15 Heavenly Plant-Based Caramel Desserts for Fall

Caramel is a deliciously sweet, rich, versatile, and easy-to-make confectionery product. It goes well with ice creams, pies, cakes, milkshakes, cookies, popsicles, brownies, and just about anything you can think of! Here are 15 vegan caramel recipes that may just be the highlights of your fall season!

1. Coffee Ice Cream With Salted Caramel

Source: Coffee Ice Cream With Salted Caramel

Need your caffeine fix in a dessert? This Coffee Ice Cream With Salted Caramel by Kimberly Espinel is made from cashews, dates, strong-brewed coffee, and a secret ingredient — sweet potatoes. But you (nor anyone else) would be able to tell. It has a rich salted caramel swirl within, but be sure to save some for drizzling on top, along with crunchy coffee beans.

2. Caramel Peach Pie

Source: Caramel Peach Pie

Celebrate the late summer’s bounty with this lush and delicious Caramel Peach Pie by Elsa Brobbey with hints of sultry caramel. Slices of juicy peaches are tossed with custard powder (or cornstarch), caramel sauce, lemon juice, sugar, and a hint of warm spices, then baked in a simple pie dough until the fruit bubbles and breaks down and the sugar-sprinkled crust browns and turns flaky. The result is a firm aromatic pie that is luscious and creamy and bright and tastes like summer.

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3. Tahini Caramel Bars

Source: Tahini Caramel Bars

These homemade Tahini Caramel Bars by Alison Marras made with tahini are a reader favorite for good reason. The shortbread cookie crust piled high with date-based caramel and tahini is a killer combo, smothered in melted chocolate to top it all off. You can use another nut or seed butter; the flavor will be different, but still delicious and Twix-like. Store them in the freezer to pick at, not that they’ll last very long!

4. Crunchy Caramel Slice

Source: Crunchy Caramel Slice

Who doesn’t love caramel? While it’s usually just full of different kinds of refined sugars, there are great ways to create healthy caramel like the one in this recipe! A fudgy chocolate base is followed by a delicious cream layer, a crunchy corn flake caramel middle, and topped with an ultra-smooth chocolate frosting – drooling yet? That’s not all; there is a full can of chickpeas and a whole avocado hidden in this Crunch Caramel Slice by Kirsten Kaminski.

5. Dairy-Free Salted Caramel Chunky Milkshake

Source: Dairy-Free Salted Caramel Chunky Milkshake

Homemade shakes are incredibly easy, yet have such amazing flavor payoff. Make your next milkshake at home with this Dairy-Free Salted Caramel Chunky Milkshake by Shanika Graham-White. This shake is chocolatey, and creamy, and has just the right amount of homemade caramel sauce drizzled over the top.

6. Salted Caramel Tarts

Source: Salted Caramel Tarts

Are you a fan of salted caramel? If so, this recipe is gonna be right up your street! Light, creamy, and surprisingly healthy, these little Salted Caramel Tarts by Harriet Porterfield are just what you need to celebrate the start of spring. No bake, dairy, gluten, and refined sugar-free, they’re the perfect dessert for when you want something sweet yet light.

7. Easy White Chocolate Caramel Healthy Cookies

Sources: Easy White Chocolate Caramel Healthy Cookies

Made with an oaty base, gooey caramel center, and white chocolate topping, these Easy White Chocolate Caramel Healthy Cookies by Hayley Canning are honestly so so delicious!

8. Salted Caramel Chocolate Truffles

Source: Salted Caramel Chocolate Truffles

Date caramel is a great kind of vegan caramel. It takes only a few minutes to whip up, dip in chocolate, and top with flaky sea salt. A simple little treat. Feel free to keep these Salted Caramel Chocolate Truffles by Ciarra Siller in your freezer and then defrost a few at a time for about 15 minutes before devouring them.

Reprinted with permission from Vegan Chocolate Treats by Ciarra Siller, Page Street Publishing Co. 2020. Photo credit: Ciarra Siller

9. Popcorn Bars With Caramel, Chocolate, And Peanut Butter

Source: Popcorn Bars With Caramel, Chocolate, And Peanut Butter

Popcorn bars are as delicious as they sound. These Popcorn Bars With Caramel, Chocolate, And Peanut Butter by Maria Engbjerg are at once and the same time both chewy, crispy, crunchy, sticky, and some of the best you will taste.

10. Chocolate Coconut Caramel Cookie Bars

Source: Chocolate Coconut Caramel Cookie Bars

This is what happens when a Bounty bar and a Mars bar meet: Chocolate Coconut Caramel Cookie Bars! A thick layer of date caramel on a coconutty crust dipped in lush vegan chocolate. Coconut butter is the ingredient making these delicious bars by Tiina Strandberg taste creamy and rich. Did you know you can make coconut butter by blending shredded coconut in your high-speed blender or food processor? Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of coconut oil to make it blend better. Keep on blending until you have a smooth buttery consistency. Use gluten-free rolled oats to make these caramel bars gluten-free.

Reprinted with permission from Fantastic Vegan Cookies by Tiina Strandberg, Page Street Publishing Co. 2021. Photo credit: Tiina Strandberg

11. Caramel Popsicle

Source: Caramel Popsicle

Vegan caramel ice cream! What is special about this recipe? It is purely vegetable, and cream-free, and does not require an ice machine. You simply pour the delicious mixture into ice cream molds and enjoy it on a stick. This Caramel Popsicle by Melanie Kropfl is spectacular!

12. Caramel Apple Pie Cookies

Source: Caramel Apple Pie Cookies

These Caramel Apple Pie Cookies by Tiina Strandberg are like tiny apple pies with a drizzle of caramel. The cozy ingredients of these cookies—applesauce, pecans, apples, and caramel together with the delicious fall spices of cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg—form an irresistible combination. The look of these cookies is rustic, and they are easy to make. So why not try these the next time you’re craving apple pie?

Reprinted with permission from Fantastic Vegan Cookies by Tiina Strandberg, Page Street Publishing Co. 2021. Photo credit: Tiina Strandberg

13. Black Bean Fudge Brownies With Sweet Potato Caramel

Source: Black Bean Fudge Brownies With Sweet Potato Caramel

Everybody loves brownies, but brownies with caramel are by far the best. This recipe uses rich chocolate, black bean, and date brownie batter and then marbles homemade sweet potato caramel throughout the dessert. You have to try these Black Bean Fudge Brownies With Sweet Potato Caramel by Ashley Madden.

14. Caramel Coffee Layer Cake

Source: Caramel Coffee Layer Cake

If you are a fan of coffee, especially caramel coffee drinks, then this Caramel Coffee Layer Cake by Holly Jade was made for you. This cake itself is rich, moist, light, fluffy, and delicious! Plus, it’s super quick and easy to make; who says baking from scratch has to be a hassle? On top of being extraordinarily delicious and simple, this dessert has 4 gorgeous layers, an elegant caramel buttercream coating, and a chocolate drizzle.

15. Mocha Caramel Ice Cream With Almonds and Dark Chocolate Chunks

Source: Mocha Caramel Ice Cream With Almonds and Dark Chocolate Chunks

This Mocha Caramel Ice Cream With Almonds and Dark Chocolate Chunks by Larice Feuerstein is smooth, rich, and chocolatey with hints of coffee flavor, chunks of almond and dark chocolate, and ribbons of homemade caramel. Despite all this decadence, it is free from dairy and refined sugars, obtaining its perfect sweet, caramel flavor only with dates.

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