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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Crispy fried tofu sandwich

Crispy fried tofu sandwich

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a Trinidadian hops bread recipe in which I promised to share the thing that I sandwiched between the two halves of one of the rolls. So here it is… *drum roll please*… the crispy fried tofu sandwich!

Marinading sliced tofu

I first discovered this Superiority Burger recipe on the New York Times website. As well as the photograph that made me want to lick the screen, the feedback from people who had attempted the recipe was gushingly positive. Lots of them said that the non-vegetarians and tofu-haters in their families really loved the taste and meaty texture.

tofu burger batter ingredients

There’s one main brand of firm tofu widely available in the UK – Cauldron – it comes in a 396g pack, a different size to the ones in the US. One block of this tofu makes two burgers; therefore, I’ve tweaked the quantities needed to suit.

There are a fair few ingredients in the recipe, but some of them can be easily substituted with other things, if necessary. My ‘pickle juice’ was a mixture of the liquid from jars of jalapeños, silverskin onions and gherkins. The Dijon mustard was swapped for wholegrain mustard. Also, I didn’t have any gochugaru, so I just used the same amount of crushed chillis. Finally, there wasn’t any onion or garlic powder in the house, so I sprinkled in some celery salt… it seemed to work fine!

Frying crispy tofu burger in a cast iron skillet

The secret to getting the texture of the fried tofu just right is to press, drain and freeze the block… twice… before coating and cooking it. Slice the block in half, lengthways, before the first pressing to release as much as the liquid as possible.

The other thing is to allow the sliced tofu to marinade in the spiced pickle juice at least overnight so it can soak up all that flavour. If you find – like I did – that the tofu floats, weigh it down with one of those half-sized tins of baked beans or sweetcorn… works a treat!

I was so blown away by the tastiness, the juiciness and the easiness that I’ve saved the marinade and have already bought another block of tofu to make it all over again!

Click here or on the image below to save the crispy fried tofu sandwich recipe to Pinterest

Crispy fried tofu sandwich recipe

Crispy fried tofu sandwich

Crispy fried tofu sandwich

The Superiority Burger Cookbook: The Vegetarian Hamburger Is Now Delicious
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

For marinading

  • 1 block extra firm tofu drained & sliced lengthways
  • 225 ml/8fl oz pickle juice
  • 1 tbsp hot sauce
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp gochugaru or red-pepper flakes
  • 2 tbsps grapeseed oil or other neutral oil

For frying

  • 2 tbsps Dijon mustard
  • 100 g/3½oz plain flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp ground cayenne
  • 1 tsp fine salt plus more as needed
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • Grapeseed oil or other neutral oil for frying

To assemble

  • 2 potato buns or other soft rolls
  • Vegan mayonnaise and hot sauce as needed (I used sriracha chilli mayo sauce which is vegan)
  • Thinly shredded green cabbage and dill pickles for serving

Instructions
 

For marinading

  • Line a baking sheet with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Arrange the sliced tofu in a single layer on the baking sheet
  • Cover the sliced tofu with more towels and gently press each piece to extract some of the moisture
  • In a large bowl, combine the pickle juice, hot sauce, mustard and gochugaru
  • Heat the grapeseed oil in a large, non-stick or cast-iron skillet over high heat until shimmering
  • Sear the tofu to form a golden-brown crust, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Immediately drop the hot tofu into the pickle juice mixture
  • Refrigerate and let the tofu marinate for at least a few hours, or even overnight

For frying

  • In a medium shallow bowl, stir the mustard with 2tbsp water until it’s the consistency of heavy cream and set aside
  • In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, salt and pepper
  • In a Dutch oven or sturdy pot, heat 2 inches of grapeseed oil over medium heat and set a wire rack on top of a baking sheet
  • Remove the tofu from the marinade and pat dry
  • Dip the tofu in the mustard mixture, turning until coated all over, then the flour mixture; dip it again in the mustard then flour until twice coated
  • When the oil temperature reaches 175ºC/350ºF carefully place the battered tofu into the hot oil and fry, flipping as needed, until golden brown - about 5 minutes
  • Transfer the fried tofu to the wire rack and sprinkle with a little salt

To assemble

  • Toast the buns and spread generously with vegan mayo and dot with hot sauce, if desired
  • Top with fried tofu, cabbage and dill pickles and eat immediately
Crispy fried tofu sandwich ingredients
To get the best texture, slice the tofu, press, pat dry, freeze, thaw, repress, pat dry again, refreeze and thaw.
Pat dry again before searing
Keyword burger, sandwich, tofu, vegan, vegetarian

Coconut ice cream

Home made vegan coconut ice cream

We’ve been craving light food at mealtimes in this run of hot summer weather. We’ve been eating lots of salads and having the odd barbecue too. I always have to finish a meal with something sweet; so this week, instead of baking a cake, I made some cooling and refreshing coconut ice cream.

Home-made coconut ice cream ingredients in an aluminium measuring jug

The recipe I devised couldn’t be quicker or simpler; just 4 ingredients – half a carton of coconut drink, a tin of coconut milk, some caster sugar and drop of vanilla extract. A delicious 100% vegan recipe.

Home-made coconut ice cream in a plastic tub

It’s delicious served on it’s own or combined with slices of fresh fruit such as mango or peaches. It’s also great with chocolate sauce. We love to eat it after spicy foods. It’s the perfect dessert to follow a hot curry or chilli-laden stir fry.

Click here or on the image below to save my vegan coconut ice cream recipe to Pinterest

Home made vegan coconut ice cream recipe #icecream #vegan #vegetarian #dessert #coconut #coconuticecream

Coconut ice cream
Yields 1
Prep Time
35 min
Total Time
35 min
Prep Time
35 min
Total Time
35 min
Ingredients
  1. 500ml unsweetened coconut drink
  2. 85g/3oz caster sugar
  3. 1 tin (400ml/14fl oz) coconut milk
  4. 1tsp vanilla extractCoconut ice cream ingredients
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Instructions
  1. In a 1 litre measuring jug, stir the caster sugar into the coconut drink until dissolved
  2. Stir in the tin of coconut milk
  3. Add the vanilla extract
  4. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. (Mine takes approximately 25-30 minutes)
Notes
  1. If you use sweetened coconut drink you can lower the amount of sugar that you add. Similarly, if you like your ice cream sweeter, up the sugar added to 100g/3½oz
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On our radar: Halen Môn Oak Smoked Water

Halen Môn Oak Smoked Water

We discovered this brilliant food additive recently – oak smoked water. It’s completely natural, but sounds like pure alchemy!

Add a few drops to home-made hummus, baba ganoush or barbecue sauce. I think it would be a great addition to my vegan seitan burger recipe. Get the great taste of outdoor grilled food – without the time, effort and (something which I lack!) skill of getting a fire started.

BUY IT HERE