10 Light and Lazy Vegan Desserts for a Chill Summer
Oh, summer, how we love you. Your warm days, late sunsets, and delicious foods warm the heart. The only thing that can make a summer day better is a sweet and light dessert that’s super simple to make.
To top off any gorgeous summer day, we have 10 vegan dessert recipes for you to enjoy. We also have some pointers on how to keep your desserts light and easy in true summer fashion.
How Can I Make a Light and Lazy Vegan Dessert?
Who wants to spend hours in the kitchen when you could be out enjoying the sun with your friends and family? If you're looking for ways to keep your summer desserts stress-free and on the healthier side, here are a few tips and tricks.
Include Refreshing Fruit
Staying hydrated in the summer is incredibly important. While water is likely your primary source of hydration, fruit is also super hydrating.
Add fruits like watermelon, apples, strawberries, and peaches to your desserts to boost your hydration needs. Fruits can also add a layer of sweetness without a bunch of added artificial sugars.
Popular ideas for fruit-based vegan desserts include plant-based banana bread, apple crisp, peach cobbler, vegan strawberry tarts, and more. You can even create your own fruit-heavy vegan recipes by swapping out animal products for ingredients like almond milk, coconut milk, vegan cream cheese, and vegan butter substitutes.
Keep It Cold
Warm desserts like gooey, chewy lava cakes, warm, fruity pie, or piping hot cobbler are all delicious, but they’re not exactly the refreshing pop you're looking for at the end of a warm summer day. Some of the best cold desserts are no-bake — they never even have to go in the oven, saving you time and giving you the ideal temperature for summer.
When you're picking out your sweet summer treat, choose things that are on the colder side. Ice pops, ice cream, and cold cream pies are awesome options for your summer sweet tooth.
Watch the Sugar
You may crave sweets after a long day of summer activities, but you don't have to make them with a bunch of sugar. You might be tempted to bake cookies or chocolate cupcakes using tablespoons of sugar, but resist that urge!
Added sugars may satisfy your sweet tooth quickly, but they can also contribute to a myriad of health problems, like heart health, liver health, and difficulty with weight management.
We like to stick to foods with no added sugars, like our delicious chocolates. Also, stay away from artificial sweeteners that can create health issues and cause weight gain. We prefer stevia and erythritol instead because they're both made from natural ingredients.
Mix in Some Nuts and Seeds
Nuts are an amazing ingredient for your summer desserts. These little heart-healthy bites offer a satisfying crunch to any dessert. They also provide a smooth and creamy texture when soaked and blended, offering you an alternative to dairy products.
Ideal nut and seed-based ingredients for your desserts include tahini, almond butter, chia seeds, nut mylks, and pecans.
Keep It Easy
Spending hours in the kitchen making vegan brownies, vegan chocolate chip cookies, or vegan chocolate cake can be fun, but it’s the last thing you want to do on a gorgeous summer day!
Your summer treats should only take you 20 to 30 minutes to make — not including any necessary freezing. The less time you're stuck inside, the more you have to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather!
10 Perfect Summer Light and Lazy Desserts
Some of the best vegan desserts are easy to make. You can be as lazy as you want and still have a delicious dessert ready at the end of the night (or middle of the day — you do you). Here are 10 of our favorite vegan summer desserts.
Frozen Banana Pops
If you're looking for a refreshing sweet treat, look no further. Our banana popsicles are easy to make — you can even ask the kids to help on this one — and even easier to munch on! These are perfect to make ahead for an easy treat to take outside on a warm day.
For these popsicles, all you need are bananas, popsicle sticks, our Dark Chocolate Baking Chips, and Vegan Peanut Butter Cups. The only hard part of this recipe is waiting for the popsicles to freeze!
Chocolate Avocado Pudding
If your first reaction when you read chocolate and avocado together is to keep on scrolling, STOP! You have to try this fudgy chocolate pudding.
You’ll be amazed at how the chocolate stands out, and the popular creamy fruit simply lends creaminess and nutrition. It’s almost like a mix between fudge and a chocolate ganache — and we’re obsessed with its rich chocolate flavor!
Chocolate Covered Katie has a delicious avocado chocolate mousse recipe that takes 5 minutes to make. Use our Dark Chocolate Baking Chips and some cocoa powder to pump up that chocolate flavor. For your sweetener, our No Added Sugar Maple Flavored Syrup will add the perfect amount of sweetness.
Balsamic Strawberry Pops
If you love fruity popsicles, Nora’s Ingenious Cooking Coconut Yogurt Ice Pops with Balsamic Roasted Strawberries are for you. These frozen treats are made with only four simple ingredients.
There is a little upfront effort in making the roasted strawberries. Otherwise, it’s as simple as blend and freeze.
