7 best dairy-free, low-carb dessert recipes

7 best dairy-free, low-carb dessert recipes

The human diet is becoming more and more diverse. Not only are people practising making their own produce, like learning how to grow jalapeños and all kinds of exotic fruits, but they’re also now aligning their diet with cutting out certain foods, such as dairy. If you practice any type of alternative diet, you might have heard of the vegan keto. It’s fairly restrictive and desserts can be hard to find. So today, we’re sharing the best vegan, keto, low-carb dessert recipes that anyone can enjoy, whether you follow this diet or not.

cookie dough bars

1 – No-bake cookie dough bars

This no-bake dessert is gluten-free, vegan-friendly and delicious. Only five ingredients are needed to bake these, with minimal equipment. This recipe uses almond flour, which is a great alternative for those who like to eat low-carb meals. With almond flour, you can make a variety of desserts and snacks, including brownies and cupcakes.

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients:

  • 96g organic almond flour
  • 2 tbsp coconut flour
  • 64g smooth peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp sugar-free maple syrup
  • 43g chocolate chips
  • 85g dark chocolate
  • 2 tbsp unsalted soft peanut butter

Instructions:

  1. Microwave the smooth peanut butter for 30 seconds until runny and set aside.
  2. Add all dry ingredients to a dish and mix: almond flour, coconut flour and chocolate chips.
  3. Mix the cookie dough with the runny peanut butter and pour it into a lined loaf tin, and put it in the freezer while doing the next step.
  4. In a bowl, melt together the dark chocolate and unsalted peanut butter for 30 seconds in a microwave.
  5. Remove the mixture from the freezer.
  6. Drizzle the chocolate and nut butter on top and then freeze for another 15 minutes.
  7. Once set, cut it into eight equal-sized bars.

3 chocolate-covered doughnuts

2 – Vegan keto coffee and cacao doughnuts

These coffee and cacao doughnuts are a yummy post-dinner treat. Or enjoy them for breakfast. They are low-carb and sugar-free, yet deliciously creamy with dark chocolate.

Difficulty: Medium
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:

  • 118ml vegan milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • One brewed espresso
  • 2 tsp liquid sweetener
  • 80ml melted coconut oil
  • 64g almond meal
  • 43g cocoa powder
  • 32g psyllium husk
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 150g unsweetened dark chocolate

Instructions:

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 180ºC.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine all wet ingredients: milk, vanilla extract, espresso, liquid sweetener, and coconut oil.
  3. Then, add the dry ingredients to the same bowl: almond meal, cocoa powder, psyllium husk, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  4. Use coconut oil to oil a doughnut tin empty the mixture into each hole.
  5. Bake for up to 20 minutes (15 minutes minimum).
  6. Allow the doughnuts to cool and melt the dark chocolate in the microwave for up to 2 minutes.
  7. Dip each doughnut into the melted chocolate to finish and serve.

Flourless chocolate cake

3 – Flourless chocolate cake

Flourless desserts are an excellent option for the keto diet. This flourless chocolate cake is rich, dark, and the perfect after-dinner treat.

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 15

Ingredients:

  • 128g unsweetened dark chocolate
  • 64g dairy-free butter
  • 96g granulated sweetener
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp espresso powder
  • 3 tbsp flax seeds
  • 3 tbsp water
  • 64g cocoa powder
  • 250ml coconut milk
  • 150g dark chocolate chips

Instructions:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC and line a cake tin with greased paper.
  2. Melt the chocolate and butter and whisk until thoroughly combined.
  3. Make your vegan eggs by mixing the flaxseed and water. The mixture will take 10 minutes to thicken.
  4. Add the granulated sweetener, vanilla extract, espresso powder and flax eggs to the melted chocolate and butter mixture and combine.
  5. Slowly add the cocoa powder and mix until there are no lumps.
  6. Pour the mix into the tin and cook for 25 to 30 minutes.
  7. Cool the cake on a rack for at least one hour before slicing.

Tip: Serve the cake warm for the most delicious soft flourless cake. Twenty seconds in the microwave is the perfect timing.

3 chocolate cupcakes on a plate

4 – Vegan keto cupcakes

Chocolate cupcakes are always an easy favourite. These cupcakes are a low-carb, refined-sugar-free, and easy option for a vegan bake.

