Vegan White Russian & Dark Russian Cocktails

It’s that magical time of year when people who don’t regularly drink cocktails (and those who do) are looking for new ways to mix old favorites, or perhaps mixing for a friend who can’t have cream or milk-based drinks, or maybe just searching for a way to make their New Year’s cocktails a little less sinful.

That’s where these vegan White Russian and Dark Russian Cocktails come in.

They’re made with all the usual ingredients: vodka, Kahlua (coffee liqueur) and cream, only not.

These drinks are also made with vegan protein! Specifically, OWYN smooth and creamy plant-based protein drinks packed with protein, Omega 3s, probiotics and even greens for a serious dose of nice with your naughty. Way to ring in the new year, right?

While you could use another protein drink, I used OWYN* protein drinks to whip up these traditional boozy favorites, and I must say, no one would miss the dairy or the gluten.

And before you ask, I’ll answer your question: distilled alcohols ARE gluten free. Here’s more information on why and how, but suffice to say that distillation removes any cereal proteins (aka gluten) so that even though they may be made with wheat or barley or rye, the end result — after distillation — is gluten free.

If you have a wheat allergy or other sensitivity besides gluten, however, stay away from grain alcohols. You can still enjoy things like potato vodka (our favorites are Boyd & Blair & Tito’s) and just add straight coffee to make this drink (or use Cold Brew Coffee flavored OWYN protein drink!). For a White Russian, use Vanilla OWYN; for a traditional Black or Dark Russian, some folks skip the “cream,” but I like to use Dark Chocolate OWYN.

Some fun additions: fresh grated nutmeg (actually, when would fresh grated nutmeg not be delicious with anything??) ….

or grated chocolate or even chocolate covered espresso beans.

I could watch these round ice cubes melt all night long.

Oh and in case you’re in need of something fun, fast and boozy to serve with these yummy libations, give my gluten free Rum Balls a try!

No-bake, 6-ingredient, a little healthy, sweet treats that look way fancier than they are complicated.

Ring in the New Year (or anytime, come to think of it) deliciously and a little healthier than usual. I’m feeling a bit smug about it, how about you?

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Vegan White Russian & Dark Russian Cocktails

Yield: 1 cocktail

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

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Ingredients

White Russian

• 2 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce Kahlua
• 1 ounce OWYN Vanilla Protein

Dark Russian

• 2 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce Kahlua
• 1 ounce OWYN Dark Chocolate Protein

Add-Ins

• fresh grated nutmeg
• grated chocolate
• chocolate-covered espresso beans

Instructions

Choose White Russian or Dark Russian ingredients.

Measure and add vodka and Kahlua to shaker or add to whiskey or highball glasses over ice.

Pour OWYN into glasses last.

Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg, chocolate or chocolate covered espresso beans.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment (and maybe even a picture!) below or share a photo on Instagram! Be sure to tag me! @gfJules

**I’ve partnered with OWYN (Only What You Need) to use their products in order to increase the nutrition in many popular gluten-free recipes. As always, all opinions are my own. See my disclosure policy for more information. Working with select brands I love allows me to keep bringing you free recipes, and I hope that in the process, you’ll learn about some of the safe gluten free products I choose for my family. Thanks so much for your support!

For more recipes using OWYN on my gfJules site, just use the search bar at the top and search OWYN. You’ll find everything from protein bites to donut holes to black bottom cupcakes … to lots in between! It’s a great ingredient for gluten free baking — why not use it to make your recipes healthier, too?