Clafoutis is a French custard. It’s a simple and popular dish that is rather straightforward, allowing the fresh fruits to show through. If you are trying to avoid lactose, you may consider the French Clafoutis off limits. But a non-dairy clafoutis is possible with only a bit of adjustment. Coconut milk is substituted for the dairy, but the clafoutis puffs up like the original and has a very similar taste. The result has an eggy, creamy texture like the original. Traditionally cherries are the fruit of choice for this dish, but almost any fruit works.
Please check out my recommendations for reducing lactose.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Sensory Details
Coconut Milk
Coconut milk is notorious for inconsistency. Cans with exactly the same nutrition labeling can have milk inside that is significantly thinner or thicker. In most cases thicker coconut milk is considered best for baking. Both work, but I prefer thicker, producing a better texture in the clafoutis.
Other than opening a can, or knowing a brand, it is difficult to determine the best coconut milk. The best advice? Shake the can. The more you hear the milk sloshing around, the thinner the milk.
Fruit
Cherries made this dish famous. Any fruit can be used, but there is no question a bit of sweet and sour (like cherries) works best. Peaches and blackberries combined are good examples. Peaches alone would be a little sweet.
The only requirement is that your total fruit is at least 3 cups (~710 ml).
Working with the Fruit
The custard will behave a bit differently with the coconut milk. It will expand well even without leavening. I have found that placing the fruit on the bottom of the dish works best. The action of the cooking seems to push much of the fruit towards the top of the dish resulting in an attractive appearance. Another advantage of putting the fruit on the bottom is it seems to keep the custard from over-browning on the bottom.
One issue is that the fruit has a tendency to not interact with the custard and does not gain a great deal of sweetness. I overcome this by sprinkling about one quarter of the sugar directly on the fruit before adding to the dish.
Size of Dish is Important
A clafoutis is a thin dessert, perhaps thinner than a fruit cobbler. I find a larger baking dish works best. Oval or rectangular dishes are chosen traditionally.
Non Dairy Clafoutis
A French Clafoutis is not off limits
Ingredients
- 3 cups cherries, pitted and sliced (about 460 g), or 2 cups (about 310 g) ripe peaches sliced & 1 cup (about 145 g) blackberries
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup (240 mL) full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 (about 60 g) cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 (about 65–70 g) cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prep oven: Preheat to 350°F (175°C). Grease a baking dish with coconut oil.
- Sprinkle about a quarter of the sugar on the fruit. Gently toss.
- Layer the fruit on the bottom of the dish.
- In a blender or bowl, mix the eggs, coconut milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
- Pour the batter over the fruit.
- Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until puffed and lightly golden in the center. (Note: check at 30 minutes as the bottom can quickly over-brown.)
- Serve warm or at room temp, optionally with a drizzle of coconut cream or a scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream.
