Vegan Napoleon Dessert Recipe (2024)

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Easy vegan Napoleon dessert or custard puff pastry made with rich coconut and cashew milk, vanilla extract and thickened with cornstarch or tapioca. Dairy-free and naturally sweetened with maple syrup.

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Vegan Napoleon Dessert

I meant to post this dairy-free custard dessert last Christmas but it clearly didn’t make it to the blog on time, so now you have it ready for Valentine’s and Easter with plenty of Tim etc do a practice run ahead. Let’s do this!

“Mille Feuille” also known as a “Napoleon” a classic Neapolitan pastry dessert of ancient origins filled with a rich and thick vanilla custard orcrème pâtissière– pretty much a dessert sandwich!

Why is it called a Napoleon?

The dessert’s original name was a “napolitain or millefoglie” meaning a “thousand leaves” referring to the many flaky layers surrounding the custard. So a sweet treat in the style of Naples not France, yup that’s Napoli from Italy!

It is thanks to the French pastry chef Creme who made the dessert popular that France is taking credit for the Napoleons. Wowza for culinary history, right?!

How to Make Dairy Free Custard Cream Filling

  1. It’s as simple as whisking together some plant milk with cornstarch or tapioca and simmering until thick. Sweeten with maple syrup and infuse with some good vanilla extract for the best, most decadent plant-based custard.
  2. You can let it cool and enjoy it as a pudding topped with your favorite fruit or preserves, use it in a trifle, to fill a tart, a pie, a cake or to make some lovely Italian pastry desserts like yours truly.

Is Puff Pastry Vegan?

Believe it or not there is vegan puff pastry in the freezer section of your grocery store. Just make sure to check the ingredient list on the back of the box unless it is labeled as plant based or features the V symbol on the package already.

Can You Make Custard with Almond Milk?

Sure, you can replace all the plant mil in the recipe with almond, just know that the result won’t be quite as lusciously rich as it is with the higher fat content from coconut or cashew milk.

You’ll Love this Napoleon Dessert! It’s:

Italian

Super Easy to Make

Luscious

Flaky

Crisp & Creamy

Egg & Dairy Free

Sweet & Salty

Kind to the animals!

Fan Favorite Desserts

  • No Bake Vegan Cookies
  • Best Baklava
  • Lemon Olive Oil Cake
  • Vegan Pumpkin Pie
  • Chocolate Sheet Cake
  • Apple Pie Filling.

Vegan Napoleon Dessert Recipe (8)

4.89 from 9 votes

Vegan Napoleon Dessert

Easy vegan custard puff pastry Napoleon made with rich coconut and cashew milk, vanilla extract and thickened up with tapioca. Dairy-free and naturally sweetened with maple syrup.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:5 minutes mins

Cook Time:20 minutes mins

Defrosting Puff Pastry:35 minutes mins

Total Time:25 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cashew milk
  • 1 cup coconut milk (full fat)
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 3 tsp vanilla extract (or the seeds from 1 vanilla bean)
  • 5 tbsp cornstarch (or 4 tbsp tapioca)
  • 1/8 - 1/4 tsp turmeric (optional for color)
  • 1 sheet vegan puff pastry (9x9)
  • 2 tbsp powdered sugar for dusting

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Defrost the puff pastry according to the instructions on the box, usually 30-40 minutes at room temperature.

  • Preheat your oven to 400”F.

  • Roll out the pastry sheet on a parchment lined cookie sheet, pierce with a fork and cut it in half lengthwise.

  • Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.

Make the Custard:

  • In a medium sauce pan over medium flame whisk together the cashew and coconut milk, maple syrup and tapioca or cornstarch. Bring to a simmer and continue whisking for a good 5 to 10 minutes on medium-low flame until the custard has thickened. Whisk in the vanilla extract or seeds and allow to cool off. (If you wish to give your custard a more yellowish tone make sure to whisk in the turmeric as well. Start with 1/8 tsp and up to 1/4 tsp so you don't overdo it. It won’t affect the flavor just the color).

Assemble the Napoleons:

  • Carefully separate the top and bottom part of the puff pastry, it should easily come apart. Place the bottom parts in a small baking dish lined with parchment paper.

  • Spread the vanilla custard on top and cover with the top layer of puff pastry.

  • Refrigerate for 3-4 hours until set. Use a serrated knife and cut into 10 rectangles or 8 squares to your liking. Dust with powder sugar and serve!

