Easy leche merengada (cinnamon-lemon ice milk)

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How to make a refreshing cinnamon and lemon flavored milk drink

This cinnamon infused cold milk drink will make your tongue happy with its simple yet yummy taste.
Learn how to make leche merengada: it’s actually quite easy and surprisingly good.
You’ll also love how the aroma of cinnamon and lemon will fill your kitchen as you make this drink recipe!

What is leche merengada?

Leche merengada [leh-cheh meh-rehang-gah-dah] translates to “meringue-like milk” and is a traditional Spanish dessert.

The classical version is made heating milk with cinnamon, lemon zest and sugar, then adding beaten egg whites and freezing into a texture between milkshake and ice cream but much lighter, since it uses no cream.
It’s like a cold fluffy cloud.

While leche merengada was originally meant as a freeze treat, the flavor of cinnamon infused, slightly lemony cold drink has become so beloved that it’s very common to find;leche merengada-ice cream in many Spanish ice cream parlors.

FAQ’s about leche merengada

Tips for making leche merengada

There’s not much to keep in mind when making this recipe, but if you make sure to follow these few key points it will taste like a million bucks:

• You can use more or less spices depending on your taste: I usually use one lemon peel and a cinnamon stick for every 2 cups of milk.
  But some people use up to the double amount of milk.

• I use the lemon leftovers from making lemonade with a citrus squeezer. But the white side of the lemon peel is bitter, so it’s better to only use the yellow part.
  Have you ever peel the yellow part of a lemon? Oh my, oh my, it leaves your fingers with such a wonderful smell! (plus, it’s easier than grating the peel).

• Use your milk of choice: I find cow milk and almond milk work best for this sweet drink, but it’s difficult to say which one is better.
  Cow milk gets creamier; almond milk provides a nice nutty taste in this recipe.
  If you use almond milk, make sure you don’t bring it to a boil to avoid it getting bitter.

• For a more intense cinnamon and lemon fragrance as well as natural sweetness, try heating the ingredients for 10 minutes.
  It sounds like a lot, but it’s worth it.
  The best way to do this is by beginning with medium heat and then switching to low so that you can enjoy full flavors without any burning or bitterness.

• Our recipe is on the less sweet side because we want you to enjoy your drink, not be overwhelmed by added sweeteners.
  However most people add more sugar in their leche merengadas – do what’s best for yourself!

Secret tip
Upgrade your teatime by adding some of this milk drink (without the egg whites) to black or rooibos tea.
This will turn even the most basic tea into an absolutely amazing experience!

Swaps to make this recipe

You can easily adapt homemade merengada to suit your dietary preferences:

• Looking for a VEGAN leche merengada?
  • Use plant-based milk instead of cow milk.
  • If you want it with meringue, substitute the egg whites for aquafaba.
• If you want a KETO leche merengada, use almond milk (or other keto friendly milk) and a keto friendly sweetener like eritriol or xylitol.
• Feel free to switch out the usual lemon peel of leche merengada for any other citric fruits like oranges or mandarins.
• Other spices that go well in here are cardamom pods, clove or ginger.

How to make (vegan) leche merengada

The traditional leche merengada recipe uses beaten egg whites to get a milkshake-like texture; to get a vegan version, you can substitute egg whites for aquafaba.
The viscous liquid that remains after boiling chickpeas works great in this recipe and I personally prefer not having to separate egg whites and yolks, so the pictures in this post are with aquafaba meringue.

Many people though make leche merengada without the meringue step: it’s much less time consuming and it also tastes heavenly.
To make an easy meringue milk drink without beating egg whites, just heat up some milk with lemon rind, cinnamon and some sugar (or some alternative):

I hope you enjoy this all natural cinnamon and lemon infused milk drink. It’s super creamy while being low fat, and it’s sweet and rich while remaining quite light.
Also, it’s very easy to make it 100% vegan or keto-friendly.
So, no matter what version of the recipe you choose, just give them a try: I’m quite sure you’ll fall in love with it!

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