This homemade vegan Baileys tastes just like real Baileys. It’s creamy and rich and smooth and the best thing is that you can make it in 5 minutes with a few easy ingredients and a blender.
I’ll admit that it took a few tries to get this Vegan Baileys recipe just perfect but perfect is exactly what it is.
We even did a taste test comparing real Baileys with this vegan version and had a friend compare the two side by side and they said it’s REALLY close and they might even prefer the vegan version. So that is a WIN.
Baileys do have a vegan version on the market called Baileys Almande and that looks really divine, but it’s not accessible everywhere in the world. So if you want a dairy free Baileys and can’t necessarily just go and buy it at the store then this is the way forward.
How To Make Vegan Baileys
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- It’s so simple. Just add two cans of full fat canned coconut milk to the blender jug.
- Add light brown sugar and pour in Jameson Irish Whiskey.
- Add cocoa powder and instant coffee and vanilla extract and then blend until smooth and creamy.
- Serve over ice (or just chilled, no ice) and enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
The coconut milk must be canned full fat, and unsweetened. Don’t use coconut milk from a carton it won’t be rich enough.
In spite of the coconut base for this drink, the coconut taste doesn’t come through strongly at all. The end result is just a delicious creamy drink.
If you need an alternate to coconut milk then I would choose something like homemade cashew milk so that you can control how rich and creamy it is, because you do want this to be a very creamy drink.
You can use coconut sugar rather than brown sugar if you prefer. Either/or will be delicious.
We used Jamesons Irish Whiskey which was delicious in this drink but feel free to use any Irish whiskey that you like.
We used instant espresso powder for the coffee powder, but you can use any instant coffee powder.
Storing Vegan Baileys
Store it in the fridge and enjoy within about a week. It thickens a little more in the fridge, compared to when it’s just freshly blended, but this is fine especially if you’re serving it over ice which will thin it out again anyway.
You may just need to stir it up again before serving if it’s been standing for a bit.
More Vegan Drinks
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Baileys
Ingredients
- 28 ounces Canned Coconut Milk (800ml) Full Fat, Unsweetened
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar (100g)
- 1 ½ cups Jamesons Irish Whiskey (360ml)
- 2 tsp Cocoa Powder Unsweetened
- 1 tsp Instant Coffee Powder
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Add the coconut milk to the blender jug and then add the brown sugar, Jamesons, cocoa powder, coffee powder and vanilla extract.
- Blend until smooth.
- Serve over ice or just serve it chilled (no ice).
Video
Notes
- You can use any Irish whiskey that you like and have on hand.
- We used instant espresso powder but any instant coffee powder will work.
- We have heard from some readers that the coconut milk split. It may actually be best to use a brand of coconut milk that is NOT organic, so that it contains emulsifiers and stabilizers, as this tends to create the best results.
- Keep leftovers stored in the fridge and consume within about a week. It may thicken a bit in the fridge, just stir it up before serving.
When I use canned coconut milk, do I take the disc of fat away or should I ad it to the blender
You should add all of the coconut milk.
Best recipe I have used and tastes great – my husband tasted it (who is not vegan btw) and said it was better than the real Baileys hahahaha
Haha! Thanks so much for your great review Jacki!
Came here last year to make it, and my family loved it so much i’ve had to come back this year! Thank you 🙂
Happy to hear you loved the recipe Mia! Thanks so much for your great review!
I experienced the ‘curdling’ issue however, I decided to suck it up as I’d accidentally used the expensive whiskey (I know nothing about whiskey) and my partner wouldn’t have been too happy to see it go down the sink. I decanted the mixture into an empty wine bottle and chilled overnight, giving the bottle a shake now and then when I went in the fridge. Fast forward 24 hours and it’s perfect! No lumpiness at all 😃
It really feels like Christmas now I have a glass of ‘Bailey’s’ on hand 🥰
Thank you so much for sharing Kathy!
