So you’ve got dietary restrictions and a sweet tooth? Welcome to the club! As someone who’s spent countless hours staring longingly through bakery windows, I’m thrilled to share some dessert recipes that won’t have you compromising your gluten-free vegan lifestyle OR your taste buds. These treats are so good, your gluten-eating friends will be suspiciously eyeing your plate and asking, “Are you sure I can’t have some of that?”
Why These Recipes Are Awesome
Let’s be honest—gluten-free vegan desserts have a reputation. And that reputation is often… cardboard-adjacent. But not these gems! These recipes are:
• Actually delicious (not just “good for being gluten-free vegan”)
• Require ingredients you can find without a treasure map
• Won’t leave your kitchen looking like a flour bomb went off
• Perfect for showing off to friends who think “vegan” and “gluten-free” mean “tasteless”
1. No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
These are like the fancy cousin of Reese’s Cups—but without the stomach ache for those of us with dietary restrictions. Plus, you don’t even need to turn on your oven. #Winning
Ingredients You’ll Need
• 1 cup natural peanut butter (the drippy kind where oil separates—embrace the mess)
• ¼ cup maple syrup (the real stuff, not that pancake-flavored corn syrup nonsense)
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt (just a pinch, we’re not seasoning a steak here)
• 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark, depending on your chocolate commitment level)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (the cure for everything, according to the internet)
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. This recipe makes about 12 cups, but who’s counting?
2. Mix peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut flour, and salt in a bowl until smooth. If it seems too sticky, add a bit more coconut flour. Too dry? A splash more maple syrup. Cooking is jazz, not classical music—improvise!
3. Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each one. Don’t walk away during this step unless you enjoy cleaning exploded chocolate from your microwave ceiling.
4. Spoon a small layer of chocolate into the bottom of each liner. Pop in the freezer for 5 minutes to set.
5. Add a dollop of peanut butter mixture on top of the chocolate layer, pressing down slightly.
6. Top with remaining chocolate, covering the peanut butter completely. Return to freezer for 30 minutes.
7. Store in the fridge if you want them soft, or the freezer if you prefer them firm. Try not to eat them all in one sitting (a challenge I’ve personally failed many times).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
• Using chunky peanut butter—unless you enjoy a surprise texture adventure in your smooth chocolate cups.
• Forgetting to line your muffin tin. Unless you enjoy chiseling hardened chocolate from metal, use the liners!
• Overheating your chocolate. Burned chocolate smells like disappointment and regret.
• Telling people how easy these were to make. Let them believe you slaved away for hours. Cooking martyrdom has its perks.
2. Fudgy Avocado Brownies
Yes, avocado. In brownies. Stay with me here—I promise this isn’t some weird health food experiment gone wrong. These are legitimately delicious.
Ingredients You’ll Need
• 2 ripe avocados (the softer and uglier, the better)
• ½ cup pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar if you’re feeling rebellious)
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (the hero ingredient no one talks about)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup gluten-free flour blend
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips (plus more for sprinkling on top, because… chocolate)
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. The parchment paper is not optional unless you enjoy brownies that double as pan scrapers.
2. In a food processor or blender, puree those avocados until smooth. No chunks allowed—nobody wants to bite into a brownie and find a piece of green surprise.
3. Add maple syrup, coconut sugar, applesauce, and vanilla to the avocado mixture and blend again until combined. It will look like a weird green smoothie. Resist the urge to drink it.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.
5. Combine wet and dry ingredients, folding gently until just mixed. Overmix these and you’ll end up with chocolate bricks instead of brownies.
6. Fold in chocolate chips, then pour batter into your prepared pan. Sprinkle extra chips on top because YOLO.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). Don’t overbake! These are supposed to be fudgy.
8. Let cool completely before cutting. I know, the waiting is torture, but your brownies will thank you by not falling apart.
Alternatives & Substitutions
• No avocados? You could try using mashed banana instead, but the texture will be different. TBH, it’s worth waiting until you have avocados.
