Whether you’re curious to see what all the hype is surrounding a vegan lifestyle, or just want to introduce some new meals and snacks into your diet, these dessert recipes will have you hooked.
But first, why vegan? Despite the obvious ethical issues that veganism aims to combat, living a plant-based lifestyle also has major health and environmental benefits.
An Oxford study found that taking on a vegan diet would cut food-related greenhouse gas emissions by a staggering 70%.
Additionally, if a vegan diet was adopted worldwide 8.1 million deaths would be avoided, with approximately half of those avoided deaths being due to reducing red meat consumption and the other half being an increase in fruit and vegetable intake.
If done properly, a vegan diet means that you are free from animal products, which essentially means you are no longer eating saturated fat, bad cholesterol, artificial hormones, and dairy (which can affect your skin).
In the past, veganism has gained a bad rap, mainly due to the preconceived ideas that changing to a plant-based lifestyle is too hard.
You don’t have to make a sudden change, or reconstruct your eating habits completely. Simply, filter vegan snacks and meals throughout your day and see what you think.
Alternatively, there are vegan restaurants popping everywhere at the moment. Bondi is a hotspot for vegan alternatives, have a look at some of the best plant-based eateries here.
We all know dessert is the best meal of the day.. and no, eating plant-based doesn’t mean you have to cut this out.
There are plenty of vegan alternatives that can be substituted into cooking that still makes food delicious. To see how easy it can be, try out an amazing vegan chocolate mousse recipe that substitutes egg whites for the aquafaba from chickpeas to create a creamy and rich dessert!
Try these desserts out to see just how easy it can be.
Tip: as all these recipes contain vegan chocolate, here is a our recommendation chocolate: PICO Super Dark
Oreo Slice
A common misconception about veganism is that you can’t have anything sweet or sugary in your diet… wrong! According to PETA, Oreos are vegan, which makes them the perfect sweet treat staple in any vegan kitchen. These Oreo cups use soaked cashews and vegan white chocolate to create the creamiest cheesecake-like filling, you won’t even taste the difference.
Ingredients:
Crust
- 24 oreos
- 4 tbsp coconut oil
Filling
- 1 cup vegan white chocolate
- ¾ cup soaked raw cashews (soak overnight)
- 12 oreos chopped
- 1tsp brown rice syrup or maple syrup
Topping
- 6 oreos
- ½ cup vegan dark chocolate (melted)
Cooking Directions
- Take the crust ingredients (oreos and coconut oil) and blend in a food processor until smooth. Form into cupcake tins. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour, or until firm.
- Melt the vegan white chocolate over a double boiler.
- Place your soaked cashews, syrup and melted white chocolate in your food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped oreos
- Spoon in filling to the oreo crust. Chill for 1-2 hours
- Top with chopped oreos. Melt vegan dark chocolate and drizzle. Chill for another 20-30 minutes.
Vegan Lamingtons
Lamingtons are an iconic Australian treat. Nothing beats having a cup of tea and a spongey, chocolate and coconut coated lamington as an afternoon snack. This vegan alternative still has all the essential elements of a traditional lamington.
Disclaimer: just because its vegan, doesn’t automatically mean its healthy… sorry guys! However, some sweet treats are healthier than others, and this is exactly that!
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup plain coconut yogurt
- 500ml (2 cups) soy milk
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup raw caster sugar
- 2 ¾ cups white spelt flour
- ½ cup corn flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 250g vegan chocolate, melted
- 2 cups shredded coconut
Method
- Preheat oven to 190*C fan forced. Line a 11 x 7 inch baking tin with baking paper
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar, let sit for 5 minutes to curdle. Add in the coconut yoghurt and vanilla and combine.
- In a separate large bowl sift together the sugar, spelt flour, cornflour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add wet ingredients to the dry and gently combine; avoid overmixing.
- Transfer batter to the prepared baking tin and bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack for 1 hour.
- Add the melted chocolate to one bowl and coconut to another. Once the cake has cooled, slice it into 8 squares. Dip each piece into the melted chocolate coating all sides, let any excess drip off then roll in coconut.
Tip: If you like, slice the lamingtons in half and spread some strawberry or raspberry jam in the middle. Most jam is vegan so you can use what you have, just double check the ingredients list.
Ferrero Rocher balls
Ferrero Rochers are known as the go-to delectable hazelnut-y truffle that are way too easy to eat. Although delicious, they aren’t too good for you, which is why we’ve included a healthier vegan version. These bite-size balls are super easy to make and even easier to eat. They’ll be gone before you know it!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw hazelnuts
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- 6 medjool dates, pitted
- 3 tbsp rice malt syrup
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 50g vegan chocolate, melted
Method:
- Add 1 ½ cups of hazelnuts to a high-speed blender and blend until it turns into a fine meal. Add in the cacao powder, medjool dates, rice malt syrup, salt and blend until combined.
- From the remaining hazelnuts, put aside 12 whole hazelnuts and chop the rest of the hazelnuts with a knife until crushed into smaller pieces. Set aside in a bowl.
- Scoop 2 tablespoons of the mixture and flatten into the palm of your hand, add a whole hazelnut and then close the mixture over it and form into a ball. Dip the ball into the chocolate and toss in crushed hazelnuts. Set in the fridge for 30 minutes before enjoying.
