Sugar and Calories With a “Light” Russian

One of my all time favorite cocktails when I'm at a nice restaurant—because, let’s be real, most bars don’t stock the freshest milk—is the White Russian.

It’s arguably one of the smoothest, creamiest drinks. Of course, that's in large part due to the heavy dairy makeup. In the wintertime especially, I love the comforting, warm, chocolatey notes that this cocktail is so famous for.

But there’s one thing about the White Russian that holds me back: It is a heavy caloric sugar bomb.

But it’s also shockingly bad for you: Just one of these is loaded with 590 calories, a heart-stopping 18g of saturated fat, and 33g of sugar. Doesn’t sound so smooth now, does it?

I wanted to be able to enjoy a White Russian with feeling so weighed down, so I headed to the Cooking Light test kitchen to figure out how could we preserve the classic taste, while ensuring lower calorie counts and a reasonable amount of sugar.

We chose to give it a vegan makeover, removing the heavy cream and Kahlúa, and substituting almond and coconut milk.

Most importantly, our version can fit nicely in your daily diet and won’t wreck any of your dietary intakes. A glass of our “Light” Russian comes in at 150 calories, 4g of sugar, and a mere 2g of saturated fat.

This recipe makeover is easy to follow and all ingredients are available at your local supermarket. Here’s what you’ll need