Back in the day, it was a challenge to find delicious dairy free dessert recipes. However, thanks to exciting food innovations, it’s easier than ever to make delicious non dairy desserts.
There are a lot of reasons to not eat dairy products. Perhaps you’re vegan or vegetarian and want to avoid meat products. Or maybe you’re lactose intolerant. However, some people may avoid dairy because many dairy products are high in fat and they’re trying to lose weight. Dairy-free desserts can help.
Why would someone want dairy free desserts?
A person who is lactose intolerant may want lactose free desserts.
Dairy-free desserts have gained popularity in recent years, driven by the rising numbers of people seeking alternative options to traditional dairy-based treats. Whether you have lactose intolerance, follow a vegan diet, or simply desire a healthier dessert choice, there is an array of delectable dairy-free desserts to satisfy your taste buds.
Exploring the world of dairy-free desserts opens up a new culinary adventure where you can indulge in guilt-free treats. From creamy puddings to rich chocolate cakes and delightful cookies, these desserts cater to a variety of palates without the use of dairy products like milk, cream, or butter. Many of these recipes utilize alternative plant-based ingredients such as almond milk, coconut cream, and vegan chocolate, ensuring that delicious flavors and textures are not compromised.
As you dive into the realm of dairy-free desserts, you may be pleasantly surprised by the numerous options available. Discovering new recipes and ingredients not only adds diversity to your dessert repertoire but also encourages mindful eating habits. Rest assured, your sweet tooth will be satisfied without feeling weighed down by guilt or the discomforts associated with consuming dairy products.
Also, people who are living a vegan lifestyle naturally want dairy free treats.
The good news is that it’s super easy to find easy dairy free desserts. Whether you’re looking for a great dairy free cake recipe for making your vegan BFF a birthday cake, dairy free pudding for a sweet and creamy treat, or dairy free cookie recipes to add to your arsenal, we’ve got you covered.
Below, we’ve listed the best dairy free desserts we could find. Let’s dive in!
Now, to be clear, Oreos aren’t exactly the healthiest food on the planet, but if you’re craving a sweet treat and you’re following a vegan lifestyle, Oreos are a great option.
And who can resist cheesecake? Oh, and yes, this is a dairy free cheesecake to boot.
Do you need another reason to love this delicious creamy cheesecake? Well, it’s a no-bake cheesecake.
To make this cheesecake, you need to make vegan cream cheese, buy Tofutti’s vegan cream cheese, or find a Trader Joe’s to buy their non-dairy cream cheese.
The lemon juice adds the needed acidity to help the cream cheese set, as well as a pop of flavor.
Lemons and limes are similar, but there is just something so distinctive about the flavor of lime.
Key lime pie is a favorite southern pie, and you can enjoy the luscious and tangy taste of key lime pie in these light bars.
Besides being big on flavor, these zesty little bars are also vegan, dairy free, gluten free, and paleo-friendly.
Do you need another reason to love these key lime bars? They’re no-bake, too.
The crust for these bars is made from cashews, almond flour, cinnamon, and pitted dates.
The key lime filling for this vegan dessert is made from cashews, full-fat coconut milk, fresh lime juice, lime zest, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
In the early days of gluten free living, it wasn’t easy to find gluten free cakes, bread, and cookies, that actually had a texture that resembled traditional baked goods.
All of that has changed because we now have such excellent gluten free flour products.
This delicious chocolate zucchini bread can be made in just one bowl, and we’re here for it.
To make this recipe, you need flax eggs, zucchini, coconut oil, and yummy applesauce.
The sweet flavor comes from coconut sugar and natural maple syrup. Gobs of cocoa powder give this bread a deliciously rich chocolate flavor.
Consider the mixture of oat flour, almond flour, and gluten free flour that the recipe author used.
Do you remember back in the old days when we used to have to make pudding on the stove-top? That warm pudding was so comforting!
This easy dairy free pudding is oozing with chocolate flavor and it does not disappoint.
You only need six ingredients to make this classic vegan chocolate pudding and you will be surprised to learn that it’s pudding that tastes very similar to what your grandmother used to make.
To thicken the pudding, you use cornstarch, just like the old-fashioned pudding recipe.
However, there is nothing old-fashioned about the rest of the ingredients. With plant-based milk such as soy milk, along with vegan butter, you’ve got a healthy pudding that you will love.
When you need ideas for gluten free and dairy free desserts, you may think your options are limited.
However, allow us to introduce you to an ice cream that is flavored with peanut butter and chocolate chips cookie dough.
Is this decadent or what?
This incredibly creamy peanut butter ice cream dessert recipe is made with a base of coconut milk, and the sweet taste comes from natural coconut sugar.
You can use an ice cream maker to make this delicious dairy free ice cream, or you can use a gadget like the Ninja Creami.
You will love how this non-dairy ice cream with dark chocolate chips melts in your mouth. Also, you can try this recipe with other nut butter.
If you’re craving creamy and decadent ice cream, you will love this sea salt caramel ice cream that’s made with coconut milk.
The swirls of caramel are absolutely divine, and even better, this ice cream is made without refined sugars.
This vegan ice cream has all of the classic flavors and none of the bad stuff that is usually found in ice cream this rich.
Oh, and this ice cream is made with just six ingredients: full-fat coconut milk, full-fat coconut cream, pure vanilla extract, maple syrup, sea salt, and caramel sauce.
The caramel sauce is made from maple syrup, almond butter, sea salt, and coconut oil.
When you hear the phrase chocolate truffles, you probably automatically think of decadence.
These vegan white chocolate truffles are definitely decadent, but they’re also as healthy as can be.
Besides being vegan, these white chocolate truffles are also free of refined sugar, gluten free, and they are a great treat if you’re following paleo.
If you prefer, you can use macadamia nuts instead of cashews.
Also, you can replace the cacao butter with coconut oil or coconut butter. Keep in mind that if you go with this substitution, your truffles will have a subtle coconut flavor.
Optionally, you can decorate your truffles with pistachios and dried raspberries.
When the holidays come around, you don’t have to give up your favorite pumpkin pie recipe. All you need to do is modify it so that it meets the needs of your vegan or non dairy lifestyle.
This pumpkin pie recipe has just nine ingredients and it’s so easy to make.
The recipe includes instructions for making a simple vegan pie crust.
If you can’t find the coconut cream that the recipe calls for, you can use full fat canned coconut milk. Just be sure to use as much as the creamy white part as possible.
Serve this delicious pumpkin pie with a dollop of dairy free whipped topping.
A banana cream pie is one of the most popular pies in the world, and with good reason.
Banana cream pies are brimming with yummy banana flavor and this recipe is healthier than most.
The crust is made from vanilla Oreo cookies, and the creamy pudding is completely decadent.
We love that this recipe calls for layering the bananas over the Oreo crust.
The pudding portion of this pie is made with coconut milk, corn starch, sugar, pure vanilla extract, and salt, giving you a creamy vanilla cream pudding.
Banana cream pie is typically yellow because it’s made with egg yolks. If you want your pie yellow, use a dab of yellow food coloring.
We confess: it was startling to learn we could make homemade fudgy brownies with olive oil (or refined coconut oil) instead of butter.
These brownies aren’t vegan because they have eggs in them, but if you’re looking for dairy free brownies, these gems will soothe your chocolate craving.
For the chocolate goodness, this recipe calls for cocoa powder and dairy free chocolate chunks.
You can also use canola oil or safflower oil to make these chocolate brownies if that’s all you have in your cabinet.
Remember that brownies don’t do well if they’re baked in a glass pan, so be sure to use a metal pan to make these brownies.
Anytime we can add gin to a recipe, we know we’re going to have some fun!
Don’t confuse macaroons with macarons. Macarons are challenging to make, but macaroons are usually chewy, big, and super easy to pull together.
This recipe calls for egg whites, but you don’t have to beat them until stiff peaks form. All you need to do is mix the egg whites with the gin, sugar, salt, lime zest, and almond extract until they’re nicely incorporated.
Then just fold in the coconut and drop these gorgeous little gems onto a baking sheet. You can also bake them in individual baking wafers.
The best part is when you dip the bottoms into your choice of dairy free chocolate.
If you’ve ever visited LegoLand, you may have enjoyed (with your kiddos) some of their legendary apple fries. Well, we found a copycat recipe for this healthy and tasty treat.
Tart Granny Smith apples are used to make these apple fries, and they’re perfectly seasoned.
The secret to getting these apple fries just the way you want them is to coat them in cornstarch.
These fries are flavored with cinnamon and sugar.
If you have an air fryer, you can make your apple fries in that. Otherwise, just fry them up in a deep frying pot.
Serve your apple fries with a non-dairy whipped topping for sheer perfection.
In the past, it was super challenging to make cupcakes and frosting without using dairy products.
While you can use oil to make your cupcakes nice and moist, adding some yogurt or cream to the batter will make them much better.
And how could anyone even make a “buttercream” frosting without dairy products?
Well, in recent years, there has been an explosion of vegan butter and dairy free butter. Also, dairy free yogurt is now available.
All of these innovations have made it much easier to enjoy tasty treats like cupcakes with creamy frosting.
This recipe for cupcakes and frosting makes use of butter-flavored shortening and almond milk. You can modify this recipe to make a chocolate cake, too.
These yummy and fruity raspberry crumble bars are made with three layers.
The bottom layer is a crumb-style crust made out of granola, the filling is made from chia seeds and tart-sweet raspberries, and the whole delicious recipe is topped off with a thick granola crumble that has coconut and pumpkin seeds.
The raspberry filling is sweetened and studded with bits of fresh raspberries that give a wonderfully sweet flavor and juicy texture.
To send these raspberry crumble bars over the top, serve them with dairy free ice cream or vegan whipped topping. Feel free to drizzle some dairy free chocolate syrup over the top!
Pumpkin spice flavors are incredibly popular during the holiday season, but with all of the wholesome goodness that comes with pumpkins, anytime is a good time to enjoy this hearty fruit.
Unlike some pumpkin spice treats, these pumpkin spice blondies actually do have pumpkin in them.
What are blondies, you ask? Well, a blondie is simply a brownie that’s “blonde.”
Besides being dairy free blondies, these tasty little bars can also be made gluten free.
Coconut palm sugar sweetens these yummy blondies, and the oil used is coconut oil.
To make these blondies gluten free, simply substitute your favorite gluten free flour. If you go the gluten free route, you may need to use slightly less almond milk.
Do you want even more dairy free dessert recipes? Watch this video below. That dairy free chocolate cake looks so decadent!
Our 30+ BEST Dairy Free Desserts (+Five-Ingredient White Chocolate Truffles)
These recipes are sure to please. So, gather your family and friends and enjoy. Let us know your thoughts!
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
