Homemade Dairy Free Baileys Irish Cream

If you’re a fan of Irish cream but you have multiple food allergies, we’ll show you how to make your own dairy free Baileys Irish cream at home! This recipe is easy to make and you can adjust the ingredients to suit your tastes. We included an alcohol free version!

We don’t usually do a ton for St. Patrick’s Day but this year I decided to do something a little different than our regular green-colored desserts: homemade dairy free Baileys Irish cream!

Since I’ve been having some fun remaking cocktails to be non-alcoholic, this one seemed like a logical next step for March. It’s pretty good any time of year though, and I’m going to work on some drink and shake recipes using this, too.

Why you’ll love our dairy free Irish cream

Our recipe for homemade dairy free Baileys Irish cream is really easy to make and you can make this with real whiskey or alcohol free with a whisk alternative. We tested this recipe with both!

Plus when you make your own Irish cream at home, you know exactly what’s in it since liquor brands are not required to add ingredient lists to their bottles.

Baileys does have a dairy free flavor that they sell, but it’s almond milk-based as well as almond flavored, so it’s not their classic chocolate and vanilla-flavored Irish cream.

The label on the Baileys Almonde bottle says it has soy and almond allergens, but the bottle doesn’t include a full ingredient label.

How to make homemade dairy free Baileys

Our recipe for homemade dairy free Baileys is really easy to make, here are the steps (this is just an overview, the full recipe is at the end of the post):

1. Add the Ritual Zero Proof whiskey alternative or real whiskey to a jar and add the instant coffee (or espresso powder) and whisk it until it dissolves. The coffee is optional in this recipe, you can skip it if you want.
2. Whisk in the Silk half and half, pure maple syrup, Hershey’s syrup, and vanilla.
3. Store in a bottle or jar in the fridge for 2 weeks if using zero proof whiskey, or 1 month if using real whiskey. A little separation may happen, just shake or whisk it before using.

It’s important to note that the Silk half and half works best in this recipe vs the Silk heavy cream. I did test this with the Silk heavy cream and it separated quite a bit. So I don’t recommend using the Silk heavy cream in this Irish cream.

Regular Baileys doesn’t list coffee as a flavor note, but many homemade recipes I saw online included it. If you don’t like coffee, you can skip the instant coffee in our homemade Baileys.

You can adjust the ratios of coffee and chocolate syrup to suit your tastes for a more coffee-forward Baileys or a recipe that has more chocolate.

You can also use different options besides the Silk half and half, such as canned coconut milk that’s been blended to be smooth, or dairy free coffee creamers. If using a dairy free coffee creamer, adjust the amount of maple syrup in the recipe if your creamer is sweetened. I’d like to experiment with different dairy free creamers or creams in this recipe!

You’ll notice that our dairy free Irish cream is darker in color than regular Baileys, and the real whiskey is even darker in color than the one made with Ritual whiskey alternative. So this won’t be as light-colored as real Baileys.

Leaving out the instant coffee will make it lighter in color if you choose to skip the coffee.

Whiskey alternative options

I used the Ritual Zero Proof whiskey alternative in this recipe since I like it better than the Monday whiskey alternative, which has a slight sourness I’m not a fan of.

None of the spirit alternatives from Ritual are really meant for sipping alone and taste the best when mixed in mocktails and non-alcoholic cocktails. Their whiskey alternative is no different, it’s not great by itself but does taste great in this Irish cream recipe.

Here are some whiskey alternative options.

• Ritual Zero Proof whiskey
• Monday whiskey alternative
• Spiritless Kentucky 74
• Free Spirits Bourbon alternative
• Lyre’s Traditional Reserve, malt whiskey style

It’s worth noting that a lot of the poor reviews I’ve seen on the Ritual Amazon page are from people who are expecting something they can sip, or something very close to actual whiskey. You’re not going to get either with any of these alternatives, but the Ritual one I think is good for adding into mixed drinks like this one.

You’ll likely get a better idea of what to expect when looking at the reviews on the No & Low website since their market is specifically people who are avoiding alcohol.

You’ll also find a lot of other whiskey alternatives in No & Low as well as similar shops like The Zero Proof.

I don’t drink alcohol much at all for health reasons, but since my husband does occasionally, I made a version of this for him with the Makers Mark French Oaked bourbon. It isn’t technically an Irish whiskey, but he liked the oak taste in the Irish cream.

You can even do a 50/50 mix of Ritual and real whiskey to have a low alcohol Irish cream vs a completely zero proof one. Whatever you’re using (whiskey alternative or whiskey), you’ll want to use something you like the taste of. The aged oak flavor tasted great with in this recipe.

Is this recipe gluten free if I use real whiskey?

Both the Ritual Zero Proof and Monday whiskey alternatives are labeled as gluten free (I’m not sure on the other brand options like Lyre’s).

If you’re opting for real whiskey, distilled whiskey spirits are still gluten free even if made with things like barley. The distillation process removes any gluten proteins from the resulting liquor (you can read more about this in Beyond Celiac).

Check out our other cocktail and mocktail recipes:

• Strawberry Paloma Mocktail
• Best Non-Alcoholic Gin and Tonic
• Soursop (Guanabana) Margarita