Food

7 Vegan, Nutrient-Rich No-Bake Desserts That Taste Like a Ray of Sunshine

Discover seven delicious vegan desserts that will turn heads the moment they enter the room, and require zero baking (or baking skills).

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Photo: Stocksy/Giada Canu
Updated Jan 9, 2024

Written by 

Maki Yazawa

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Whether it’s the beads of sweat accumulating on your upper lip or your back glistening like the misty air that radiates from a waterfall—these, my friend, are dead giveaways that summer’s sweltering heat has officially entered the chat. As everyone claws their way outdoors to celebrate the sunshine and warmer days, poolside festivities and outdoor BBQs quickly become all the rage. Next thing you know, you’re tasked with bringing a supersized pasta salad, a dip for the masses to munch on, and a dessert fit for the entire friend group.

If the last thing you want to do is crank on the oven to bake a cake meanwhile simultaneously transforming your house into the Saharan desert, we’ve gathered the best no-bake (and very *cool*) vegan desserts to bring to your next shindig. From vegan brownie bites to creamy flan to matcha swirl cheesecake, we’ve got you covered. Best of all, you won’t even break a sweat— literally. Granted: These no-bake vegan desserts come in handy no matter the time of year (and not just in the summertime), especially if your oven is piled high with pots and pans.

7 no-bake vegan desserts for summer (or any time of year)

Brownie

1. Brownie Bites

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Photo: Minimalist Baker

Just like a great BOGO deal, this recipe combines energy bites and dessert all into one. Made with just seven ingredients, one food processor, and a quick 15 minutes, you can enjoy this luscious and chocolatey brownie bites recipe by Minimalist Baker in no time. Rich in antioxidants (from the chocolate) and omega-3s (from the hemp seeds, walnuts, and almond butter), this recipe is one of the most delicious and easy no-bake desserts that’s perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth all summer long. BTW, on the hunt for the best vegan chocolate? We’ve got you covered.

Get the recipe: No-Bake Brownie Bites 

Puddings and Custards

2. Flan

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Photo: Minimalist Baker

Feel as though you’re on a tropical island getaway with this vegan flan by Minimalist Baker that’s eggless and dairy-free but still creamy, smooth, and entirely delicious. For the iconic caramel layer, recipe developer Dana Schultz uses coconut sugar in the place of refined sugars for the deep, rich, and golden sweet topping. Best of all, these flans can be made in individual-sized portions, so sharing is totally optional (and most definitely *not* a requirement).

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Get the recipe: Easy Vegan Flan 

3. Bananas Foster Chia Pudding

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Photo: Feasting on Fruit

Nutrient-rich sweets on your mind? Say no more. This drool-worthy bananas foster chia pudding recipe by Feasting on Fruit features layer upon layer of decadent goodness. From a creamy chia seed pudding to a gooey caramel sauce to caramelized cinnamon bananas, each bite of this no-bake vegan dessert will leave you smiling even bigger than the bite before. With vegan desserts this pretty, you can guarantee they’ll be plastered all over your friend’s newsfeed with requests demanding how to make it.

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Get the recipe: Bananas Foster Chia Pudding 

Cookie Bars

4. Cookie Dough Bars

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Photo: Rainbow Plant Life

Bring back the childhood memories of sneaking a few bites of raw cookie dough right out of the bowl while your mom looked away with this cookie dough bars recipe by Rainbow Plant Life that’s parent-approved and just as delicious as you remember. Plus, with the help of a food processor, whipping it together for a last-minute event (that you completely forgot about) is really NBD.

Get the recipe: No-Bake Cookie Dough Bars 

Tarts and Pies

5. Fragrant Pandan Coconut Tart

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Photo: Vegamelon

Enjoy the pristine summer vibes with fruits like coconut and pandan year round with this tasty no-bake tart recipe by Vegamelon. Just like the name implies, this fragrant and no-bake recipe comes together with tasty ingredients like pandan, a tropical plant known for its sweet taste and mild aroma. The best part? The majority of the “cooking” time spent making this recipe involves chilling in the freezer. Pretty cool, right?

