Make this 4th of July memorable with vegan desserts that are new yet traditional.  While vegans do not typically eat white cane sugar due to the animal remains used in the refining process, there are many other sweeteners vegans can use to make yummy desserts.  Many vegans will eat beet sugar since its manufacturing process does not involve animal remains.  Some other alternative sweeteners for vegans include brown rice syrup, yacon syrup, agave nectar, maple syrup, stevia, Sucanat, and evaporated cane juice.

For delicious 4th of July vegan desserts, try some of these ideas.

1. Patriotic Parfait

In parfait cups, wine glasses, or other clear cups, layer blueberries, strawberries, and unsweetened flaked coconut for a red, white and blue dessert.  Drizzle agave nectar over each layer if you like.  As a variation, try using sliced bananas instead of coconut, blackberries instead of blueberries, and cherries instead of strawberries.

2. Cocoa-nut Balls

Grind 1 cup of raw, unsalted almonds in a blender or food processor until fine.  To the ground almonds, add:

1/4 cup safflower oil
1/4 cup coconut oil
Blend well. Then add:
2 cups of cocoa powder
1/3 cup agave nectar (adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp. salt

Blend these ingredients until a stiff dough forms.  Form into balls and roll in unsweetened coconut.

3. Fruit Smoothies

On a hot July evening, fruit smoothies are a refreshing dessert.  Here are some combinations you might try, using frozen fruit or adding ice cubes if using fresh:

-mangoes, bananas, and lime juice
-strawberries, bananas, and orange juice
-blueberries, strawberries, and bananas
-oranges, grapefruit, and strawberries

In addition to these recipes, here are some general guidelines for making vegan desserts for the 4th of July.

-Replace honey in recipes with agave nectar, yacon syrup, or brown rice syrup.
-Replace white sugar with evaporated cane juice.
-Replace brown sugar with Sucanat.
-Replace butter with another solid fat like vegan margarine, coconut oil, or vegetable shortening.
-Add stevia to smoothies if they need sweetening without affecting the consistency.
-If you are not comfortable using conventional powdered white sugar, look for vegan powdered sugar or whiz some evaporated cane juice in the blender until it is fine.