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Vegan Platinum Pudding based on Jemma Melvin’s Lemon Swiss Roll and Amaretti Trifle

A vegan version of the winning pudding for the Queen's platinum jubilee.

Course Dessert, Vegan Desserts

Cuisine English

Prep Time 8 hours

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 9 hours

Servings 20 people

Calories 411kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Cost $50 / ₤ 43

Ingredients

For the Vegan Swiss Rolls

• 1 cup oat milk
• 1 teaspoon distilled vinegar
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 ⅔ cup self-raising flour
• 1 Tablespoon corn starch (UK: corn flour)
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (UK: bicarb soda)

For the Vegan Lemon Curd

• 1 Tablespoon corn starch
• ½ cup oat milk
• ½ cup caster sugar
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 pinch turmeric (for color)

For the Vegan Custard

• 3 Tablespoons corn starch (UK: corn flour)
• 2 ¾ cups unsweetened soy milk
• 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• ⅔ cup caster sugar
• 3-4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons lemon extract

For the Vegan St Clement's Jelly

• 2 cups sugar
• ¾ cup lemon juice 1
• ¾ cup orange juice
• ½ cup corn starch
• 2 Tablespoons lemon peel
• 2 Tablespoons orange peels
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 drop red food coloring

For the Vegan Amaretti Biscuits

• 2 cups almond meal (not packed)
• ⅓ cup caster sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup water
• 2 Tablespoons flaxseed meal
• ½ teaspoon distilled vinegar
• ½ teaspoon almond extract or amaretto

For the Vegan Chunky Mandarin Coulis

• ~400 grams tinned mandarins
• 1 Tablespoon caster sugar
• 1 Tablespoon corn starch
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

For the Vegan Jewelled White Chocolate Bark

• 1¼ cups vegan white chocolate chips
• ½ cup candied orange peel

Other ingredients

• 3 cups vegan whipped cream (I recommend using store bought if possible)

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

For the Vegan Swiss Rolls

• Heat oven to 180C (350° Fahrenheit). Line the Swiss roll pans with parchment paper.
• Combine all the ingredients for the Swiss rolls, mix for about 30 seconds with an electric hand mixer.
• Pour mixture evenly into the two pans. Check at 10 minutes to see if cakes are done: poke them with a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, they are done.
• Set out two sheets of baking paper and sprinkle with caster sugar. While cakes are warm, carefully turn the cakes over onto the sugared papers. Peel off the baked paper, roll up the cakes into a tight spiral, and allow to cool.

For the Vegan Lemon Curd

• In a saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch and an equal amount of the oat milk, then whisk in the rest of the oat milk and all the other ingredients.
• Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a simmer until it has thickened. stirring continuously (about 5 minutes). Transfer to a bowl, cover, and allow it to cool.

For the Vegan Custard

• In a saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch and an equal amount of the soy milk, then whisk in the rest of the soy milk and all the other ingredients.
• Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a simmer until it has thickened. stirring continuously (about 5 minutes). Transfer to a bowl, cover, and allow it to cool.

For the Vegan St Clements Jelly

• Peel orange and lemon peels with a vegetable peeler (6 strips of each, you will need to count them later). In a saucepan, add all ingredients except the cornstarch and mix well.
• In a small bowl, add the cornstarch and about ½ a cup of the liquid from the pan. Stir until smooth, then slowly add it back into the saucepan, stirring well.
• Bring the pan contents to a gentle boil over medium heat while gently stirring continuously (about 10 minutes). Once thickened, and remove from heat. Cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes).

For the Vegan Amaretti Biscuits

• Heat oven to 180C (350° Fahrenheit) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until a thick paste is formed.
• Scoop teaspoon-sized balls of the mixture onto the sheet spaced about 2cm. Roll them into balls and coat the balls in powdered sugar. Press down gently on each ball to flatten slightly and crack the sides.
• Bake until golden brown, about 17-20 minutes. Cool them in the turned-off oven to dry them out more or let them dry on a cooling rack.

