25 Dessert Ideas for Lactose-intolerant Folks/Dairy-free recipes

Just a few years ago, your chances of finding dairy-free dessert recipes were very slim. However, the evolution that the internet made, brought with it a lot of freedom for people who love making food to let their reigns free and come up with different recipes that can fit different diets knowing that they can actually reach the people who need them. This domino effect enabled us as well to curate for you the best 25 dairy-free dessert recipes to enjoy all year round.

From ice cream to truffles, cake, and pudding…we brought to you all the classic baked goods so you don’t have to feel restricted or missing out on anything. These delicious desserts will brighten your days, and mend your soul. So, put on that apron, get your bowl and whisk, and let’s start baking!

Dairy-free Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe

You just cannot go through the summer without ice cream, but most importantly, you will not be able to get through the summer without this chocolate peanut butter ice cream. It’s completely dairy-free, it has very few ingredients, and the best thing about it is the little surprising dollops of peanut butter in it.

This nostalgic ice cream is very delicious, and makes for a nice treat for the whole family to enjoy!

Ingredients

• 14-ounce coconut cream 
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt

Get the recipe here.

Paleo Chocolate Avocado Pudding (Nut-free, Vegan)

Gluten-free, paleo, lactose-free, and vegan! No, you don’t have a single excuse to not try this creamy and rich chocolate pudding. The avocado surprisingly goes really well with the chocolate without letting its taste overpower the pudding, and gives it a nice thick and creamy consistency.

This recipe is very straightforward and fun, which makes it one of those recipes that come in very handy when you’ve had a super busy day, and you just want a nice treat to end it.

Ingredients

• 1 avocado
• 2 tablespoons raw cacao
• 2 TB syrup
• 1/2 tsp ground coffee if decaf
• vanilla extract
• salt pinch

Get the recipe here.

Spicy Applesauce Cake Recipe

Applesauce is already amazing on its own, I know a lot of people who prefer to eat it with a spoon. However, I urge you to give this recipe a chance. I don’t like cake that much because it can be dry, but this recipe changed my mind for sure.

The shortening used in it makes it moist, combined with the crunchiness of the pecans, and the sweetness of the chocolate chips, it’s just mouthwatering!

Ingredients

• 2-cup applesauce
• 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2″ shortening
• 2 beaten eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp cocoa
• 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

Get the recipe here.

Raw Vegan Chocolate Truffles Recipe

If you are a beginner in the kitchen, and afraid to dive into desserts, this recipe is the perfect way to start! 5 ingredients, vegan, dairy-free, and no baking required. These chocolate truffles look super good with a hint of sea salt to give them a nice kick.

If you are feeling yourself, the recipe also has an option to add in some cayenne pepper, take it from me, spicy chocolate is just something else!

Ingredients

• 1/4 tsp fresh sea salt 
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 6 1/2 tsp water 
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4-tsp peppermint extract

Get the recipe here.

Dairy Free and Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe

Zucchini bread is one of the most popular bread recipes that are loved by mamas! Yes, the combination of chocolate and zucchini sounds very odd, but until you actually try it, you shouldn’t talk about it.

The zucchini gives the bread a nice moist consistency, and it doesn’t affect the taste at all, all you will be tasting is chocolate everywhere!

Ingredients

• 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free baking flour
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 ounce (28 grams) of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate
• 1/4-tsp salt
• 9 ounces (255 grams) grated zucchini
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/3 ounces (65 grams) of vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon chocolate chips

Get the recipe here.

Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Cinnamon rolls are a very classic and festive dish that is loved by everyone! However, the original recipe calls for a lot of dairy products. However, once again, thanks to the food innovations that happened in recent years, you can now get to enjoy fluffy cinnamon rolls with nice white glazing without any dairy products.

The original recipe has dairy products, but it also offers detailed instructions for a vegan and dairy-free option that might possibly taste even better than the original ones!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup warm whole or 2% milk
• 2 1/4 tablespoons active yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 room-temperature egg with yolk
• melting butter
• 3 cups plus dusting bread flour
• 1/2″ salt

Get the recipe here.

Apple Crumble Pie Recipe

Apple crumble pie is another hearty and classic dessert that is loved by all. This recipe is just like the original one except for the fact that it’s completely dairy-free.

This pie comes out absolutely delicious and will leave everyone raving about it from the first bite, especially when served with some vanilla ice cream. Scrumptious!

Ingredients

• 6–7 cups sliced Granny Smith apples
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• Cinnamon
• vanilla
• salt, 1/4 tsp

Get the recipe here.

Lactose-free Snow Pudding Recipe

Usually, when we hear the word pudding, the first thought that comes to most of our minds is chocolate pudding because it’s super good! However, this snow pudding that dates back all the way to 1930 might be challenging for the number one spot. The base is made of lovely vanilla custard, then topped with a very fluffy lemon cream that will make you melt in your place.

The original recipe calls for lactose-free milk, but to make it dairy-free as well, you can easily substitute the dairy milk with plant-based milk and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 gelatin envelope
• Cold water
• Boiling water
• Sugar: 3/4 cup
• Medium lemon juice
• 2 cups lactose-free low-fat milk
• 1/4-cup sugar
• 3 yokes
• 1tsp cornstarch
• salt

Get the recipe here.

Healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

Bananas, oatmeal, and chocolate are 3 ingredients that make incredibly sweet and chewy cookies. With a prep time of 5 minutes and a cooking time of 15 minutes, it really doesn’t get better than this!

All of this makes this recipe a very lovely treat to prepare with kids (you know I’m a sucker for all recipes that I can make with the kids), or you can even let them do it themselves. Super fun and delicious!

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Get the recipe here.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe

If you want yummy muffins that also look impressive, these are it! The poppy seeds give them a very nice texture, and you can count on the lemons to save all the recipes every day.

The recipe is super easy and straightforward, it takes about 25 minutes in total to prepare and bake, so you can enjoy them for breakfast, or a sweet snack all day, every day.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• Poppy seeds, 2 tbsp
• baking powder
• baking soda, 1/2 tsp
• salt 1/4 tsp
• half-cup sugar
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• Eggs

Get the recipe here.

Strawberry Mochi Recipe

Mochi is a Japanese rice cake that is made from special rice flour, it comes out so soft, sweet, and scrumptious. To say that the recipe is great is a very understatement, this recipe is phenomenal.

It’s made of very few ingredients, it requires a total time of 3 minutes and it’s made using a microwave! So whether you are staying in a house, apartment, or college dorm…you can still get to enjoy this beautiful homemade dessert!

Ingredients

• 1 cup strawberry puree
• 2-4 Tbsp sugar**
• 140 g mochiko, sweet, or sticky rice flour
• 1/4 cup corn/potato/tapioca starch
• 1/2 box sweetened Shiro-an

Get the recipe here.

Vegan Banana Bread Recipe

Banana bread is yet another staple homemade dessert that is known and loved by almost everyone, so it only makes sense to include it in this list. This recipe is super simple and can be made by anyone.

If you have some nuts, you can add them to the batter for a nice crunchy surprise, and a lovely nuts flavor. It makes for a great addition to gift baskets, snacks, or a breakfast dessert to enjoy with some jam, jelly, peanut butter…

Ingredients

• 3 bananas
• 75g vegetable or sunflower oil plus grease
• Brown sugar 100g
• 225g flour
• 3-tablespoon baking powder
• 3 tsp cinnamon/mixed spices
• 50g dry food

Get the recipe here.

Fudgy Brownies Recipe

Fudgy and brownies, are dream combinations that will leave you wanting to eat the whole thing in one sitting (I don’t recommend doing that though, so restrain yourself!). Just like all the recipes that I shared with you so far, this one is super easy to make, and requires very few ingredients, with 15 minutes of prep time only!

Ingredients

• Post suggests 1 1/2 sticks of dairy-free butter.
• 1 3/4 c sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Eggs
• 1 cup Dutch cocoa
• 1/3 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour, spoon and level technique
• xanthan gum, 1/2 tsp omit if your gf blend contains this or guar gum

Get the recipe here.

Tahini Chocolate Banana Soft Serve Recipe

The only word to describe this soft serve is WOW! It’s super healthy as it includes fruits, and it’s also dairy-free. The mix of tahini, dates, and bananas is impeccable and beats store-bought ice cream!

You can have this soft serve ready in 10 minutes, and then watch fireworks fly when your family tastes it and start showering you with amazing reviews. Give it a shot ASAP!

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen bananas, sliced
• 2 Tbsp tahini 
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1-2 pitted dates
• vanilla extract
• pinch salt

Get the recipe here.

Lime and Gin Coconut Macaroons Recipe

These lime and coconut macaroons made their creator a queen at the annual cookie exchange, so if you are looking to be crowned next, these macaroons are a compelling reason to get you the crown.

The macaroons take 20 minutes only to make, and thanks to the mix of almond extract, coconut, and lime juice, they taste absolutely delicious. They are the perfect treat to share with your friends and neighbors.

Ingredients

• 4 white egg
• Sugar 2/3 cup
• 3TB gin
• 1-1/2 tsp lime zest
• 1/4-tsp salt
• 1/4-tsp almond extract
• 14 oz sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup flour
• 8 oz melted white chocolate

Get the recipe here.

Dairy-free Chocolate and Muesli Cake Recipe

To all my lactose intolerant friends who love chocolate cake, this one is for you! This lovely chocolate cake is soft, and dense thanks to the tofu used in it. The muesli chocolate topping adds much more flavor to it, and a nice crunchy texture that will make you fall in love with it. If you are looking for a dairy-free cake to try, start with this one!

Ingredients

• Self-rising flour (375g)
• 50g cocoa
• toasted muesli 
• 85g chopped raisins
• 350g chopped silken tofu
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 150g sugar
• 375ml soy milk

Get the recipe here.

Pumpkin Chip Cake With Walnuts Recipe

Back to my lovely staple, famous and delicious bread! Pumpkin bread is definitely among the top 5 bread recipes as it is easy to make, cheap, and delicious. Pumpkin will forever remain one of the few vegetables that makes a great addition to baked goods, so when combined with the chocolate chips and walnuts in this recipe, it doesn’t disappoint at ALL!

