These Vegan Creme Eggs are made with just five ingredients but taste incredible. They're the perfect Easter treat and great as a healthy alternative to Cadbury eggs.
Yay Easter! I love any excuse to eat chocolate so this is one of my favourite holidays. Growing up in the UK, I LOVED Cadbury's Creme Eggs.
Now an adult, although I still love Easter chocolate, annoyingly most of it isn't vegan (boo).
So I decided it was time to make my own vegan Cadbury Creme Eggs. (Do note, although Cadbury launched a vegan chocolate bar in 2021, most of their chocolate still isn't vegan.)
There are many dairy free creme egg recipes out there, but I wanted to create a vegan version that was easy to make and healthier. And I think I've done it!
These vegan Easter eggs use whole foods: cashews, coconut butter, coconut sugar and turmeric for their creamy center. The eggs are then smothered in rich vegan chocolate.
I hope you enjoy!
(And if you're looking for more vegan Easter recipes, try my Chocolate Eggs with Raspberry Cream).
Why you'll love these vegan creme eggs
Healthier than Cadbury Eggs. Made with real ingredients, these treats taste delicious but are also good for you!
Refined sugar free. This recipe uses coconut or date sugar instead of regular (though you can use regular sugar if preferred).
5 simple ingredients. These homemade Cadbury Creme Eggs use cashews, coconut butter, coconut sugar, turmeric and chocolate.
Natural food colouring. No weird chemicals in these vegan chocolate eggs! The yolk is simply made with turmeric.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Cashews - Add richness to the creme egg filling. You can't easily sub these for another nut as cashews are more creamy than most.
Coconut Butter/Manna - Adds sweet creaminess to the white fondant. Note: coconut manna is NOT the same as coconut oil, and you can't use them interchangeably (see note below).
Sugar - Use the finest powdered sugar possible otherwise you'll end up with a gritty texture in your egg filling. Date sugar or super fine coconut sugar work well. You can also use regular powdered sugar for an extra white filling.
Turmeric - Used for the yellow filling of the yolks, you'll hardly taste the turmeric flavour as we're using a tiny amount. You could also use yellow food coloring.
Vegan Chocolate - You can use vegan 'milk' or dark chocolate for the crisp chocolate shell. Personally I love dark chocolate, but if you want eggs closer to traditional Cadbury Creme Eggs in flavour, I would use vegan milk chocolate.
Is coconut butter the same as coconut oil?
Coconut butter/manna is not the same as coconut oil. Coconut butter is made from the flesh of coconuts and is a thick, creamy paste.
Meanwhile, coconut oil is hard when chilled and very runny when heated. The two products are quite different and won't create the same results.
You can buy coconut butter/manna in many supermarkets and health food stores.
How to make vegan creme eggs
1) Add cashews and hot water to a high speed blender. Blend for 30 seconds until mixture is completely smooth. Set aside.
2) In a double boiler (or a saucepan on a VERY low heat), gently melt coconut butter/manna until runny.
3) Remove from heat and mix in blended cashew cream, plus sugar and vanilla. Spoon 2 tablespoon of filling into a separate bowl and mix with turmeric to create 'yolk'.
4) Refrigerate both fillings for 20 minutes to thicken.
5) Using kitchen towel, grease silicon moulds lightly with unflavoured oil.
6) Break chocolate into small pieces and melt in a double boiler on the stove, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
7) Using a pastry brush, coat inside of each mould evenly with chocolate.
8) With a flat knife, scrape across edge of each mould immediately after coating to give a flat finish (making it easier to join egg halves together). Place moulds in freezer for 10 minutes to set chocolate, meanwhile return remaining bowl of chocolate to double boiler.
9) Repeat process, building up 3-4 layers of chocolate on each mould and leaving eggs to set in freezer for 5 minutes between applying each layer.
Assemble eggs
10) Gently remove chocolate eggs from moulds. Fill each egg half with regular creme filling (about 1 heaped tsp), then add a small dollop of turmeric cream on top. Do not overfill.
11) Dip knife in boiling water, then run along the edge of two egg halves to melt chocolate. Quickly sandwich them together.
12) Repeat with all remaining egg halves. Refrigerate eggs to set.
Check out my web story on how to make these vegan Easter eggs.
Expert Tips
Keep knife in boiling water when assembling eggs - this will ensure it stays hot enough to melt the chocolate. Also keep some paper towel on hand to wipe the knife clean after each use.
Don't let chocolate get too hot - You want it melted but not too hot, as this can melt previous egg layers each time you add a new one. I remove my chocolate from the heat and let it sit on the counter a couple of minutes before using.
Don't expect perfection - Homemade eggs can be fiddly. Remember that, and enjoy the process of making as well as the outcome. If any of your eggs crack a little or don't join together perfectly, that's ok. Just enjoy for what they are!