For the Vegan Chunky Mandarin Coulis

• Drain the cans of mandarins, discarding the juice. Place half of them into a saucepan and add the sugar. Heat on low until the sugar is dissolved and the mandarins are slightly broken down. Remove from heat.
• In a small bowl, combine corn starch and 2 Tablespoons of water. Stir in the lemon juice. Add cornstarch mixture and the other half of the strained mandarins to the saucepan. Transfer mixture to a clean bowl and let chill in the fridge until cool, about 30-40 minutes.

For the Vegan Jewelled White Chocolate Bark

• Place a sheet of parchment paper or greaseproof paper on the countertop. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler, being careful not to cook it or it will form hard lumps.
• When the chocolate is melted, spread it onto the paper and scatter pieces of the mixed peel. Once it has cooled and hardened, break the chocolate into shards.

Candied Peel (from scratch, if you don't have ready-made)

• Use a paring knife to slice off the rind of ½ an orange and 1 lemon. Cut the peels in half if they are larger than 2" long.
• In a saucepan, add the peels and cover with water. Bring to boil. Drain. Cover them with water a second time and bring to a boil again. Drain.
• Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to the saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer about 1.5 hours until peels are mostly transparent.
• Cool to room temperature and remove peels from the syrup. Let peels dry on a plate about 2 hours, then flip over and let the other side dry 2 hours. Best if you let them dry overnight.
• Use kitchen scissors to cut the peels into small ¼" or ½cm squares. Put the squares in a container with a lid and shake so that the sticky edges get sugared. Let them dry in a single layer another hour before using for chocolate bark.

To Assemble the Platinum Pudding

• Unroll the cooled Swiss rolls and spread the lemon curd over. Roll back up and slice one of the rolls into 2cm slices. Place the slices around the bottom edge of the trifle dish so they are seen from the sides. Slice the other roll into thicker pieces and place them in the bottom of the trifle dish.
• Pour the St Clement's jelly over the roll cake and let chill in the fridge until set (about 1-2 hours).
• Pour the custard over, then add a layer of the biscuits, reserving some for the topping later.
• Pour the mandarin coulis over, then add a layer of vegan whipped cream. Crumble the reserved amaretti biscuits and scatter them over the whipped cream. Arrange the shards of chocolate bark on top to create the form of a crown.

Notes

I made self-raising flour à la King Arthur Baking to make self-raising flour:

• 1 cup (120g) flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

To make caster sugar, pulse organic or refined sugar in a food processor until it is finer but not powdery.

Nutrition

Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 119mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 271IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 1mg

Want to make the platinum pudding dairy free or vegan? This trifle can be made just as good with plant-based ingredients such as oat milk and soy milk. With five magnificent layers of orange and lemon flavors, this will make a very impressive party dessert.

What is the Platinum Pudding?

The #PlatinumPudding competition was launched in 2022 by Buckingham Palace, Fortnum & Mason, and The Big Jubilee Lunch to find a dessert dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II in honor of her platinum jubilee, which celebrates her 70th year as monarch.

As an admirer of Her Majesty the Queen, I have been following the news of jubilee-related events and was excited to try the winning “platinum pudding” when I read about it on BBC.com. The winning dessert is the fantastic “Lemon Swiss Roll and Amaretti Trifle” by Jemma Melvin. Congratulations, Jemma!

Looking at the official recipe, I realized that making it vegan would be challenging, but I love challenges so I decided to try and make the jubilee pudding vegan, which will make it suitable for those with dairy and/or egg allergies as well.

It was a lot of work but I think the end result looks beautiful and it really is a very tasty combination of ingredients with the lemon, orange, and vanilla.

Making the pudding

Making this dessert is quite a commitment, simply because there are so many different parts to prepare. It took me about 8 hours over the course of two days to complete it. Actually, it took a bit longer because I was taking photos and video of each step, but if I hadn’t been doing that I’m sure it would have been much quicker!

Pudding Elements

Here are all the (8) elements of this jubilee pudding:

• Swiss rolls
• Lemon curd
• St Clement’s jelly
• Custard
• Amaretti biscuits
• Mandarin coulis
• Chocolate bark
• Whipped cream

I had to my own candied peel, since I couldn’t find it ready-made in the grocery store (although it can be found on Amazon). If you want to save time and possibly money, I suggest looking for ready-made options for as many of the elements as you can.

