20 Top-Notch Vegan Desserts

Yes, you can have a fantastic dessert that is completely plant-based. These recipes, which include everything from ice cream to pie, will satisfy any sweet tooth — vegan or not!

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Photo By: Matt Armendariz

Photo By: Teri Lyn Fisher

Photo By: Matt

Photo By: Renee Comet

Photo By: Matt

Photo By: Teri Lyn Fisher

Photo By: Renee Comet

Photo By: Teri Lyn Fisher

Vegan Sugar Cookies

These vegan sugar cookies have the familiar flavor and texture of other classic sugar cookies — crisp edges, a soft center and slight chew — but contain no animal products. A touch of baking powder ensures the cookies puff slightly without spreading too much. Top them with a simple confectioners' sugar glaze and decorate with sprinkles for any holiday or festive occasion throughout the year.

Get the Recipe: Vegan Sugar Cookies

Vegan Pavlovas

These sweet desserts are a perfect treat for you and friends and family, whether you're vegan or not. The pavlovas themselves are made with aquafaba — the liquid from a can of chickpeas (instead of the usual egg whites). They bake up wonderfully crisp on the outside and with a fluffy marshmallow-like interior. We added a touch of unsweetened cocoa to the base and topped it with a whipped coconut cream and lightly sweetened strawberries.

Get the Recipe: Vegan Pavlovas

Chocolate, Coconut and Almond Chickpea Ice Cream

This vegan alternative to ice cream is rich and creamy, thanks to velvety coconut milk, smooth almond butter and the secret ingredient...chickpeas! We promise you won't taste the chickpeas one bit; they're simply included for texture and body. There's even three layers of chocolate for some welcomed sweetness. Serve with an extra sprinkle of toasted coconut chips for a delicious, plant-based treat.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate, Coconut and Almond Chickpea Ice Cream

Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

There are no tricks to these satisfying dairy- and egg-free cupcakes. Be sure to use refrigerated soy or almond milk instead of the shelf-stable kind-there are fewer additives, which can greatly affect the final texture and taste of a recipe.

Get the Recipe: Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

Deep-Dish Vegan Apple Pie

Extra-virgin coconut oil is a great substitute for butter in both the pie dough and the apple filling to make this all-American fruit pie vegan-friendly. We use a mix of apples for the filling: The Golden Delicious keep their shape and are a nice contrast to the soft McIntoshes, and the Granny Smiths give a nice tartness.

Get the Recipe: Deep-Dish Vegan Apple Pie

Vegan Chocolate Lava Cakes

These decadent chocolate cakes are full of surprises — from the creamy tahini centers, to the fact that they're vegan!

Get the Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Lava Cakes

Vegan Peach Cobbler

Amy says, "When using ripe, succulent fruits, this cobbler bakes for just 20 to 25 minutes. If your fruit is not perfectly ripe, I suggest covering the cobbler and baking it until the fruit is easily pierced with a knife, 10 to 15 minutes, then uncover and bake until the topping is beginning to brown around the edges."

Get the Recipe: Vegan Peach Cobbler

Vegan Classic Cheesecake

This dairy- and egg-free classic is creamy and satisfying, thanks to the combo of silken tofu and vegan cream cheese. Silken tofu is softer and more fragile than regular tofu-perfect for desserts like this.

Get the Recipe: Vegan Classic Cheesecake

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

We use a few vegan-friendly stand-ins for this can't-believe-it's-vegan pie. Unrefined coconut oil provides a flaky, buttery texture for the crust, and silken tofu lends creaminess to the filling.

Get the Recipe: Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream

This vegan ice cream is actually easier and faster to make than the cream-and-egg version: There's no extended time spent over the stove awaiting the moment the custard thickens and no reason to worry that you'll scramble the eggs. Infusing the milk with vanilla bean adds great flavor but can be skipped in a pinch. Try it with your favorite mix-ins.

Get the Recipe: Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream

Vegan Halwa

This popular seasonal North Indian dessert is made with carrots because they’re abundantly available during the wintertime. The dessert itself has a delicate flavor and isn’t too sweet. It’s traditionally made with milk and ghee but turns out just as lovely with coconut oil and almond milk instead.

