Vegan Capirotada

If you’re anything like us, we love giving into our sweet tooth cravings! One of the main joys of becoming vegan, (other than the obvious health benefits!) is finding new ways to recreate our favorite recipes with healthier substitutes. Experimenting with dessert recipes is always a fun way for us to explore new flavor and texture substitutes; to see which fruits, vegetables and nuts can impart the same textures to recipes that we grew up loving.

One of my favorite desserts growing up was Capirotada. My Mom and Abuelita made it when family was visiting, or on chilly days. They each had similar recipes, but gave it their own unique flavor with fruit choices or sprinkles to top it off. I’m continuing a family tradition, and adding my own vegan twist.

For those of you who are not familiar with Capirotada, it is a bread pudding dish usually eaten on Good Friday. Most recipes generally include bolillo or bread soaked in mulled syrup, and also includes nuts, seeds and sometimes fresh fruit. While some classic Capirotada recipes ask for cheese, butter and white sugar, instead, we opted for ingredients like shredded coconut and sliced almonds.

The prep time for Capirotada is 30 minutes and should take no more than 40 minutes to bake and cool.

Ingredients for Vegan Capirotada

5 Wheat Bolillo

8 oz. Piloncillo

1-2 Cinnamon Stick (use flakey Ceylon)

4 cups Water

2 Bananas

2 Gala Apples

1-2 Cloves

½ cup Raisins

½ cup sliced Almonds

¼ cup Coconut, shredded, toasted, unsweetened

Instructions for Vegan Capirotada

Turn on oven broiler on high. Cut bread into 1/2 inch cubes and layer in a oven tray and place under broiler 1 -2 minutes or until bread is toasted throughout. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium pot, bring water, piloncillo, clove, 1 whole peeled banana, 1 cored and quartered apple, and cinnamon to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and stir until the piloncillo has dissolved. Let it steep for 15 minutes with the heat off, strain and place liquid back into the pot.

Line the bottom of a baking dish with a layer of bread. Pour 1/4 of the liquid over the bread and cover with banana slices, apple slices, raisins, and almonds. Add another layer of bread and repeat the process. You should be able to fit 3 layers of bread.

When the final layer of bread has been laid down, pour the remaining liquid on top and cover with banana slices, apple slices, toasted coconut, and remaining almonds.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 to 20 min. or until syrup is absorbed. Remove from oven and let rest for 20 min. then serve

Enjoy your Capirotada with your queridos and remember to tag us in your photos! We can’t wait to hear and see how your recipes turned out. Hasta luego!