I tried in vain to find almond cookies at the store. I know they have Amaretti biscuits on Amazon for example. Luckily, I was able to find a plant-based whipped cream at Aldi and have also seen plant-based Redi-whip at the big supermarket in my area. If you’re in the UK you may be able to find the Oatly brand whippable cream at Tesco.

Supplies Needed

Let me touch on supplies since I feel like I used quite a lot of them on this recipe. I used:

• Small/medium saucepan
• Double boiler
• Whisk
• Vegetable peeler
• Lemon zester
• Fine mesh sieve (or anything you can use to filter the pulp out of orange & lemon juices)
• Spatula
• Mixing bowls
• Plastic wrap
• Parchment paper
• Kitchen scissors
• Baking sheets
• Electric hand mixer
• And last but not least, a trifle dish!

If you don’t have a trifle dish, you could use a medium to large-sized bowl, preferably one with transparent sides so that the layers of the pudding can be seen from the outside. A glass salad bowl would work well. I found my trifle dish at Home Goods for about $12. Here are some trifle dishes on Amazon.

Top Tips

I suggest making this recipe over the course of two days if you are working on it alone. Here’s how I split it up, and in the order I prepared everything in:

Day 1:

• Candied Peel (if needed)
• Vegan Swiss Rolls
• Vegan Lemon Curd
• Vegan Custard
• Vegan Amaretti Biscuits

Day 2:

• Vegan St Clement’s Jelly
• Begin assembly (cake layer, jelly, and chill)
• Vegan Chunky Mandarin Coulis
• Vegan Jewelled White Chocolate Bark
• Complete assembly (custard, biscuits, mandarin coulis, whipped cream, biscuit bits and white chocolate shards)

More Vegan Desserts

• The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake Ever
• My Favorite Vegan Vanilla Cake
• Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes
• Vegan Blueberry French Toast Bake
• The Best Vegan Pumpkin Pie

The post Vegan Platinum Pudding (Lemon Swiss Roll and Amaretti Trifle) appeared first on Instant Veg.

I originally created this recipe to use in my vegan platinum pudding recipe, but later realized that they are so tasty that they can stand on their own!

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Vegan Almond Cookies – Vegan Amaretti Biscuits

These vegan almond cookies are made from almond meal and are perfect for holidays, school lunches, or just as a healthier treat.

Course Dessert, Vegan Desserts

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword amaretti biscuits, vegan almond cookies, vegan amaretti

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 17 minutes

Total Time 22 minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond meal
• ⅓ cup caster sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup water
• 2 Tablespoons flaxseed meal
• ½ teaspoon almond extract or amaretto
• 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar (optional, for dusting)

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350° Fahrenheit (180C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until a thick paste is formed.
• Scoop teaspoon-sized balls of the mixture onto the sheet spaced about 2cm. Roll them into balls and coat the balls in powdered sugar (optional). Press down gently on each ball to flatten slightly and crack the sides.
• Bake until golden brown, about 17-20 minutes. Cool them in the turned-off oven to dry them out more or let them dry on a cooling rack.

The post Delicious Vegan Almond Cookies – Vegan Amaretti Biscuits appeared first on Instant Veg.

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Vegan Pumpkin Pie

A delicious plant-based vegan pumpkin pie that's perfect for Thanksgiving!

Course Dessert, Vegan Desserts, Vegan Holiday Recipes

Cuisine American

Keyword 4th of july desserts, pie recipes, pumpkin pie, vegan desserts, vegan food, vegan pumpkin pie, vegan recipes

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Cooling Time 4 hours

Total Time 5 hours 5 minutes

Servings 8 slices

Calories 216kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

• 1 vegan pie crust

Pumpkin Pie Filling

• 1 15oz can pumpkin purée
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup coconut cream
• 3 Tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground cloves

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit (175°C). Press pie crust into a 9" pie plate and use fingers to press edge into zig-zag shape.
• In a large bowl, add all ingredients and mix well with a whisk. Pour mixture into the pie crust.
• Cover the crust with thin strips of foil to prevent burning. Bake the pie for 1 hour. It should be done baking but since oven temps vary, if it seems too wet, bake an additional 5-10 minutes. Let the pie cool to room temperature for at least 1 hour. You can let it cool in the fridge after that.
• Serve pie slices with vegan whipped cream or vegan vanilla ice cream!

