Menu ideas: Desserts

Non-vegans don't even notice that their desserts happen to be animal free, but vegans will often travel many miles to indulge in vegan chocolate cake, treacle pudding, tofu cheesecake, dairy-free cream, ice cream and custard.

As with main courses, almost any dish can be made vegan. They can be adapted by using dairy-free milk instead of cows' milk and dairy-free margarine instead of butter. It is quick and easy to bake cakes without eggs: please see our recipes. Some chefs use an egg replacer such as 'No Egg', but this is not necessary for most recipes.

Banoffee tart

Soften some dates by heating them with orange juice, then mix with a dollop of dairy-free margarine and a squirt of soya cream. Spread on a crispy pastry tartlet shell. Add a layer of sliced bananas and glaze with maple syrup. Chill and serve with dairy-free ice cream and drizzle with melted dark chocolate.

Crème caramel

Make thick soya or oat milk custard with custard powder, brown sugar, zest of lemon and maple syrup. Pour it into a ramekin or pot lined with maple syrup.

Treacle tart

Mix white breadcrumbs, melted vegan margarine, melted golden syrup, a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Place in a pastry case and cook for 25 minutes in a medium to hot oven. Serve hot with vegan ice cream.

Fruit fools

Blend fruit coulis with soya milk custard or vanilla soya dessert (e.g. Alpro brand).

Quick and easy dairy-free cream

Take equal parts of hot sweetened soya milk and cold sunflower oil and mix with a hand blender (not a whisk). Add a little lemon juice and vanilla and blend again to emulsify.