12 Easy Vegan Desserts That Everyone Can Enjoy

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By: Suzanne Kvilhaug

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In my perfect world, a vegan bakery in every town would be mandatory. What better place than a vegan bakery? I swear there’s palpable magic that everyone can feel, no matter if they’re vegan or not. “I’ll have one of...everything” is what I really want to order every time I get to the counter. Because really, how can I choose just one thing? Usually, I order at least a week’s worth so I don’t have any regrets. Has it ever lasted a week? Not once. 

Since there aren’t a ton of vegan bakeries around, most of the time if you want vegan desserts you need to make them. With a few substitutions and recipe tweaks, you can create a vegan version of almost any dessert. Despite my love for baking anything vegan, I’m not one to gravitate towards long recipes (whoa, is this a dissertation?) with a million different ingredients (wait, what store even has this?!). Here are 12 tasty vegan desserts that are easy to make, extremely satisfying, and guaranteed crowd-pleasers.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies will never lose their appeal. This Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe By Purely Kaylie shows how good traditional favorites can be when veganized. These cookies are crispy on the outside yet soft, chewy, and ooey gooey in the center. Each bite is loaded with pockets of melted chocolate and full of rich flavor. The best part? This vegan cookie recipe is made with pantry staples and easy-to-follow instructions. 

Vegan Funfetti Cake

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What kid didn’t love funfetti cake growing up? And even if technically the target market for this cake is the little ones, adults aren’t reluctant to have a piece of the rainbow-colored deliciousness. Both the ingredients and the baking process in this Vegan Funfetti Cake recipe by Emile Eats are unbelievably simple making it hard to resist the urge to take a trip down memory lane.

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls 

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Although it’s not as easy as popping open a can and tossing them in the oven, these Vegan Cinnamon Rolls from Loving It Vegan are worth the extra time it takes to get freshly baked vegan rolls. Described as a simple recipe with spectacular results, these vegan cinnamon rolls are soft and puffy and packed with cinnamon sugar deliciousness. 

No-Bake Mini Blueberry Cheesecake

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If you’ve ever skimmed through vegan cheesecake recipes you know that they can be a little bit tedious and almost always include soaking cashews in the process. To each his own but I find it much more enjoyable to be able to make what you want right then and there. This No-Bake Mini Blueberry Cheesecake recipe by Feasting On Fruit doesn’t call for cashews yet tastes just as good as those recipes that do. Like the author says about this recipe- Called a cake. Creamy like a pudding. Looks like a muffin. Tastes like DREAMS. 

Vegan Banana Bread

As someone who makes banana bread on the regular, this Vegan Banana Bread recipe by Erin Lives Whole comes highly recommended. It’s so moist and fluffy that you’ll find it hard to believe that there’s no dairy, eggs, or animal products at all. As for the ingredient list, the recipe calls for things that you probably already have at home and that you’re already familiar with. Looking for an easy snack? Store it in the fridge to maximize freshness for up to one week.

Easy Vegan Chocolate Fudge

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Gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and nut-free, you can’t go wrong with this chocolate fudge. If you’re looking for a tasty chocolate dessert that’s super easy to make, look no further. This Easy Vegan Chocolate Fudge from Vegan Richa is made with just 3-ingredients. All you need is chocolate, sun butter or nut butter, and maple syrup. 1-2-3, voila! 

No-Bake Lemon Tarts

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Lemon desserts were last on my list until I tried Hail Merry lemon tarts and finally got the appeal. And these No-Bake Lemon Tarts from Bakerita started as a copycat of those tarts. Made with a hearty dose of fresh lemon juice and zest, coconut oil, coconut milk, maple syrup, and a hint of vanilla and salt create a bold lemon dessert. If you’re looking for a healthier dessert that doesn’t skimp on flavor, these are it. Not only are they vegan, but they’re also paleo and gluten-free.

Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

“Do you prefer vanilla or chocolate cake?” is a question that I genuinely love asking people. Maybe it’s corny of me but I’m a huge cake person. A huge vanilla cake person. So for me, a traditional vegan vanilla cupcake that’s easy to make is essential to have on file. This Vegan Vanilla Cupcake recipe by The Vegan 8 definitely makes the cut and deserves to be your go-to vegan cupcake recipe. These are the ultimate fluffy, moist and delectable Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. They are only 8 ingredients, oil-free and so light and tender, nobody would ever know they don’t have any eggs or butter. 

Vegan Banana Cream Pie 

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If you like banana cream pie then you will love this vegan version. Vegan Banana Cream Pie is easier to make than you might think and this Vegan Banana Cream Pie from Nora Cooks suggests buying the crust to keep it simple. Featuring a creamy custard filling, plenty of freshly sliced bananas, and fluffy vegan whipped topping this pie is indulgent and delicious. 

Mini Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

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Reese's peanut butter cup lovers, rejoice! These Mini Vegan Peanut Butter Cups from the Detoxinista are a vegan version that you can make at home that tastes even better than the original. Don’t love peanut butter? Feel free to use almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower butter.

Healthy Vegan Cookie Dough

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Gone are the days when you had to worry about consuming raw egg while nibbling on the work in progress. No egg needed in this dough! This Healthy Vegan Cookie Dough from Beaming Baker is a delicious 5 ingredient healthy cookie dough that makes the perfect snack or after-dinner dessert. Super easy to make, insanely delicious and the recipe is also gluten-free and refined-sugar-free.

Red Velvet Cake Smoothie

Need a fun dessert drink idea? This Red Velvet Cake Smoothie by Minimalist Baker is innovative, beautiful, and tastes amazing. It captures the flavors and colors of red velvet cake but with wholesome ingredients like banana, beets, cocoa powder, and dates. Just 5 minutes, 1 blender, and 6 ingredients required for this incredibly satisfying smoothie inspired by red velvet cake. 


New to vegan baking? Check out the ultimate guide to vegan baking substitutes. Have you been into vegan baking for a while and want to take things to the next level? Start using these 10 ingredients which will revolutionize your vegan baking.


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