Ingredients

• 1.75 cups self-rising flour
• salt 1 tsp
• tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• sugar (1/4 cup)
• 1/3 cup oil
• Eggs
• 1/3 cup pumpkin
• vanilla extract
• 1/2″ walnuts
• 1/3 cup dark chips

Get the recipe here.

Vegan Mini Fruit Tarts With Custard Recipe

Mini Fruit Tarts are among my top 5 favorite treats in the summer! The crunchiness of the crust with the creamy sweet filling and fresh fruits on top, you have to cuff me to keep me away from them. So it only makes sense to add this beautiful-looking and scrumptious tarts recipe.

The filling is made from a silky smooth vanilla custard that makes for a great canvas to top up with your favorite fruits.

Ingredients

• 1 coconut cream
• 1 coconut milk
• 1/3 cup arrowroot
• 1/3 cup syrup
• vanilla extract
• 1-lemon juice
• 1 cup sliced fruit
• 2TB mint
• 1 vegan pie or oat crust

Get the recipe here.

Honeydew Melon Popsicles Recipe

Personally, I don’t like honeydew melon because it leaves a bad aftertaste in my mouth, but when I saw these popsicles, they encouraged me to try it again, and I thought they would do the same for you too.

They’re super simple and made of 3 ingredients only. The mix of honeydew melon with coconut milk and maple syrup is very promising, so these will be on my list to try for sure, and should be on yours as well!

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped honeydew
• 1 cup coconut milk Full-fat popsicles are creamier.
• maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut flakes

Get the recipe here.

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream Bars Recipe

Yes, you read it right, this is a dairy-free rich, and creamy chocolate ice cream to satisfy your cravings and save you a lot of money since it will undoubtedly replace your store-bought ones. 4 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time make this ice cream the easiest to make so you can enjoy it no matter how busy you are.

Ingredients

• Full-fat coconut milk
• Raw cashews, 3/4 cup
• 7 soft, mushy, pitted Medjool dates
• 1tsp vanilla
• 2TB coconut oil
• 7 oz cocoa

Get the recipe here.

Nectarine Saffron Custard Tart Recipe

If you love tarts, this saffron tart will be right up your alley! Unlike the other recipes on this list, this one takes a little bit more time to prepare, but it’s worth every minute of it. It’s made of a lovely lemon-scented crust, topped with creamy vanilla and saffron custard, and to top it all off, lovely fresh nectarines with a drizzle of honey.

Ingredients

• 250g flour
• 75g cold solid coconut oil
• 30g frosting
• 1 tsp zest
• 1/4-tsp salt
• 4-6 tablespoons icy water

Get the recipe here.

Plum Smoothie-pops Recipe

15 minutes is all it takes to make these lovely plum smoothie popsicles. They have a very nice color and taste lovely. To make them dairy-free and vegan, you can easily swap the plain yogurt with vegan plain yogurt, and enjoy this healthy, homemade, and refreshing delicacy on the hottest days of the summer.

Ingredients

• 25% sugar
• 1 tablespoon HFCS
• 1 pound chopped plums
• 8 tsp lime juice
• 6 oz Yogurt

Get the recipe here.

Orangesicles Recipe

If all those popsicle recipes failed to impress you, which I doubt they did, these orange popsicles will make you go nuts! The recipe is 100% dairy-free, and vegan. It also includes bananas with a vanilla extract which makes them super flavorful, and creamy. You can add in a few chopped nuts for a lovely surprise for your family!

Ingredients

• 2 oranges
• 2 ripe, peeled bananas
• 1 tsp vanilla
• cup unsweetened plant-based milk
• 1 cup juice

Get the recipe here.

Spicy Mango-Ginger Fruit Granita Recipe

This mango-ginger fruit granita turns out like a slushy, but even better. The red pepper flakes were definitely a surprising addition that’s hard to understand, but they definitely bring the best of this Garnita and give it a nice kick.

What I love most about this recipe though is that it’s very versatile. You can easily adapt it to whatever fruit you have in season or available in your fridge.

Ingredients

• 3 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 20 ounces peeled, chopped mangoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup citrus juice
• 1/2 tsp red pepper

Get the recipe here.

Fudgesicle Hacks Recipe

These fudgesicle are the ultimate treat that you can make for yourself and your family! The recipe calls for marshmallow fluff, but you can use vegan fluff. Drizzle it all over the fudgesicle then top them with peanut butter, Reese’s pieces, and finally dip them in iced coffee. Just Marvelous!

Ingredients

• Fudgsicle box
• 3 melting marshmallows
• 1/2″ Crackers crushed
• 3 Melted peanut butter
• 1/2″ Reese’s
• 1/2″ Reese’s chopped

Get the recipe here.

Conclusion

It’s been a lovely ride with you all! I hope these 25 dairy-free dessert recipes give you the inspiration you have been looking for and grace your tables beautifully.

These recipes will not leave you asking for anything more, so if you happen to try some of them, don’t hesitate to post your creations, and tag us! We would love to talk and interact with you. So enjoy and meet me on the next list!