Food Recipe Collections & Favorites 20 Vegan Dessert Recipes That Are So Tasty You’ll Want to Make Them ASAP Don’t sleep on these plant-based treats! By Samantha Leffler Samantha Leffler Samantha is the senior food editor at RealSimple and previously launched the US Weekly food vertical, where she wrote about the intersection of food and pop culture. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Published on February 27, 2024 Close Photo: 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! 13 Costco Cake Tips to Know Before You Order the Dessert 01 of 20 Cantaloupe-Coconut Ice Pops Victor Protasio 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. get the recipe 02 of 20 Apricot Almond Cake Greg DuPree 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. get the recipe 03 of 20 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! get the recipe 04 of 20 Ginger-Lime Melon Salad Jennifer Causey 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. get the recipe 05 of 20 Tropical Fruit Salad Victor Protasio 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. get the recipe 06 of 20 Spicy Watermelon Margarita Ice Pops Emily Kinni 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. get the recipe 07 of 20 Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats Jennifer Causey 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. get the recipe 08 of 20 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. get the recipe 09 of 20 Vegan Blueberry Cookies Justine Eats 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. get the recipe 21 Easy Desserts You Can Make in Under an Hour 10 of 20 Amaretto Sour Popsicles Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner 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. get the recipe 11 of 20 Vanilla-Cinnamon Chia Pudding Heather Meldrom 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. get the recipe 12 of 20 Vegan Banana Bread Alison Miksch 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. get the recipe 13 of 20 Toasted-Coconut Key Lime Pie Greg DuPree 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. get the recipe 14 of 20 Spicy Maple Lemonade Pops Jennifer Causey 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. get the recipe 15 of 20 Roasted Pineapple With Cinnamon Steve Giralt 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! get the recipe 16 of 20 Frozen Banana Ice Cream Tatiana Volgutova/Getty Images 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. get the recipe 17 of 20 Plant-Based Coconut Yogurt Getty Images 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. get the recipe 18 of 20 Vegan Chocolate Pudding Nico Schinco 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. get the recipe This Super Easy 5-Ingredient Pumpkin Pie Dip Is Perfect For Any Fall Gathering 19 of 20 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. get the recipe 20 of 20 Vegan Apple Pie linda xiao 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! get the recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit