Introduction to the Lychee Dessert Cup

Growing up in an Indian household means that lychee is sure to be in your fridge at the start of summer. Besides mango, lychee is one of my all-time favorite fruits. It works so well in juices, shakes, and all sorts of desserts.

These lychee dessert cups are super simple, creamy, and sweet; and they take under 20 minutes to assemble! Plus, this is a frozen dessert which makes it perfect way to cool down this summer.

If you’ve followed this blog for a while you know that I’m no baker! I love cooking and have a massive sweet tooth, but just can’t seem to grasp the patience and strictness it requires to bake something fresh. So, instead, I love making no-bake desserts for all my fellow non-bakers.

Ingredients:

Graham Cracker Crust:

Believe it or not, a delicious graham cracker crust only requires three simple ingredients: butter, graham crackers, and sugar.

Butter: Even though I’m not vegan, I love using plant-based butter in my desserts. Earth balance is my absolute favorite and it tastes amazing in these dessert cups. However, you can use any kind of butter you would like, just make sure it’s salted.
Graham Crackers: Of course, a graham cracker crust requires graham crackers. However, the crust can be made with your favorite cookie instead! Gingersnaps or butter cookies would taste pretty great too.
Sugar: I prefer using raw turbinado sugar in this recipe but plain white sugar would work fine too.

Lychee Base:

Lychee: I used canned lychees for this recipe since these are more easily accessible and convenient. However, of course, feel free to use fresh lychees instead if you have them.
Condensed Milk: Make sure to use sweetened condensed milk for this recipe. For those of you who haven’t used condensed milk in a recipe before, it is basically just a thick and creamy milk that comes in a can. Be sure not to confuse it with canned evaporated milk! Condensed milk is the consistency of a caramel sauce and adds the perfect texture to these dessert cups.
Cream Cheese: These dessert cups are supposed to taste similar to no-bake cheesecake. So, cream cheese is pretty essential. Also, in general, I always love adding cream cheese to my desserts because the slight tartness of the cream cheese helps to balance out the sweetness of the dessert.
Coconut Milk: It is essential to use full-fat canned coconut milk for this recipe. Canned coconut milk naturally separates and the thick cream from the coconut milk floats to the top of the can. So, when you open the can, scoop off all of these cream, and add it to your lychee base.
- PRO TIP: You can also pop your canned coconut milk into the fridge before you use it. The cold helps the coconut cream separate even better!

Keys to Success:

Freeze your dessert cups for three to five hours or until you get your desired consistency. They end up tasting like and having the consistency of ice cream! If you prefer a pudding consistency, then place overnight in the fridge instead.
Firmly pack in your graham cracker crust to the bottom of your dessert cup. If you don’t pack the crust firmly enough at the bottom, the liquid lychee base will sink through to the bottom and make the graham cracker crust consistency a little soggy. But, if you pack the crust in firmly, the liquid sits right on top!

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