Notes

• Use a good organic canned coconut cream for this recipe. Do not use refrigerated coconut milk.
• For a more orange colored pie, use organic white sugar instead of brown sugar.
• Keep pie in the fridge, covered, up to 4 days.
• To freeze pumpkin pie, cover completely with plastic wrap once it has cooled. Keeps up to 1 month in fridge.
• I like to dust the top of the pie with ground cinnamon. It’s also very good with a sprinkling of coffee or espresso powder. 
• To make this recipe gluten free, use a gluten free vegan pie crust.

Nutrition

Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 155mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

This easy vegan pumpkin pie is the perfect fall dessert – packed with delicious spices, tasty pumpkin, and coconut cream. Save time by using a store-bought vegan pie crust and using canned pumpkin purée.

Fall is the time when pumpkins are ready to be harvested, so that’s why you often see pumpkin as an ingredient in recipes we typically associate with the season, such as this pumpkin pie! I use canned pumpkin in this recipe, but you can use 1.5 cups of cooked pumpkin as well.

Traditionally, pumpkin pies were made with cream, butter, and eggs, such as in this recipe from Libby’s. But we can make a vegan version that tastes just as good, if not better, without using any animal products.

vegan pumpkin pie Recipe

You will need to start making the pie about 4-5 hours in advance of when you plan to serve it. Most of this time will be to allow the pie to cool down. You can speed up the cooling by placing the pie in the fridge.

Ingredients

For this recipe, you will need:

• canned pumpkin purée
• brown sugar (organic white sugar works fine also)
• canned coconut milk (buy the good stuff!)
• corn starch (can sub with arrowroot powder)
• spices: ginger, cinnamon, and cloves
• salt
• a vegan pie crust

Step 1 – Prepare a pie crust

You can use a pre-made vegan pie crust or make your own. I have a great recipe here which works great for pumpkin pie: Vegan Pie Crust (Coconut Oil)

For this recipe I don’t pre-bake the pie crust. I just press the crust into the pie plate and then add the pie filling directly into it.

Step 2 – Mix pie filling ingredients

In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the pumpkin pie filling until totally smooth. You could also blend them together in a blender, but I find it easier to just use my whisk.

Step 3 – Bake Pie for 1 hour

Before you put the pie in the oven, cover the edges of the crust with tinfoil. This helps the pie cook evenly. If you don’t cover the crust, it will likely become burnt. I folded three narrow strips of tinfoil together at the short edges first to make one long strip, then wrapped it around the crust.

Nordic Ware makes a pie crust shield that does the same job as the foil, but with ease!

Once your pie crust is shielded and your oven is heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, you’re ready to bake. Place the pie in the center rack of the oven and bake the it for one hour.

Baking Tips

How to tell if pumpkin pie is done – You’ll know the pie is done when the center doesn’t appear jiggly or liquid-y when you gently rock the pie. A toothpick inserted into the pie will come out with clumps of pie stuck to it, but will not seem completely wet.

Let the pie cool before serving – Allow the pie to cool down completely before cutting it. You can serve it at room temperature or let it chill for a bit in the fridge and serve it cool.

Top with whipped cream and/or ice cream – To make this vegan pumpkin pie even better, serve it with my vegan whipped cream or vegan vanilla ice cream!

This vegan pumpkin pie and my vegan apple pie make the perfect Thanksgiving dessert duo!

Find more Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes here.

The post Pumpkin Pie appeared first on Instant Veg.

What does vegan mean? It means that these cookie recipes are made without dairy, eggs, meat, honey, or other animal products. Sometimes people say “plant based” instead of vegan – it’s the same thing, just sounds a little friendlier and less of an ism.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

These tasty cookies have that ideal chewiness that’s crisp on the outside, with a chewy center.

The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

These peanut butter cookies are made without eggs, milk, or butter. Make them using just one bowl!

The Best Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

More Great Vegan Cookie Recipes

Other posts you may like:

• The Best Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
• Vegan Snowball Cookies
• The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake (Ever!)

The post 40+ Vegan Cookie Recipes You’ll Love appeared first on Instant Veg.

