You get a malt.
You get a malt.
You get a malt.
Everybody gets as malt!
Don’t mind me. I just think saying things in an Oprah voice will never not be funny.
Did you know I used to be an ice cream scooper? In high school, I worked in a movie theatre with a restaurant inside and I made all the milkshakes, cherry limeades, sundaes, etc. It was a hard job, but someone had to do it (poor, poor me).
One of my favorite things to make was chocolate malts. To be honest, if there was a little extra leftover, it totally went into my cup. Shhh, don’t tell my old boss. I’m sure there’s still some way I’d get in trouble for that.
This, however, isn’t your average malt.
For starters, just 3 ingredients, 1 blender, and 5 minutes required.
Second, it’s dairy-free thanks to Vanilla Bean Coconut Ice Cream (hubba).
Third, it’s made with HOMEMADE Vegan Chocolate Syrup (that’s naturally sweetened)!
Lastly, the malt flavor doesn’t come from some mystery powder (what is that stuff anyway?). It’s the superfood maca.
Maca not only adds antioxidants and amino acids and rainbows and unicorns (I kid, I kid), it also adds a smoky, malty flavor that is reminiscent of a traditional malt. Yipee for healthy swaps!
Look at that swirl, tho.
I hope you all love this malt! It’s:
Creamy
Thick
Perfectly
Super chocolaty
Malty
& Oh-so delicious
This is the perfect dessert to make when you want to indulge while also reaping a few health benefits. Not into chocolate (who are you?)? Leave it out and go for vanilla! Or add some strawberries for a fruity twist. Dream big, people.
This recipe is a great gateway into the world of maca powder, which can also be added to things like coconut yogurt, hot chocolate, chia pudding, and smoothies!
If you try this recipe, let me know! I love your comments, ratings, and (as always) your photos tagged #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
3-Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Malt
Ingredients
MALT
- 2 cups Vanilla Bean Coconut Ice Cream (or store-bought)
- 2 Tbsp Vegan Chocolate Syrup* (plus more for topping)
- 1 tsp maca powder* (more to taste)
FOR TOPPING optional
Instructions
- Add ice cream, chocolate syrup, and maca powder and blend on low until creamy and smooth. If it has trouble blending, add a bit of almond or coconut milk (I didn’t find it necessary and prefer my malts thick).
- Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more chocolate syrup for intense chocolate flavor or maca for a more “malty” flavor.
- Enjoy as is or top with coconut whipped cream and more chocolate syrup (optional). Best when fresh.
Notes
*Maca powder adds the malty flavor in this dessert. If you can’t get your hands on it, just leave it out!
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without additional chocolate syrup or coconut whipped cream.
Ash says
Tried it and it was delicious! Used 2tsp of the Maca to make it easy to remember the recipe. 2-2-2. Added some coco whip and chocolate syrup on top. The only “negative” is this definitely wasn’t two servings! In a normal milkshake pint glass, anyway. We had two small glasses and each only half full. But I guess what can you do when that’s how vegan ice cream comes packaged? Also, adding 1 pint carton of the vegan ice cream would help to visualize ingredients better. But this was delicious and perfect!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Ash! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Mary Carroll says
Okay, I don’t know if we’ll try this again but my husband went and put in 2 Tbsp of the maca because he assumed it would taste just like malt, which it really kind of doesn’t. At least not when you use that much. We ended up dumping it down the sink and then looking for something to get rid of the after-taste. Maybe we’ll try it again (we have all this maca) and maybe this time he’ll follow the recipe!
Hi Mary, too much maca can definitely be unpleasant and overpowering. For the malty flavor, it’s important to use the amount specified. Let us know if you give it another try!
Mary Carroll says
Okay, so we failed the first time because my husband put in too much maca (2 Tbsp). Well he tried it again and this time he followed the recipe exactly. Guess what? Tastes like a malted! We’ve since tried it with Vegan Strawberry and Vanilla! Sorry I ever doubted you guys!!!
So amazing! Thanks for sharing, Mary!
Cap'n Dave says
For those wondering, gelatinized is not the same thing as having gelatin (which is obviously NOT vegan). However, do take note of the Prop 65 notification, meaning that it has potential carcinogenic qualities. This does NOT mean that you’re going to get cancer from it anymore than going outside under partly cloudy skies when it’s forecast to rain means you’ll get pneumonia. I’m not saying “take it with a grain of salt”, but just be aware of it. Those who are in “at-risk” groups may wish to avoid it.
