Can you taste the silken tofu in the orange cream?

No. Silken tofu is very mild and fades completely into the background. Between the fresh orange juice, the zest and the nut butter, the cream tastes fruity and delicate, and most people never guess that tofu is the main ingredient.

Which tofu should I use, silken or regular tofu?

You need silken tofu for this cream, not firm block tofu. Only soft silken tofu blends completely smooth and turns almost like a mousse. Firm tofu would stay grainy and rubbery and never reach that creamy texture.

Can I make the orange cream ahead?

Yes, it is ideal for making ahead. Blend the cream, fill it into glasses and chill it; the guar gum helps it set firm as it cools. Add the fruit puree and toppings just before serving so they stay fresh.

How long does the orange cream keep?

Stored in a sealed jar, the cream keeps for 2–3 days in the fridge. It tastes best freshly blended, so prepare the fruit puree and toasted coconut fresh rather than letting everything sit assembled.

What can I use instead of orange?

You can flavour the cream with mandarin, blood orange or lemon instead; use a little less juice with lemon as it is more sour. Blending mango or berry puree into the tofu base also makes a lovely fruity variation.

Orange Cream with Silken Tofu – light dessert

Hello lovelies,

today I have a quick and delicious dessert for you: orange cream with silken tofu. Quickly prepared, served in pretty glasses, combined with an orange papaya puree and you have a great dessert that is not too difficult. It‘s uitable for a multi-course menu. The orange cream with silken tofu is also great for a brunch, an extensive breakfast or an afternoon coffee, and for the end of a proper dinner there are brownies with an airy orange mousse, whose batter of kidney beans, dates and pecans is bound by a chia egg.

The silken tofu makes the cream really fluffy and almost like a mousse. And don't worry if you've never used silken tofu for sweet dishes before. You don't taste it at all, or very few will guess what the main ingredient of the cream is. The fine orange flavor makes it simply delicious and not too sweet, especially together with the fruity puree made of orange and papaya (you can of course also use a different fruit). And if that leaves you curious about the savory side: silken tofu can also be fried crisp and seasoned properly.

Four glasses of orange cream with pomegranate on a board, served

I love simple desserts that you can pour into pretty glasses, prepare in advance and then just get them out of the fridge. You can easily vary with the toppings, depending on which ingredients you have at home and which fruits are in season, a freedom my sweet coconut dip takes even further, since it is little more than coconut-almond butter stirred with coconut yogurt under a spoon of coconut flakes. Berries also fit perfectly, of course, for example mash frozen berries of your choice and combine them with the cream.

Glass of layered orange cream topped with an orange wedge, close-up

Glasses of silken tofu orange cream in two layers, plated

Golden spoon dipping into a glass of orange cream with pomegranate, close-up

This time I added a coconut-almond butter to the cream (you can find it at Alnatura and it tastes like the inside of Raffaellos – just to warn you) - but of course you can also use neutral almond or cashew butter. The addition of the nut butter provides extra creaminess. The guar gum ensures that the cream doesn‘t remain too liquid, but you can also use something else that helps to bind a cold cream; nothing binds my mango nice cream with dried fruit but the frozen banana and mango that go into the blender.

Four glasses of orange cream from above with halved oranges, plated

Have you ever used silken tofu for a sweet dessert? I can only recommend it to you, it‘s so easy to work with and the result is so delicious. I had already made a mousse with it for Christmas. Without the Christmas spices, it’s a delicious chocolate mousse for all year round. You can find the recipe here. And my recipe for the vegan cheesecake with silken tofu is one of the most popular recipes on the blog.

If you love quick creams in a glass like this one, take a look at my vegan cheesecake with silken tofu too, another favourite with the same main ingredient. For something fruity and wintery you will love my cashew-cinnamon cream with mandarins, and chocolate fans should try the airy vegan chocolate mousse – all three can be made the day before, just like this orange cream.

If you have Pinterest, you can find me here and you can pin one of these pictures if you like:

Orange cream with silken tofu – recipe pin with text overlay

Orange cream with silken tofu

Verena's notes