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Vegan Pulla

My vegan version of the ubiquitous Finnish coffee bread. This vegan pulla is dairy-free and eggless.

Course Dessert, Vegan Baking, Vegan Breakfast Recipes, Vegan Desserts

Cuisine American, European, Finnish

Keyword vegan cardamom bread, vegan cardamom buns, vegan pulla

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Servings 16 pulla buns

Calories 245kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ cup warm water
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup soy milk
• ½ cup vegan butter
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2-3 tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp salt
• 5 cups flour

For The Glaze

• 2 Tbsp vegan butter
• 2 Tbsp soy milk
• 1 tsp sugar
• pearl sugar

Instructions

• Add the ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger to the ¼ cup of warm water, and in it dissolve the 1 teaspoon of yeast plus a spoonful of the ½ cup sugar. Let rest for 5-10 minutes until bubbles form.
• Warm the 1 cup of soy milk in the microwave or on the stove until warm but not hot. Melt the ½ cup of vegan butter for about 20 seconds in the microwave. Add them to the yeast mixture then add in the 2-3 teaspoons of ground cardamom, ½ teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and the rest of the ½ cup of sugar.
• Add in the 5 cups of flour, one cup at a time. (You may need to use slightly more or less flour depending on the humidity in your home.)
• Cover the dough and let it rest in a warm place until it has almost doubled in size, about 30-40 minutes.
• Roll the dough into a thick disk and divide into 16 equal slices. Roll each slice up loosely from the narrow corner to the thicker edge, then gently press the seams and roll into a ball. Place with the seam side down onto a parchment baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
• Cover the pulla doughs with a damp kitchen towel and let proof in a warm place about 15 minutes. I put mine in a cupboard or inside the microwave to proof, with a cup of hot water.
• For the glaze, melt about 2 tablespoons of vegan butter with 2 tablespoons of soymilk and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Brush the pullas with the glaze once all over. Add another brush of glaze to the top of the pulla and immediately add a sprinkle of pearl sugar.
• Bake the vegan pulla buns for 12 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit (175°c). They are light golden brown when done. Try to let them cool before eating!

Notes

• In this recipe I use all-purpose flour. You can also make it with unbleached wholegrain flour such as atta flour but traditionally it calls for white flour. If using whole grain flour I would sift the flour first to remove any large pieces of chaff. 
• In this recipe I use organic, unbleached sugar in granulated form.
• The pearl sugar I use is made from beet sugar, which is vegan. I buy mine when I’m in Finland but you can also find it on Amazon. Pearl sugar is the best for making waffles, too!
• I have made these vegan pullas successfully with my own recipe for vegan butter as well as these brands: 
  • I Can’t Believe It’s Not… It’s Vegan!
  • Miyoko’s vegan butter
  • Country Crock Plant Butter
  • Earth Balance Vegan Sticks
• An alternative way to make pulla is to divide the dough into four equal portions and form them into a type of braid before baking. This type of cardamom loaf is called lettipitko in Finnish. In America it’s more often referred to as nisu. 
• You can use this same dough recipe to make other Finnish coffee breads such as korvapuusti (Finnish cinnamon buns), omenatäytepitko (apple-filled coffee loaf).

Nutrition

Calories: 245kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 139mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 402IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg

Pulla is a type of Finnish sweet bread made with ground cardamom as a key ingredient. It’s usually served with coffee or tea.

I decided to make vegan pulla – normally pulla is made with eggs, butter, and milk in the dough.

So this version is made using vegan butter (I like to use the kind that comes in stick form, usually made with avocado oil or olive oil), and plant-based milk. No eggs, no weird egg replacements! It’s just an easy, sweet yeast dough.

One thing, however, you can’t leave out – the CARDAMOM! Ask me – I accidentally left it out when I was making this the first time. Without cardamom, they’re just buns. If you want to make pulla, you must use cardamom.

Bottles of ground cardamom can be found at most US supermarkets – look in the spices or baking section. The ground will be finer than what I show in the photo above. I am using ground Guatemalan cardamom from Finland – it’s a bit coarser.

You can also get cardamom in whole seed pods from Indian spice shops. You’ll want green cardamom pods, not black ones. Peel off the outer layer of the pod and take out the seeds, then you can grind them up for use in this recipe.

