Originally published Mar 31 2021 - updated Apr 12 2022.
Looking for an easy vegan Easter egg recipe? These Vegan Creme Eggs are made with just five ingredients but taste incredible. Great as a healthier alternative to Cadbury eggs.
Yay Easter! One of my favourite holidays, I love any excuse to eat chocolate. Growing up in the UK, I ate a lot of Cadbury Creme Eggs and LOVED them.
Now an adult, although I still love the taste, I'm less excited about the copious amounts of refined sugar they contain the fact that they aren't vegan (do note however, as of 2021 Cadbury have launched a vegan chocolate bar), so decided it's time to make my own.
There are many gorgeous vegan creme eggs out there, but I really wanted to create a recipe that was both easy to make and healthier/refined sugar free, and I think I've done it!
This recipe uses whole foods such as cashews, coconut butter, coconut sugar and turmeric, and the eggs are smothered in rich chocolate (similar to my Chocolate Eggs with Raspberry Cream). Although the eggs taste a little different to traditional Creme Eggs, they're still indulgent and absolute delicious. I hope you enjoy.
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THESE VEGAN CREME EGGS
So much healthier than Cadbury Eggs. Made with real, unrefined ingredients, these treats taste really delicious but are also good for you!
Refined sugar free. This recipe uses coconut or date sugar instead of regular (though you can use cane sugar if preferred).
Just 5 ingredients. Cashews, coconut butter/manna, coconut sugar, turmeric and chocolate.
Natural food colouring. No weird colourings here! The yolk of these eggs is simply made with turmeric powder.
OTHER CHOCOLATE EGG RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE
INGREDIENTS & SUBSTITUTIONS
Cashews - Add creaminess to the creme egg filling. You can't easily sub these for another nut as cashews are more creamy than most - many other nuts would be too fibrous in this recipe.
Coconut Butter/Manna - Adds creaminess and cannot be substituted! Coconut butter is NOT the same as coconut oil, and you cannot use them interchangeably.
Coconut butter/manna is made from the flesh of coconuts and is a thick, creamy paste. The oil is runnier and won't create the same results. You can buy coconut butter in many supermarkets and health food stores.Sugar - Use the finest (powdered, ideally) sugar possible as otherwise you'll end up with a gritty texture in your cream filling. Date sugar or super fine coconut sugar work really well. You can also use regular powdered sugar if you're not concerned about making this recipe refined sugar free, and if you want your cream to be extra white.
Turmeric - Used purely to colour the yolks, you'll hardly taste it as we're using such a tiny amount. You could also use yellow food colouring but I prefer to use natural ingredients.
Vegan Chocolate - It's up to you whether you want to use vegan milk or dark chocolate for the shell of your eggs. Personally I love dark chocolate so that's what I've used here, but if you want eggs that are closer to traditional Cadbury Creme Eggs in flavour, I would use milk chocolate.
STEP BY STEP
1) Add cashews and ½ cup hot water to a high speed blender (hot water helps to blend the cashews).
2) Blend for 30 seconds or until mixture is smooth and creamy. Set aside.
3) In a double boiler (or a saucepan on a VERY low heat), gently melt coconut manna/butter until liquid.
EXPERT TIPS
Keep your knife in a cup of boiling water - When assembling your eggs, this will ensure it stays hot enough to melt the chocolate. Also keep some paper towel on hand to dry the knife and wipe it clean after each use.
Don't let your chocolate get too hot - You want it to be melted but not too hot, as this can melt the previous layers of chocolate when you add a new layer. I tend to remove my chocolate from the heat and let it sit on the counter a couple of minutes before adding each layer so it's a little cooler.
Don't expect perfection - Homemade creme eggs can be slightly fiddly. Remember that as you make them, and enjoy the process as well as the outcome. If any of your eggs crack a little or don't join together perfectly, that's ok. Mine sometimes don't but I just accept it and enjoy the eggs for what they are - homemade!
Make them into egg halves - If you're struggling to join the chocolate egg halves together, why not keep them as halves? They still look really cute that way (see images) and taste just as good.
STORAGE
Store these vegan creme eggs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. I do not recommend freezing them.
(Please note, they probably won't last this long! When I make them they last about 2 days tops before being eaten.)
FAQs
Are Cadbury Creme Eggs vegan?
Unfortunately they aren't. They contain milk in the chocolate and both milk and egg in the cream filling. That's why I created my own vegan recipe!
Does this recipe taste exactly the same as Cadbury Creme Eggs?No, not exactly the same. These eggs are made with whole food ingredients which, while still absolutely delicious, do make the eggs taste a little different. The cream filling is richer, less sweet and creamier than the Cadbury version.
Why are my chocolate eggs cracking when I take them out of the mould?
You likely need to build up the layers of chocolate a little 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 tends to crack more easily.
What is a double boiler?
