Happy Diwali! Celebrate the festival of light with these delicious, Indian Diwali sweets including Ladoo, Burfi, Halwa and more from different regions of India. Eat them yourself or give them as gifts! All Dairy-free Eggless Vegan. This post was published Nov 7, 2015

Diwali is the Indian festival of lights and one of the bigger Hindu festivals celebrated in many parts of India. The festival spiritually signifies the victory of good over evil and celebrates kindness, compassion, prosperity, love and sharing. Before Diwali, people clean, and decorate their homes. People dress up in festive clothes, light up diyas (lamps and candles) inside and outside their home, participate in family pooja (prayers) typically to Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Followed by fireworks, a family get together, loads of great food ( appetizers, lots of mains and sides), including mithai (sweets).

People also visit family and friends and exchange gifts in the days before the festival, and these Diwali sweets make great gifts, as well!

Indian sweets and desserts often use milk solids – khoya, clarified butter – ghee, fresh cheese- chenna, milk, cream and other forms of dairy, but you don’t need these to make delicious desserts! I have a huge collection of vegan Indian Diwali sweets, including burfis, halwas and ladoos along with fusion desserts like my Ras Malai Tres leches cake, Carrot Halwa cheesecake and pistachio kulfi tiramisu that will please a crowd. Let’s reduce the pain and suffering of moms by choosing dairy-free options for Diwali festival!
If you try any of these sweets and desserts, do let me know how you and your family liked them!

HAPPY DIWALI!!!

If you’re looking for more Diwali recipes, don’t miss my vegan Diwali menu! It uses one base sauce to create a 3-course meal plus rice! And if you don’t do onion or garlic, I have a no onion no garlic Diwali menu, as well. Any of these Diwali sweets would be amazing with these menus!

Continue reading: 40+ Vegan Diwali Sweets Recipes

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Chickpea tikka masala puffs!! Chickpeas and veggies in a super delicious 1-bowl, No cook tikka masala sauce, stuffed into crisp puff pastry pockets. These are perfect for holiday parties!

These are another quick appetizer that will be a hit at your next dinner party or Diwali party! They use this one-bowl, no-cook tikka masala sauce that you mix with chickpeas and vegetables then stuff into a puff pastry sheet. Bake, and you’ve got these crisp, savory, super delicious tikka masala puff pastries that are party perfect!

For extra creaminess, you can even add some vegan cheese or cream cheese to the pastries before folding and baking.

Tikka masala puffs are super simple, super delicious and also really versatile. The sauce has a ton of flavor, so it will work with any protein you like. If you don’t like chickpeas, you can use some white beans, torn up tofu, or chickpea tofu. You can also use soaked and drained soy curls or vegan chicken instead, as well. 

If you make these into small hand pies, they’re easy to serve and you won’t have to dirty any extra dishes, because your party guests won’t even need a plate to enjoy these amazing appetizer. It’s a win-win in every which way!

You can also make these ahead. Simply roll out your puff pastry, add the filling, shape them, and then freeze until the day of serving. When you bake, you may just need to add a few minutes to the end of baking time to cook them through from frozen.

Why You’ll Love Tikka Masala Puffs

• easy, 1-bowl, no cook tikka masala sauce that’s full of flavor with any plant-based protein you like!
• simple and fun to make
• perfect for Diwali or any other holiday party
• naturally soy-free and nut-free with gluten-free option

Continue reading: Chickpea Tikka Masala Puffs (savory pastries with Tikka masala sauce)

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Cozy, hearty spinach cheese stuffed Mushroom Parmesan, is a one-pan dinner that your family is going to love! Even the orzo pasta bakes up in the pan with the cheesy mushrooms and marinara sauce! 1 pan, 1 baking Step!

I wanted to make a simple mushroom parmesan pasta bake, because I had plenty of mushrooms on hand. And I wanted to reduce the pans and time in the kitchen. Enter this cozy 1 Pan Orzo bake!

