18 decadent vegan chocolate recipes

Jan 18, 2023 by Becky Striepe
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These vegan chocolate recipes will hit you right in the sweet tooth. There are recipes for chocolate bars, cakes, brownies, pies, and more!

vegan chocolate recipe collage: peanut butter bites, cake, chocolate bar, truffles

Got a chocolate craving? Same. Always. There are plenty of vegan chocolates that you can buy, but making a vegan chocolate recipe from scratch is super rewarding.

Jump to:

Vegan chocolate recipes
Frequently asked questions
Choosing vegan chocolate

Vegan chocolate recipes

Vegan Peanut Butter Balls

Vegan peanut butter balls are basically healthy peanut butter cups that you can eat any time you want. They are so fun to make!

stack of homemade vegan hazelnut chocolate bars on a white plate surrounded by raw hazelnuts. Chocolate bar mold in the background

Vegan chocolate bar recipe

Making candy bars at home is much easier than you think! My kid and I are obsessed with making this crunchy, nutella-inspired vegan chocolate bar recipe.

vegan hot chocolate in mugs with a cinnamon stick, marshmallows, and chocolate syrup

Vegan Hot Chocolate Recipe

This super easy vegan hot chocolate recipe is rich and creamy with hints of cinnamon and vanilla.

giant, vegan air fryer cookie with a bite taken out on a plate with glasses of soy milk next to it

Vegan Air Fryer Cookies Recipe

If you're craving cookies but don't want a few dozen sitting around tempting you tomorrow, single-serving vegan air fryer cookies are for you!

serving tray of vegan coconut cupcakes with chocolate frosting and shredded coconut on top. One cupcake has a tiny blue flag in it

Fluffy Vegan Coconut Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Fluffy Vegan Coconut Cupcakes were a total hit with my omnivore friends. One of my friends is allergic to chocolate, so she requested I leave one cupcake unfrosted for her. Even without frosting, she said it was rich and fluffy. YES!

Instant Pot brownies on a plate with vanilla ice cream

Fudgy Instant Pot Brownies

Rich, fudgy Instant Pot brownies are ice cream's best friend. You'll never be able to tell that they're gluten-free and totally vegan!

A close up of a raspberry dusted chocolate truffles

Raspberry Dusted Chocolate Fudge Brownie Truffles from Spabettie

Kristina dusts her chocolate truffles with tangy, crunchy freeze dried raspberries. So much yum!

overhead photo of chocolate avocado mousse with raspberries on top

Chocolate Avocado Mousse from Vegan Huggs

Cups of creamy, light chocolate mousse topped with coconut whip? Melissa at Vegan Huggs is a genius!

Chocolate Cake from Contentedness Cooking

This isn't your traditional cake. It's sort of like a cake met a pie and had a delicious chocolate baby. Florian's recipe is a lot simpler to make than it looks!

close-up of a salted caramel chocolate with a bite out of it

Raw Salted Caramel Chocolates

Heart-shaped chocolates full of sweet, dairy free caramel? Aimee from Wallflower Kitchen's got you.

A close up of cherry chocolate truffle with a bite taken out

Cherry Chocolate Truffles from Veggie Inspired

Y'all, I won't lie: I love truffles, and this list is going to have lots of amazing ones, including these beauties from Veggie Inspired.

A close up of a piece of vegan chocolate swirl cheesecake with almonds

Raw Chocolate Almond Cheesecake from The Vegan 8

Brandi from The Vegan 8 pulls off this decadent vegan dessert with only eight ingredients.

hand holding swirled vegan chocolate bark with dried raspberries on top

Valentine's Day Chocolate Bark from Fried Dandelions

Chocolate bark gets all of the love around Christmas, but Sarah proves that it's totally Valentine's Day-worthy, too!

A stack of chocolate doughnuts sitting on top of a plate

Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Doughnuts from Vegan Heaven

I KNOW. Vegan Heaven's doughnut recipe is mind-blowingly awesome.

A German chocolate cake on a plate with a slice cut out

German Chocolate Cake from Allergylicious

Not only is this gorgeous cake from Allergylicious totally vegan, but it's soy- and nut-free, too!

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake from Vegan Family Recipes

If you want a more traditional chocolate cake, then Vanessa's cake topped with drizzled chocolate is a perfect choice.

Frequently asked questions

Is chocolate vegan?

Yes and no. Many dark chocolates are naturally vegan. Chocolate is just a mix of cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and sugar. Some chocolate makers do add milk, cream, butter, or butterfat to dark chocolate, though, so you need to check labels carefully.

Milk chocolate contains dairy unless it's specified dairy-free or vegan milk chocolate.

Why is cocoa not vegan?

Cocoa powder, on its own, is vegan. However, most conventional hot cocoa contains dairy milk. It's easy to make vegan hot chocolate, however! Just use plant-based milk, and you are in business.

What chocolate is vegan friendly?

A lot of dark chocolates are accidentally vegan, but you should check the label for milk ingredients. Here are a few brands that have vegan offerings:

- Justin's
- Endangered Species
- XOXO Chocolove
- Whole Foods 365
- Trader Joe's
- Simple Truth Organic
- Theo's
- Little Secrets

You'll still want to check the label, because not everything from most of these companies is vegan, but they have a lot of delicious options!

Choosing vegan chocolate

You might be worried that chocolate isn't vegan, and I want to put your mind at ease. Chocolate comes from plants. Basic chocolate is just cocoa powder, cocoa butter (a plant butter), and sugar.

Cocoa powder is a plant product and is totally vegan. Just make sure that you're buying 100% cocoa powder. Mixes, like hot chocolate mix, can contain powdered dairy milk.

