Vegan Pistachio Tres Leches (3 Milk Cake)

Name: Vegan Pistachio Tres Leches (3 Milk Cake)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 100 g aquafaba (*see note 1); 175 g granulated sugar; 75 g raw shelled pistachios; 300 g all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 1 tablespoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon sea salt; 300 ml soy milk (*see note 2); 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 100 ml olive oil (*see note 3); 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 4 tablespoons pistachio butter; 150 g sweetened condensed coconut milk (*see note 4); 240 ml evaporated coconut milk (*see note 5); 240 ml almond milk; 400 ml coconut whipping cream (chilled overnight); 2 tablespoons pistachio butter; 30 g pistachios (chopped)

This pistachio version of vegan tres leches (three-milk cake) is made without green food color, instead, it gets its natural color and flavor from real pistachios and pistachio butter.

Three kinds of milk (condensed coconut milk, evaporated coconut milk, and almond milk are infused with pistachio butter to create a gorgeous pistachio milk sauce.

This recipe is sponsored by Nature’s Charm. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands who sponsor my work!

Jump to:

🧾 Ingredients
🔪 Instructions
💭 Recipe Tips
💬 FAQs
🥠 More Pistachio Recipes
📖 Recipe

Traditional tres leches cake is a classic Latin American dessert that uses egg yolks (for fat and richness) and whipped egg whites (for a light spongy structure). In this vegan version, olive oil and cornstarch add richness while aquafaba is a substitute for egg whites.

The result is a soft sponge cake that soaks in the flavor and moisture from the pistachio three milk mixture.

🧾 Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make dairy-free pistachio milk cake:

Ingredient Notes

Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Aquafaba: This is the liquid part from jarred or canned chickpeas. When whisked, chickpea brine mimics the properties of egg whites, making it perfect for vegan sponge cake.
Olive Oil: If you don't like the slightly floral flavor of olive oil, use a neutral oil such as canola or sunflower oil.
Raw Shelled Pistachios: They are ground up to add flavor to the sponge and chopped to decorate the top of the cake.
Pistachio Butter: This is added to the 3 milk mixture to create a beautiful green color and pistachio flavor. If you can't find it in the shops, try this recipe for homemade pistachio butter.
Vegan Sweetened Condensed Milk: You can use either coconut or oat-based condensed milk (Nature's Charm has both varieties).
Vegan Evaporated Milk: Again, oat or coconut-based is fine here, depending on your preference.
Non-Dairy Whipping Cream: I use Nature's Charm coconut cream for the whipped topping.

🔪 Instructions

Here are step-by-step images showing how to make this vegan pistachio tres leches cake. Please refer to the detailed printable recipe card at the end of this page for full measurements and written instructions:

aquafaba whipped to stiff peaks in a stand mixer bowl.

Step 1: Add the aquafaba to a stand mixer or large bowl with an electric hand whisk and whip rapidly for 5-7 minutes until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

pistachios and sugar ground up in a food processor jug.

Step 2: Add the pistachios and sugar to a food processor or blender, and blitz until finely ground.

dry ingredients for pistachio tres leches mixed in a bowl.

Step 3: Add the ground pistachios and sugar to a large mixing bowl and sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.

wet ingredients for pistachio milk cake whisked in a bowl.

Step 4: In a separate bowl, mix the soy milk, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and vanilla extract.

pistachio sponge cake batter in a bowl, just mixed.

Step 5: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and gently mix. Stop mixing while there are still a few streaks of flour in the mixture.

pistachio cake batter with whipped aquafaba folded through.

Step 6: Carefully fold the whipped aquafaba into the batter until combined, be careful not to overmix.

pistachio sponge cake batter in a staub pan before baking.

Step 7: Transfer the cake batter to the prepared dish and bake for 35-45 minutes.

pistachio sheet cake with holes poked into it before adding milk soak.

Step 8: Liberally poke holes in the cake with a skewer once cool.

pistachio three milk syrup in a white bowl.

Step 9: In a large jug or small bowl, mix the pistachio butter, condensed oat milk, evaporated coconut milk, and almond milk.

pistachio cake covered in three milk mixture before chilling overnight.

Step 10: Pour the triple milk mixture over the cake. Place in the fridge to soak overnight.

pistachio three milk cake in a staub pan with pistachio whipped cream.

Step 11: Whip the chilled coconut cream and pistachio butter and spread it on top of the cake.

pistachio tres leches topped with pistachio whipped cream and crushed pistachios.

Step 12: Sprinkle chopped pistachios on top.

💭 Recipe Tips

Poke the cake when cool. I know this is the opposite of my pumpkin tres leches cake, however, the aquafaba makes this a lighter sponge, making it more likely for the cake to deflate if it isn't completely cool before poking holes into it.

Let the tres leches soak overnight. This gives the cake enough time to soak up all the triple milk mixture, giving it an incredibly moist texture the next day without being soggy.

💬 FAQs

How to store three milk cake?

This pistachio milk cake recipe uses ingredients like coconut cream and non-dairy milk so it needs to be stored in the fridge. Tightly cover the cake pan with plastic wrap, then scoop and serve as needed. It will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can it be made without aquafaba?

While you could technically leave out the aquafaba, doing so will give you a denser cake making it difficult for it to soak up all the milk mixture. If you can't have aquafaba, I would suggest trying my pumpkin tres leches recipe instead as this is made using different ingredients due to the higher moisture level in pumpkin puree.