Surprisingly Vegan Desserts

Whether you're vegan or allergic to animal products, there are still plenty of great dessert options. The challenge is that these are often marketed as "vegan" or "dairy free," which can add a big and unnecessary price tag. 

Luckily, there are plenty of tasty sweets & brands that happen to be vegan.

Cookies

Unless they are made to be vegan, store-bought cookies in the bakery section will inevitably contain eggs & dairy.

That said, there are some really tasty and really popular cookies in the snack section that are vegan.

The first, and my personal favorite, are Oreos (chocolate or golden). Yup, that's right. Oreos are vegan! The ratio of oil and corn syrup bind the ingredients together, eliminating the need for another binding agent like eggs. And it's not just the name brand ones. Generic versions like Joe-Joe's that you can buy at Trader Joe's are also vegan.

Maple Leaf Cookies are like a great maple flavored version of Oreos. These are most popular in Canada, but American versions of them are are delicious as well. You can find them at Trader Joe's too.

Nutter Butters are a staple of many childhoods. These peanut butter cookies are a great vegan option as well if you love peanut butter and have a sweet tooth.

Pie

I always think of pie as having dairy and eggs. It's got to, right? I thought so too, but over the years, I've found some different brands that are luckily dairy & egg free.

The Costco apple pies (and peach pies back in the day) happen to be vegan (be sure to double check those ingredients before purchasing though). Don't skip out on their apple strudels either. I was surprised to find these pass the vegan test too. They're both huge like everything at Costco and delicious like you'd expect. 

A lot of mainstream frozen pies also happen to be vegan. Marie Callender's and Sara Lee have plenty of pies you can find in your local grocery store. Pop them in the oven and go nuts!

If you're eating out, McDonald's has a delicious apple pie as well. They warm it up so it's all delicious and gooey, and it's the perfect finisher to your meal or pick me up after a long day.

Cake Mixes

Vegan store bought cake is hard to come by, but cake mixes are not!

Because they require people to add the eggs & dairy when baking are home, they're not in the mix packets. This means you can buy cake mixes and substitute a plant based milk for the dairy and an egg substitute like oil, apple sauce, or bananas for the eggs.

The result? A delicious, easy to make cake with minimal effort. Sometimes not following the rules pays off 😉 

Sorbet Ice Cream

Sorbet is naturally vegan. It's fruit turned into ice cream by adding a few simple ingredients like water, sugar, and lemon juice.

Try a sorbet of your favorite fruit and go wild.

Mochi

Probably my favorite Japanese dessert is mochi. The dough is made of a few simple ingredients like glutinous rice flour, water, and sugar. The filling can vary from red bean to fruit flavors to matcha. If you like chewy desserts, mochi is worth the indulgence.

Sesame Balls

These are a common and super delicious Chinese dessert. They share some of the same core ingredients as mochi, but the outside is covered in sesame and the dough is fried. They are generally filled with red bean. Frying adds a slight crispiness, while the dough & filling keep them chewy, sweet, and delicious. If your mouth is watering like mine, try them out!

Dessert Toppings

Have a sweet that you want to add additional toppings to? 

Pillsbury frosting is a great vegan choice. Grab the vanilla or chocolate versions and dip strawberries in them or spread them all over that cake you baked. Delicious, cheap, vegan.

Hershey's Syrup (chocolate or strawberry) is a great option as well. It pairs nicely with milk shakes, lattes, cocktails, ice cream, and waffles. The options are endless and the syrup is delicious.