25 of My Favorite Dessert Recipes That Don’t Use (Increasingly Expensive) Eggs
Whether it’s because of dietary restrictions, because you accidentally left them off your shopping list, or—I don’t know —the price has gotten too high , eggless desserts are a great item to have in your baking arsenal. While you can try to replicate puddings, cakes, custards and meringues with vegan ingredients, sometimes they may not perform as well as the original. Luckily, there are many desserts that don’t require eggs. Never did. Here are my favorite eggless desserts that are sure to satisfy every sweet tooth at your table.
Strawberry shortcake
I will never say no to strawberry shortcake. (If “I” is, then it’s a clone, save me.) Any individual component can stand well enough on its own, but together they add up to brilliance. For the cake, make soft, large (eggless, naturally) buttermilk cookies, such as funfetti-style cookies or soft oatmeal cookies . Divide it and top with strawberries and whipped cream.
Brigadeiros
Chewy, chocolatey, and made with just a few ingredients, brigadeiro is a gift from Brazil. Take a can of sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder and some butter. Stir them in the pan for 10-15 minutes and they’re almost done. Roll them into small balls and press into sprinkles, chopped nuts or coconut. This batch would make a wonderful Valentine’s Day gift for your sweetheart or a nice gift for yourself at any time.
Lava cake Nutella banana
Pastries, puddings and pies are great, but sometimes there’s no substitute for cake. For a cake that doesn’t require the lifting or binding power of eggs, try Nutella Banana Lava Cake . The flavor combination of chocolate, hazelnut and banana is a crowd pleaser, but the banana acts as a hidden binder, eliminating the need for eggs. Add a dollop of Nutella to the center and you get a gooey “lava” that doesn’t take as long as other lava cake recipes.
Coconut Peanut Mochi
Mochi is made from sweet glutinous rice flour, resulting in a chewy, slightly sticky delight that can be used in a variety of ways. You may have seen it in the freezer section of your grocery store next to the little scoops of ice cream, but the center offers a variety of toppings. One of my favorites is coconut and peanut mochi . Make chewy mochi dough by filling the center with sweet peanut powder and pinch the edges to form a tiny ball. Roll the entire piece in grated coconut and enjoy.
Panna Cotta
If you’re looking for a dessert that’s not too sweet, rich in cream, and simple yet impressive, look no further than Italian panna cotta. There are hundreds of variations of this simple gelatin-sweetened cream dessert because the base flavors are flexible and easy to make. With just over five basic ingredients, panna cotta comes together in about 10 minutes. Leave it in the refrigerator for a few hours and enjoy it as is, or add fresh fruit, caramel sauce, coconut or fruit compote. If you want a creative twist on a classic, try cookie dough panna cotta .
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Pie
I grew up eating tofu and love it sweet, savory, silky and firm. Anyone who hasn’t jumped on the tofu train yet should try the Chocolate Peanut Butter Tofu Pudding Cake . The tofu is completely undetectable among the chocolate and peanut butter, leaving you with a sweet, sweet treat. The entire dessert is blended in a blender to create a chocolatey, cool and silky smooth pudding worthy of date night. Serve in a graham cracker crust or simply pour the mixture into pretty pudding glasses and top with whipped cream or chocolate chips .
Fruit pies
Fruit pies are a simple treat that don’t require eggs at all. (Aside from the purely aesthetic, completely optional egg wash on top, which you can easily skip or use mayonnaise instead .) Pipe butter puffs or shortening into a pie plate and load it with seasonal cooked fruit filling (nobody likes a watery pie). The only thing you’ll need is a fork and a heavy hand for whipping cream.
Breton cake
Breton Cake is a party-ready version of a single-serving, crunchy, caramelized Quinn Amand pastry. It consists of delicate layers of dough, butter and sugar and is baked in a 9-inch round muffin tin. As it bakes, the outer sugar crust caramelizes in a metal pan to create a crispy crust while the butter inside melts into layers of dough. When served fresh, each piece is fluffy, rich, tender and coated with the most delicate crispy caramel crust. As with many cakes, the recipe calls for browning the top with a thin layer of egg wash, but this isn’t necessary if you’re skipping eggs (and again, mayonnaise works just fine ). I promise you that finishing touch of sugar will take care of the aesthetics.
No-bake desserts
One of the main reasons you bake dessert is to cook raw ingredients. When eggs are not used, baking becomes much easier to avoid. Fancy, hearty, egg-free desserts are usually a good start. Try a no-bake cheesecake that can be stored in the refrigerator or a no-bake panna colada pie (see what I did there).
