Today I share with you a recipe perfect for every dietary need. A fragrant and velvety orange cream without eggs and without milk. Oh, and without flour too!
One of those preparations so easy and quick that it surprises you at the first spoonful. In fact, every time I make it I almost always end up enjoying it while it’s still warm with a spoon!!
The orange cream without milk and without eggs is delicate and delicious, perfect to enrich your desserts and make them truly unique.
It’s a vegan cream that really tastes of orange, light and aromatic, often also called water cream.
This preparation is a true gem of “without” pastry: it’s naturally vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free—better than that!
It’s the “no-fuss” solution to fill tarts, cakes or to be enjoyed with a spoon as a light dessert at the end of a meal.
Suitable for lactose-intolerant, celiacs and vegans… a treat we can all enjoy without exception 🧡
Let’s discover together the secrets to make it perfect, but first I recommend some delicious recipes you can’t miss!
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Cooking time: 1 Hour 7 Minutes
- Portions: for filling a cake about 8-9 inches
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups orange juice (preferably organic)
- 1/2 cup sugar (if the oranges are very sweet you can reduce to 80 g (about 1/3 cup))
- 3 tbsp vegetable margarine (of very good quality)
- 5 tbsp gluten-free cornstarch (those who prefer can use all-purpose flour)
- orange zest
Tools
- Citrus juicer
- Lemon zester
- Bowl
- Saucepan
- Whisk
- Plastic wrap
- Spatula
Steps
Preparing this egg-free cream is really child’s play! The only boring thing you will have to do is squeeze the oranges!
As always, when I share citrus-based recipes with you, I make one recommendation: use only organic oranges with an edible peel 🧡🍊
To obtain about 300 g of juice you will need roughly 5 oranges, depending on size. To be safe, take a couple extra.
Choose them ripe and sweet (you’ll find my buying tips below). Squeeze the juice and set it aside.
Take a saucepan, put the cornstarch inside and a little of the orange juice to dissolve it well; stir with a whisk to avoid lumps.
Once the cornstarch is fully dissolved, turn the heat to very low, pour in the rest of the juice and stir with the whisk.
Add the sugar gradually and the margarine cut into small pieces (use only very good quality margarine, please).
Also add the whole or grated peel of one orange to give your cream a stronger flavor and a more intense aroma.
Note: those who prefer can use butter (lactose-free for a lactose-free version) instead of margarine.
In both cases you’ll get an excellent cream but with some structural differences that you can read about further below.
Once the margarine has melted, raise the heat slightly and bring your cream to a boil, stirring with the whisk.
As soon as it starts to simmer, turn off the heat and let it rest. Pour it into a glass or ceramic bowl and cover it with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface.
At first it will seem very runny but it will reach the right creaminess as it cools.
And finally it will be ready to be enjoyed in all its lightness and goodness!
I hope you liked this recipe! 🍊✨ Come back soon 🧡
Article protected by copyright © – Gabriella Geroni © All rights reserved
🍊🧡 SOME IDEAS TO USE THIS FANTASTIC VEGAN ORANGE CREAM:
Filling: Ideal for vegan shortcrust tarts or for the classic Sponge cake.
Little cups: Alternate it in layers with crumbled wholegrain cookies and toasted almonds.
Breakfast: Try it on pancakes instead of maple syrup.
FAQ (Questions & Answers)
Which oranges can I use for this cream?
Not all oranges are the same: some are perfect for juicing, others have such an aromatic peel they can transform a dessert.
Here are the “sweet” varieties best suited for your vegan cream:
🍊 Navel orange (or Navelina)
It’s the undisputed queen for this recipe.
Why choose it: it’s very sweet, with very low acidity and seedless flesh.
The peel is quite thick and rich in essential oils. Using the zest of a Navel (strictly organic) guarantees an intense aroma without the risk of finding annoying seeds while juicing.
🍊 Tarocco orange (red-fleshed variety)
If you want a cream with a slightly more amber color and a more complex flavor.
Why choose it: it has a perfect balance between sugars and acids and a faint note of berries.
It is very juicy. If you use it, your cream will have a more “noble” and less flat flavor compared to a classic blond orange. Make sure they are very ripe to avoid acidity overpowering the cream’s sweetness.
✔️ Heaviness check: Pick up the orange—if it’s heavy for its size it means it’s full of juice.
✔️ Thin or thick peel? For juicing a thin peel is better, but for this cream we need the zest! Choose oranges with a well-defined and fragrant peel texture (scrape lightly with your fingernail: if it immediately releases scent, it’s the right one).
✔️ Organic is a must: since you’ll use the zest during cooking, it’s essential they aren’t treated with waxes or pesticides (no “inedible peel”).