The mushrooms are stuffed with this delicious spinach-tofu-cheese mixture that I often use to make stuffed shells, then I top it with a cruncy breadcrumb topping and pair it with a pasta, I use orzo, but other shapes will work too! The pasta and the sauce at the bottom, topped with cheesy stuffed mushrooms, and a crisp breadcrumb topping. Everything cooks in just one pan and one baking step!

The prep is very simple. Just make your spinach-tofu-cheese mixture by adding everything to a bowl and mixing it. Prep your mushrooms by removing the stems, and that’s it!  

It’s an easy recipe that’s pretty flexible, too. You can add some veggie grounds or vegan ground meat substitute in with the pasta sauce to add extra protein to the meal. The recipe is already nut-free, and it’s easy to make soy-free and gluten-free, too.

You want to use about two- to three-inch mushrooms. Larger mushrooms take longer to cook, and pasta will overcook in that much time, so medium-sized works best here. I also use the mushroom stems in the recipe, so don’t discard them. Just trim away the tough end of the stem and discard that, but save the rest of the stem to chop up into the pasta sauce.

I paired this mushroom parmesan with orzo pasta, because it cooks up really easily in the baking dish and it works out just amazing. You can add a different pasta of choice, as well, just bake a few minutes longer until the pasta is cooked to preference. 

Why You’ll Love Mushroom Parmesan

• hearty mushrooms with marinara sauce and pasta
• cheesy spinach and tofu topping with crunchy breadcrumbs on top
• easy to make in 1 pan in under an hour
• naturally nut-free with easy gluten-free and soy-free options

Continue reading: Mushroom Parmesan Pasta Bake (1-pan, nut-free, with soy-free and gluten-free options)

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This is a super delicious tofu tray bake with tofu and vegetables tossed in a delicious jerk inspired marinade and roasted. Just marinate and spread on a pan and bake! Serve just as-is or in a wrap, over a bed of rice or quinoa, or over salad greens. Easy 1 Pan weeknight meal. Soyfree option

This tray bake dinner is super easy and it’s super flavorful. I make an easy blender marinade with lots of herbs and spices. Then the tofu and veggies are tossed in the marinade, spread on a baking sheet and baked! And that’s it. This tray bake can be served as is or over cooked grains or over a salad, or a wrap. The caramelized herbed veggies and the crisped up flavorful tofu are heavenly.

The marinade is inspired by Jamaican jerk marinade, but I changed it a bit, omitting some of the spices you find in jerk seasoning, like allspice and cinnamon. You can add those for even more flavor.  

This goes well with any kind of protein that you’re want to use. If you don’t want to use tofu, just add some chickpeas, chickpea tofu, soaked and drained soy curls, or your favorite vegan chicken substitute. 

You can add more veggies to your tofu tray bake, and you definitely want to double or triple the marinade to keep on hand, so you can toss it in whatever veggies and proteins you want, whether you want to bake or or pan fry them. The marinade is just amazing either which way, so let’s make it!

Why You’ll Love this Tofu Tray Bake

• easy 1-pan meal with almost no active cooking time
• flavorful jerk seasoning-inspired marinade is amazing on the tofu and the veggies
• versatile! Use your plant-based protein and veggies of choice.
• make-ahead up to 2 days
• naturally gluten-free and nut-free with easy soy-free options

Continue reading: Tofu Tray Bake (gluten-free, nut-free)

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These vegan gluten-free almond flour snickerdoodles are easy and delicious! I use my dependable almond flour cookie base and coat it in cinnamon sugar. They have the perfect crinkly top and are crisp on the outside and soft in the center.

I coated mine in brown sugar and cinnamon. You could use coconut sugar instead, but the color will be a bit darker than the snickerdoodles in the pictures.  For a lighter look, you can easily substitute white sugar for the coating.

These cookies are perfect for all lovers of cinnamon-y goodness and definitely a welcome addition to our regular repertoire of cookie recipes.  I make these year-round for my friends and family. You can change up the spice to chia spice, pumpkin spice or other for variation!