Chocolate truffles
A chocolate truffle is a highly concentrated portion of a chocolate candy. Whisk the dark chocolate chunks in a ratio of about 2:1 with the hot heavy cream to create a thick chocolate ganache. This alone will send you into a chocolate delirium, but let it cool and you can spoon it into balls of silky chocolate delight. At this point, you can pop them in your mouth or roll them in chopped nuts, coconut, cocoa powder or powdered sugar to keep them from sticking and add a little extra flavor.
Kayu Katli
In some cases, a simple and sophisticated dessert is required. Kaju katli, also called kaju barfi , is just a thing. Made with cooked sugar syrup, floral flavors and ground cashews, this Indian dessert is rich and full of flavor. You can decorate the top with edible silver leaf or simply sprinkle chopped nuts.
Pizza dough, cinnamon rolls
Instead of using up a stash of eggs to make an enriched dough, you can use a bag of store-bought refrigerated pizza dough to make a cinnamon roll that’s much better than anything that comes out of a jar. ( Use this recipe to roll your own batch .) Keep an eye on them as they finish baking to ensure they don’t overcook, and you’ll be rewarded with tender rolls with a buttery cinnamon flavor.
Sorbet, frozen yogurt and granita
Making your own frozen desserts can be a lot of fun, especially if you have kids to keep busy. Ice cream requires egg yolks or whole eggs, so make sorbet, frozen yogurt, or granita instead. Sorbets and granites are closely related, so it’s more a question of what texture you’re looking for. Both options usually involve mixing fruit with sugar syrup. The granita is frozen and periodically shredded with a fork while freezing to create shaved ice, while the sorbet is aerated with a blender or ice cream maker for a softer, smoother texture. Frozen yogurt is just as plain , but it’s churned with a milk base and the yogurt’s consistency smooths things out without the need for egg yolks.
Shortbread
Perfect in its simplicity, shortbread cookies are made from three basic ingredients: butter, sugar and flour. The lack of a strong binder like eggs allows this cake to fall apart and melt in your mouth. Mix the dough with softened butter and form into balls, squares or press into a tart pan.
Honey-apple puffs
Store-bought frozen puff pastry makes this elegant treat easier than it sounds. Simply cut out circles from the defrosted dough and place an apple slice on each circle. I should point out that this is not just a boring, raw apple. The slices are first fried in a puddle of butter, which prevents dry, leathery slices and gives them a rich flavor. Before serving, sprinkle the baked rounds with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Shortcake “Millionaire”
Did someone say shortbread? I know the perfect filling: soft, slightly chewy caramel. Top it off with a thick layer of dark chocolate and you’ve got yourself a millionaire shortcake. Millionaire shortbread cookies are usually cut into bars, but there is no law against cutting them into pie-like slices.
Eggless Key Lime Pie
It may be 25°F outside, but you can still enjoy a summer treat. This three-ingredient key lime pie uses sweetened condensed milk as the clutch’s main ingredient, adding sweetness and texture. If you’re looking for a vegan option using condensed coconut milk, try this recipe . Other key lime pie recipes that can be refrigerated and served use cream cheese or whipped cream to create a fluffier base. Before you settle on a recipe, decide whether you want something thick and silky or light and fluffy, and then choose your base accordingly. Whichever option you choose, be sure to let it set in the refrigerator before slicing.
fried dough
There is fine dining and there is comfort food. Fried dough in all its global variations is the most enjoyable. Take the stress away, grab a bag of pre-made pizza dough from the refrigerator or freezer and turn it into your favorite deep-fried treat at the county fair. Fry the pieces and dust them with powdered sugar for a simple batch of zeppolas, or try making fried Oreo cookies. Wrap the dough around the cookies, seal the seam well and fry.
Tres Leches cake without eggs
Tres leches is a single-layer, open-crust cake perfect for soaking in a sweet mixture of three different types of milk. Condensed milk, whole milk and sweetened condensed milk are mixed and poured over the crust. The open crumble absorbs liquid for several hours and is finished with a whipped topping. The crust usually calls for eggs, but luckily there are recipes that don’t call for it . If you want to stick with the original milk soak, mix genres and bake a vegan cake, then soak it in three classic milks.
Confectionery
Most confectionery products have the texture of melted sugar or melted chocolate and don’t even use eggs. Try making a honeycomb on the stovetop, or melt some chocolate and scoop up the inclusions to create a gorgeous chocolate bark . Add peanuts to hot, buttery caramel and cool on a thin sheet for a delicious peanut brittle . Break these confections into large or small pieces and store them in airtight containers to keep moisture out.