Succumbed to peer pressure and downloaded Pokemon Go on Sunday. I’ve caught a little over 30 Pokemon so far, and a good third of them are Rattata (thanks, New York City haha). When you first play, the game lets you catch Charmander, Squirtle, or Bulbasaur as starter Pokemon. But there’s apparently a workaround where you can get Pikachu by avoiding the original starter Pokemon. I didn’t learn of this until after I had chosen Charmander, and so far I have yet to catch a Pikachu.

Pokemon Go Charmander

Even though I can’t seem to catch Pikachu, I can at least create one with food. Mango comes to mind when I think of “yellow”, so I chose to do a mango milkshake. The vegan ice cream for the shake was something I had wanted to try for a while. I don’t own an ice cream maker and refuse to buy single-purpose appliances, so a technique that didn’t require one was ideal.

The first and last time I tried to make vegan ice cream (around last September), it turned into a solid block of ice. The ingredients included full fat coconut milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. My method was to have a medium bowl filled with the ice cream mixture on top of a large bowl filled with ice. The churning effect was done using a handheld mixer. The “ice” cream separated when frozen with the clear liquid part of the coconut milk sinking to the bottom, and the coconut cream solidifying on top. Not at all what ice cream is supposed to be.

Pikachu Milkshake Assembly

I discovered Van Leeuwen ice cream at my grocery store a few months back. Its ingredients include cashew milk, coconut milk, and coconut oil. Their ice cream is literally the best dairy-free ice cream I had ever tasted. I have tried many dairy-free and lactose-free ice cream brands including So Delicious, Arctic Zero, and Coconut Bliss. None of them tasted like ice cream to me. They were more icy than creamy, and had a strong flavor of whatever was used to replace milk. Before trying Van Leeuwen ice cream, I used cashews and coconut milk separately as dairy replacements. When used individually, each flavor is very dominant. Never did I think to combine the two. And when I finally did, it was magical. The flavor tasted almost exactly as milk would in recipes.

When making the vegan ice cream this time around, I used cashew butter and coconut milk. The texture is almost identical to dairy ice cream even without an ice cream maker. I’ve been reducing added sugar in my life, so instead of using raw sugar or maple syrup like I would have in the past, I used Medjool dates as the sweetener. The ice cream turned out super delicious even on its own. It is healthier than most ice cream you would find in stores. And it also happens to be great in milkshakes like this Pikachu mango one.

Pokemon Pikachu Mango Milkshake [GF, SF, R, V]

By Tiffany Makes

A vegan mango milkshake recipe made with mangoes, vegan vanilla ice cream, and full fat coconut milk. The milkshake is quick to make and perfect for summer. It can be decorated to look like Pikachu from Pokemon.

Yield: 1 Pikachu milkshake

Prep time:

10 mins

Cook time:

0 mins

Idle time:

0 mins

Total time:

10 mins

Ingredients

Mango Milkshake

• 1 cup vanilla ice cream
• 1 cup mango puree (about 1 mango)
• ¼ cup full fat coconut milk

Pikachu Decoration

• 2 dried mango slices
• 2 strawberries
• ⅛ cup chocolate chips – melted
• 1 tortilla wrap

Instructions

Mango Milkshake

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender.
Pour milkshake into serving glass(es).

Pikachu Decoration

Put the melted chocolate into a piping bag with a small round tip (or a plastic sandwich bag with a corner snipped). Pipe two filled circles for eyes, a small line for a nose, and a squiggly line for a mouth. Method 1: Pipe the features directly onto the milkshake. Method 2: Pipe the features on a parchment paper, refrigerate until solidified, and place onto the milkshake.
With a small round piping tip, punch out 2 pupils for Pikachu from the tortilla wrap. Put the pupils onto the chocolate eyes.
Use the back of a piping tip to punch out 2 circles from the strawberries for Pikachu’s red cheeks. Place the red cheeks onto the sides of Pikachu’s face.
Cut the dried mango into the shape of bunny ears. Dip the pointy end into the melted chocolate. Insert the mango ears on top of Pikachu’s head.
Enjoy, Pokemaster!

Notes

1. Total recipe time includes 5 minute prep time for decorating Pikachu.
2. If using frozen strawberries for Pikachu, thaw before use. If using fresh, slice in half lengthwise to use.