If you haven’t been to Singapore or Malaysia, you might not know this yummy coconut spread that many of us grew up with. Kaya on toast is a popular tea break snack even for adults, and is an all-time favourite of my daughter. Traditional kaya is made with eggs, which is kind of gross. This easy vegan kaya recipe allows us to have a vegan and healthier version of this delicious spread without any preservatives or additives.
I used raw muscovado sugar in my recipe so the colour is slightly darker than if you use refined white sugar, but raw sugar is more healthy. Anyway you will eat it in 5 seconds so appearances are not that important really.
I would recommend that you make the vegan kaya in small batches as the coconut and avocado will go off if kept for too long. I think you can probably keep it up to a week but it’s never survived that long in my fridge, so don’t take my word for it!
Ingredients
Instructions
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Cut up 2 pandan leaves and place in a blender with 2 tbsp of water, blend well and strain.
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This is what the pandan extract looks like after straining.
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Mash the avocado up with a fork or masher in a mixing bowl. It doesn't have to be too fine because you will blend it later.
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Add the pandan extract / essence and the coconut cream to the avocado and mix.
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Blend the avococo paste with 5 tbsp of sugar and a pinch of salt (about ⅛ tsp to start). Don't go crazy with the salt because kaya is gross when it is too salty. Add more salt after blending to your taste.
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After the avococo paste is blended, fry it over a very low heat in a non-stick pan with NO OIL. Just gently fold the paste around the pan until it cooks into a creamy consistency and you can smell the pandan fragrance.
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Transfer the kaya to a jar and cool before putting into the fridge. Keep chilled!
Notes
If you can't get fresh pandan leaves then you can use 1 tbsp pandan essence instead. You can also reduce the amount of sugar as my sugar amount was tested and dictated by my daughter.
yum! I substituted xanthan gum for the avocado, and used pandan essence. I will let you know how it is after it cools and chills in the fridge!
OK I omitted the avocado and water, and just added one can of coconut milk, 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum, 1/4 cup erythritol, and 1 tablespoon pandan extract to a pot on medium low heat. I whisked everything together and let it simmer a bit, then once it cooled enough, put it in a jam bottle. I just tried some (one piece became THREE) on my keto bread and I am ECSTATIC! SO good! Thank you for the recipe.