It’s officially that time of the year: wine gets hot and spicy, whiskey gets toddied and coffee chains replace their trademark cups with red ones adorned with kitschy Christmas motifs. Ordering an extra dry soy latte isn’t enough; now we crave the addition of eggnog or gingerbread syrup.
But you may want to re-think that: you'd be astounded by the amount of sugar they pump into those Christmas drinks. Sure, they look cute in their snowman cups, sprinkled with edible glitter, but there’s nothing festive about a sugar high followed by a nasty slump hours later. A typical medium eggnog latte packs 24 teaspoons of sugar and well over 500 calories. No wonder most of us start gaining weight in winter!
Luckily, we’ve found the perfect way for you to enjoy festive drinks without the unhealthy additions of sugar and sickeningly sweet syrups. Make these delish Vegan Drinks for Winter at home and take them with you on your commute (ok, maybe not the alcoholic ones!) or re-create them when you’ve got friends over. Most of these can be served hot or cold, and of course if you don’t drink alcohol, our boozy recipes are just as yummy as ‘virgin’ versions too.
1. Pumpkin Spiced Latte
Pumpkin lattes are huge in America. Instagram finds itself hash tagged with thousands of the Starbuck’s Christmas favourite every year, and so we thought we‘d bring a little of that American flavour to you. If you’ve never tried pumpkin before it may seem like an odd flavour for a latte, but trust us when we tell you you’re about to fall in love. The sweetness from the vanilla and the delicate touch of spice work together so nicely, you’ll be knocking these back all winter long. And the best part? They’re 100% vegan.
Get the recipe here.
2. Healthy Hot Chocolate
Hot chocolate is a faithful favourite. Who doesn’t look forward to a rich and creamy mug of it? But like most things, instant hot chocolates you buy from supermarkets and ones from those chain store coffee shops are packed with hidden sugars. So this recipe is not only vegan, but so much healthier for you. And the addition of mint drops gives this a lovely edge making it taste like chocolate mint thins, yum!
Get the recipe here.
3. Chai Latte
If you’re vegan, you will most likely have faced the awkward stand-off with the coffee assistant when asking which of their drinks are dairy-free. And whilst a few of them may insist they’re made using soy milk, you can never be one hundred per-cent sure. Well this chai latte is 100% vegan, and just as creamy and frothy as those take-out ones. This latte has a little kick to it from the chai spices yet with a delicious sweetness from the vanilla. And that creamy topping? Coconut whip! Genius!
Get the recipe here.
4. Peppermint Mocha
This just looks exactly like Christmas in a mug. There’s something about the combination of coffee and chocolate that is simply delicious. Whilst you can order this in Starbucks in the most vegan friendly way, you won’t be rewarded with the whip on top (our personal favourite) or will you get that creamy almond milk. So why not take a break and get creative in the kitchen. We can’t guarantee you'll want to leave after tasting this though, but it will be worth it.
Get the recipe here.
5. Hot Apple Cider Smoothie
If you’re a smoothie fan like us, you might want to adapt your recipe slightly for this festive period. And this hot apple cider smoothie is the perfect recipe for doing just that. It has sweet flavours from the apples yet holds a little spice from the ginger and the cinnamon, perfect flavours for drinking warm. And ginger is also a great preventative for colds, so all the more reason to knock this back and bid farewell to a cold this holiday season.
Get the recipe here.
6. Caramel Macchiato
If you’ve never tasted the absolute heavenly flavours of a caramel macchiato, then you must fix this at once. This is definitely a recipe for those who like their drinks a little on the sweet side. The combination of coconut cream, vanilla drops and caramel sauce make this drink rich and insanely creamy. You'd never even guess it was dairy-free.
Get the recipe here.
7. Green Tea Latte
Not exactly the most festive of drinks, but this scores massive brownie points in the health department. More coffee chains have been adding green tea and matcha lattes onto their drinks menu, hallelujah! But they’re just as quick and easy to make at home and way more cost effective! Matcha green tea is a very acquired taste but is definitely something you should try purely for the wonderful benefits of green tea.
Get the recipe here.
8. Maple, Cinnamon & Chamomile Tea Latte
This is a real game changer for those that aren’t necessarily keen on the flavours of chamomile. The flowery flavours of chamomile blend with the creamy cashew milk and vanilla whilst the cinnamon gives it a real wintery kick. It would be perfect with a cookie, or three.
Get the recipe here.
9. Vegan Eggnog Recipe
This vegan-ised eggnog recipe is the perfect replacement for those overly sugary take-out options. This is SO quick and easy to make, and the additional shot of rum in this recipe makes this a wonderful drink to serve at a Christmas get-together.
Get the recipe here.
10. Hot Apple Cider (with Superfood Power!)
Lets all take a moment to hail Leanne of Helpful Pursuit for coming up with this, dare we say it, healthy way of enjoying cider? Okay, well we may be leading you on a little as this drink doesn’t contain any alcohol content, but you really don’t need it. This recipe proves just how the power of healthy food combined with additional spices can create something so packed with flavour. We’re thinking oversized blankets, a good book and a massive mason jar of this. Perfect!
Get the recipe here.
This article was originally published on www.eluxemagazine.com. Read the complete article here.
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