14 Vegan Desserts That Everyone Will Love

By Kelly Vaughan
Updated February 25, 2020
Bryan Gardner
From chocolate layer cake to blueberry crisp, these vegan dessert options are totally delightful.
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Bryan Gardner

Craving something sweet? From our take on chocolate layer cake to two kinds of baked fruit crisps, these vegan desserts (made sans dairy!) are delightful. Our recipes make use of vegan-friendly ingredients like almond milk, soy creamer, margarine, and coconut or vegetable oil to provide the moistness and fat that traditional dairy ingredients (such as milk, eggs, and butter) offer. Vegans, or anyone with a dairy intolerance, will love you, and others won't even know the difference.

Our vegan dessert recipes range from dairy-free takes on absolute classics (we're looking at you, chocolate cake) to unique sweets such as Spiced Cashew-Coconut Brittle and Plum Pâtes de Fruits. Whether you make them for a special occasion like a birthday party or give smaller treats as a gift during the holiday season, you can feel good knowing that there is something delicious—and safe—here for everyone to eat.

The Vegan Blueberry Crisp, pictured here, is the perfect example. Make it in the middle of summer when plump blueberries are at their peak and you can enjoy their naturally sweet, juicy flavor. They're topped with a crumble made from rolled oats, toasted almonds, sugar, and coconut oil, then baked until bubbling and golden brown. When fall comes around, we also have two spiced apple desserts—Vegan Apple Oat Crisp and Vegan Apple Pie. Do you prefer a more rustic dessert or something a bit more formal? Trust us, you can't go wrong either way.

These vegan (and in some cases, also gluten-free!) dessert recipes are sure to please your family and friends.

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Spiced Cashew-Coconut Brittle

Alpha Smoot
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Snap, crackle, and yum! This six-ingredient treat combines roasted unsalted cashews and unsweetened coconut flakes in a spiced cinnamon syrup. Whenever you need something a little sweet, a little salty, and a little spicy, this brittle is the answer.

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Vegan Chocolate Cake

Bryan Gardner
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Everyone needs one classic chocolate cake recipe under their belt. This vegan version uses oil in the base for moistness and fat, margarine and dairy-free soy creamer in the fluffy icing, and brown rice syrup and more creamer in the silky ganache.

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Vegan Apple Pie

linda xiao
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Don't forget about your vegan relatives at Thanksgiving! Make this classic apple pie, which substitutes safflower oil in place of butter or lard for a flaky crust. Sprinkle the pie with turbinado sugar before baking for a shiny top that will make everyone want a slice.

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Carrot-Ginger Ice Pops

Lennart Weibull
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With just four ingredients and 15 minutes of prep work, who could say no to this refreshing dessert? Carrot juice, strawberries, oranges, and fresh ginger are blended together, poured into molds, and frozen.

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Vegan Blueberry Crisp

Bryan Gardner
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This is a simple summertime stunner that makes use of plenty of fresh blueberries (six cups total!). The berries are tossed with sugar, cornstarch, and fresh lemon juice, then topped with a rolled oat-and-almond crumble.

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Dark Chocolate Truffles

Johnny Miller
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Many traditional truffle recipes call for heavy cream, but here we're using coconut oil, which provides fat and body to the rich ganache. Roll in whatever toppings you please (we prefer cocoa powder, chopped nuts, and shredded coconut).

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Vegan Avocado Ice Cream

Martyna Szczesna
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Even if you don't have a penchant for all things green, we have a feeling you'll adore this cool and creamy dessert. Avocados and coconut milk provide all the body needed for this vegan ice cream.

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Dark Chocolate-Walnut Date Bar

Sidney Bensimon
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Crowd-friendly and ready to take on-the-go at any time, this no-bake dessert is dairy- and gluten-free. The crust is made from walnuts, dates, peanut butter, and vanilla, then is topped with melted chocolate and walnuts.

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Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Mike Krautter
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The perfect celebratory bite, these cupcakes are made with coconut oil and almond milk instead of traditional dairy ingredients—and trust us, you won't be able to taste the difference.

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Berry Sorbet

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No special ingredients are required for this cool vegan dessert! Here, berries and water are blended together, then mixed with a simple syrup (that's sugar and water!) and frozen until it has set and is scoopable.

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Plum Pates de Fruits

Louise Hagger
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This naturally vegan candy is an elegant dessert to serve at a dinner or cocktail party. Use whatever flavor fruit purée you fancy and mix with sugar, citric acid, corn syrup, and fruit pectin, then pour into a candy mold and cool completely.

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Pecan, Oat, and Dark-Chocolate-Chunk Cookies

Lennart Weibull
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These treats are packed with nuts, oats, and chocolate, giving them a texture that's more like a granola bar than a cookie. They're free from dairy and gluten so they're a dessert that nearly everyone can enjoy.

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Melon Milk Pops

Marcus Nilsson
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Who wouldn't want a taste of these bright, 70s-inspired pops? Their vivid colors are all-natural thanks to the trio of watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew, which are each blended with coconut condensed milk and fresh lime juice.

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Vegan Apple Oat Crisp

Mike Krautter
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There's two surprises in this seasonal dessert. The first is that it's dairy- and gluten-free (win-win!). The second is that the filling includes dried cherries, which add a little bit of texture and tartness alongside Granny Smith apples. Do you need another reason to dig in?

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