43 Impressive Vegan Desserts for Plant-Based Dinner Parties
Just because you’re cooking more vegan recipes these days doesn’t mean you need to give up your baking habit—and vegan desserts don’t have to be complicated. Plant-based dairy has come a long way, and some of it is good enough to swap into your favorite recipes, no other changes necessary.
Our best vegan dessert recipes, however, were designed to be entirely dairy- and egg-free. Whether you’re looking for eggless cakes or refreshing granitas and ice creams, vegan brownies, tarts, or candies, you’ll find something to satisfy your sweet tooth below. With vegan dessert recipes this good, you’ll never miss the butter. Or the milk. Or the eggs.
Before you start baking, note that your sweets will not be vegan if you don’t start with vegan ingredients. Check the packaging of your sugar, chocolate, etc. to see if they’re free of animal products; not all brands are.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne1/43Vegan Pumpkin Pie
This crowd-pleasing vegan dessert has a rich pumpkin filling made with soft tofu and vegan cream cheese, plus cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla, and a wonderfully flaky vegan pie crust.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton2/43
Vegan Banana Bread With Chocolate and Miso
Banana bread is one of those recipes that translates very naturally into the world of vegan baking. Applesauce and olive oil keep the loaf remarkably moist, while miso brings a savory note that beautifully complements the bittersweet chocolate chunks.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich3/43
Vegan Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Nondairy butter and a flax “egg” make these easy cookies deliciously vegan—be sure to buy dairy-free chocolate and vegan sugar to keep them that way.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova4/43
Kuih Lapis (Malaysian Steamed Rose Layer Cake)
We doubt you’ll find a cake as pretty as this bite-size, pink layered number, which gains its lovely floral fragrance from rose syrup and delightfully chewy texture from non-glutinous rice flour and tapioca starch. It’d be just as at home at a Malaysian wedding as it is on your dessert table.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich5/43
Vegan Chocolate Cake
You probably already have everything you need to make this vegan dessert recipe: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, vanilla extract, salt, canola oil, and white vinegar. That’s all.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne6/43
Vegan Pecan Pie
This vegan pecan pie is flavored with coconut oil, maple syrup, and almond milk, while tapioca flour takes on the role of thickener, replacing eggs. Bookmark this one for your Thanksgiving dinner.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich7/43
Vegan Sweet Potato Date Muffins
Sweet potato purée and banana bind the ingredients together (so you can skip the eggs), while adding a light, earthy sweetness to the batter. These muffins would be just as good for breakfast as they’d be for dessert.
- Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova8/43
Sticky Rice With Mango
You may not be able to find a mango that’s as amazing as the ones in Thailand and Laos, but if you have a ripe one, there’s nothing better than this classic sweet made with glutinous rice.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce9/43
Halva 5 Ways
This flaky sesame candy is a no-bake breeze. Here’s our guide to making halva and flavoring it any way you want.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova10/43
Homemade "Dole Whip"
As any Disney Park fanatic can tell you, it’s not a visit to the Magic Kingdom without a helping of this tropical, dairy-free soft-serve-like dessert. Now you can make magic at home.
- Photo by Dan Jones11/43
2-Minute Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookie
Yes, you read that correctly. Place a mound of cookie dough in the microwave and in just two minutes, dessert bliss can be yours.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Molly Baz12/43
3-Ingredient Peach Crisp With Granola Topping
Store-bought granola makes an instant topping in this lickety-split version of the classic summer dessert. Switch out the fruit for plum, grape, or apple in the fall.
- Photo by Johnny Miller13/43
Salted Miso Brownies
A practically perfect brownie: Dense and fudgy thanks to the chia seeds; rich, but not sickeningly so; with a salted caramel–like flavor that comes from using white miso and salt together.
- Photo by Myles New14/43
Fruity Berry Tarts With Vanilla Cashew Cream
Decorate these tarts with any seasonal fruit; it’ll all taste delicious with the creamy cashew-date filling.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson15/43
No-Bake Pistachio–White Chocolate Cookies
These no-bake cookies rely on nut butter and white chocolate for their creamy, chewy texture. A combination of oats, pistachios, and cranberries adds a nice, sweet crunch.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton16/43
Microwave Coconut Sticky Rice With Mango
Make mango sticky rice in the microwave for creamy, perfectly tender results in under 10 minutes. Serve with shredded coconut, toasted sesame seeds, and of course, ripe mango slices.
- Photo by Tara Donne17/43
Gluten-Free Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
A combination of gluten-free flour, rice flour, and arrowroot gives these dairy-free vegan cookies their light, crispy texture.
- Photo by Matt Russell18/43
Kabak Tatlısı
This dish of candied, baked pumpkin drizzled with creamy tahini and earthy-sweet date syrup is a popular sweet in Turkey. It’s as simple as can be to make, but you’ll need a bit of time since the squash needs to rest for at least 12 hours.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi19/43
Apple Fritters With Spiced Sugar
Cinnamon, cardamom, and freshly ground black pepper lend warm spice to these sweet fritters, which make an excellent addition to any fall dessert spread. The secret ingredient? Ice-cold beer.
- Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott20/43
Lemon-Pistachio Loaf
When it comes to vegan cake recipes, this tender tea loaf might just be the cream of the crop. Be aware that it needs to cool completely in the pan before unmolding—you could even make it a day ahead and leave it in the pan overnight. Don’t forget the parchment sling.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Kat Boytsova. Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca21/43
Mochi-Stuffed Jujubes (Soft Hearts)
Named after the soft mochi center at the heart of the jujube (also known as Chinese red dates), these stuffed fruits look quite impressive, but are really as simple as making simple syrup.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Christopher Barsch22/43
Peanut Butter Coconut Cream Cookie Sandwiches
If you’re craving peanut butter cookies, you can’t go wrong with these coconut cream-sandwiched ones. The vegan peanut butter frosting in the middle is made entirely in your blender.
