I have been dreaming of this Mexican classic for months now, velvety, sweet, rich, and vegan cajeta envinada. It is simmered slowly on the stove until it reaches the perfect consistency, it is my favorite labor of love.

Top view of goat's milk simmering in a cast iron dutch oven.

Cajeta is a traditional dish from the city of Celaya, Guanajuato. It is made by simmering goats milk with sugar, and baking soda, in a large copper pot, until it is the consistency of a dark caramel. For this vegan version I have used unsweetened soy milk, turbinado sugar, agave syrup, and whiskey.

History of Cajeta:

The first versions of cajeta or at least the technique was brought to Mexico by the Spanish conquistadores. (In Spain it is called leche quemada, and it is made with cow’s milk.) As with many other Mexican delicacies the Spanish techniques were adapted to the resources available in the area. Which in this case means that in the city of Celaya leche quemada was made with goat’s milk, and so cajeta was born.

Milk in blue dutch oven that has become a chocolate color.

To this day, cajeta is sold in a small round wooden box called cejete that is wrapped in white paper and bound with colorful cellophane ribbons. There are three versions of cajeta most commonly sold quemada, vanilla, and envinada.

What is Cajeta Envinada?

Cajeta envinada is cajeta with spirits added to it. You can add brandy, rum, or even whiskey. Even though “envinada” means ”with wine” it is more common to add spirits to it than wine.

Milk in blue dutch oven pot a dark caramel color.

Recipes made with Cajeta:

Cajeta is one of my favorite childhood candies and as a grown-up I love that it’s so versatile. You can use cajeta to make churros filled with cajeta, crepes topped with cajeta and pecans, obleas, as a topping for ice cream, to make flan, and many more delicious treats.

Cajeta envinada in a white dish over a colorful mat with a spoon inside.

Our Vegan Mexico Project

This recipe is part of an amazing project called Our Vegan Mexico, where 32 talented cooks will be showcasing, right here on Dora’s Table, 32 vegan Mexican recipes. Each recipe will be representing one state of the Mexican union.

With this project, I am hoping to encourage the Mexican community in the U.S., and the people of my country to take a chance and make the change to a plant-based diet. This recipe, which is representing the state of Guanajuato, is the creation of me, Dora Stone. Even though I am not from Guanajuato, my great-grandfather immigrated to Mexico from Spain into Guanajuato, and that is where he met my great-grandmother, and started a family. Thus, I feel a certain connection to that area and was glad at the opportunity to veganize this recipe.

Vegan cajeta envinada in a small dish with a spoon dipping into it.

The Recipe: Vegan Cajeta Envinada

I used unsweetened soy milk, but you can use your favorite plant milk.
I used turbinado sugar, also known as sugar in the raw, which is a less processed version of fine white sugar. If you can’t find it, you can use brown sugar.
The baking soda in this recipe help the cajeta get its dark caramelized color.
I chose to use whiskey, but you can use brandy, dark rum or white wine.

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5 from 5 votes