Milk chocolate isn't vegan, and some dark chocolate does contain dairy, but it's pretty easy now to find vegan chocolate candies and vegan chocolate chips.

When you're shopping for chocolate, use my quick, three-step method to discover whether it's vegan:

Flip the package to the back.
Find the ingredients section.
Check the allergen statement. Does it say "Contains milk."? If not, you're in the clear!

Some chocolate will have allergen statements like "produced in a facility that also processes milk" or "may contain milk". Those are both allergy warnings, and you don't have to worry about them.

More Vegan Basics

About Becky Striepe

Comments

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Agness of Run Agness Run

February 08, 2017 at 8:53 am

Each of this chocolate recipes look so delicious, Becky! Now I can't decide which one to prepare for the Valentine's Day!

Reply
- Becky Striepe
  
  February 08, 2017 at 10:20 am
  
  Haha awesome! #veganproblems
  
  Reply
Sarah

January 25, 2017 at 1:52 am

Everything on this list is drool worthy! Thank you for including my Valentine Bark!

Reply
- Becky Striepe
  
  January 25, 2017 at 8:02 am
  
  Thank you, Sarah!
  
  Reply
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen

January 23, 2017 at 9:03 pm

I seriously want to try every single one of these delicious chocolate recipes!! Thank you for featuring my scones!! <3

Reply
- Becky Striepe
  
  January 23, 2017 at 9:18 pm
  
  Of course, Ceara! They look amazing!
  
  Reply
Melissa | Vegan Huggs

January 21, 2017 at 12:34 pm

Not sure how I missed this, but I'm glad I found it now. Such a great selection of chocolatey goodness. We're staying home this year on Valentine's day, so I'll be making our own desserts. Thank you for the inspiration :)

Reply
- Becky Striepe
  
  January 21, 2017 at 4:37 pm
  
  Thank you so much, Melissa! Enjoy your Valentine's Day!
  
  Reply
Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite

January 20, 2017 at 10:28 pm

Thanks so much for including me! Sharing!

Reply
- Becky Striepe
  
  January 21, 2017 at 3:22 am
  
  Of course! Thank you, Sophia!
  
  Reply
Audrey @ Unconventional Baker

January 20, 2017 at 7:28 am

Mmmm.... is it too early for chocolate?! ... said no one ever.... ;) -- I think my breakfast is settled :P

These look delicious. Thank you so much for including my hemp chocolates too.

Reply
- Becky Striepe
  
  January 20, 2017 at 7:57 am
  
  It's never too early for chocolate!
  
  Reply
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day

January 19, 2017 at 10:58 pm

These all look amazing! It's hard to decide which to try first!

Reply
- Becky Striepe
  
  January 19, 2017 at 11:32 pm
  
  Thank you, Amy!
  
  Reply
Cadry

January 19, 2017 at 10:47 am

Oh, so many excellent chocolate ideas! I usually buy chocolate peanut butter cups for a sweet treat, but I need to give several of these a whirl. Thanks for including the video for my grilled banana splits with chocolate peanut butter sauce.

Reply
- Becky Striepe
  
  January 19, 2017 at 11:02 am
  
  You're so welcome. I am obsessed with that banana split recipe - it is epic!
  
  Reply
Mel |avirtualvegan.com

January 19, 2017 at 1:50 am

It is no secret that I love chocolate. I eat some every day. I would totally eat every single one of these! Thank you for including my hummus :O)

Reply
- Becky Striepe
  
  January 19, 2017 at 8:06 am
  
  You are so welcome, Mel!
  
  Reply
Nicole

January 18, 2017 at 11:41 am

Good thing I work out because I want to make all of them! And thank you for including my recipe too. Great roundup, perfect for Valentines Day.

Reply
- Becky Striepe
  
  January 18, 2017 at 12:09 pm
  
  Thank you, Nicole!
  
  Reply
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition

January 17, 2017 at 11:54 am

I can't with all this chocolate! Everything looks so good I don't know what to make first!

Reply
- Becky Striepe
  
  January 17, 2017 at 12:08 pm
  
  Thank you, Mary Ellen!
  
  Reply
Hannah

January 16, 2017 at 11:49 pm

Ooooh such a delicious roundup! I'll be sharing with my chocolate loving readership for sure :)

Reply
- Becky Striepe
  
  January 17, 2017 at 8:33 am
  
  Thank you, Hannah!
  
  Reply
Jenn

January 16, 2017 at 8:47 pm

Give me all the chocolate!!!!!! Hubby and I used to always go out for pizza on Valentine's day. Lately, we've been making it at home. In fact, I'm sharing our super easy favorite pizza on the blog tomorrow (so easy, it's almost embarrassing!). It leaves more room for all of these delicious chocolate desserts though! :) Thanks for including me!

Reply
- Becky Striepe
  
  January 16, 2017 at 9:53 pm
  
  Oh nice! Homemade Valentine's Day pizza is a great idea!
  
  Reply
Linda @ Veganosity

January 16, 2017 at 3:27 pm

Oh, Becky! You're killing me with this incredible chocolate fest. Thanks for including my 5 Ingredient Chocolate Truffles. Sharing everywhere.

Reply
- Becky Striepe
  
  January 16, 2017 at 4:39 pm
  
  Thank you, Linda!
  
  Reply
Dianne

January 16, 2017 at 10:25 am

I love chocolate so much – I want all of these! Thank you for including my pie recipe!

Reply
- Becky Striepe
  
  January 16, 2017 at 12:21 pm
  
  Of course! It is such a great recipe!
  
  Reply