- 23/43
Chocolate-Almond Fridge Fudge
We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves to guarantee great vegan desserts. The dairy-free secret to this fudge’s creaminess? A little almond butter and a little more avocado.
- Photo by Akiko Ida & Pierre Javelle24/43
Mitarashi Dango (Rice Balls in Syrup)
A dough made of just two ingredients—silken tofu and Japanese glutinous rice flour—yields stretchy spherical dumplings that, when skewered, grilled, and soaked in syrup, make a street food favorite easily achievable at home.
- Photo by Con Poulos25/43
Baked Chocolate Tofu Cheesecake
Silken tofu miraculously mimics the texture of cream cheese in this vegan cheesecake, which makes an ideal option for Thanksgiving dessert—or any time you’re craving chocolate. Add peppermint extract to give it a Christmas spin, or decorate with pastel-hued chocolate eggs for Easter.
- Photograph by Chona Kasinger, prop styling by Callie Meyer26/43
Tibok-Tibok
This creamy-dreamy Filipinx chocolate pudding swaps carabao milk for coconut milk, with two different types of chocolate bringing the richness.
- Photo by Kimberley Hasselbrink27/43
Summer Berry-Coconut Milk Ice Pops
Meet your new favorite frozen dessert. Coconut milk gives these ice pops a lovely richness, while a mix of blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries adds summery flavor.
- Photo by Emma Fishman28/43
Picarones With Fig Chancaca Syrup
A sweet-potato based doughnut soaks up lots of flavor from a syrup infused with orange, chancaca, and plenty of spices, making these Peruvian sweets one of our favorite vegan dessert recipes.
- Photo by Rick Martinez29/43
Caramelized Plantain Parfait
When pan-fried, the outside of these plantains caramelizes and forms a hard shell while the inside becomes soft and custardy (like crème brûlée!). Serving them with coconut yogurt makes this toasty, fruity dessert completely vegan.
- Photo by Sidney Bensimon30/43
Roasted Banana Vegan Ice Cream
This luscious plant-based ice cream recipe from Van Leeuwen starts by roasting bananas in coconut oil, sugar, and salt until they caramelize. You will need an ice cream maker for this dessert, but the creamy texture is absolutely worth it.
- Photo by Holly Wulff Petersen31/43
Sumac, Spelt, and Apple Cake
Spelt flour gives this vegan cake from cookbook author Benjamina Ebuehi a rustic look and nutty flavor, producing a delightfully crunchy crust that hides a soft, moist crumb underneath, with chunks of sweet apple running all the way through. The recipe calls for ground almonds, but you can also substitute almond flour.
- Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime32/43
Sweet Granita With Blackberries, Toasted Almonds, and Mint
The easiest and most refreshing summer dessert? Water and sugar, frozen and scraped into a fluffy take on shaved ice that doesn’t require a shaved ice machine. Sweetened blackberries tossed with lime juice make an excellent topping.
- Photo by Christopher Testani33/43
Vegan Chocolate Tart With Salted Oat Crust
This dark chocolate tart has a crust of whole wheat flour, oats, and cocoa powder with a touch of cinnamon. The filling gets a dose of instant espresso, which deepens the chocolate flavor.
- Photo by Anders Overgaard34/43
Frozen Peaches With Strawberries and Mint
The best summer desserts don’t require any baking at all, and this one comes together mostly in the freezer. Lightly simmered peaches freeze in their strawberry-pink poaching liquid, which you can scrape and serve like granita.
- Photo by Gentl & Hyers, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski35/43
Chocolate-Avocado Pudding
The only part of this chocolate pudding that isn’t vegan is the whipped cream on top, but you can easily substitute the stuff that some Epi staffers consider to be an even better topper: whipped coconut milk.
- Chris Court36/43
Strawberry and Cranberry Popsicles
The sugar syrup is key to getting the texture of these ice pops just right. Once frozen, it will taste less sweet, so don’t skimp.
- Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food styling by Mira Evnine37/43
Frozen Chocolate-Covered Bananas
Is anything more fun than dipping frozen bananas in chocolate? Yes: Decorating them with sprinkles, chopped nuts, and just about any other toppings you can scrounge up.
- Sara Remington38/43
Very Chocolaty Chocolate Brownies
These exceptionally moist vegan brownies taste even better the second day, so they’re a great make-ahead dessert.
- Photo by Vanessa Stump39/43
Mini Raspberry and Coconut Cream Tarts
These elegant tarts are flexible, too: You can switch out the frozen berries in the filling for whatever fruit you like, then top them with a different berry slices of stone fruit.
- Photo by Romulo Yanes40/43
Peppermint Patties
If you’re looking for a no-bake confection to add to your holiday cookie tins, these homemade peppermint patties far surpass the foil-wrapped stuff. They keep in the fridge for up to a month. For the shiniest coating, temper the chocolate (don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds).
- Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott41/43
Black-and-White Halvah
To make these impressive, swirly sweet treats, you’ll need both white and black tahini pastes. Want to take them a step further? Brush one side of the cooled bars with melted rich chocolate.
- Sidney Bensimon42/43
Lime, Ginger, and Lemongrass Sorbet
This refreshing sorbet has a bit of heat from fresh ginger juice, and a wonderful earthy-citrusy flavor from the mix of lime juice and puréed lemongrass.
- Evi Abeler43/43
Dark Chocolate Avocado Brownies
A binder of flaxseed meal and warm water replaces the egg in these moist, crumbly, egg- and dairy-free brownies, which make a great portable vegan dessert option.
Tiffany Hopkins
Tiffany Hopkins
Genevieve Yam
Genevieve Yam