Optionally, you can add some pearl sugar on the top of your pulla. If you don’t have pearl sugar, I think sprinkling on regular organic sugar will be just as nice.

The post Pulla appeared first on Instant Veg.

I wanted to make a vegan red velvet cake for a long time, but one of the biggest problems was how to make it actually vegan.

I decided to use raw beets and raspberries to make the red color instead of using red food coloring and I think it turns out beautifully!

It’s important that you do not use canned beets for this recipe – the cooking process will destroy the color and instead of a bright red you’ll end up with a dull pink/brown color.

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Vegan Red Velvet Cake

A deliciously red and velvety cake paired with dreamy cream cheese frosting. The red velvet cake and frosting are made without eggs or dairy.

Course Dessert, Vegan Desserts

Cuisine American

Keyword vegan cake recipes red velvet, vegan red velvet cake

Prep Time 12 minutes

Cook Time 19 minutes

Servings 16

Calories 476kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups cake flour
• 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 ¾ cups sugar
• ⅔ cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup raw beet
• 1/2 cup rasperries

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz vegan cream cheese (I use Daiya brand) softened
• ½ cup vegan butter softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

For The Vegan Red Velvet Cake

• Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line 2 round cake pans with parchment paper.

  Grate and purée the beet until smooth like applesauce (add a small amount of water if necessary). Heat the raspberries for 1 minute in the microwave, then strain the seeds and add to the beet purée.
• Mix the dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients and the beet/berry purée.
• Combine the wet and dry ingredients until just mixed. Be careful not to overmix.
• Pour batter into cake pans and bake 30-35 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out dry, the cake is done.
• Let the cakes cool about 15 minutes, then remove from pans. Allow to cool completely, then frost with vegan cream cheese frosting. Sprinkle with cake crumbs to decorate.

For The Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

• Use a hand mixer to combine the frosting ingredients until light and fluffy.

Notes

• For cupcakes, bake 18-22 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 476kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 361mg | Potassium: 25mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 52g | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Vegan Red Velvet Cake appeared first on Instant Veg.

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Dairy Free Icebox Cake With Strawberries & Blueberries

A simple, sweet no cook cake perfect for summertime. Make it vegan by using vegan whipped cream and no-honey graham crackers.

Course Dessert, Vegan Desserts

Cuisine American

Keyword 4th of july desserts, dairy free dessert, dairy free icebox cake, icebox cake, vegan 4th of july, vegan 4th of july food, vegan 4th of july recipes, vegan icebox cake

Servings 9 slices

Calories 114kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

• 16 oz fresh strawberries
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 8 oz vegan whipped cream
• 2 sleeves graham crackers

Instructions

• Cut off strawberry leaves and slice strawberries.
• In a 8×8 dish, add graham crackers in a single layer. Cover with a layer of vegan whipped cream and a single layer of strawberries.
• Add another layer of graham crackers, vegan whipped cream, and blueberries.
• Cover with one more layer of graham crackers and vegan whipped cream, and cover the dish. Put in the fridge for 8 hours.
• When ready to serve, remove the icebox cake from the fridge and add blueberries to the upper left corner in a square shape. Then add rows of the sliced strawberries to make horizontal stripes. Great 4th of July dessert!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 18mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g

A classic American dessert, icebox cake is light and refreshing with fresh blueberries, strawberries and chilly whipped cream. Make it plant-based with vegan whipped cream and graham crackers.

Summer is the season for no-bake desserts. Who wants to turn on the oven when it’s already hot outside? Not me!

I fondly remembered one of the summer desserts from my childhood – it had Cool Whip, fresh strawberries, and graham crackers simply placed into a glass Pyrex dish.

After a bit of searching on Google, I found what I was looking for – Icebox Cake.

Vegan Icebox Cake

To make icebox cake you also need graham crackers. Some graham crackers contain honey, so read the label if you wish to avoid it. I find that store brands of graham crackers are often made without honey.

For the fruits, I recommend using only fresh strawberries and blueberries for this recipe. If you use frozen, I think the cake would just lose too much texture. It’s a very soft-textured dessert, but using the fresh berries gives it those nice little bits of sweetness and tartness that burst into your mouth.