A double boiler (or bain-marie) is a piece of kitchenware for melting chocolate (or other heat-sensitive foods) without burning it. It's essentially a saucepan with a bowl stacked on top. The saucepan contains simmering water and the bowl contains the substance to be melted. When placed on the stove, the heat from the simmering water melts the chocolate in the bowl overhead.
You can easily make your own DIY double boiler by placing a heat-proof bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water.Easy Vegan Creme Eggs
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 tbsp very fine (powdered) coconut sugar, date sugar or regular sugar - use as light coloured as possible as this will colour the creme filling
- ½ tsp vanilla essence (optional)
- ¼ tsp powdered turmeric
Chocolate Eggs
- 1 100g bar vegan dark or milk chocolate (make sure to use sugar-free if you want this recipe to be free of refined sugar)
Extra
- Oil, to grease moulds
Instructions
Filling
- Add cashews and ½ cup hot water to a high speed blender (the hot water helps to blend the cashews).
- 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 pan from heat and mix blended cashew cream into coconut butter, along with sugar and vanilla.
- Separate 2 tbsp of the cream filling out into a small bowl and mix with the powdered turmeric to create the 'yolks'.
- Refrigerate both fillings for 30 minutes to allow cream to set and thicken slightly.
Chocolate Eggs
- Using kitchen towel, grease silicon moulds lightly with unflavoured oil to make eggs easier to remove.
- Break chocolate into small pieces and melt in a double boiler (or saucepan on a VERY low heat again) on the stove, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
- Using a pastry brush, coat the inside of each mould evenly with melted chocolate.
- With a flat knife, scrape across the edge of each mould immediately after coating it to give a flat finish (this will make it easier to join egg halves together later on).
- Place moulds in freezer for 10 minutes to set chocolate, meanwhile return remaining bowl of chocolate to double boiler to ensure it stays melted.
- 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 - the chocolate will set more quickly now because the moulds have already been in the freezer. (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 them together.)
Assembling Eggs
- Take moulds from fridge and gently remove chocolate eggs.
- Fill each egg half with the regular cream filling (about 1 heaped tsp), then add a small dollop of turmeric cream on top. Do not overfill (the filling should be slightly lower than the edge of the chocolate shell). Flatten with a spoon.
- Dip your knife in boiling water, then run it along the edge of two of the egg halves to melt the chocolate. Quickly sandwich them together. Repeat with all remaining egg halves.
- Store assembled eggs in the fridge for 15 minutes to set then enjoy.
NOTES
INGREDIENTS & SUBSTITUTIONS:
Cashews - Add creaminess to the egg filling. You can't easily substitute these for another nut as cashews are more creamy than most - many other nuts would be too fibrous in this recipe. Coconut Butter/Manna - With the cashews, adds creaminess to the filling. This ingredient cannot be substituted! Coconut butter is NOT the same as coconut oil, and you cannot use them interchangeably. Coconut butter/manna is made from the flesh of coconuts and is a thick, creamy, solid paste. The oil is much runnier and won't create the same results. You can buy coconut butter in many supermarkets and most health food stores. Sugar - For this recipe you want to use the finest (powdered, ideally) sugar possible as otherwise you'll end up with a gritty texture. Either date sugar or super fine coconut sugar work really well. You can also use regular powdered sugar if you're not concerned about making this recipe refined sugar free, and if you want your creme filling to be extra white. Turmeric - Used purely to colour the yolks in these eggs, you won't taste it as we're using such a tiny amount. You could also use yellow food colouring but I prefer to use natural ingredients. Vegan Chocolate - It's totally up to you whether you want to use vegan milk chocolate or dark chocolate for the shell of your eggs. Personally I love dark chocolate so that's what I've used here, but if you want eggs that are closer to the traditional Cadbury Creme Eggs in flavour, I would use milk chocolate.TIPS:
Don't expect perfection - Homemade creme eggs can be slightly fiddly. Remember that as you make them, and enjoy the process as well as the outcome. If any of your eggs crack a little or don't join together perfectly, that's ok. Mine sometimes don't but I just accept it and enjoy the eggs for what they are - homemade! Make them into egg halves - If you're struggling to join the chocolate egg halves together, why not keep them as halves? They still look really cute that way (see images) and taste just as good. Keep your knife in a cup of boiling water - This will ensure it stays hot enough to melt the chocolate egg halves. Also keep some paper towel on hand to wipe the knife clean after each use.If you’ve tried this recipe, please leave a comment or tip for others below. I'd love to know how you’ve made it your own!
Comments 10
So beautiful, leaps and bounds better than the original!
Author
Ah I’m so glad you like them. Thank you!
So creamy and delicious!!!
Author
Thanks so much!
Yum! Those eggs look amazing! Can’t wait to try them out!
Author
I hope you do Nora!
These vegan creme eggs were so delicious! Loved how easy they were to make!
Author
Thanks so much Kayla, I so appreciate that. 🙂
OMG i can’t believe these are vegan! I dont think i’ll ever buy again
Author
Haha right Nancy? Those were basically my thoughts too!