's Charm makes both coconut and oat versions. I reach for the oat one, because the coconut version pushes the whole drink toward coquito territory. Easy to find at Whole Foods. Here it is on Amazon for your reference, but it is much cheaper at Whole Foods.
- Vegan evaporated milk: Also Nature's Charm, again oat if you can find it. Between the two cans, you have replaced the entire dairy backbone of the original. Also found at Whole Foods, and at the time of writing, it is much cheaper than on Amazon.
- Ground turmeric: A little bit of turmeric sounds alarming but tastes like nothing. Trust the process. You'll notice the gold, and you will not notice the turmeric. I promise it won't taste like curry.
- White rum: Cuban families reach for a light, clean white rum. Bacardi Superior is easy to find and vegan-friendly.
See the printable recipe card for quantities and a full list of ingredients.
Whenever I am not sure about a bottle of liquor's vegan status, I check it on Barnivore. It is a community-run database of beer, wine, and liquor that has been logging vegan status since 2008, mostly by emailing companies directly and posting what they say back.
Ways To Change It Up
- Use añejo instead of white rum: Deeper, warmer, faintly caramel.
- Coffee version: Add two shots of cooled espresso, or 2 tablespoons of instant coffee dissolved in a little hot water. Very good, very Cuban, very hard to stop drinking.
- Citrus peel: Add a strip of orange or lime peel to the cinnamon syrup for a bright citrus note.
- Alcohol-free version: Leave out the rum, make only ¼ cup of the simple syrup, and replace the rum with ½ cup of water plus 1 teaspoon of alcohol-free rum extract. Check the label carefully, since many rum extracts contain 35 to 40 percent alcohol; look for an imitation rum flavor in a glycerin base.
Let's Make Vegan Crema de Vie
Remember to first soak the cashews for the best texture. See the complete printable recipe card below for the details.
Step 1: Combine the water, sugar, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool until barely warm.
Step 2: Add the drained soaked cashews and the evaporated and condensed oat milks to a blender.
Step 3: Add the vanilla, ground cinnamon, turmeric (if using), and salt. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 2 minutes.
Step 4: Remove the cinnamon stick from the syrup and set it aside. With the blender on low, pour in the simple syrup and blend just until combined.
Step 5: Add the rum and blend a few seconds more.
Step 6: Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring cup. This catches any grit and keeps it silky.
Step 7: Funnel into a clean swing-top bottle and drop in the reserved cinnamon stick.
Step 8: Seal and chill at least 4 hours. Shake before serving.
Top Tips
- If you don't want to soak the cashews overnight, use one of the methods found in the Guide to Soaking Cashews.
- Taste it cold, not warm. Sweetness and alcohol both read louder at room temperature. Chill it first, then decide whether it needs more syrup.
Serving Suggestions
- Small glasses only. Cordial glasses, sherry glasses, espresso cups. This is rich, sweet, and it is strong, and a full tumbler of it is a rookie mistake you make exactly once.
- Serve it very cold, after the plates are cleared. This is a dessert, not an aperitif.
- Serve it on a dessert table with Cuban Suspiros and Boniatillo Seco.
- Pour over ice with a shot of espresso. Unorthodox but excellent.
- Bottled as gifts. Small swing-top bottles, a ribbon, and a tag with the date and the words keep me cold, shake me first make for a great gift.
How to Store Vegan Crema de Vie
Refrigerator: Keep it in an airtight bottle or jar for up to 1 week. It lives in the fridge, never on the counter.
Separation is normal. The crema de vie may settle between pours. Shake hard before every single glass.
Freezer: I don't recommend freezing. The cashew emulsion may break and get grainy no matter how gently you thaw it.
Vegan Crema de Vie FAQs
Not quite. They're cousins. Eggnog is built on milk and cream, so it pours like heavy cream at most. Crema de Vie is built on sweetened condensed and evaporated milk, so it coats the glass, clings to a spoon, and thickens overnight in the fridge. It's served cold in small glasses, never warmed. Eggnog is sweet. Crema de Vie is a legit dessert.
You can. If you want Crema de Vie to taste Cuban, use a neutral oat or soy-based plant milk.
Usually one of three things. The condensed milk was a thinner brand than the one I use, or it simply has not been cold long enough. Chill it fully before you judge it, since it thickens noticeably in the refrigerator. If it is still thin after a night in the fridge, blend in a few extra soaked cashews.
Yes. Leave out the rum, make only ¼ of the simple syrup, and replace the rum with ½ cup of water plus 1 teaspoon of alcohol-free rum extract. Check the label carefully, since many rum extracts contain 35 to 40 percent alcohol; look for an imitation rum flavor in a glycerin base.
Yes, and it is better if you do. Give it three to five days in the fridge, and the cinnamon and vanilla settle in. Bottle it, keep it cold, and shake it every pour. It holds about a week total, so you can make it the weekend before Noche Buena and not think about it again.
More Vegan Christmas Recipes
Drop a comment and tell me how this vegan Crema de Vie turned out! Was it love at first sip, surprisingly drinkable, or a full-on yuck? And if my directions helped (or didn't), please let me know so I can keep improving these recipes for you. Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for inspiration.
Recipe Card
Vegan Crema de Vie (Cuban Eggnog)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ cups raw cashews soaked for 4 hours*
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 12.2 fluid ounces evaporated oat milk one can of Nature's Charm; substitute with a plant-based milk like oat or soy milk
- 11.25 ounces sweetened condensed oat milk one can of Nature's Charm
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric optional: for yellow color*
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white rum
- nutmeg grated for garnish - optional
Instructions
- Soak the cashews: Soak the cashews in water overnight or put the raw cashews in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them sit until soft. The cashews provide most of the texture in this recipe, and undersoaked nuts will taste grainy, so make sure they have enough time to soften fully.
- Make the simple syrup: Combine water, granulated sugar, and a cinnamon stick in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves, then let it bubble gently for about 4-5 minutes to reduce slightly - not too much, since we want the ½ cup of simple syrup for the drink. Remove from the heat and let the cinnamon steep. Let the syrup cool until barely warm before adding it to the blender.
- Load the blender: Drain the soaked cashews and add them to a high-speed blender with evaporated oat milk, condensed oat milk, vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon of ground turmeric (if using for color), ground cinnamon, and salt.
- Blend until truly smooth: Blend on high for about two minutes so the cashews blend smoothly. This is where the cashews emulsify to create the custardy body.
- Add syrup: Remove the cinnamon stick from the simple syrup and set it aside. Carefully add the syrup to the blender, keeping it on low until mixed well.
- Add the rum: Pour in rum and blend on low just until combined, about 15 seconds.
- Strain and chill: Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bottle or jar. Add the cinnamon stick you removed from the simple syrup into the bottle for more delicious flavor. Refrigerate until thoroughly cold, about 4 hours. Chilling firms it up, so judge the final thickness only after it's cold, never while warm.
- Serve: Shake well, pour into small cordial or sherry glasses, and grate fresh nutmeg or cinnamon over the top if desired. Serve very cold.
Regi Pearce says
I'll be making this for gifting. Note for anyone bottling it: fill to about an inch below the swing top so there's room to shake, and write the date on the tag. It keeps a week, and people will ask. Enjoy!