Can I substitute almond milk for heavy cream in chocolate glaze?

Question

When making chocolate glaze for éclairs or donuts, I want to use almond milk (well mainly because I don't normally have heavy cream readily available but I have almond milk)

The almond milk I have is a nice smooth texture and not too runny, like some of the thicker soy milks out there.

Will this work in place of the heavy cream? (i.e will the lack of fat content in the almond milk compared to heavy cream cause any issues)

For example this recipe is rather simple, can you just replace the exact amount of heavy cream with almond milk?

Chocolate Glaze: 1/2 cup heavy cream 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Answer 1

It should be OK, especially if you are purchasing already homogenized almond milk. If you are using homemade almond milk, your glaze won't be perfectly smooth, which may or may not bother you.

Your "glaze" is a standard ganache, and it can be, in principle, made with water or any real dairy. The only purpose of the liquid is to change the consistency of the chocolate to something thinner and softer than a chocolate bar. Cream is the standard choice because it imparts a luscioius creaminess. But you can use lower fat dairy, or cultured dairy products, or even water, if you want a slightly different taste.

A nut milk is simply finely ground nuts mixed with water, frequently also sweetened. It has its own taste, but nuts and chocolate are a classic combination, and even if people notice the faint taste, they aren't likely to complain. Texturewise, there will be no problem from adding it to the chocolate.

Answer 2

Have you tried the recipe before? In that case, I would just add almond milk until it reached the same consistency as with heavy cream. If you've done any similar recipes before, I would do the same. Start with maybe 1/4 cup almond milk, and then add more (1tbsp at a time) until you reach the correct consistency to use it as a glaze.