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The gluten-free (and vegan) recipe features a coconut almond crust, layered with a smooth and creamy coconut milk and pandan filling and garnished with fresh blueberries for a beautiful pop of color to brighten any tablescape. (BTW, if you’re having a hard time sourcing pandan powder, you can also swap it for matcha powder which will yield similar results in terms of the gorgeous green hue that makes this no-bake dessert such a showstopper.)

Get the recipe: Fragrant Pandan Coconut Tart 

6. Matcha Swirl Cheesecake

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Photo: Minimalist Baker

If the thought of making cheesecake might seem like a cumbersome task, this no-bake matcha swirl cheesecake recipe by Minimalist Baker will quickly change your mind. Between the bright green hue that screams summertime to the matcha-infused filling that will help perk you up, this easy cheesecake recipe is the perfect crowd-pleasing dish to bring to any party. Best part? No bain-marie (hot water bath) in sight.

Get the recipe: Vegan Matcha Swirl Cheesecake 

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7. Lemon Tart

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Photo: Bianca Zapatka

If the sun were a pie, it definitely would look like this vegan lemon pie by Bianca Zapatka. Bright like sunshine, sweet and tangy like summer, and filled with tons of bright, zesty fruit, this show-stopping vegan dessert will turn heads the moment it enters the room. And if you’re wondering if this recipe calls for any artificial food coloring to achieve the vibrant yellow color, the answer is surprisingly no. With the help of turmeric (which is loaded with anti-inflammatory properties and helps make this one of our all-time favorite healthy fruit desserts and anti-inflammatory desserts), you can quickly achieve this bright, beautiful hue of yellow to wow everyone in sight.

Get the recipe: Vegan Lemon Tart 

A few vegan-friendly baking swaps

What do vegan bakers use instead of eggs?

When it comes to baking, you’ll come to find that most recipes include eggs. Good news is that there are tons of vegan-friendly egg substitutes to choose from. A few of our favorites include bananas, applesauce, flax (which is used to make this delicious vegan Dutch baby recipe), and tofu. Here’s a quick guide on ratios for replacing an egg.

  • 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water
  • 1/2 mashed banana
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water
  • 1/4 cup silken tofu
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
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Which frosting is vegan?

Most frosting recipes, including American buttercream and Swiss meringue, star lots of butter and/or eggs. However, there are tons of vegan-friendly ingredients to make delicious, decadent frosting that’s fully plant-based. With a little help from vegan butter + vegan cream cheese + powdered sugar, you’ll be able to make the smoothest, richest, and creamiest vegan frosting of your dairy-free dreams (much like the one featured in this easy vegan spice cake recipe, which gets topped with a decadent vegan cream cheese frosting).

No time to whip together a batch from scratch? No problem. You can find tons of store-bought, premade options at the market, like Miss Jones Baking Organic Buttercream Frosting. It’s ideal for icing and decorating, vegan-friendly (made with all-organic ingredients like coconut oil), and comes in various tasty flavors like chocolate, vanilla, cream cheese, and our personal favorite, Confetti Pop. Tasty vegan desserts, here we come!

Hold up. Did someone say vegan, gluten-free, and *no-bake* s’mores pie? Sign me up.

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FoodNutrition

Why Are People Suddenly Eating Handfuls of Spinach Straight From the Fridge?

TL;DR: You don’t have to eat raw spinach out of the container like a raccoon to get the nutritional benefits.

Girl in leggings and green shirt holding colander of washed spinach with hands visible, top view.
Photo: Getty
Published Feb 21, 2025

Written by 

Emily Ziemski

TikTok is full of microtrends, especially when it comes to food. Eating a whole cucumber, making protein Diet Coke; remember the baked feta pasta? The list is endless and frankly, can be a bit silly. The latest: Creators shoving a whole handful of spinach into their mouths, citing a “max nutritional benefit boost” by doing so. 

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Searching for videos about eating a handful of spinach yields hundreds of people looking vaguely uncomfortable while trying to chew and swallow, well, a whole handful of raw, unseasoned spinach. Of course, I have questions. Is this the cinnamon challenge but with vegetables? Do you hate joy? And, the most important, is this *actually* the best way to get nutritional benefits from spinach?

What is this trend, exactly?