More vegan cookie recipes:

• Almond Flour Ginger Molasses Cookies
• Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies
• Vegan Pistachio Cookie Recipe
• German Chocolate Cookies

Print

Almond Flour Snickerdoodles

These almond flour snickerdoodles are vegan and gluten-free yet perfectly crispy and chewy, and with the signature crinkly top that makes them the eye-catcher on every cookie platter. So easy to make and kids and adults alike love them. 

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword vegan snickerdoodles

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Chill time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Calories 116kcal

Author Vegan Richa

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond flour I use super fine blanched almond flour
• 3 tablespoons tapioca starch or use other starch of choice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the wet ingredients

• 1.5 tablespoon melted refined coconut oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For coating the cookies:

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Press and mix so that the almond flour lumps break down
• Then add the wet ingredients and mix into a sticky dough. Chill this dough in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. If the dough after half an hour is still a bit too sticky, add in 1 tablespoon of almond flour, or oat flour, and mix in
• In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and brown sugar and set aside. Prep your baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
• Preheat the oven to 335 degrees Fahrenheit (170 deg C ) . Make equal scoops of the dough and roll it into a ball then flatten it lightly and press into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Coat on either all sides or just one side and then the edges and then place on the parchment lined baking sheet.
• Repeat for all the dough. Depending on the size you’ll get 6 large cookies or 8-10 small .
• Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes depending o the size of your cookie.
• Remove from the oven. The cookie will be soft when it is just out of the oven. Let it cool for 10 minutes then move it into a cooling rack and let it continue to cool completely.

Video

Notes

• Store on the counter in a covered container for up to a 2 weeks. These cookies are best fresh for the first  4/5 days 
• For variations, you can change up the spice in the cookie to cardamom, chai spice, saffron, pumpkin spice or other flavors.
• To make this oil-free, substitute the oil with tahini or smooth nut butter just omit the oil and add more maple instead 

Nutrition

Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 22mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Ingredients:

• almond flour –  I use  super fine almond flour from blanched almonds. This recipe is made for almond flour. The only substitutes that work. Are another nut flour. For regular flour cookies, see these.
• tapioca starch gives them more stability – you can use another starch of choice, like cornstarch, potato starch
• as fat we use refined coconut oil to keep it neutral tasting. Virgin works as well
• maple syrup – these are naturally sweetened with maple syrup
• vanilla – always
•  salt brings out the sweetness some more
• baking soda gives these the signature crinkly top
• these would not be snickerdoodles without a hefty dose of cinnamon both in dough and topping
• the signature snickerdoodle look is achieved by coating the cookie dough balls with a mix of cinnamon and brown sugar before baking

Tips :

• You can use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar for the topping to make these completely refined sugar-free
• To make these oil-free, substitute the oil with tahini or almond butter or just omit the oil and add more maple syrup

How to make Vegan Almond Flour Snickerdoodle Cookies

In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Press and mix so that the almond flour lumps are broken down really well.

Then add the wet ingredients and mix them into a sticky dough. Chill this dough for at least half an hour. If the dough after half an hour is still a bit too sticky after, add in 1 tablespoon of almond flour or oat flour and mix in.

In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and brown sugar really well and set aside. Prep your baking sheet by lining it with a sheet of parchment paper.

Preheat the oven to 335 degrees Fahrenheit (170 deg C ) . Make equal scoops of the dough, roll it into a ball, flatten it lightly, and press into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Coat on either all sides or just one side and then the edges and then place on the parchment lined baking sheet.

Repeat for all the dough. For larger cookies, you will get about 6 cookies. Smaller cookies would be about 8-10.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes depending o the size of your cookie.

Remove from the oven. The cookie will be soft when it is just out of the oven. Let it cool for 10 minutes then move it into a cooling rack and let it continue to cool completely.

Storage

Store on the counter in a covered container for up to a 2 weeks. These cookies are best fresh for the first few days. Refrigerate for freshness and longer storage.