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients:

  • ½ an avocado, mashed
  • 65ml coconut oil
  • 64g coconut flour
  • 64g cocoa powder
  • 118g granulated sweetener
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 175ml hot water
  • ½ tbsp coffee granules
  • 64g 90% dark chocolate

Instructions:

  1. Line the cupcake tin with cases and pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
  2. Cut up the avocado in a cup and mix in the coconut oil until smooth.
  3. Add this and the dry ingredients and mix well: coconut flour, cocoa powder, granulated sweetener, baking soda and salt.
  4. Create an espresso by mixing the coffee granules with hot water and combine this with the cupcake mixture.
  5. Fold in the chocolate in chunks and distribute the mixture between 12 cupcakes cases.
  6. Bake the cupcakes for 25 minutes.
  7. Cool the cupcakes on a cooling rack.

Tip: For extra flavour or texture, top the cupcakes with mashed avocado.

Small bowl of ice cream

5 – Coconut milk ice cream

If a cold dessert is your favourite, this coconut milk ice cream is perfect. The flavour isn’t too sweet, and the ingredients are sugar-free. Vegan ice cream can be challenging to find, so this is an easy, 5-ingredient, low-carb dessert for you to follow at home.

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: up to 6 hours
Servings: 5

Ingredients:

  • One tin full-fat coconut milk
  • One tin coconut cream
  • 100ml liquid sweetener
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp salt

Instructions:

  1. Add the coconut milk, liquid sweetener and vanilla extract to a blender and mix until combined.
  2. Follow this by adding the coconut cream and salt and blend further.
  3. Put the mixed ingredients into an ice cream maker and leave it to blend for 40 minutes.
  4. When it reaches a soft-serve ice cream texture, pour the mixture into a tub and freeze for 5 hours.

Tip: Add a few drops of liquid sweetener or more vanilla extract to the mixture before freezing for added sweetness.

Making chocolate ice lollies

6 – Sugar-free chocolate fudge popsicles

For those who love a cold chocolate dessert, these sugar-free popsicles are a great option. For extra crunch or flavour, you can add additional chocolate chips or fudge inside. Great for children and adults alike.

Difficulty: Medium
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: up to 9 hours
Servings: 10

Ingredients:

  • One tin coconut cream
  • 175ml almond milk
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 220g baking chocolate powder
  • ½ tsp liquid sweetener
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

  1. Add the coconut cream, almond milk and cocoa powder to a saucepan and heat while mixing.
  2. Slowly add the baking chocolate powder to the saucepan until mix until thoroughly combined.
  3. Take the mixture off of the stove and add the liquid sweetener and vanilla extract.
  4. Pour the mixture into popsicle moulds and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Slice of lemon pie

7 – Vegan keto lemon cake

Lemon cake is a favourite for spring and summer parties. This recipe results in a soft, zingy and cheerful lemon cake. The ingredients are low-carb and contain no animal-derived ingredients, making it a great one to enjoy for those on a vegan keto diet.

Difficulty: Medium
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients (for the cake):

  • 236g almond flour
  • 43g coconut flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 125g unsweetened almond milk
  • 4 tbsp flax seed
  • 4 tbsp water
  • 40g granulated sweetener
  • 150ml melted coconut oil
  • 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp of lemon extract
  • 3 tbsp of pure lemon juice
  • ½ tbsp of lemon zest

Ingredients (for the topping):

  • 43g dairy-free butter
  • 190g dairy-free cream cheese
  • 250ml liquid sweetener
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp pure lemon extract
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 2 tbsp almond milk
  • A few lemon slices

Instructions:

  1. Line two 8-inch cake trays and pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
  2. Mix all dry ingredients well in a bowl of choice: almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
  3. Create the vegan eggs by mixing the flaxseed and water in a cup. Let this thicken for 10 minutes.
  4. In a different bowl, stir together the almond milk, flax eggs, coconut oil, granulated sweetener, vanilla extract, lemon extract, lemon juice and lemon zest.
  5. Add all ingredients to the same bowl and mix well to make the lemon loaf mixture.
  6. Pour an equal amount of mixture into each cake tray and bake for 22 minutes each.
  7. Once cooked, allow the lemon cakes to cool whilst making the topping.
  8. Beat the dairy-free butter for 2 minutes, and then add the dairy-free cream cheese. Mix well for a further 3 minutes.
  9. Add the sweetener, vanilla extract, lemon extract, lemon zest, and almond flour to the mixture and beat for a further 2 minutes.
  10. Chill the lemon topping mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until the lemon cake is cool.
  11. Add one cake to a stand and top with a layer of the lemon topping before adding the second cake on top and adding the remaining frosting mixture.
  12. For decoration and an added lemon taste, top the cake with lemon slices before serving.