Cropping up in feeds in early February, the TikTok videos hinge on two key factors: The spinach has to be raw, and you have to eat it first thing in the morning. One handful seems to do the trick for most, and it appears that nothing else is consumed alongside the spinach. Just a whole bunch of raw spinach. That’s it. That’s the tweet. 

Surely, it would be easier to incorporate it into the smoothie you’re already planning to have, or the omelet you just made, but here we are. 

Why are people doing this?

According to these videos, besides kicking off your day with multiple vitamins, iron, and potassium, some claim it can also “curb carb and sugar cravings” while others assert that doing this every morning helps “train your tastebuds for the day.”

For me, this feels like it’s veering into the 90s and early aughts culture of “no pain no gain,” a mindset that had us doing things like scrubbing our faces with apricot shells every night, and only eating cabbage soup for every meal. 

Not to say those things aren’t great in moderation (gentle exfoliation is wonderful for the skin, and cabbage is a great, nutritionally dense vegetable), but banking your health on one, singular thing isn’t a great road to success. “I think that spinach is obviously a very nutritious food, but it doesn’t contain the full spectrum of vitamins and minerals that one needs daily,” says Christina Manian, RDN, a sustainable food systems professional. “In terms of claims that doing this first thing in the morning hacks your body’s cravings for the rest of the day, I’m not sure whether that’s true.”

So, what’s the actual science behind this trend?

Realistically, there’s just not a lot of science that backs up these claims of tastebud training and curbed hunger. Research done by the University of Buffalo on bitter foods showed that when feeding bitter foods (like leafy greens) to rats, a protein-based salivary compound that was activated when eating something bitter could be trained to increase over time. 

Basically, the press release stated that when that protein was activated, “the bitter tastes like water.” So, the rats could eat more of the bitter foods without minding the taste. It is important to note that studies done in mice and rats don’t translate well to human consequences, as our physiological differences, like hormonal makeup and immune systems, vary too much from these lab mice/rat studies to be able to draw any definite conclusions. In fact, human-based studies show that denying food cravings can actually lead to increased appetites, and even bingeing behaviors. 

However, it’s not all bad news. There is a lot of info that shows food sequencing—starting each meal by eating vegetables, then protein, then everything else—*does* indeed help with hunger cues, satiety, and better blood sugar control. “I often enjoy spinach in the morning (usually cooked with tofu or eggs and whole grain toast) but don’t feel called to eat it raw as the very first thing I put into my body,” says Manian. 

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Should you do this trend?

There’s truly no harm (except maybe a minor choking hazard?) in trying this trend. “Considering how most Americans aren't eating enough veggies, I'll count this as a win,” says Lauren Manaker, RDN, a women’s nutrition expert and consultant. “They are still getting fiber and plant compounds when they eat it by the handful.”

If you’re like me, and seeing a new internet trend makes you feel like the oldest, crankiest person on planet earth, take solace in knowing that dietitians believe adding spinach to any part of your daily meal plan is a total win. “Overall, eating raw spinach is an excellent practice, as is eating cooked spinach,” says Manian. “I think if [people] are doing this any time of the day, that’s fantastic, and if they feel inclined to eat spinach in the morning, then that's also wonderful.”

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Food

The Making of an Internet-Famous Fruit: How Sumo Citrus Has Captured Hearts, Tastebuds, and a Devoted Following

photo of growers transporting many sumo citrus for review
Photo: Sumo Citrus® & W+G Creative
Published Feb 20, 2025

In Partnership With 

Sumo Citrus

Written by 

Maeve McCormick

Confession time: I love citrus—zesty limes squeezed on my tacos, fresh-squeezed orange juice on slow Sunday mornings, and the invigorating scent of grapefruit candles when I need to unwind. But when it comes to eating whole citrus fruits? Historically, not my thing. The mess of peeling, the sticky fingers, the rogue juice dribbling down my wrists—for me, most citrus has never been worth the (literal) squeeze.

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Then, one day, my roommate came home from the store with an oversized citrus I didn’t recognize. She told me I had to try a piece, while effortlessly peeling it in one smooth motion—no mess, no struggle. I skeptically accepted a slice, wondering what the big deal was. 