• Out of applesauce? Try pumpkin puree for a subtle fall flavor twist.
• Want to fancy these up? Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the dry ingredients. Coffee makes chocolate taste more… chocolatey. It’s science. Or magic. Either way, it works.
• For a flavor twist, add ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon or a pinch of cayenne. Don’t knock the cayenne until you’ve tried it!
3. Easy Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Store-bought dairy-free ice cream often costs more than my monthly streaming subscriptions combined. This homemade version will save your wallet and satisfy your ice cream cravings.
Ingredients You’ll Need
• 2 cans full-fat coconut milk (refrigerated overnight)
• ⅓ cup maple syrup or agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• Optional mix-ins: dairy-free chocolate chips, crushed cookies, fruit, nuts—go wild!
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Refrigerate your coconut milk cans overnight. Don’t skip this step! Room temperature coconut milk will not give you the creamy texture we’re aiming for.
2. Carefully open the cans and scoop out only the thick cream that’s risen to the top. Save the liquid for smoothies or curry.
3. Place the coconut cream in a large bowl and whip with an electric mixer until fluffy and smooth, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Add maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Whip again until well combined.
5. Fold in any mix-ins you desire. My personal favorite is crushed gluten-free chocolate cookies and a swirl of peanut butter. Don’t judge.
6. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 4-6 hours, or until firm.
7. Let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before scooping. Coconut milk ice cream tends to freeze harder than dairy ice cream.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
• Using light coconut milk. This is not the time to cut calories, friends. Full-fat or bust.
• Forgetting to chill your coconut milk. Room temperature coconut milk = sad, soupy ice cream.
• Being impatient and not letting it freeze completely. Ice cream soup is only good when it’s intentional.
• Adding too much liquid flavoring, which can make your ice cream icy instead of creamy.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can I make these recipes without a food processor or blender?
For the brownies, you could mash the avocados by hand until completely smooth, but honestly? It’s going to be a workout, and you might not get them smooth enough. Consider it arm day or borrow a friend’s blender.
How do I know if my avocados are ripe enough for baking?
They should yield to gentle pressure and be slightly soft—like pressing on the tip of your nose. Too firm and they won’t blend smoothly; too soft and your brownies might taste like guacamole. Chocolate guacamole is not a thing we’re trying to make happen.
Will my peanut butter cups melt if I take them to a party?
If your party is in the Sahara, then yes. Otherwise, they’ll hold up for a couple of hours at room temperature. For summer gatherings, keep them in a cooler or fridge until serving time.
Do I really need coconut flour for the peanut butter cups?
It does a specific job of absorbing moisture while keeping things light. You could substitute almond flour, but you’ll need about twice as much, and the texture will be slightly different. Oat flour would also work in a pinch.
My ice cream is too hard! What did I do wrong?
Nothing! Homemade dairy-free ice cream tends to freeze harder than commercial versions because it doesn’t have all those additives and stabilizers. Just let it sit out for 10-15 minutes before scooping, or microwave your ice cream scoop (the scoop, not the ice cream!).
Can I use an ice cream maker for the coconut ice cream recipe?
Absolutely! Follow your machine’s instructions after mixing all ingredients together. This will give you an even creamier texture.
Final Thoughts
See? Being gluten-free and vegan doesn’t mean a life sentence of fruit platters for dessert (not that there’s anything wrong with fruit—it’s just not chocolate, is it?). These recipes prove you can have your cake—er, brownies, ice cream, and peanut butter cups—and eat them too.
The best part? You can smugly watch your non-restricted-diet friends devour these treats while exclaiming, “Wait, these are gluten-free AND vegan? No way!” Yes way, friends. Yes way.
Now go conquer that kitchen! And if anyone asks where you got these amazing recipes, feel free to mumble something vague about “years of recipe development” while looking mysteriously off into the distance. Your secret is safe with me.