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Cakes & Bakes: Parmesan crisps

Home-made parmesan crisps | H is for Home

We have builders working on our house at the moment. The water, gas and electricity are regularly being turned off and back on as they extend & update our central heating system. Despite the upheaval, I wanted to keep up with our weekly recipe post. I thought Parmesan crisps would be a good option as they’re ultra-quick to prep and make.

Sprigs of Mediterranean herbs | H is for Home Sprigs of Mediterranean herbs | H is for Home

They are basically just grated and grilled/baked Parmesan. I picked a few sprigs of herbs from the garden; rosemary, thyme and oregano – Mediterranean flavours match perfectly with an Italian cheese. I also cracked a handful of mixed peppercorns with a pestle & mortar to sprinkle over the tops.

Grating Parmesan | H is for Home Putting grated Parmesan into small piles | H is for Home

Little piles of grated Parmesan | H is for Home Little piles of grated Parmesan with chopped fresh herbs | H is for Home

You can either mix the herbs or, do what I did, sprinkle them separately so you have different flavoured crisps. They’re perfect on a cheeseboard, with antipasti or dunked in baba ganoush, hummus or a sun-dried tomato dip.

Parmesan crisps recipe | H is for Home #recipe #keto #ketogenic #nocarb #lowcarb #cheese #parmesan #snack

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Parmesan crisps
Yields 12
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 150g Parmesan, grated
  2. 1 tsp chopped fresh Mediterranean herbs
  3. ½tsp cracked pepper
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Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/ºF/Gas mark or turn a grill on to medium
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  3. Make piles of about a tablespoon of grated Parmesan - leaving lots of space between each as they will spread out (I could fit 5 on a large baking sheet)
  4. Sprinkle each pile with the herbs and pepper
  5. Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes (or under the grill for 3 minutes) until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown
  6. Allow to cool on the sheet for a minute, lift them off using a spatula and put them on a wire rack to cool completely
  7. Repeat from #3 until all the grated cheese has been used
Notes
  1. Instead of Parmesan (which contains animal rennet), most large supermarkets stock vegetarian hard cheese alternatives
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H is for Home Harbinger http://hisforhomeblog.com/

We’re going Stir Crazy!

Plate of spicy spring onion salsa verde with kale and konjac noodles made using a recipe from 'Stir Crazy' by Ching-He Huang | H is for Home

This Thursday, instead of our usual Cakes & Bakes offering, we’re sharing a cookbook review.

Cover of 'Stir Crazy' cook book by Ching-He Huang | H is for Home

It’s Stir Crazy by Emmy-nominated TV chef, Ching-He Huang. Born in Taiwan and raised in South Africa and the U.K., Ching shares 100 healthy stir fry recipes in her recently-published book.

In addition to the recipes, Ching sheds light on helpful wok-cooking methods. She reveals some of her ‘stir-fry hacks’ and explains the order in which ingredients should be cooked off and why. And, if you’re on a special diet – she’s got you covered – each recipe helpfully sets out the nutritional information of the dish.

As a veggie, I was thrilled to see that there are 80 pages of purely vegetarian and vegan recipes. Furthermore, in the meat and fish sections, she give lots of helpful tips as to how to convert them to veggie dishes, if so desired.

'Stir Crazy' cook book by Ching-He Huang with selection of noodles from Yutaka | H is for Home

Not only is this a book review, it’s also a food review; along with Stir Crazy, we’ve been sent a selection of  dried and ready-to-eat noodles from Yutaka to try.

'Stir Crazy' cook book by Ching-He Huang with selection of noodles from Yutaka | H is for Home

The only way to properly review a cookbook AND noodles is to try out one of the recipes using some of the ingredients sent. I chose Ching’s simple spicy spring onion salsa verde with kale and noodles. However, instead of using egg noodles as her recipe called for, I used the pack of the gluten free and organic konjac noodles (called shirataki in Japan).

In addition to being gluten free, the root vegetable Konjac is vegan, low in calories, low in fat and high in fibre. It’s extremely low in carbs, so if you’re following a ketogenic diet this is a fantastic product to include in your meals.

Nutritional information for Yutaka konjac noodles | H is for Home Yutaka konjac noodles tossed in toasted sesame oil | H is for Home

My usual trinity of flavours for wok cooking are chilli, garlic and ginger. However, This recipe didn’t use garlic but a couple of spring onions. The smell of the flavours combining when they were being fried off together were divine.

Chopped ginger and sliced red chilli and spring onion | H is for Home

If I hadn’t been stopping after each stage to take photos, this recipe could have been rustled up in under half an hour. Quick, healthy – and most important of all – tasty!