To my surprise, the experience was completely sticky-fingers-free. And the taste? Unlike any citrus I’d had before—enormously sweet, impossibly juicy, and balanced with just a hint of tang. That was my first bite of Sumo Citrus®—and now, I understand why The Office actress Jenna Fischer planted a Sumo Citrus tree in her yard, John Mayer peeled it on TikTok, and it has its very own merch (kind of eyeing that beanie, TBH).

So, what’s earned Sumo Citrus this devoted following? Sumo is taking the sweetness on the road for you to experience it yourself with the Tastemonial Tour—and it’s making a special stop at House of Good during our Ultimate Citrus Experience pop-up from February 21 to 23. Stop by for the hype if you're in Los Angeles, and read on to find out how this one-of-a-kind fruit became a seasonal fruit fixation.

sumo citrus with purple sticker

Find Sumo Citrus Near You

Sumo Citrus wasn’t just plucked from a tree one day and marketed as the next big thing—it’s the result of decades of careful cultivation, according to Sunnia Gull, AC Food’s vice president of marketing. First developed in Japan in the 1970s, it was naturally bred to combine the best traits of different citrus varieties—including the sweetness of mandarins, the juiciness of navel oranges, and the easy-to-peel skin of a satsuma.

Despite its popularity, growing Sumo Citrus is no easy feat. It takes years of expertise to perfect, and California’s Central Valley is the only place in the United States where it’s grown. Even then, farmers face unpredictable weather challenges, which means every piece of fruit that makes it to the store is a result of careful tending and patience.

The first thing you notice about Sumo Citrus is its size—it’s the largest variety of mandarins. The second? Its signature Top Knot®, a bump on top of the fruit that serves as an easier way to peel it. The skin practically lifts off, revealing plump, seedless segments that don’t leave your hands coated in juice and stubborn pith. 

Every Sumo Citrus is guaranteed to be incredibly sweet, thanks to each being measured on the “brix meter,” to ensure it meets sky-high sweetness standards before hitting shelves, Gull says. For those who prefer their fruit without surprise sour bites, it’s a game-changer.

Beyond its chef’s-kiss flavor and finally-I-don’t-need-a-wet-wipe convenience, Sumo Citrus packs a *serious* nutritional punch. Each fruit contains 163 percent of your daily vitamin C, along with fiber, potassium, and a flavonoid called hesperidin, which has antioxidant benefits. Whether you’re looking for immunity support, a gut-friendly snack, or a natural energy source, it fits the bill. Bonus: It’s the kind of snack I can toss in my bag and eat in two minutes flat—way better than the sad granola bar that’s been in my purse for the past three months.

And while Sumo Citrus is made to eat straight out of the peel, fans have gotten creative with how they use it. The fruit’s sweetness and juiciness make it an ideal addition to everything from bright citrus salads to zesty cocktails and refreshing desserts. Its bold flavor also complements savory dishes—think citrus-glazed salmon or a tangy dressing for roasted vegetables.

All of that creativity may be a result of the fact that Sumo Citrus is here for a good time, but not a long time. Unlike standard grocery store oranges that are available year-round, Sumo Citrus has a limited growing season, running only from January to April. This short window has created an almost cult-like following, with fans stocking up as soon as they see the signature purple sticker in stores. 

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I get it—now that I’ve experienced Sumo, I fully understand the impulse to grab them while they last. The anticipation is almost part of the appeal: Like cherry blossom season or holiday peppermint mochas, Sumo’s fleeting availability makes it even more special. And when the season ends? People (me) are already counting down the days until its return. Conclusion: Do yourself a favor and grab a few before they disappear for the year. Because once you’ve had a taste of this juicy citrus, there’s no going back.

Psst: Want a taste ASAP? The Sumo Tastemonial Tour is rolling into Belmont Park in San Diego from February 28 to March 1, Boreal Ski Resort in Tahoe from March 7 to 8, Craig Ranch Regional Park in Las Vegas from March 10 to 11, and La Encantada in Tuscon from March 14 to 15—or stop by House of Good in Venice Beach for the Ultimate Citrus Experience from February 21 to 23.

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