Since we are now unofficially in the beginnings of summer, why not celebrate with some milkshakes? We have a mind-blowing vegan shake recipe courtesy of Michael Solomonov and his staff at Goldie, a vegan falafel joint and sibling of Zahav in Philly.
Kyle found the recipe for these delicious shakes in Israeli Soul – a cookbook that has served us well. In the book, there are Vegan Tahini Shakes – a vegan, gluten free treat that is suitable for almost every dietary restriction. When Solomonov was developing the menu for Goldie, he wished to craft an indulgent, vegan shake that was just as creamy and satisfying as its dairy-full cousin.
Well, he found the answer. And the answer was….tahini. Yes, that’s right, the sesame paste. It provided both the nutty flavor and rich texture, creating a flavorful and creamy treat.
The genius of his at-home version of the recipe lies in making a batch of the tahini base for the shakes, then freezing it in ice cube trays. The cubes are then pureed with just enough almond milk to create a frappe texture without diluting the flavor of the tahini with ice or excess liquid.
Israeli Soul includes several flavor variations of the tahini shake. Kyle naturally gravitated towards the coffee flavor. Who wouldn’t love a homemade Frappuccino? – only vegan-style! The flavor combination of the tahini and chocolate is a favorite for us and is very reminiscent of our Chocolate Tahini Bark and Tahini Chess Pie. So, Kyle incorporated some cocoa powder into the frozen tahini mixture. Chocolate + Coffee + Tahini= Summer Love!
For a subsequent batch, Kyle blended in half of frozen banana – I mean shakes are for breakfast too, right? The combination of the flavors was so heavenly that there is a strong possibility you will never want a regular milkshake ever again.
There was also a recipe in Israeli Soul for a whipped topping, from a can of coconut milk. Kyle did make the topping with the first batch of shakes (it is included in the recipe provided), and it worked great. However, there are many vegan whipped topping (coconut, etc.) options at grocery stores, so I say save the effort and buy the store option – no harm in that!
I will say, the mild coconut flavor of the topping really complements the nuttiness of the tahini and the bittersweet flavors of the coffee and chocolate. If you feel like going the extra mile and being extra shake-fancy (like Kyle) top the whole thing off with some chocolate covered espresso beans.
With or without topping, this frozen indulgence should be your go-to summer recipe – it will get you through the heat filled days with deliciousness!
Inspired by Goldie.
Recipe adapted from Israeli Soul.
- For the coffee syrup:
- 1 cup water
- 6 tablespoons regular ground coffee
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- For the coconut whip:
- ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
- For the shakes:
- ½ cup tahini
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups plain unsweetened almond milk, plus more as needed
- Coffee syrup
- Coconut Whip, or store-bought coconut whipped cream
- Chocolate covered espresso beans, for garnish
- To make the coffee syrup: combine the water, coffee and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, remove the pan from the heat, and let steep for 30 minutes. Place a coffee filter inside a fine-mesh sieve and set it over a jar. Strain the syrup into the jar. The syrup will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 month.
- To make the Coconut Whip (if using): whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Scoop coconut cream solids into the mixing bowl (reserve remaining liquid for another use). Whisk constantly until soft peaks form
- Combine the tahini, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and almond milk in a blender. Process until smooth. Pour the mixture into ice cube trays (you’ll need three standard-size trays) and freeze overnight.
- The next day, pop the tahini ice cubes out of the trays into the blender. Pour in a little more almond milk to get the blender started and blend just until the ice cubes are completely broken down and the mixture thickens. Add the coffee syrup and blend for a few more seconds.
- Pour the milkshake into glasses and serve immediately, topped with Coconut Whip and chocolate covered espresso beans.
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