My daughter, Eliana, has been craving Habichuelas Con Dulce for a few days and I decided to take advantage of the weekend break to grant her wishes. My dad may have insisted, as well. You know how abuelos can be!

Habichuelas con Dulce means “sweet beans,” and it’s a traditional Dominican dessert that is a staple for Semana Santa (Easter) or Cuaresma (Lent).

When my family became vegan, I was worried I wasn’t going to ever have Habichuelas con Dulce, because eating hablichuelas con dulce is part of the Dominican DNA.

I have so many childhood memories that involve eating habichuelas con dulce – it is part of my history.

It is so important for me to keep this dessert as part of our family traditions and to share a piece of my culture with my daughters. 

Making vegan habichuelas con dulce turned out to be quite simple – some easy substitutions, a few healthier ingredient options, and the very same delicious taste!

I decided to share the recipe I’ve been using year after year to make dairy free habichuelas con dulce for my family, so you can taste the goodness, too!

Vegan ingredient list for Dominican Habichuelas Con Dulce

•  2 lbs. of dried red kidney beans. 
•  2 cups of almond milk
• 1½ cup of coconut sugar 
• 1½ cups of coconut milk 
• ½ cup of raisins 
• ½ lb of sweet potatoes
• 1 tsp. cloves
• 1 tsp. all spice (malagueta)
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 2 tbsps. vanilla extract
• ½ tsp. Himalayan pink salt 
• Animal crackers  (optional – but oh, so fun!)

All these ingredients healthy, dairy-free, and rich in essential nutrients and even medicinal properties!

Cooking Instructions for Dominican Habichuelas Con Dulce

Go through the dried beans to sort through, pick out, and discard any twigs, leaves, small pebbles, stones, debris, or broken / shriveled beans.

Rinse the sorted dried beans thoroughly in cold running water and let them soak in water overnight. Soaking the beans will save time and money because they will cook faster, and it will also help remove what causes flatulence.

To cook the beans, drain the soak water and rinse again, place the beans into a large pot  and cover with fresh, cold water. 

Cook the beans over medium heat, and add warm water periodically to keep the beans covered as the beans expand, and as the water boils and evaporates. Stir as often as necessary to prevent them from sticking or burning.

Cook until the beans are tender, rather than mushy. 

Let your soft cooked beans cool off for a few minutes, then puree the beans in a blender. I leave some grains because I like a creamy bean dessert, rather than just cream of beans. 

Use a colander to strain your beans.

Mix your strained beans, coconut milk, and almond milk into a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. (You can boil the almond milk separately for 10-20 minutes before adding it to this mix or use as is).

Dice and rinse your sweet potatoes to add to the pot. I particularly don’t peel the sweet potatoes, because of all the nutrients found in the peels, but you can do it if you prefer. 

After adding the sweet potatoes, mix in the Himalayan salt, coconut sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, raisins, and malagueta to the pot of beans. Let this mixture boil for about 15 minutes and stir constantly, so our habichuelas con dulce can get creamier and thicker.

Wait until the habichuelas con dulce mix has boiled for a while to determine whether you want to add a bit more sugar or spice. And don’t forget: use a different spoon to taste the cream than the one you’ve been using to stir or mix!

When both the taste and consistency feel right, let your sweet beans cool down and serve them warm – or at least wait until they are room temperature to put them in the fridge.

Add the raisins and the animal crackers to garnish and enjoy with your favorite people! My family was delighted, and Eliana was very proud because she was my special helper in making this savory dessert.

She helped me sort the beans, measure the ingredients, and arrange everything for the photos, and I explained what we were doing step by step. I was surprised she knew so much about cooking beans, just from watching her sisters!

Elisha and Elyssa helped stir and taste, and then helped serve and clean up the kitchen.

Cooking with your children creates a beautiful bond that lasts a lifetime and I’m happy to share that with all three of my daughters. My wish is that you enjoy this beautiful bond with yours, too.