To make a vegan icebox cake recipe, I’ve replaced the Cool Whip with my own vegan whipped cream recipe.

I make it using coconut oil and plant-based milk, and it tastes so much like Cool Whip you won’t believe it!

In order to make this icebox cake even more fitting for 4th of July, we arranged the top layer of strawberries and blueberries into a pattern that kind of resembles the American flag.

Everyone loved this cake so much, AND had seconds (and even thirds). One 8×8 pan was just the right size for my family of four, but if you’re making this for a larger group I’d recommend using a 9×13 pan and doubling the ingredients.

Mom Tip: Let the kids help with this recipe! My under-ten year old kids loved arranging the final layer of berries. Older kids can probably make this entire recipe all on their own.

The post Icebox Cake with Strawberries and Blueberries (vegan) appeared first on Instant Veg.

How To Make Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

Prep time for these cookies is about 5-10 minutes. I suggest letting the dough chill for an hour to keep the cookies from spreading too much. They’ll take 15 minutes to cook, and then about another 5 or so to cool down enough to be eaten.

Ingredients

• vegan butter
• peanut butter (chunky OR creamy)
• organic sugar
• brown sugar
• water
• vanilla extract
• flour
• baking soda
• baking powder
• corn starch
• salt

Step 1 – Heat oven and prepare materials

The oven should be heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, which is about 175c. You can line a baking sheet with parchment paper to keep the cookies from sticking to it, however it’s not necessary if your pan is old and well-seasoned, or if it has a good non-stick coating. A silicone baking mat works well too. An added benefit of using either parchment or a silicone mat is that they keep the bottom of the cookies from getting overbaked.

Step 2 – Mix all ingredients & chill 1 hour

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Then cover the dough and let it chill in the fridge for an hour. Chilling is an important step so that your cookies don’t melt all over the baking sheet.

Step 3 – Form cookies

To form the cookies, scoop balls of dough about 2 tablespoons in size. Roll the balls so they are nice and compact, and place them on the cooking sheet 2 inches apart. Then, use a fork to press a criss-cross pattern into them.

Step 4 – Bake the cookies

These peanut butter cookies should be baked for about 12-15 minutes. I find that the first batch always takes longer. By the last batch, 12 minutes is exactly the right amount of time. Pay attention to your oven and how done the cookies seem.

Pro Tips

Don’t skip the chill – you want your cookie dough to get nice and cold so that it doesn’t melt all together in the oven. I had that happen one time and I couldn’t figure out why – turns out it was because I had thought it was okay not to let the dough chill. The whole batch was wasted! So please let the dough chill before baking.

Make it gluten free – if you want to make it gluten free, replacing the flour with your favorite gluten free flour should work great.

Store the cookies in a paper bag – this is a weird and random tip, but I have discovered that storing homemade cookies in a paper bag helps them stay chewy for a longer time. I’m not sure why exactly but it seems to allow them to keep some of their moisture.

Add real vanilla bean – if you really want to impress someone, add in half a teaspoon of real vanilla bean. This will intensify the vanilla flavor, but it goes really, really well with the peanut butter and brown sugar flavor of the cookies.

Don’t place the cookies too close together on the sheet – this is a common mistake people make when baking cookies at home. Trust me, they will be better all around if you give them enough room! They should have about 2 inches between the dough balls prior to baking.

You may also like:

• 40+ Vegan Cookie Recipes You’ll Love
• The Best Vegan Pumpkin Pie
• Vegan Snowball Cookies

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Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

The best vegan peanut butter cookies. These classic American peanut butter cookies are vegan – without any eggs or butter, and taste simply delicious.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword best vegan peanut butter cookies, vegan peanut butter cookies, vegan peanut butter cookies best, vegan peanut butter cookies easy

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Calories 149kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegan butter softened
• 3/4 cup peanut butter creamy or chunky
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla sugar
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp corn starch or potato starch
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Chill for 1 hour (optional, but recommended)
• Scoop 2 Tablespoon heaps of cookie dough and roll into balls. Place on baking sheet 2 inches apart, then press down on the tops of them with the flat side of a fork to make a criss-cross pattern.
• Bake the vegan peanut butter cookies for 12-15 minutes. Cool on parchment paper, then store in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition

Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 112mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

The post The Best Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies appeared first on Instant Veg.