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Vegan sausage pasta sauce skillet with white beans, walnuts, sun dried tomato, is a simple, one-pan recipe that comes together really quickly with everyday ingredients. Instead of adding pasta or gnocchi to this umami rich sauce, we add beans to it, for a protein-packed Smoky Bean Stew. Gluten-free

I love adding beans to various kinds of sauces. Be it Indian sauces or pasta sauces, like my rose sauce beans, spinach Alfredo beans or stroganoff beans!. In this version, I make a simple and delicious sausage pasta sauce. For the sausage we use chopped walnuts and mushroom with tons of sausage-y seasonings — like fennel seeds, smoked paprika, pepper flakes, and Italian herbs. This makes the mixture taste and feel like a browned sausage crumble! This mixture then gets cooked along with the aromatics for the quickest from-scratch vegan sausage crumble EVER.

Then, you just add some tomatoes, tomato paste, vegan cheese, and water to make a delicious, simple sauce that you can add beans to, like I’ve done here, or you can add pasta or gnocchi to it. Or, if you want to have it all, you can add the beans to the sauce and serve it over pasta!

You can also serve this as a herbed Bean stew or use this sauce over a baked potato or roasted cauliflower steaks or just serve it as-is with some garlic bread or toasted sourdough.

Why You’ll Love Bean Sausage Pasta Sauce skillet

• 30-minute, 1-pan meal that’s packed with flavor
• from-scratch vegan sausage crumble cooks in the pan with the sauce to save time and dishes
• tons of sausage-y flavor without any meat!
• creamy, flavorful sauce with tons of umami from sun dried tomatoes
• gluten-free, and soy-free with nutfree option

Continue reading: White Bean Sausage Pasta Sauce Skillet (1 pan, 30 minutes)

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This is a simple, warming, one-pot veggie white bean stew that is perfect for dinner on a chilly evening. It’s packed with veggies and beans and browned mushroom and has an absolutely amazing flavor! Nut-free. Options for gluten-free, soy-free

The secret to this veggie bean stew’s flavor is in the mushrooms. I sauté some mushrooms beforehand, and then set them aside, adding them into the stew at the end of cooking. This helps the mushrooms keep that nice, roasted flavor, which adds so much umami to this stew! 

If you boil the mushrooms in the stew, the texture kind of changes a bit, and the flavor isn’t as strong. However, if you prefer to do it that way, it will still work and taste delicious!

Why You’ll Love Veggie Bean Stew

• cozy, one-pot meal that’s packed with veggies and FLAVOR!
• ready in just over 30 minutes
• use any type of white beans you like!
• naturally nut-free with easy soy-free option

More Cozy Soups and Stews

Main Course

GOGluten Free OptionNFNut-FreeSOSoy Free Option

One Pot Veggie Bean Stew (nut-free )

Soups

GFGluten FreeGOGluten Free OptionNFNut-FreeSFSoy Free

Creamy Lasagna Soup (1 pan 30 minute)

One Pot Meals

GFGluten FreeGRGrain FreeNFNut-FreeSFSoy Free

Herbed Red Lentil Chickpea Stew (1 pan, nut-free, soy-free, gluten-free)

One Pot Meals

GFGluten FreeNFNut-FreeSOSoy Free Option

One-Pot Mushroom Noodle Soup

Continue reading: One Pot Veggie Bean Stew (nut-free )

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If you love stuffed peppers, you are going to love this unstuffed pepper casserole! It has all the amazing flavors and textures of stuffed bell peppers without needing to fuss with stuffing each pepper and needing a knife when you eat it. Options for gluten-free Soyfree Nutfree

Unstuffed pepper casserole with rice is super easy, two-step casserole where everything bakes up in the casserole dish, so you don’t have to stand around to sautéing ingredients on the stovetop. Most of the active cooking time is just chopping up the ingredients and then quickly mixing them together in the pan. 

