20 Vegan Dessert Recipes That Are So Tasty You’ll Want to Make Them ASAP
Don’t sleep on these plant-based treats!
Victor Protasio
Gone are the days when the best we can do for a vegan dessert is a bowl of fruit or a dry cookie that lacks flavor and texture. Now, thanks to plenty of experimentation and the use of ingredients such as apple cider vinegar, almond milk, and coconut milk yogurt, vegan dessert recipes are tastier than ever before. Need proof? We’ve rounded up 20 plant-based treats that are so delicious, you likely won’t even know they’re vegan. From Mini Chocolate Olive Oil Cakes to Amaretto Sour Popsicles, these egg- and dairy-free desserts are fit for any occasion, and will definitely have you coming back for more!
Related: 13 Costco Cake Tips to Know Before You Order the Dessert
Cantaloupe-Coconut Ice Pops
These ice pops are made with a combination of ripe, blended cantaloupe and a sweet basil-coconut cream that manages to draw out the floral notes of the fruit. Lime zest adds a pop of acidity, while a sprinkle of toasted coconut on the bottom of each treat brings nutty undertones and a touch of crunch.
Apricot Almond Cake
Canned apricots with a glaze of apricot preserves are studded throughout this bright cake, which would be especially irresistible as part of a brunch spread. This vegan dessert also boasts an almond flour base that compliments the floral notes in the fruit.
Mini Chocolate Olive Oil Cakes
Victor Protasio
Believe it or not, these mini olive oil cakes are 100 percent vegan. The titular olive oil takes the place of traditional cake ingredients such as eggs and butter, and each one is flavored with a combination of cocoa powder, orange zest, and earl gray tea. Plus, every cake is topped with a simple silky chocolate glaze and a light shower of candied orange peel. Yum!
Ginger-Lime Melon Salad
There's no lettuce in sight when it comes to this salad, which instead consists of cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon slices topped with a tangy ginger-lime dressing. Serve this fresh dish on nights when you’re in the mood for a lighter (but still delicious) vegan dessert.
Tropical Fruit Salad
For a vegan dessert that everyone is bound to love, we suggest you try this tropical treat. Here, a mix of papaya, pineapple, mango, and kiwi is combined with a touch of sugar, lime juice, and a pinch of salt. The fruit then rests on a bed of creamy coconut yogurt, and gets a dusting of flaked coconut. This dessert has plenty of texture and flavor with no butter or cream in sight.
Spicy Watermelon Margarita Ice Pops
This dessert, which is reserved for the over-21 crowd, calls for pureed watermelon mixed with sugar, lime juice, tequila, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. That white stripe, which gives this treat a photo-worthy color palette, occurs on its own when the fruit separates during freezing.
Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats
Not only is this dessert ready in 30 minutes, it’s incredibly easy to make. There are just four high-quality ingredients here: finely chopped bittersweet chocolate bars, coconut oil, crispy rice cereal, and flaky sea salt. Call them a grown-up version of Rice Krispy Treats, which are fun to eat all year round. To ensure they are completely plant-based, use vegan chocolate.
Creamy Date Shakes With Cinnamon
GREG DUPREE
If you’ve got a craving for a milkshake but don’t want, well, dairy milk, give this recipe a try. Here, Medjool dates are combined with hemp seeds, almond milk, ice, and cinnamon to create a bold, refreshing drink that just so happens to be vegan. Sprinkle another dash of cinnamon on the finished product for even more flavor.
Vegan Blueberry Cookies
Good vegan desserts can be hard to find, but these cookies fit the bill and are ready to eat in under an hour. The bold hue is thanks to thawed frozen blueberries, while sweet white chocolate chips stud each cookie. When baking, we suggest using a stand or hand mixer to break up the blueberries. This will help ensure that the fruit is fully incorporated into the rest of the wet ingredients.
Related: 20 Easy Desserts You Can Make in Under an Hour
Amaretto Sour Popsicles
For a vegan warm weather dessert that doesn’t disappoint, give these amaretto sour pops a whirl. They taste like a frozen version of the popular cocktail, and look like a stunning summer sunset. Serve 'em with fresh orange slices and cherries for optimal refreshment.
Vanilla-Cinnamon Chia Pudding
If you love rice pudding or tapioca, vanilla chia pudding will be right up your alley. It’s made with a combination of milk, (we like vanilla almond milk) chia seeds, agave nectar, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. If you’re not a fan of almond milk, go ahead and use coconut milk or another plant-based option, which will keep this dessert vegan.
Vegan Banana Bread
Banana bread is a classic dessert, and while it’s typically made with butter and eggs, this vegan version calls for canola oil, coconut milk yogurt, and vanilla soy milk instead. The plant-based ingredients fit into the recipe seamlessly, and yield a final product that is moist and delicious. Feel free to add vegan chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, or shredded coconut to the mix.
Toasted-Coconut Key Lime Pie
If you make the crust of this pie with vegan coconut cookies, this tropical dessert is entirely plant-based. It features said coconut cookie crust with a decadent coconut interior made with coconut whipped topping. Lime juice in the filling gives it a subtle tart flavor to balance this sweet dessert.
Spicy Maple Lemonade Pops
When the hot weather strikes, there’s nothing better than a glass of fresh lemonade—except maybe these spicy lemonade ice pops. Each one is made with fresh lemon juice, maple syrup, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and several Thai bird chiles, which bring plenty of spice.
Roasted Pineapple With Cinnamon
Roasting fruit, like pineapple, in the oven concentrates the natural sugars and makes it tender and delicious. Sugar and cinnamon up the ante, as the sugar caramelizes in the oven and the cinnamon adds a ton of flavor. You can eat this roasted pineapple solo, but it’s also great on top of some vegan vanilla ice cream or plant-based pound cake. The choice is yours!
Frozen Banana Ice Cream
If you’re craving some ice cream but don’t have a pint of the plant-based stuff in your freezer, reach for some ripe bananas instead. Believe it or not, all you need to make this DIY dessert is a few ready-to-eat bananas, which you’ll slice, freeze, blend, and freeze again.
Plant-Based Coconut Yogurt
While vegan yogurt used to be hard to find, you can now pick some up at most grocery stores. However, if you prefer to make your own, give this recipe for creamy coconut yogurt a go. It's made with a combination of coconut and nut milk, and gets its yogurt-like thickness courtesy of cornstarch. Eat it solo as a snack, or top with vegan chocolate chips, coconut flakes, and sliced strawberries for a dessert that’s also pretty healthy.
Vegan Chocolate Pudding
Leave it to Martha Stewart to make a vegan chocolate pudding that’s even more delicious than the stuff you’ll find in the grocery store. This recipe calls for raw cashews, cocoa powder, and plant-based milk, while maple syrup, vanilla extract, semi-sweet chocolate, and a pinch of salt bring the flavor.
Related: 4 Five-Ingredient Desserts Anyone Can Make
Vegan Snickerdoodles
Kristina Vanni
Most cookie recipes call for eggs and butter, but these vegan Snickerdoodles are made with apple cider vinegar and vegetable oil instead. While apple cider vinegar is quite potent, we promise you won’t taste it once the cookies emerge from the oven, especially since they get rolled in a simple cinnamon-sugar mixture before baking.
Vegan Apple Pie
Apple pie is a classic American dessert, and one that can be enjoyed all year round. This vegan take on the beloved treat calls for a plant-based pie crust filled with apples, cinnamon, and sugar, with a bit of fresh lemon juice for balance. Serve warm with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
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