Notes

  • If using turmeric make sure to start with a tiny pinch 1/8 teaspoon and work your way up to 1/4 teaspoon. The more turmeric the more golden your custard will be.
  • Some people don't like the texture of tapioca, if you are those people please use cornstarch instead.

Nutrition

Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 126mg | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1.8mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Vegan Custard, vegan recipes

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 316kcal

Author: Florentina

Vegan Desserts:

Vegan Napoleon Dessert Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a Napoleon dessert and a mille-feuille? ›

Mille-feuille is very similar to the Italian dessert, Napoleon. The main difference between the two desserts is that a Napoleon is layered with almond paste instead of cream. A traditional mille-feuille will consist of three layers of puff pastry alternated with two layers of pastry cream.

What is a Napoleon dessert made from? ›

A mille-feuille (French: [mil fœj]; lit. 'thousand-sheets'), also known by the names Napoleon in North America, vanilla slice in the United Kingdom, and custard slice, is a French dessert made of puff pastry layered with pastry cream.

What is the difference between honey cake and Napoleon cake? ›

These are completely different cakes, the texture of the cakes is different, Napoleon is more saturated, therefore less visually, although it does not affect the taste in any way.

What is the difference between mille-feuille and millefoglie? ›

Millefoglie – a thousand leaves – is better known in Australia perhaps by its French name, Millefeuille. As you can see in the photo, a Millefoglie is a magnificent and very fancy looking cake (a grand- finale- dessert), made with layers (or leaves) of thin and airy, flaky pastry.

Why are French desserts so good? ›

French desserts are generally prepared with creams, fruits, and custard. They are extra flaky in texture as a lot of butter is used in their preparation. It requires attention to detail, dedication, and a lot of patience to bake such pastries.

What is the story behind the Napoleon cake? ›

Originally named "mille-feuille", the Napoleon cake was supposedly brought to Russia by the French in the early 19th century. This cake commemorated the anniversary of the Russian victory against Napoléon Bonaparte in 1812.

What is the New Orleans French dessert? ›

What is a beignet? Beignets were first introduced to the city by the French-Creole colonists in the 18th century. The concept is simple – dough is fried then covered with mounds of powdered sugar – but the result is extraordinary.

What is Elvis Presley cake? ›

An Elvis Presley cake is a single-layer classic yellow cake that's topped with a pineapple glaze. Much like a poke cake, the syrup and juices of the pineapple will seep into the cake through fork holes, resulting in a decadent, ultra-moist cake.

What are Finn cakes? ›

Finn Cakes are cupcakes that have Finn's face drawn on them with frosting. They also have a blue wrapper, resembling his blue shirt. A massive Finn cake appeared at the end of "Seventeen." A small, anthropomorphic Finn cake appears in the episode "Come Along With Me".

Why is it called Budapest cake? ›

Ingvar Strid was a pastry chef from Sweden created this pastry. Then why was it named the Budapest Cake? They say it is because of his love of travelling and how much he admired Budapest so he decided to name his creation after his favorite city. The trademark of Budapest Cake is the batter, topping and filling.

What are profiteroles made of? ›

Similar to cream puffs, profiteroles are delicate, airy pastries made from choux pastry, a light dough made with butter, water, flour and eggs. During baking, they puff up, creating a hollow center ideal for various fillings.

Does mille-feuille contain egg? ›

What is mille feuille cream? These desserts are filled with either pastry cream, a delicious custard made with egg yolks, sugar and milk, or diplomat cream, pastry cream lightened with whipped cream. Some are just filled with a stabilized whipped cream, or an instant custard.

What does mille-feuille mean literally? ›

Translated to English, millefeuille (pronounced meel-foy) means one thousand sheets, layers, or leaves.

Why do they call the pastry a Napoleon? ›

Napoleon pastry, also known as mille-feuille, is a classic French dessert that has been enjoyed for hundreds of years. Although its origins are somewhat disputed, its name is derived from Napoleon Bonaparte, who was said to have enjoyed the pastry during his reign as Emperor of France.

Does mille-feuille mean a thousand leaves? ›

It translates to a thousand leaves (but you could also translate feuille as layers or sheets) but in short, this is a pastry made of countless super-thin layers of pastry.

Why is mille-feuille so popular? ›

It's the contrast between the light, crispy dough and rich vanilla cream, combined in alternating thin layers, that makes mille-feuille such a treat. Both components are delicious, but together they create a greater whole, which is why this simple French pastry remains so popular.

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