Vegan No-Bake Cheesecake
Our delectable no-bake vegan cheesecake tastes so amazing that you won’t believe how quick it’s ready to eat. Decorated with nuts or candies, it looks just as lovely as it tastes.
No-Bake Vegan Fruit Tart
Fruit tarts are so light and refreshing. This No-Bake Vegan Fruit Tart from My Dainty Soul Curry takes it to the next level. With its no-bake crust of oats, coconut oil, and sweetener (we used our No Added Sugar Maple Flavored Syrup), it makes a beautiful dessert — no hot oven needed.
The cream is made by whipping up aquafaba, the liquid in garbanzo beans, and pureed cashews. Top your airy cream with fruits of your choosing. We think My Dainty Soul Curry’s recommendation of kiwi, strawberries, grapes, and mandarin oranges make this dish perfect for summer!
Mango Sorbet
Sorbet is a refreshing treat on a hot summer day, and this Vegan Mango Sorbet Recipe from Sandhya’s Kitchen is super easy to make. Simply blend up the ingredients in the morning, pop it in the freezer, and you'll have the perfect sorbet. You can also make it before bed and let it freeze overnight.
Vegan Ice Cream
Sure, this isn’t exactly a recipe, but vegan ice cream has come a long way over the last decade. You can find just about any of your favorite flavors in your local grocery store. Some ice creams are a little more health forward, so just check those labels to make sure they're light on sugar and gluten-free.
To give it an extra pop, create a sundae bar by melting down our Peanut Butter Chocolate Chips for a sauce and chopping up our White Chocolate With Crispy Almond Pieces and Vegan Peanut Butter Cups for toppings. You can make your own whipped cream with coconut cream, too!
Banana Ice Cream
If you would rather make your own ice cream than buy plant-based vanilla ice cream at the store, here is the easiest ice cream you can make.
Simply take five or six peeled overripe bananas, and put them in the freezer overnight. When you're ready, take the bananas out of the freezer, and blend them until they're smooth. Seriously, when you think they're smooth, let them go a bit longer — you really want it to get that creamy consistency. Then, add the tiniest bit of vanilla extract to taste.
That's it! You’ll have the perfect creamy ice cream made with just one ingredient, no recipe necessary. Of course, what would ice cream be without a drizzle of our melted vegan chocolate goodness?
Vegan Milkshake
Milkshakes are so easy! Dairy-free milkshakes only need two things: dairy-free ice cream and dairy-free milk.
Choose one of the ice creams from above — the mango sorbet will work, too — and add it to a blender. Mix in a little bit of your favorite dairy-free milk, and blend it up. You may need to add a little more milk or ice cream to get the consistency you're craving.
If you want a delicious coffee-spiked milkshake, check out our plant-based low-sugar peanut butter chip frappucino. It’s keto, vegan, and dairy-free, and the secret ingredients that make it complete are our peanut butter baking chips and No Sugar Added Maple Syrup.
To upgrade your morning caffeine boost, you can also try our mouthwatering 4-Ingredient Low-Sugar Dalgona Coffee, which features our signature maple syrup combined with whipped instant coffee.
Lemon Bars
Something about lemons just screams summer. These bright vegan lemon bars from Strawberry Shortbakes are perfect to have on hand as a little summer treat. This recipe does call for sugar, so use your favorite stevia or erythritol as a substitute to make this recipe a little lighter.
This recipe has two steps, so it may be a little more involved than some of the other options on this list, but its sweet and tangy pop of lemon may just be worth it to you!
Conclusion
You don't have to feel weighed down after enjoying a sweet treat during the summer. By adding fruit, watching the sugar levels, using nuts, and picking cold desserts, you’ll be feeling light on your feet even after filling your tummy.
MiiRO doesn’t believe that you have to sacrifice flavor to have healthy sweet treats. With our chocolates and baking ingredients, you'll have all the flavor and none of those unwelcome ingredients!
Any dessert you decide to make, keep it easy! You deserve to be out there enjoying the gorgeous weather, too. No matter what you're craving this summer, you’ll find plenty of inspiration from our blog and video recipes — our little gifts to you.
Sources:
Eating fruit to help stay hydrated - Food & Health | MSU
The sweet danger of sugar | Harvard Health
Nuts and your heart: Eating nuts for heart health | Mayo Clinic
Sugar substitutes: Health controversy over perceived benefits | PMC
Avocado Chocolate Mousse - TWO Recipes! | chocolatecoveredkatie
Coconut Yogurt Ice Pops with Balsamic Roasted Strawberries | Nora's Ingenious Cooking
Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes (Vegan) | Crumb Top Baking
No Bake Vegan Fruit Tart with Aquafaba Cream | My Dainty Soul Curry
Vegan Mango Sorbet Recipe ( only 5 Ingredients needed ! ) | Sandhya Hariharan
Perfect Vegan Lemon Bars (Gluten Free and Sugar Free options) | Strawberry Shortbakes
