Vegan Ovos Moles
Ovos Moles is one of Portugal’s most iconic sweets: delicate, moulded rice‑pastry shells filled with a silky, golden, sweet custard that traditionally uses egg yolks. This 100% vegan version replaces all animal ingredients with plant‑based alternatives, keeping the signature smooth, creamy filling, crisp light casing, and perfectly balanced sweet, rich flavour that makes this treat so famous.
Shared by james
Time
40 min
Serves
5
Difficulty
medium
đź›’ Ingredients
- #Rice Pastry Shells;
- 120 g rice flour,, 40 g coconut sugar or icing sugar,, 1 tbsp cornstarch
- Pinch of fine salt,, 80 ml warm water or plant milk,, 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
- #Vegan “Egg Yolk” Filling;
- 250 ml unsweetened plant milk (oat or soy works best)
- 100 g coconut sugar or caster sugar,, 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp chickpea flour (for rich golden colour & creamy texture)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder (tiny pinch, for authentic pale yellow hue)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract ,, 1 tbsp coconut oil
👩‍🍳 Instructions
- 1
Make pastry: Mix rice flour, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add warm liquid and oil, stirring until a smooth, soft dough forms. Roll out thinly, press into traditional Ovos Moles moulds, trim edges, and bake at 160 °C (320 °F) for 8–10 minutes until firm but not browned. Cool completely before removing from moulds.
- 2
Make filling: Whisk cornstarch, chickpea flour, turmeric, and sugar in a saucepan. Gradually stir in plant milk until no lumps remain. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick, glossy, and smooth. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and coconut oil, and let cool fully until firm.
- 3
Assemble: Spoon or pipe the cooled filling neatly into the pastry shells. For the classic look, you can also seal two thin pastry halves together around the filling.
- 4
Serve: Keep chilled until ready to enjoy; best eaten within 2–3 days for perfect texture.