Vegan Semifreddo

Hello friends! We are nearing Valentine’s Day, and I’ve decided to do a little series on vegan Valentine’s desserts for you to add to your menu. I want to present a few unique recipes that will elevate your V-Day meal to the next level, and the first on the list is a vegan semifreddo!

Semifreddo is an Italian frozen dessert that means “Semi-frozen” in English. It’s similar to ice cream, but the texture is slightly different. It traditionally has eggs and a lot of dairy, so this recipe was a bit of a challenge in terms of veganizing it. Vegan semifreddo can be made in a few different ways. But the way I settled on was to use whipped plant-based heavy cream and silken tofu. This recipe isn’t complicated, but it does require a certain finesse about mixing the delicate whipped cream with the more custardy silken base.

I chose the classic chocolate and raspberry flavors for this vegan semifreddo. With Valentine’s coming up, I thought this combo was a classic for the indulgent, sensual holiday; the creamy dessert is topped off with fresh raspberries and a chocolate drizzle. It’s visually stunning and relatively simple to make. It can be prepared days in advance; you must thaw it for 30 minutes before serving.

Initially, I considered using aquafaba to create the mousse texture of this vegan semifreddo. Still, I opted for silken tofu instead because it is less demanding and is widely available in grocery stores everywhere. I used the shelf-stable Mori-Nu brand that comes in the 12 oz package. It’s creamy and smooth and presents a nice blank canvas for the chocolate and raspberry flavors to command. For the heavy cream, I used Country Crock plant-based heavy cream, which is also available at most stores in the refrigerated dairy section next to cow milk cream.

The chocolate drizzle is super easy to make. We are just melting chocolate chips and adding a bit of liquid to turn it into a sauce that will harden when it hits the cold semifreddo. To avoid burning the chocolate chips, heat the water first and then whisk in the chocolate, adding more water or chocolate as needed to get a consistency that will drip and drizzle. I use the Nestle allergen-free chocolate chips available in most grocery stores or on Amazon.

Stay tuned for more vegan Valentine’s recipes over the next two weeks! I’ll show you a couple of fine-dining-at-home menu ideas and throw some recipes from each course up on the blog! If you’re not subscribed to my email list already, do so to stay up to date with new recipes and ideas. <3