Get the Recipe: Vegan Halwa

Gluten-Free, Vegan Cranberry-Almond Tartlets

These tartlets are the perfect way to please everyone at the table. As with most vegan and gluten-free tarts, they're best served the day they're made, but you can press the crusts and freeze them ahead of time to give yourself a head start. The toasted-almond milk for the filling and the cranberry topping can be made up to 3 days in advance. Just bake the crusts and cook the filling the day you're serving the tartlets.

Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free, Vegan Cranberry-Almond Tartlets

Vegan Banana Bread

This banana bread is eggless and dairy-free, but you'll hardly notice the difference. The crumb is moist and tender, and the flavor gets better each day (if it lasts!).

Get the Recipe: Vegan Banana Bread

Vegan Lemon Bars

Like our favorite traditional lemon bars, these vegan ones are tangy, not too sweet and super lemony. But as the topping—a combination of vegan sugar, flour, cornstarch and cashew milk—is egg-free, it’s boiled rather than baked on the shortbread base. The sunny color comes from a pinch of turmeric in lieu of egg yolks (don’t worry, you won’t taste it). Using a virgin coconut oil in the base lends a lovely coconut note.

Get the Recipe: Vegan Lemon Bars

Vegan Key Lime Pie

A vegan key lime pie bursting with bright citrus flavor, hints of coconut and a salty-sweet crispy crust? Absolutely! The secret to the silky-smooth filling is to soak cashews in coconut milk, rather than water, until completely softened and blending until creamy. This sunny treat comes together with minimal effort and results in zesty flavors that will transport you straight into summer!

Get the Recipe: Vegan Key Lime Pie

Vegan Cherry Cobbler with Almond Biscuit Topping

We love local spring cherries, but our cobbler works equally well with fresh or frozen cherries. We chose easy drop biscuits for the topping since they allow the jewel-like cherry juices to bubble up around them — a great visual showcase for a simple desert. Baking the cherries first without the topping gives them time to soften in their own juices, and dropping the biscuits on hot filling helps them cook through — no soggy bottoms. Almond goes beautifully with cherries, so we use almond extract in both the filling and topping, plus a little almond flour in the topping as well.

Get the Recipe: Vegan Cherry Cobbler with Almond Biscuit Topping

Vegan Carrot Cake

This fluffy vegan carrot cake has warm hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, plus an extra-generous portion of shredded carrots for sweetness and moisture. The layers are satisfyingly tall, thanks to applesauce, which reacts with the baking soda and baking powder to help the cake rise. Eggs typically add structure to baked goods, but this recipe has enough flour and shredded carrots to compensate.

Get the Recipe: Vegan Carrot Cake

Oat Milk Ice Cream

This creamy vegan ice cream comes together easily with a base of store-bought oat milk. The addition of cashew butter and coconut oil gives the ice cream its creamy texture, and instead of using traditional egg yolks to thicken the base, we use tapioca starch (sometimes referred to as tapioca flour). The vanilla flavor is deepened and warmed from using cashew butter, maple syrup, and optional bourbon (which also helps keep the ice cream from setting up too hard in the freezer).

Get the Recipe: Oat Milk Ice Cream

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

We combined the beloved ingredients in pumpkin bread – creamy pumpkin puree, warm fall spices and a generous pour of vanilla – but omitted any dairy or eggs for a completely plant-based seasonal treat. Vegan dark chocolate chips stirred into the batter and scattered on top add extra flavor and texture. We found the pumpkin bread to be easiest to slice at room temperature, but feel free to enjoy a piece while it’s still warm if you can’t resist!

Get the Recipe: Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Chickpea Blondies

These gluten-free, vegan chickpea blondies taste just as they should: like soft bar cookies with a touch of vanilla and load of chocolate chips. Because there’s no egg or wheat-based flour in this recipe, we added a touch of aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas) to provide structure to these delicate treats. Instead of butter or oil, we use almond butter, which gives the blondies a nutty flavor and craveable richness.

Get the Recipe: Chickpea Blondies