R&D Insights: Formulating for Plant-Based “Dairy”

Developing delicious plant-based dairy products can be difficult and creating seasonings for them presents its own set of unique challenges. Fortunately, Fuchs North America’s R&D experts have a long history of crafting delicious seasonings for vegan dairy. Here, Food Technologist Brian Duffy explains his thought process when developing the vegan matcha seasoning for coconut ice cream from our Next Level Vegan Collection.

Creating vegan desserts can be challenging as it restricts the use of some of your most wonderful flavoring and functional ingredients. When developing the matcha ice-cream for the Next Level Vegan Collection, I knew that milk and eggs were not at my disposal. When thinking about how to replace cream, I knew I needed some sort of creamy base to replace it, so coconut milk was a natural choice. Coconut milk is also a great flavoring ingredient, so I knew I could let this ingredient do the heavy lifting from a body and flavor perspective. Eggs on the other hand are much more challenging to replace as they provide the gelling and thickening effects required for a frozen custard. For this, we needed to open our molecular toolbox. Tara gum and Guar gum were included to provide the gelling necessary for ice cream to set, while gum acacia was included to provide the viscosity and emulsifying properties necessary to trap air in the ice cream. All of this came together to create a full flavor, creamy, vegan ice cream that freezes well and feels nice on the tongue.

When developing for vegan “dairy,” it is important to think about the ingredients you are trying to replace and be knowledgeable about ingredient alternatives in the market that mimic those properties. Replacing animal proteins is challenging but not impossible. It is also important to understand the strengths of your alternative ingredients and play into those strengths when developing recipes. For example, in the vegan ice cream, I leaned into the coconut cream’s flavor, making a star player in the formula, instead of trying to mask it.

Need help developing a great tasting plant-based frozen dessert? We’ve got you covered. Contact us to learn more.

About the Author

Brian Duffy has been a Food Technologist at Fuchs North America since 2019. Brian graduated in 2014 from the Culinary Institute of America where he received his associate degree in culinary arts and his bachelor’s degree in culinary science. His passion is bringing the culinary arts and food science together to bring new food experiences to our customers.