You'll definitely want to add these beautiful, healthier (and easy!) Vegan Coconut Easter Eggs to your menu this year. Made with just a few simple ingredients and coated in dark chocolate, they're the perfect mix of kid and adult friendly!
We love, love, love these Vegan Coconut Easter Eggs at the Crowded Kitchen household. They're perfectly coco-nutty, rich, sweet and coated in luscious dark chocolate for the perfect bite.
If you've been reading our posts for a while, you'll know that my husband (Brent) is a notoriously picky eater. He single-handedly ate half of this batch, so I'd say that's a ringing endorsement.
My grandpa (who's currently living with us through the COVID-19 pandemic), allegedly hates coconut. Guess who ate the other half of the batch?
Yep, grandpa. (Okay, to be fair, he has dementia. But we couldn't stop him from eating these. And if he's happy, we're happy!)
Anyways, now that you know where we all stand on these homemade vegan coconut Easter eggs, you should definitely give them a try. Keep them simple with a plain coconut filling, or add natural food coloring for festive colors. We did both!
Enjoy plain, or top with flaky salt, coconut flakes, chopped nuts, or whatever else your heart desires. Since we're all spending a lot more time at home these days, it's the perfect time to try your hand at homemade Easter candy!
If these are a success, we've got a few more homemade vegan candy recipes for you to try. Our favorites: Vegan Twix bars, Almond Joy bites, Rice Krispie Treats and Peanut Butter Cups.
How to make Vegan Coconut Easter Eggs
These vegan coconut Easter eggs consist of two components. A coconut cashew filling (shaped into an egg) and a rich dark chocolate coating. Plus toppings, if your heart so desires.
Coconut filling
The coconut cashew filling comes together in just a few minutes in a food processor.
Pulse together shredded, unsweetened coconut, raw cashews, coconut cream, agave nectar (or maple syrup), melted coconut oil, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Process until it comes together – you should be able to pinch between your fingers without it falling apart.
Coconut + cashews Finished filling
Before shaping the filling into an egg shape, it's best to chill in the refrigerator or freezer for about 20 minutes. This makes the filling much easier to shape, and it won't stick to your hands quite as much.
Next, use a cookie dough scoop to portion even amounts of filling. Use your hands to roll into a ball, then flatten slightly and elongate the ends into an oval egg shape. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, then refrigerate for another 10 minutes.
Natural food coloring ideas
We divided this batch in half and added pitaya (pink dragonfruit) powder to one half for a beautiful pink hue. We love using natural superfood powders for food coloring. No weird additives, 100% safe, and honestly, more vibrant colors!
Here are a few suggestions for natural food colorings. Simply add a pinch to the food processor with the rest of the filling ingredients.
Suncore Foods makes an incredible range of colorful powders – we use them all the time! All of the products recommended below are from Suncore (not sponsored, we just love them).
- Pink: Pitaya powder makes for an intense, stunning pink! It also tastes great, so you don't have to be worried about adding too much.
- Blue: Blue butterfly pea powder for a deeper royal blue, or blue spirulina for aqua. Both have a more intense flavor, so add a very small amount and taste before adding more.
- Green: Matcha would be my first choice. You can always combine with a very small amount of spirulina for more of a blue-green.
- Yellow: A small pinch of turmeric will do the trick, but it might not taste great if you use too much. This Yellow Goldenberry Powder is a sweeter option.
- Purple: There are a few great options for purple. Purple sweet potato powder (the most vibrant option!), açai or violet grape.
Chocolate + toppings
We opted for dark chocolate (70%+) and melted in 30 second intervals in the microwave. Stir well between each interval and add in about a teaspoon of coconut oil to loosen up the chocolate.
Once the eggs have hardened in the fridge, dip each one in chocolate, using a fork. Let the excess chocolate drip off the bottom, then transfer to parchment paper-lined tray. Return to fridge for a few minutes.
Top off with an extra drizzle of chocolate, then sprinkle on any toppings. We used crushed rose petals (totally optional, but so pretty!!), flaky salt (my favorite) and coconut flakes. You could also use crushed nuts, freeze-dried fruit, etc.
How to store Vegan Dark Chocolate Coconut Easter Eggs
Finish up your vegan coconut Easter eggs by letting them set in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Then, you can either set them out for people to enjoy, or store.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge with each layer separated by parchment paper. They keep very well in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can keep them at room temp for a few hours, but any longer and they will get pretty messy.
Alternatively, you can store in the freezer for up to a month. Just be sure to separate each layer with parchment paper so they don't stick!
More Vegan Recipes to add to your Easter Menu
- Vegan Paella - not traditional, but a wonderful vegan main dish that the whole family will love.
- Vegan Ricotta and Asparagus Tart - the perfect Spring brunch or appetizer!
- Spring Potato Salad with Asparagus and Peas
- Harissa Roasted Carrots With Toasted Hazelnuts and Pomegranate - next level roasted carrots!
- Natural Vegan Food Coloring For Frosting - a great post to check out for cookie/cupcake/cake decorating with natural colors.
- Vegan Chocolate Pie - one of our all-time favorite dessert recipes! We have yet to meet someone that doesn't love this recipe.
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes - these are just divine. Plus, they're vegan and gluten free!
- Hummus 4 Ways - these homemade hummus recipes also happen to be gorgeous Spring hues (pink, light green and orange!). The perfect addition to a beautiful snack board.
If you make these Vegan Dark Chocolate Coconut Easter Eggs, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.
Print
Vegan Coconut Easter Eggs
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12-15 eggs 1x
Description
You'll definitely want to add these beautiful, healthier (and easy!) Vegan Coconut Easter Eggs to your menu this year. Made with just a few simple ingredients and coated in dark chocolate, they're the perfect mix of kid and adult friendly!
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups desiccated (shredded) coconut
- 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
- ¼ cup coconut cream (from a can)
- ¼ cup agave nectar or maple syrup
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 12 oz dark chocolate, melted
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- Optional: 2 tsp pitaya powder for pink filling
- Toppings: flaky sea salt, toasted coconut, rose petals, nuts, freeze dried fruit, etc.
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse cashews and coconut for 10 seconds. Add coconut cream, agave, coconut oil, vanilla and salt and continue processing until a dough forms. You should be able to pinch between your fingers without it crumbling.
- Refrigerate or freeze filling for about 20 minutes. This is optional, but it makes it much easier to form the egg shape.
- Using a cookie scoop, portion out filling into evenly-sized balls (about 2 tbsp each). Using your hands, roll into a ball, then flatten slightly and elongate the ends to form into oval egg shape. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each interval. Stir in coconut oil.
- Using a fork, dip each egg in chocolate. Let excess chocolate drip off, then transfer back to parchment paper. Let chocolate harden for a few minutes, then drizzle each egg with more chocolate.
- Optional: top each egg with flaky salt, chopped nuts, coconut, etc. Transfer to refrigerator to harden for 10-15 minutes.
Notes
You can store these at room temperature for a few hours, but anything longer than that, we suggest storing in the fridge. Separate each layer with parchment paper so they don't stick together. They can also be frozen for up to a month.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Freezer
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: vegan coconut easter eggs
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