10 More Vegan Hot Drinks (Compilation #4)

 'Tis the season for mugs full of hot, cozy liquids. For me, most of those are herbal tea or grain-based "coffee," with or without soy milk. But sometimes they're something more exciting--or maybe, more accurately, sometimes I need something a bit more comforting to get me going.

(If you missed the last round of drinks, you can find it here.)

As you may know, I am not allowed caffeine, so none of these drinks are made with anything that contains more than occasional trace amounts of it, but you can easily substitute something with caffeine in some of them by just swapping for real coffee or black tea. And to correct a myth, cocoa does have a stimulant, but that stimulant is not primarily caffeine. Caffeine is present in cocoa in trace amounts, but the primary stimulant in cocoa is theobromine. Though the amount of caffeine in cocoa powder varies, an average seems to be 12 mg per tablespoon (about what I'd put in a drink). A cup of coffee has about 100 mg, while a cup of hot tea has about 50 mg. There's really no equivalency there.

The stimulant effect one gets from theobromine is slower and more even, so you don't spike and crash with it. Or at least I don't. And it also doesn't cause a bunch of other unpleasant symptoms. I'm not that kind of doctor, so none of this is medical advice. In any case, the bad things that happen to me if I have coffee or higher-caffeine teas (which is basically any tea that isn't herbal) don't happen with cocoa, but good things do.

So all hail chocolate!

Anyway, on to the drinks, only some of which are chocolatey.

1. Nut Nog Latte (Gluten Free)

I have absolutely no idea why, but I remember that as a young child, I always got excited when my mother brought home a bottle of eggnog. I drank it cold, straight from the fridge, and without any alcohol, of course. As I got older, I stopped being so fond of it, and as a vegan, I haven't had much nog. Well, that changed with nut nog! This is a recipe from Upbeet Kitchen. I made it with soy milk and some grain-based "coffee." It was delicious! I'm going to explore more nogs.

2. Goguma Latte (Gluten Free, Nut Free)

This is a popular Korean drink, but I put a vegan spin on it. Basically, you blend cooked Korean or Japanese sweet potato (the white kind with the purple skin) with milk of your choice (soy milk for me), a pinch of salt, and some maple syrup. Warm it all up, then top with some cinnamon if you want to get fancy. This is a bit like atole--a thick, drinkable porridge, perhaps--which is perfect for winter.

3. Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte (Gluten Free, Nut Free)

This may be cliche, but with good reason--it's delicious. This recipe is from Flouring Kitchen. I made it from soy milk, strained the brewed mixture into the cup of an immersion blender, and gave it a good whirl so it would ensure it was smooth and creamy as well as getting a bit of a froth on top. I had this with a roasted sweet potato and it was absolutely the perfect fall breakfast.

4. Butterscotch Steamer (Gluten Free, Nut Free)

For the most basic--but delicious and satisfying--of breakfast drinks, I veganized this recipe from Simply Stacie, using soy milk and vegan butter. I also scaled it down to make one serving. It may be simple--stir vegan butter and brown sugar into hot soy milk until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved--but it is utterly delicious. You really need to try this one!

5. Spiced Maple Soy Steamer (Gluten Free, Nut Free)

This recipe at Eating By Elaine is called a gingerbread steamer, but to me, gingerbread would need molasses. No worries, though, as the spiced maple flavor is lovely. This is a great accompaniment to a morning muffin.

6. Ginger Hot Cocoa (Gluten Free, Nut Free)

This is a very basic recipe from Minimalist Baker, with a light hot cocoa (I made mine with soy milk and maple syrup) that has a bit of ginger in it for a change of pace. If like me you sometimes need to sneak ginger into your meals to help calm inflammation, and so putting ginger in cocoa is sometimes a welcome change! I really liked this. Because it is partly made with water, unlike many of the cocoa recipes I've made, it's not as rich. Sometimes, especially if you're having it on the side of some pancakes or something, having a lighter drink is a welcome thing.

7. Pumpkin Spice Latte (Gluten Free)

This is a recipe from Nora Cooks, though this is one of those things with a significant number of options available online. You'll probably be able to find a recipe to suit whatever you have on hand (so long as you have something to stand in for the coffee, the milk, and the pumpkin, anyway). I used soy milk and a grain-based herbal "coffee," and it was perfect. I can't believe out of all the drinks I've been making, that this classic isn't one I've made before now. I guess that's why I made both the tea and coffee versions in this compilation--I'm catching up!

8. Hot Orange Carrot Ginger Blend (Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free)

Need some bright colors and flavors to get you going? This recipe from Nikki's Kitchen Sanctuary delivers (just use agave in place of honey). I'm calling it a "blend" rather than a "smoothie" because I just can't adjust to the idea of a smoothie in a mug, but feel free to call it a smoothie. It has a thick consistency like a smoothie thanks to the blended carrot. If you want something more substantial, you can also add some soy milk; I found I liked it both ways.

9. Sunbutter Hot Chocolate (Gluten Free, Nut Free)

This is a recipe from Flora and Vino. I don't think I've really explored sunflower seeds as much as I should, so this sunbutter hot chocolate was a welcome find. I used soy milk, but if you need something without soy, you could use the original oat milk and have a fully allergy-friendly drink. Sunflower seeds have much of the same creaminess as cashews, plus they bring protein to the party. But forget all that--you want something that tastes good, right? Well, this tastes great! I added cinnamon and just a touch of maple syrup from among the suggested optional additions and highly recommend that. It wasn't too sweet, but was rich and warm and kept me very happy.

10. Apple Latte (Gluten Free, Nut Free)

If you are in the mood for both coffee and apple cider (or in my case, "coffee"), you might want to try an apple cider latte. I didn't want one with tons of sugar (as most recipes have, thanks to homemade caramel syrups), but this one from Robinette's, veganized with agave and soy milk to stand in for honey and milk, really hit the spot. I scaled it down, perhaps a bit too much, because I ended up with less drink than I'd planned, but what I had had a wonderful, creamy apple flavor going on.

Here's to making it through, one mug of comfort at a time.