Make half eggs - If you're struggling to join the chocolate eggs together, why not keep them as halves? They still look really cute that way (see images) and taste just as good!
How to store vegan creme eggs
Store these chocolate eggs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I do not recommend freezing them.
FAQs
Unfortunately Cadbury Creme Eggs are not vegan. They contain milk in the chocolate, and both milk and egg in the cream filling. That's why I created this vegan recipe!
No, not exactly the same. These eggs are made with whole food ingredients which, while delicious, do make the eggs taste a little different. The cream filling is richer, a little less sweet and creamier than the Cadbury version (which is mainly sugar).
You likely need to build up the chocolate layers more, as the eggs will crack if they're too thin. About 4 layers usually works. Ensure the layer around the edge of the mould is extra thick, as this is where it cracks more easily.
A double boiler (or bain-marie) is essentially a saucepan with a bowl on top. The saucepan contains simmering water and the bowl contains the chocolate. When placed on the stove, the heat from the water melts the chocolate. (You can easily make your own DIY double boiler by placing a heat-proof bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water.)
Easy chocolate recipes
Vegan Creme Eggs
Special Equipment
- High speed blender (like a Vitamix)
- Pastry brush
- 16 x small silicon half-egg moulds (each egg should be approx. 2" long)
Ingredients
Cream Filling
- ½ cup cashews
- ¼ cup coconut manna/butter
- 2 tablespoon very fine powdered sugar (I like coconut or date sugar) - use as light as possible as this will colour the filling
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon powdered turmeric
Chocolate Eggs
- 1 100g bar vegan dark or milk chocolate or vegan chocolate chips
- Oil, to grease moulds
Instructions
Filling
- Add cashews and ½ cup hot water to a high speed blender. Blend for 30 seconds or until mixture is smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- In a double boiler (or a saucepan on a VERY low heat), gently melt coconut manna/butter until softened.
- Remove from heat and mix cashew cream into coconut butter, plus sugar and vanilla.
- Separate 2 tablespoon of cream filling into a small bowl and mix with turmeric to create 'yolk'. Refrigerate both fillings for 20 minutes to set.
Chocolate Eggs
- Using kitchen towel, grease silicon moulds lightly with unflavoured oil.
- Break chocolate into small pieces and melt in double boiler, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
- Using a pastry brush, coat inside of each mould with chocolate. With a flat knife, scrape across edge of each immediately after coating to give a flat finish.
- Place moulds in freezer for 10 minutes to set chocolate, meanwhile return remaining bowl of chocolate to double boiler.
- Repeat process, building up 3-4 layers of chocolate on each mould and leaving eggs to set in freezer for 5 minutes between applying each layer. (Pay special attention to building up a slightly thicker layer of chocolate around the edge of each mould so eggs are less likely to crack when sticking together.)
Assembling Eggs
- Gently remove chocolate eggs from moulds. Fill each egg half with regular creme filling (about 1 heaped tsp), then add a small dollop of turmeric cream on top. Do not overfill. Flatten with a spoon.
- Dip knife in boiling water, then run along edge of two of egg halves to melt chocolate. Quickly sandwich together. Repeat with all halves.
- Refrigerate assembled eggs for 10 minutes to set, then enjoy.
Notes
Nutritional information per serving
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If you’ve tried this vegan creme egg recipe, please leave a comment or tip for others below. I'd love to know how you’ve made it your own!
Bchang
So beautiful, leaps and bounds better than the original!
Elizabeth
Ah I'm so glad you like them. Thank you!
Addie
So creamy and delicious!!!
Elizabeth
Thanks so much!
Nora
Yum! Those eggs look amazing! Can't wait to try them out!
Elizabeth
I hope you do Nora!
Kayla DiMaggio
These vegan creme eggs were so delicious! Loved how easy they were to make!
Elizabeth
Thanks so much Kayla, I so appreciate that. 🙂
nancy
OMG i can't believe these are vegan! I dont think i'll ever buy again
Elizabeth
Haha right Nancy? Those were basically my thoughts too!
Emily
I just loved that these were vegan, used coconut manna, AND TASTED AMAZING! I’ve already made them 3 times and a fourth this coming Sunday for Easter!
Elizabeth
Oh I love that Emily! Thanks so much and Happy Easter. 🙂
The Sudden Cook
Yummy and amazing looking 🙂 Can't wait to try them out this weekend !
Elizabeth
I hope you love them!
Tyanne
So much better than the store kind. Loved how easy this recipe was!
Elizabeth
Thanks Tyanne! My thoughts exactly. So glad you loved them.
Giangi Townsend
Your vegan eggs look and sound amazing. Will make them this weekend.
Elizabeth
Thanks so much Giangi. Happy Easter 🙂
Andrea
These vegan creme eggs are awesome! Perfect for easter! I just know the family will love them!
Elizabeth
Oh I'm so glad you love them Andrea! Happy Easter. 🙂