Whether you are vegan and gluten-free for allergy reasons or for health reasons, sticking to your diet takes some getting used to. While finding recipes to cook for breakfast, lunch, and dinner may be a bit easier to figure out and incorporate into your daily routine, the science of baking makes life difficult for gluten-free vegans. There’s just no replacing a craving for chocolate dessert, but luckily, you don’t have to! Try these eight gluten-free and vegan chocolate desserts:

Vegan/Gluten Free Chocolate Walnut Fudge

Ingredients:

• ½ cup virgin coconut oil
• ¼ cup raw nut butter
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup pure maple syrup or agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Sea salt to taste
• ¾ cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Directions:

Beat together coconut oil and nut butter, then sift in cocoa powder and beat until well combined. Add maple syrup (or agave), vanilla, and pinch of salt, beat until smooth. Stir in walnuts.

Scoop chocolate mixture into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper and spread out until even. Freeze uncovered until solid (about an hour). Slice into small squares and enjoy.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup gluten-free oat flour
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons finely ground coffee
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds + 3 tablespoons warm water, combined and set aside
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup high quality dark chocolate, cut into small pieces
• ¾ cup pitted cherries, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl mix oat flour, coconut flour, coco powder, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl beat coconut oil, sugar, and coffee grounds until will combined. Add banana and beat until well combined. Add chia and water mixture and beat until well combined. Add non-dairy milk, vanilla, and dark chocolate, mix well. Add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until well combined (the batter will be stiff). Stir in cherries until evenly distributed.

Spread batter evenly into a greased 8×8 baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes in pan before cutting.

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ½ cup Earth balance margarine
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 ½ cups brown rice flour
• ½ cup tapioca starch
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup sour non-dairy milk (1/2 cup non-dairy milk + 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup boiling water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream together sugar, margarine, and applesauce. In a separate bowl, combine flours, xanthan gum, and baking powder. Mix baking soda into sour milk and let sit. Alternately add milk mixture and flour mixture to sugar mixture, combining well after each addition. Add cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Stir in boiling water until batter is smooth.

Pour mixture into greased 9×13 pan and bake for 35 minutes OR pour into a cupcake-lined muffin tin and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Chocolate Doughnuts

Ingredients:

• ½ cup gluten-free oat flour
• ½ cup sweet rice flour
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 ½ tablespoons ground flax meal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons brown rice syrup
• ¼ cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup vegan dark chocolate chips

Ingredients for the glaze:

• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 5 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 3 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine oat flour, rice flour, cocoa powder, sugar, coconut flour, flax meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well mixed. In another bowl, whisk together milk, brown rice syrup, pumpkin puree, oil, and vanilla extract until well mixed. Combine wet mixture with the dry mixture and stir until just combined (do not over mix). Gently stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon the batter into greased doughnut molds, filling just below the top of each mold. Bake 20 to 26 minutes until lightly golden brown. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then place on cooling rack to cool an additional 5 to 10 minutes before glazing.

For the glaze: Mix powdered sugar and coconut oil until smooth. Stir in cocoa powder until well mixed. Dip the doughnuts into the glaze and allow the excess to drip off.

S’mores on Homemade Graham Crackers

Ingredients for the cracker:

• 1 cup gluten-free oat flour
• ½ cup sorghum flour
• 1-2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons smooth nut butter
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
• 4 tablespoons almond milk
• 2 tablespoons applesauce
• ½ tablespoon ground flax + 1 tablespoon water, mixed and set aside

Ingredients for the filling:

• Coconut butter
• 1 good quality vegan dark chocolate bar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all dry cracker ingredients and stir until well mixed. In a separate bowl, combine slightly melted nut butter with the rest of the wet cracker ingredients, including the flax + water mixture. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until well combined. The mixture should be slightly dry.

Take half the dough and roll it out to 1/8 inch thickness on a floured surface. Trim the rough edges and cut the dough into desired cracker size and shape. Place crackers on parchment lined baking sheet, sprinkle with sugar, and poke holes in them using a fork. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

For the S’more: take two crackers and place one square chocolate piece on top of one and ½ tablespoon of coconut putter on the other. Leave the crackers face side up and place on baking sheet to broil for about 2-5 minutes. Once the chocolate and coconut butter have melted, sandwich the crackers together. You may place them in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes before eating if you wish to avoid mess.

Chocolate Brownie Pancakes (because who said breakfast can’t also be dessert?)

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons sweet rice flour
• 3 tablespoons millet flour
• 3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons applesauce
• 5 tablespoons vanilla almond milk
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 teaspoons sugar

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix rice flour, millet flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk together applesauce, almond milk, vanilla extract, and sugar. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Stir until just incorporated.

Preheat a large pan over low heat generously coated with cooking spray. When pan is warm, drop 3 tablespoons of batter per pancake into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until edges begin to firm. Flip pancakes and cook for an additional minute. Remove from pan and serve immediately.

Black Bean Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

• 1 15oz can black beans, rinsed, drained, and patted dry
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder of choice
• 1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil + 1 teaspoon for chocolate coating
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3.5oz good quality chocolate, chopped

Directions:

In a food processor, combine black beans, 1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil, and maple syrup until very smooth. Slowly add in cocoa powder and chocolate protein powder (you may replace protein powder with 3 more tablespoons cocoa powder). Chill batter in refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

Form batter into 12 even dough balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill in refrigerator while making chocolate coating.

Heat chocolate and 1 teaspoon coconut oil in small saucepan on low heat. Stir until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Coat each truffle in melted chocolate, you may use toothpicks to remove and serve. Roll truffles in desired toppings (sprinkles, nuts, coconut, etc.) and chill in refrigerator for an additional 10 minutes.

Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 avocados, slightly soft
• ½ cup + 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 4 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Process or blend all ingredients until smooth and well combined. If you have an ice cream maker you can churn this, or freeze in a container until hardened and lightly process when ready to eat.

Do you have another deliciously chocolate gluten-free vegan recipe to share? Don’t hold out! Let us know in the comments section below.