Vegan caviar with crackers & almond cheese

On your next date night, get a little fancy with this vegan caviar. Pearl couscous is colored pink with help from a sliced beet. Then it’s flavored with lemon and garlic. Serve it on water crackers with a swish of creamy almond cheese.

Light pink vegan caviar is an elegant starter for a romantic dinner. Perfect for Valentine’s Day or a date night dinner at home with your sweetie.

Most of the time when I make a plant-based version of a dish, it’s something I ate before I went vegan. In those cases, I’m basing the flavors and textures on old memories.

My vegan fried chicken, shrimp, crab cakes, French dip, or eggy tofu all have roots in dining experiences from long ago.

That’s where this vegan caviar recipe is an outlier.

In my 30 years as a non-vegetarian, I never ate animal-based caviar. Somehow in all that time, I was never at an event where fish eggs were on offer. And even if they had been, I don’t think I would have been eagerly scooping up a dollop full.

So this recipe is based on looks alone. Israeli couscous in pearl-sized spheres takes center stage.

Fish-based caviar is usually orange or black. But to keep things fun & festive, I went with everyone’s favorite Valentine shade, pink.

While there are packaged plant-based caviars on the market that are flavored with seaweed and salt, my homemade vegan caviar goes in a different direction. Instead, I focused on what tastes good with Israeli couscous – lemon, olive brine, and finely minced garlic.

Even though this dish is super simple to make, it comes off as surprisingly fancy. It seems like something that would be tray passed at a Hollywood party. You get those luxury & romance vibes that are often equated with fish-based caviar.

Finish the look by serving vegan caviar on crackers with a spreadable non-dairy cheese and bright green garnish.

What is pearl couscous?

Pearl couscous is a type of small pasta. Although, people sometimes confuse it for a grain. Unlike regular couscous that’s about the size of quinoa, pearl couscous is bigger & spherical. It’s also known as Israeli couscous.

(Don’t swap out pearl couscous for the smaller variety. It’s not going to give you the effect you want.)

How do you achieve that light pink color?

This pearl couscous caviar gets its pink hue from a freshly sliced beet.

Sliced beet is added to water that’s right out of the tap, along with a cup of dried pearl couscous. Then it’s brought to a boil. While it cooks, it imparts some of that pink hue.

I tried coloring the pasta in a variety of ways. This was the most successful. (If you’d prefer a darker shade, see the directions in the notes section of the recipe box.)

What kind of cheese should I serve with it?

I recommend serving the vegan caviar on a cracker with a spreadable, mild-flavored non-dairy cheese.

I used an unbaked version of my vegan feta cheese. I simply blended blanched almonds with lemon juice, olive brine, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, and water. Then I used it right out of the blender. (To achieve a firmer, feta-like texture, bake it in a ramekin.)

The flavors of the unbaked almond feta with the vegan caviar are especially complementary.

But feel free to use any mild, spreadable vegan cheese. Miyoko’s or Kite Hill cream cheese, or Treeline French-style cashew cheese would be great here.

How to make vegan caviar

Start by peeling a small, strawberry-sized beet. (If your beet is larger, just cut it down to size.) Cut it into several ½-inch thick slices.

Put the peeled & sliced beet into a pot with pearl couscous, water, and salt. Bring to a boil. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until it is al dente.

Drain the couscous in a fine mesh sieve. Remove the beet slices.

Put the drained pearl couscous into a bowl and stir in the following:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Lemon zest
• Lemon juice
• Olive brine
• Minced or zested garlic

Cover the vegan caviar. Move it to the refrigerator to cool.

The vinegar in the brine will intensify the pink color over time.

When you’re ready to serve it, swipe water crackers with spreadable non-dairy cheese, and a dollop of vegan caviar.

Finish with a green garnish like fennel fronds, chives, or fresh dill leaves.

What to do with leftovers

If you have leftovers of the vegan caviar, it’s great on its own as a cold pasta salad. Mix in cucumbers, tomatoes, vegan feta, artichoke hearts, and sliced olives for a dish that’s similar to my Israeli couscous salad.

If you have leftover beet, use it for color in a jackfruit reuben, nourish bowl, or along with pickled turnips in a double hummus wrap.

Vegan caviar

Woo your paramour with this pink-hued vegan caviar. It's made with Israeli couscous, also known as pearl couscous for its large spherical shape. (Don't replace it with regular grain-sized couscous.)

Serve vegan caviar with water crackers and spreadable non-dairy cheese. Garnish with fennel fronds, chives, or fresh dill leaves.

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Vegan

Keyword: dinner party, romantic dinner, tray passed appetizer

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 101kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 small beet about the size of a large strawberry
• ▢ 1 cup pearl couscous also called Israeli couscous
• ▢ 1 ½ cups water
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt + generous pinch
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon lemon juice
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon olive brine
• ▢ 1 clove garlic zested or minced

Instructions

• ▢
  Peel a very small beet. Cut it into roughly half-inch slices. I got about 4 thick slices from one beet.

  If your beet is larger, cut off a strawberry-sized portion. Then cut it it into several ½ inch thick slices that are about an inch long.
• ▢
  Put the peeled beet slices into a medium sized pot with pearl couscous, water, and a generous pinch of salt. Bring the pot to a boil. Lower the heat to medium or medium high once it's boiling. Boil the pearl couscous for 8 to 10 minutes, until it's al dente.
• ▢
  Drain the pearl couscous using a fine mesh sieve. Remove the beet pieces.
• ▢
  Move the pearl couscous to a medium-sized bowl. Stir in extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, brine from a jar of olives, and a clove of minced or zested garlic. Cover the bowl & refrigerate until ready to use. (If any of the pasta has stuck together after refrigerating, just give it a quick stir.)

  Serve on crackers with a swish of spreadable vegan cheese & garnish of fennel fronds, chives, or dill leaves.

Notes

Be sure that you're using pearl couscous (also known as Israeli), not grain-sized couscous.

It's important that you add the pearl couscous at the same time as the water. Don't follow the package directions & add the couscous once the water is boiling. I've found that the color of the beets is imparted the best when the pearl couscous, beet, and water are added & come to boiling at the same time.

The vinegar in the olive brine helps to intensify the pink color. Your pasta will likely be pinker once it's had a chance to meld with the brine.

The directions listed will give you a light pink couscous. If you'd prefer a deeper pink/red color, cook the beet on its own in two cups of water for 25 minutes. Then put the pearl couscous in a thick glass Pyrex-style container. Carefully pour the beets & hot water over the dried pasta. Cover and let it sit for 30 minutes. At around 20 minutes, test to be sure that the pasta isn't getting too done. You want it to be al dente. Drain and continue with the last step of the recipe above.

It can also be fun to do a half batch in light pink & a half batch in dark pink, or a half batch with pink & plain white. Then stir them together for a mix of colors.

Nutrition

Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 98mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg

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