I like this better than another recipe I had been making and have made it several times. This time around I learned a lesson the hard way. What I had on hand was a can of coconut cream and a can of light coconut milk. I thought great, I’lll mix those together and I will have the equivalent of two cans of coconut milk. What I actually had was so much coconut fat that it promptly turned into whipped fat in the blender just as if I were making whipped coconut cream as a whipping cream substitute. That happened so fast I couldn’t stop it in time. I’m wondering if that’s some of the splitting people are seeing. I definitely will only use regular full fat coconut milk in future! Still tastes great though after I poured it through a sieve and I now have a batch of whipped coconut cream to put on some cake that can go well with a slightly boozy topping! I made one substitution which was to use 100% real maple syrup in place of the brown sugar. I wanted that touch of maple. I also think in future I will make it in a bowl with an immersion blender or another type of mixer where I can see what’s happening better than I could see it through the side of my blender. The fat whipping apparently was happening more in the middle and I was just seeing the brown liquid going around and still seeing flecks of fat and thinking I needed to blend it a little bit more to get rid of those.
Thanks for sharing and for your great review!
Just wondered if you could freeze the vegan baileys as considering making it in advance & using it for Xmas gifts?
Thanks Helen. X
We haven’t tried that Helen. Not sure if it would freeze well..
Great recipe! I did change it up with about 2/3 Silk heavy whipping cream and 1/3 homemade cashew milk. And it needed a tad more brown sugar. But this recipe is definitely a winner! So nice to be able to drink it again! And I have friends who are also vegan so I can give some at holidays. Thanks for the recipe!!
Thank you so much for sharing and for your wonderful review Cathy! Happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Hi Alison I bought the Jamesons ages ago to make the Baileys recipe and have just whizzed up a batch.. tastes pretty good and quite like a Baileys from many years ago.. Many thanks 🍸💕xx
Thanks for your great review Val! Happy to hear the recipe worked out for you.
Thank you for this recipe. It was absolutely amazing – as in dangerously delicious♪.
Happy to hear you enjoyed it!
I am reading through your recipe and I was wondering if it is necessary to use cocoa powder or is there a substitute for it?
It’s an important part of the flavor.
Totally separated unfortunately using full fat coconut milk.
Sorry to hear that! It definitely should not happen, as coconut milk usually mixes very well with alcohol (i.e. pina coladas!). I would be inclined to blame the brand.
After a bit of research I have found out that it’s not the brand at all. Its down to having emulsifiers in the coconut milk which stop it splitting in the can (the water splitting from the coconut fat) In fact if your coconut milk splits it’s actually a sign of much better quality. If you are using organic with no additives and emulsifiers then the milk will split. I just scraped the fat away and the milk was still creamy enough and the flavour was amazing. Alison maybe you should inform people they need to buy full fat coconut cream WITH emulsifiers / stabilisers in (which won’t be organic) as these are chemicals but will ensure the milk doesn’t split and curdle. Either way this is a great recipe and I will continue to use it with organic full fat and just scrape away the fats. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks for sharing Becca! That is helpful info.
Hi, I’ve just whipped this up in the blender and the coconut milk has separated and is very lumpy! What could have caused this?
Sorry to hear that Rae! I’ve never had this happen so my only guess would be that its something to do with the brand of coconut milk.
Made this with Scotch and had to cut down on the amount as it was really strong. Tasted good on ice as well as with Vitasoy milk
Could you use plant based milk instead of coconut?
Hi Anne, as mentioned in the post, if you need an alternative to coconut milk you could use something like cashew milk, but you need a rich and creamy option otherwise it wouldn’t work that well.
This recipe is SO good. I thought it’d taste bad with the canned coconut milk but it tastes amazing. I won’t bother searching for pre-made vegan Bailey’s anymore! Thank you, Alison 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this yesterday – absolutely delicious! I love the taste of coconut and there is a slight taste of it when you initially drink it, but then the true taste of Baileys (as I remember it) comes through – very yummy and unfortunately moreish!!! So glad I have found this recipe as, since I have been vegan, it is the one treat at Christmas I missed. Thank you!!
ps Just had to have another glass!
So happy to hear that Anne! Thanks so much for sharing!
Alison, just made the vegan baileys and your vegan Christmas gravy!!! Both absolutely delicious. MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Nick
Awesome! Thanks so much for the great review Nick!