Thanksgiving dinner just wouldn’t be complete without a variety of desserts to round out the meal. Whether you are a blueberry lover or a choco-holic, I’ve got a vegan dessert recipe just for you! Here is a list of my favorite vegan desserts to wow your friends and family this Thanksgiving.
1. Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients:
- 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 whole bananas
- ⅓ cup agave nectar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup raw sugar (optional)
- ¼ cup instant oats
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8x8" pan and set aside. Combine all ingredients, except oats, in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, scrapping sides as needed. Stir in the oats and pour batter into the pan. Bake approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing. Chef's Note: if you find these brownies are too soft or too fudge-y, add another 1/4 cup oats or flour.
2. Blueberry Bundt Cake
Ingredients:
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup raw sugar
- 1 cup nondairy milk
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp orange juice, fresh
- 1 tbsp orange zest
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a Bundt pan and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar. Add wet ingredients (plant-based milk and applesauce), then stir until just combined. Stir in blueberries. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 25 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. (It takes about 35 minutes, but different pans vary cook time.) Meanwhile, make icing. In a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar with orange juice, zest, and plant-based milk as necessary until a runny glaze forms. Spoon glaze over warm cake and let run down the sides.
3. Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients:
- 1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup raw sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 whole carrot, shredded
- 1½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a muffin pan or spray paper liners to prevent sticking and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, soda, sugar, salt & cinnamon in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, mix applesauce, vanilla and carrots. Add dry mix to wet mix in 3-4 batches. Stir until just combined. Fill cups to the top bake 15-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
For cream cheese icing, use electric beaters to whip and combine 1 container Tofutti cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar at a time until the consistency is thick and sweet enough.
For maple icing, use electric beaters to whip and combine 1 cups confectioners sugar, 3 tbsp maple syrup and 1 tsp cinnamon, adding additional sugar as necessary to reach a thick and fluffy consistency.
4. Cheesecake
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces Tofutti cream cheese
- ⅔ cup raw sugar
- ¾ tsp almond extract
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 12 ounces mori-nu tofu, extra firm
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare pie crust if you have not already done so. Drain tofu and transfer to a blender along with the cream cheese. Blend for 30 seconds, scrape the sides, and blend for another 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients (except crust) and blend for 3 minutes, stopping periodically to scrape the sides.
Once fully incorporated, pour into prepared pie crust and smooth top with a spatula. Bake 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and place somewhere away from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature (about 2-3 hours). Chill overnight or for at least 10 hours before serving.
For a topping, let frozen strawberries defrost (in a bowl or in their bag). Serve over the cheesecake.
Chef's Notes:
- If you don't have a strong blender or processor, leave the vegan cream cheese out for 20-30 minutes to soften it up.
- Any Mori-Nu tofu will do here, but extra-firm is best.
5. Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
- ½ cup mori-nu tofu, extra firm
- 1½ cups nondairy milk
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups canned pure pumpkin
- ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9” shallow glass pie dish, set aside. In a blender or food processor, blend tofu, non-dairy milk, cornstarch and vanilla until smooth, stopping to scrape sides periodically. Add remaining ingredients and blend for about a minute more, until the mixture is uniform and well combined. Pour the mixture into the pie dish and bake for 1 hour. Allow the pie to cool on the counter, away from the hot oven, until room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours.
6. Soft Molasses Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ cup white beans (any)
- 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (optional)
- ¼ cup molasses
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- a dash of salt (optional)
Instructions:
To make oat flour, whiz instant or rolled oats in your blender until it reaches a flour-consistency. Mix 1 cup oat flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt and spices together in a mixing bowl until well combined. Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Set batter aside to rest while oven heats to 350F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Drop 14 spoonfuls of batter on to the cookie sheet and bake 10-15 minutes, or until cookies are firm to the touch.