Even the rice cooks in the oven rather than on the stovetop!

I use veggie grounds in the dish, but you can also use lentils, chopped soy curls, or other vegan meat substitutes instead, if you prefer.

A crunchy breadcrumb and cheese mixture tops off this unstuffed pepper casserole, but if you want to make it gluten-free, you can omit the breadcrumbs and just use cheese. 

We bake the aromatics and peppers first then add everything else to the pan to bake! It’s a versatile casserole. Change up the herbs and flavors to preference. Add some chickpeas to the mix. Use a mix of rice and quinoa!

Why You’ll Love Unstuffed Pepper Casserole

• all of the flavors of stuffed peppers with less work
• No need to stuff individual peppers, no need to make the filling separately! Just add to 1 Pan
• veggie-packed casserole that cooks all in one baking dish
• crunchy, cheesy topping!
• easily made gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

Continue reading: Unstuffed Pepper Casserole (Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers!)

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Thecha dal, an Indian red lentil dal that you know and love with a spicy, nutty, umami-packed addition! Blistered chilies garlic are pounded with peanuts to make a chili chutney, and swirled to the lentil soup to make a flavorful dal!

Thecha is a green chili condiment often served alongside many Indian dishes. This green chili chutney from the Indian state of Maharashtra is the preferred side with flatbreads like Bhakri( millet or sorghum flatbread). It is a spicy, nutty mix of green chilies, garlic, and peanuts, lightly blistered and then ground up with a mortar and pestle into a coarse mixture.

We make the Thecha chutney from scratch. It is a delicious spicy garlic chili chutney! You can also serve it as a side, like a chutney, or add to sandwiches or to your Indian spread.

In this Lentil dal, Thecha, the roasted green chili, garlic, peanut condiment gets swirled into this dal for a complex flavor and comforting meal!

Use whichever lentils of choice and make double protein of Thecha to use later in sandwiches or on garlic bread!

Why You’ll Love Thecha Dal

• cozy Indian dal with flavorful garlic-chili-peanut topping
• easy, 30 minute meal
• naturally soy-free and gluten-free

More Vegan Dal Recipes

• Masoor Dal Tadka
• Dhaba-Style Butter Dal
• Punjabi Dal Fry
• Turmeric Spinach Golden Lentil Dal
• Mom’s Moong Dal

Continue reading: Thecha Dal – Red Lentil Dal with Blistered Chilies and Garlic(soy-free, gluten-free)

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This Italian herb and sun-dried tomato Red Lentil chickpea stew is a super easy, one-pan, meal that is so satisfying and flavorful! It makes a delicious, protein-packed weeknight meal with garlic bread or sourdough to dip, or serve it over pasta, baked potato, or roasted vegetables.

This high protein vegan stew uses both chickpeas and red lentils. The stew has a simple base of aromatics, herbs, sun dried tomato, vegan parmesan and non dairy milk. The red lentils break down during cooking and thicken up the stew, so you don’t necessarily need a cream addition. You can even serve it over roasted veggies or with garlic bread or however else you like. No matter how you serve it, this lentil chickpea stew is a perfect, easy meal for a cool, spring evening.

If you’re looking to change up your game from making all of the lentil curries or chickpea curries, this chickpea lentil stew is for you. It uses Italian herbs and oregano ,mirepoix and some sun-dried tomato for all that umami flavor in the sauce, and it is amazing over some toasted garlic bread or sourdough or over pasta or baked potato.

I also offer an option to make this into a curried lentil chickpea stew with just a simple adjustment to the spices.

Why you will love this Lentil Chickpea Stew

• easy, one pot meal that’s packed with protein and flavor
• versatile! Use other cooked lentils and use cooked chickpeas, white beans, or butter beans. You can also change the flavor to curried, if you like.
• tender beans in a thick, flavorful sauce
• naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

Continue reading: Herbed Red Lentil Chickpea Stew (1 pan, nut-free, soy-free, gluten-free)

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