That being said? I LOVE MALTS!!! Or, you know, I did until I went vegan for personal and health-related issues. All I had to look forward to after that were frozen smoothies or “milk” shakes (many of which had banana as the star ingredient…something that I’m terribly allergic to), but along comes THIS and you know I’m DEFINITELY going to be trying it!
There was this little place just right across the river in New Jersey from the Allentown/Bethlehem/Nazareth/Easton area. They offered malts. In all honesty, I think they just whispered the word “malt” over the equivalent of a McDonald’s milkshake when their ice cream machine was yet again on the fritz. So, I told them every time I was there, “I want a malt, EXTRA malt.” This confused them, so I said, “That little scoop you’re using? Add three of them.” NOW we had a MALT as I remember them. So yes, maca powder? It’s also nutritious – not just an added flavor! Am I going to try it? Oh, you betcha! I’ve had maca in smoothies and even in my cocoa before. It definitely adds a certain something-something. Can’t wait to try it in a vegan malt this summer!
Thanks for the idea, and most definitely saving!
Let us know how it goes!
brenna says
Just made this, yum!! So glad you reccommended maca powder too, I really like the nutty flavor.
Krissy says
This is great!
I made my own lazy chocolate sauce by whisking while melting together vegan chocolate chips and almond milk. The maca powder even smells good. Do you have more recipes involving this ingredient you have just introduced me to?
Hi Krissy! We don’t have too many recipes with maca yet, but I’ll be sure to pass your comment along and hopefully we do more with it in the future!
Katelyn says
So I am OBSESSED with malted milkshakes, well, just malt in general. Does the maca REALLY give it the malt flavor?
It does!! Try it out!
SkinnyMe says
I made this last night and it was delicious! I added shredded dark chocolate on top and its amazing.
Emily @ Robust Recipes says
These look amazing! What a clever use of maca powder. I have been loving it for it’s health benefits in smoothies and hot chocolate. I can’t wait to give this one a try! :)
Güvenlik Kamera Sistemleri says
It looks so delicious :)
Cassie says
Sorry Oprah, but for me it would’ve gone more like this:
“I get a malt.
I get a malt.
I get a malt.
NOBODY BUT ME GETS A MALT.”
Wink wink.
Susan says
In Papua New Guinea or I would be making it NOW! Enjoyed your humerous writing also!
I love how much you travel, auntie! We’re in Shanghai right now! xoxo
Susan says
Oh great! Glad to hear you are seeing the world also! Enjoy!
Austin says
First off, it’s really really good!
I did a modified version – I made 2 different flavors chocolate and raspberry and splice them together and finish it with chocolate on top.
Lovely, thanks for sharing Austin!
Hari Chandana says
Looks super delicious.. Love it!
Sam says
Yummy! I can’t wait to try this and tell folks!!! Thanks!!!!!
The Wooden Spoon says
This sounds amazing.
Jenny says
We made this for dessert last night and it was such a hit – we had over some vegan friends and wanted to impress them. We had to show them the recipe before they’d eat it since they were convinced it wasn’t actually vegan, lol!
So lovely! Thanks Jenny!
Natalie says
We don’t have Malts in the UK, or if we do I’ve never seen one. But this looks absolutely delicious and I love malt hot drinks, so definitely going to try it out! Thank you
– Natalie
Georgina says
Swapping malt powder for maca powder is something I wouldn’t have thought of but it’s such an excellent idea – thank you Dana, I will definitely be experimenting with this.
GiselleR @ ExSloth.com says
I have yet to experiment with maca powder but these are about to be my starting point.
Brittany says
Three things:
1. That Blendtec swirl has me swooning.
2. I used to be an ice cream scooper too. Cold Stone Creamery baby!
3. Maca FTW!! <3
I knew we were separated at birth ;D
Paul says
Have you done a comparison of Blendtec and Vitamix?
We have and Dana prefers her Blendtec :)
Also, Paul, I will be doing a more indepth comparison between the two soon! Stay tuned!
Rhian @ Rhian's Recipes says
I’ve been trying to find ways to use Maca powder and this looks like the perfect thing to make! It looks delicious! Thanks for sharing :)
Brooklyn says
Oh yummy! I will definitely have to try this one out as dairy never seems to settle good with me.
Madeleine says
Ohhh goodness this looks so good! All full of things I love! Thank you for sharing this :D
Laura @ Raise Your Garden says
Me too, vanilla bean anything is amazing with a big zing in it!!!! I was actually an ice cream scooper for many years for a part-time job and it was a lot of fun~ I remember working with malt the first time “on the job” loved making milkshakes with malt, it was so fun. Great summer job for a teenager. This brings back fond memories.