This recipe will make about 2.5 cups of vegan “cool whip” style whipped cream. It uses coconut oil as a key ingredient. You should use refined coconut oil to avoid having a coconut-y taste.

I used an immersion blender to make this vegan whipped cream. First I blended it with the blade attachment, then after chilling, I whipped it using the balloon whisk attachment.

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Vegan Cool Whip

A vegan whipped cream recipe that tastes light and delicious, just like Cool Whip.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, European

Keyword vegan cool whip, vegan cool whip recipe, vegan whipped cream, vegan whipped cream recipe

Prep Time 2 hours

Cook Time 0 minutes

Whipping Time 10 minutes

Servings 10

Calories 108kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp plant based milk I use soy milk
• 2 Tbsp agave syrup can sub corn syrup or maple syrup
• 1 tsp xantham gum

Instructions

• Blend all ingredients using an immersion blender for 45 seconds, then chill for 2 hours.
• Using an electric mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, whisk until fluffy and peaks hold their shape, about 8-10 minutes.

Notes

• For sweeter whipped cream, you can add up to 2 additional Tablespoons of syrup after whipping.
• For vanilla flavor, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract after whipping.

Nutrition

Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 4mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 12IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg

The post Vegan whipped cream appeared first on Instant Veg.

Making donuts at home isn’t as hard as you might think it is. Simply mix your dough, let it rise, shape it, and let it rise again. Then, the frying!

You don’t even need to “deep fry” donuts – I just shallow fry them in about 1.5″-2″ of oil, in a high-sided pot. Of course, always be very careful when frying anything in hot oil, so you don’t get burned!

Seriously, be careful when frying donuts!

Frying stuff in oil has many risks. Of course, the number one thing is the risk of fire. Always use a high-sided pot when frying, and never fill it with too much oil or with too many things to fry – the oil can boil over. Be careful if you have kids in the house – when my husband was a toddler, he managed to pull a pot of boiling-hot oil onto himself, and had to stay for weeks in the hospital.

Also be aware of pets in your home when you are frying stuff. Actually when I was making the donuts for this recipe, my dog got out and I immediately ran out to get him, completely forgetting the hot oil on the stove (with a donut in it!). He was a new dog to us and hadn’t really bonded with us or his home yet, and the front door had blown open from wind… It only took about 5 minutes to find him and bring him back home, but when I got inside I could smell the donut burning in the hot oil. It was completely black, and it’s possible that even worse things could have happened that day. It was a strong reminder to me to always be extremely careful when frying!

Okay, safety spiel is over! Let’s get fryin’…

We often make donuts on the weekend, as a special treat. In our family, we also make them for Vappu, which is what May Day is called in Finland. They go really well with sima, a Finnish bubbly homemade soda.

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Vegan Donuts

A vegan recipe for classic homemade donuts.

Course Dessert, Vegan Desserts

Cuisine American

Keyword homemade vegan donuts, vegan donuts, vegan donuts homemade

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 5 minutes

Servings 12 donuts

Calories 291kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup plant milk warm, I use soy milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 1/4 cup vegan butter melted, can sub coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 1/2 cups flour
• oil for frying

Cinnamon Sugar

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients and knead for 2-3 minutes. Cover dough and let rest until doubled in size, about 20-40 minutes depending on the temperature in your home.
• Punch down dough and roll into a flat rectangle about 1/4" thick. Cut dough into circles using a mug or cut into rectangles using a knife. Place the cut pieces on a lightly floured parchment paper. Cover and let rise again about 20 minutes until nearly doubled in height.
• Heat about 2" of oil in a deep pot. When a water droplet immediately sizzles when you drop it into the oil, it's ready for your donuts. Carefully fry 2-3 donuts at a time, about 2 minutes per side. Drain the donuts on paper towels or in a strainer.
• To coat with sugar or cinnamon sugar, place the donuts in the sugar mix about a minute after they've been fried. If they are too cool, the sugar won't stick.

Nutrition

Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 114mg | Potassium: 113mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 116IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg

The post The BEST Fried Vegan Donuts Recipe appeared first on Instant Veg.