There are so many other recipes in the book that I want to give a go – Kung Po tofu, vegetable chop suey, egg foo yung, aubergines in a spicy peanut sauce, spicy coriander chickpea fried rice… are you drooling yet?!

Frying chopped ginger and sliced red chilli and spring onion in a large wok | H is for Home Frying spicy spring onion salsa verde with kale and konjac noodles in a large wok | H is for Home

All this talk of stir fries is making me hungry – here’s the recipe…

Spicy spring onion salsa verde with kale and noodles
Serves 2
Prep Time
12 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
17 min
Prep Time
12 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
17 min
Ingredients
  1. 200g pack Yutaka konjac noodles
  2. 2tsp toasted sesame oil
  3. 120g curly kale, sliced
  4. 2tbsp rapeseed oil
  5. pinch of sea salt flakes
  6. knob of fresh root ginger, peeled an grated
  7. 1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced at an angle
  8. pinch of dried chilli flakes
  9. 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  10. 50ml cold vegetable stock
  11. 1tbsp low-sodium light soy sauceSpicy spring onion salsa verde with kale and noodles ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Drain the liquid from the konjac noodles using a sieve and rinse under a cold tap
  2. Put the noodles into a bowl, drizzle over the 2tsp toasted sesame oil and toss. Set aside
  3. Pour 1 litre of water into a pan and bring to the boil. Add the kale and blanch for 3-5 seconds, then drain and set aside
  4. Heat a wok over a high heat until smoking and add the rapeseed oil
  5. Add the salt and let it dissolve in the hot oil
  6. Add the ginger, fresh chilli, dried chilli and spring onions in quick succession to explode their flavours in the wok
  7. Add the vegetable stock and stir-fry on a medium heat for 30 seconds
  8. Add the kale and noodles and toss all the ingredients together to warm through
  9. Season with the light soy sauce and give it one final toss, then transfer to serving plates and eat immediately
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Adapted from Stir Crazy
Adapted from Stir Crazy
H is for Home Harbinger http://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Keto millionaires shortbread

Keto millionaires shortbread | H is for Home

This will be one of my final keto recipes. I’ve lost over 2 stone (30 pounds) in the past two months or so, in readiness for our beach holiday to Sardinia.

Uncooked keto millionaires shortbread base | H is for Home Melting peanut butter | H is for Home Chocolate topping ingredients | H is for Home

I’ve been finding it increasingly easy to “keto-modify” my tried & tested recipes. This keto millionaires shortbread is a version of my nutty millionaire’s shortbread that I make regularly. It’s a lovely little afternoon snack with a cuppa.

Cooked keto millionaires shortbread base | H is for Home Cooked keto millionaires shortbread base and softened peanut butter | H is for Home Pouring softened peanut butter on to cooked shortbread base | H is for Home

Next week, as it will still just about be September, I’ll reactivate my sourdough and get baking bread again – it’s what I’ve missed the most!

Sliced keto millionaires shortbread | H is for Home

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Keto millionaires shortbread
Yields 16
Ingredients
  1. 150g/5¼oz ground almonds
  2. 150g/5¼oz coconut flour
  3. 1tbsp stevia granules
  4. 30g/1oz coconut oil
  5. 175g/6oz crunchy peanut butter
  6. 50g/1¾oz cacao powder
  7. 1tsp stevia granules
  8. 50g/1¾oz coconut oil
Add ingredients to shopping list
If you don’t have Buy Me a Pie! app installed you’ll see the list with ingredients right after downloading it
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 150ºC/300ºF/Gas mark 2
  2. Line a 23cm/9" square cake tin with parchment paper
  3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the ground almonds, coconut flour and stevia granules
  4. If solid, zap the coconut oil in the microwave in 10-second bursts until melted. Stir well into the dry mixture
  5. Press evenly into the base of the prepared cake tin using the back of a spoon
  6. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the base begins to brown
  7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack
  8. Put the peanut butter into a heat proof container and melt over a saucepan of simmering water
  9. Pour the peanut butter over the cooled shortbread base and spread evenly using a spatula or back of a spoon. Allow to cool completely
  10. Mix the cacao powder and teaspoon of stevia granules
  11. If solid, zap the coconut oil in the microwave in 10-second bursts until melted. Stir well into the sweetened cacao mixture
  12. Pour evenly over the peanut butter layer
  13. Allow to cool and harden before cutting into portions with a sharp knife
  14. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or more
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H is for Home Harbinger http://hisforhomeblog.com/