Morir Soñando (Dairy-Free)
Morir Soñando, my favorite Dominican drink to enjoy during the blisteringly hot summer days. A tasty mix of orange juice, milk and sweetener, mixed until cool and creamy.
During many hot summers my mom would pull out her blender, some orange juice, milk and just a bit of sugar. Before I knew it, the blender would whirl and she would be pouring my drink into a glass topped with ice. For me it was the taste of summer. This was what it was all about! And as strange and simple as this combo was, it always hit the spot.
Why You’ll Love This Morir Soñando
- One of my fav childhood drinks to beat the heat. The combination of ingredients turn into a refreshing, creamy, and perfectly sweetened beverage you’ll want to keep coming back to.
- Dairy-free and lower in sugar. This recipe is a dairy-free version of this childhood favorite. It also uses less sugar than most recipes recommend, and in my opinion helps the flavor of the orange to come through.
- Easy to make. While my mom used a blender, you can easily make this in a pitcher (and with short cuts if you don’t find passion in squeezing your own juice).
What Is Morir Soñando?
A Dominican drink with a very poetic name. When translated it means, “to die dreaming.” And as much as I love the drama of it all, I feel it really does capture the dreamy, creamy flavor of this drink. It’s typically made by mixing orange juice, milk, sugar and ice together (sometimes with other ingredients like vanilla, lime or passionfruit depending on who you ask). A simple mix, but a dreamy one once combined as the resulting beverage is cool, creamy, and sweet, perfect for beating the heat during the summer months.
While the exact origins are not well-documented, it is deeply rooted in Dominican culture and cuisine. It likely developed as a refreshing drink utilizing the available citrus and milk of the time to cope with the Caribbean climate.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Oranges: For the ultimate flavor, I highly recommend fresh squeezed juice. If this is not possible, regular orange juice from concentrate works equally well.
- Limes: I love the pop of tang this adds to the sweetness of the drink. If using, please use fresh for the best flavor. Or, feel free to leave out if desired.
- Evaporated Milk: Traditional recipes use regular evaporated milk, but I’m keeping it dairy-free by using an oat based evaporated milk. If you can’t find this, use lite canned coconut milk or a creamy plant-based milk like soy milk, oat milk or cashew milk (growing up, my mom often made this recipe just using regular milk and not evaporated milk).
- Sweetener: Use the sweetener you like! I went with agave as it mixes the easiest into the beverage. However, you can use other sweeteners. Use regular or light brown sugar and dissolve into the juice before adding the milk. You can also use alternative sweeteners like monk fruit or stevia (just make sure to start with a very small amount as these are ultra sweet compared to regular sugar).
- Ice: You must use ice or your drink will separate.
How to Make Morir Soñando
Pour the orange and lime juice into a large pitcher with your sweetener of choice. Make sure to mix well and if using a dry sugar, make sure it is mixed until fully dissolved.
Add 2 cups of ice and stir well, allowing the juice to fully chill.
Once (and only when) the juice is cold, slowly pour in the evaporated milk while continuously stirring the mixture to avoid the milk from separating. This is the most important step! You don’t want a chunky beverage, so make sure everything is chilled and stirred in very slowly.
When the milk is fully incorporated, add the remaining ice and stir in a small pinch of salt (this will help bring out more of the sweet flavor from the orange juice).
To serve, pour the drink into cups filled with ice and serve garnished with an orange slice.
Expert Tips
- Make sure your ingredients cold. Keeping the juice cold will help prevent the milk from cutting or curdling. The best way to do this is to add lots of ice to the juice and make sure it is cold before using.
- Slowly pour in the milk and stir continuously. This will again prevent the milk from separating or curdling when mixed with the juice.
- Adjust the sweetness to your liking. Personally, I don’t like adding a lot of sugar to mine. I feel the orange juice tends to be sweet enough, so I only use between 1-2 tablespoons of sweetener. If you like yours more sweet, add more to taste!
- Use the sweetener that you like. Traditionally, regular sugar is used. I like to either use brown sugar or agave syrup. Most times I will use a liquid sweetener like agave as it blends easier into the drink. You can also use alternative sweeteners like monk fruit or stevia (use smaller amounts to sweeten as the sweetness is very intense for some alternative sweeteners).
- Every family has their own way of making this, so use this as a guide and adjust the amounts of the ingredients to best fit your taste preference. Also note you may want to make this slightly differently using other ingredient swaps listed above. Do you!
Frequently Asked Questions
I feel that using fresh squeezed orange juice makes this taste really special. However, for accessibility you can absolutely use store bought orange juice from concentrate. If it’s hard trying to find the oat milk evaporated milk you can use other dairy-free options listed above as well.
This drink is best enjoyed immediately after preparing. However, if you do choose to save some for later, make sure to stir really well before pouring into an airtight jar and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Separate the drink from the ice and pour into a blender cup. Blend on high until everything is smooth and creamy then pour over ice and enjoy.
Different Preparations
There are a number of variations that exist that I’ve tried and loved. Personally, my preference is with adding a bit of lime to add a sharper taste, but any of the following combos work just as well!
- Orange Juice + Passion fruit
- Orange Juice + Dominican Vanilla
- Orange Juice + Dominican Vanilla + Cinnamon
More Refreshing Recipes to Beat the Heat
- Ginger Shallot Chopped Bean Salad
- Cold Sesame Miso Noodles
- Marinated Tomato Toast with Garlic Dill Edamame Spread
- Strawberry Crumble Chia Pudding
- Lime Crunch Noodle Salad
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
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Morir Soñando (Dairy-Free)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
- Category: Beverages
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Dominican
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Morir Soñando, my favorite Dominican drink to enjoy during the blisteringly hot summer days. A tasty mix of orange juice, milk and sweetener, mixed until cool and creamy.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice, no pulp (about 4 medium oranges)
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1–2 tbsp agave syrup or light brown sugar
- 2–3 cups of ice, plus more ice for serving
- 1 cup evaporated oat or coconut milk (or use a can of lite coconut milk)
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Orange slices for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Pour the orange and lime juice into a large pitcher with your sweetener of choice. Make sure to mix well and if using a dry sugar, make sure it is mixed until fully dissolved.
- Add 2 cups of ice and stir well, allowing the juice to fully chill.
- Once (and only when) the juice is cold, slowly pour in the evaporated milk while continuously stirring the mixture to avoid the milk from separating.
- When the milk is fully incorporated, add the remaining ice and stir in a small pinch of salt (this will help bring out more of the sweet flavor from the orange juice).
- To serve, pour the drink into cups filled with ice and serve garnished with an orange slice.
Notes
Make sure your ingredients cold. Keeping the juice cold will help prevent the milk from cutting or curdling. The best way to do this is to add lots of ice to the juice and make sure it is cold before using.
Slowly pour in the milk and stir continuously. This will again prevent the milk from separating or curdling when mixed with the juice.
Adjust the sweetness to your liking. Personally, I don’t like adding a lot of sugar to mine. I feel the orange juice tends to be sweet enough, so I only use between 1-2 tablespoons of sweetener. If you like yours more sweet, add more to taste!
Use the sweetener that you like. Traditionally, regular sugar is used. I like to either use brown sugar or agave syrup. Most times I will use a liquid sweetener like agave as it blends easier into the drink. You can also use alternative sweeteners like monk fruit or stevia (use smaller amounts to sweeten as the sweetness is very intense for some alternative sweeteners).
Every family has their own way of making this, so use this as a guide and adjust the amounts of the ingredients to best fit your taste preference. Also note you may want to make this slightly differently using other ingredient swaps listed above. Do you!
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