Skip the store-bought cake mix and rock these cake balls from scratch. Bite-sized vanilla cake coated in rich chocolate, these dairy-free cake balls are the perfect dessert. Cute in size, they’re the perfect dessert for any party.
A healthy twist on a classic dessert! These cake pops are totally dairy-free, gluten-free, and easy to customize for any occasion.
In fact, the best way to make cake pops is to have a bunch of fixings ready and let kiddos decorate their own.
As a Certified Nutrition Coach, this bite-sized treat is a fun way to indulge without going overboard. The perfect size and the best flavor.
Why You’ll Love The Recipe
Healthy: This recipe is an allergy-friendly, healthier version of the normal box cake version. Made from scratch and coated in vegan chocolate, they’re dairy-free, gluten-free, and healthy.
Minimally sweetened: Outside of the chocolate chips the cake pops are primarily sweetened with maple syrup and a hint of stevia (optional).
Fun: There are so many ways to decorate these cake balls that you’ll never run out of ideas!
Ingredients You'll Need
You don't need much to make these vegan cake pops. In fact, if you have a well-stocked gluten-free pantry, you'll have everything you need!
Oat flour: if making these for someone who is celiac, make sure to double-check that the oat flour is completely gluten-free. And when in doubt, use gluten-free oats and grind them to flour yourself. Learn more about types of gluten-free flour.
Almond flour: This makes each cake ball light but filling. Learn the difference between almond flour and ground almonds though and use almond flour as it’s thinner and won’t leave a chewy texture.
Baking powder: you do need the cake pop mixture to rise initially, so don't overlook the baking powder.
Almond butter: any nut butter will work here but make sure it's fresh nut butter otherwise it won't mix as well.
Maple syrup: you only need a hint of syrup for these cake pops to give them a sweet, comforting flavor. Use real Canadian maple syrup for the best flavor.
Vanilla extract: for the best flavor, opt for a high-quality vanilla extract like Madagascar vanilla.
Almond Milk: any non-dairy milk will work so use what you have on hand. We use homemade hemp milk the most.
Coconut milk: make sure to use the thick, white part in the can for the most indulgent flavor. Learn more about the types of coconut milk and which one is best for dairy-free baking.
Powdered stevia: this gets added when the cake pops are being crumbled. Though you can use sugar, this way you don't need as much.
Coconut oil + chocolate chips: Used to make the melted chocolate. Make sure your chocolate chips are dairy-free as needed.
Important Teaching Tips
If you don’t have vanilla stevia, simply use a total of 1 teaspoon vanilla + ½ packet of stevia.
Make sure to use coconut milk from a can, not a carton. You don’t want a full liquid but instead the coconut cream. This makes the healthy cake pops have a better texture.
Likewise, you also want to make sure you use full-fat coconut milk that’s not watered down. When you open the can of coconut milk, make sure to drain as much water as possible and only use the thick, white cream part of the coconut milk.
The dairy-free cake pops are very delicate when you roll them because they're gluten-free. So, make sure to really compress them in your hands while rolling so that they hold together when it comes time to dip them.
When placing the stick into the cake balls, compress the ball around the stick a bit so that it stays in.
Then, when dipping in the chocolate make sure to get some chocolate on the base of the stick so that it coats and holds it in.
How To Make Cake Pops From Scratch
Step 1: Mix together to oat flour, baking powder, and almond flour.
Step 2: In a smaller bowl, beat together the almond butter and maple syrup. Stir in the stevia and vanilla extract.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
Step 4: Portion into cupcake molds and bake.
Step 4: Once cooled, crumble the cupcakes into a bowl and add the coconut milk and powdered stevia.
Step 6: Using your hands, roll the dough into balls. Place a stick into each cake ball and set them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and into the freezer.
Step 5: Melt the chocolate sauce and begin to dip the balls.
Step 6: Sprinkle on any toppings and let them set in the freezer.
How To Decorate Cake Pops
Make these dairy-free cake pops special for any occasion based on the toppings you choose. Before the chocolate hardens, sprinkle on any of the following ideas.
- Chunky sugar
- Coconut
- Crushed nuts
- Sprinkles
Keep in mind you can also drizzle the cake pops with dairy-free caramel sauce for a delicious taste and texture swap.
How To Store Them
Once they’ve set in the freezer, store your cake pops in the fridge. They stay fresh like this for about 5 days.
You can store them for longer in the freezer. Place them in an airtight container and they’ll last 2-3 months. When you need them, let them thaw overnight in the fridge.
The dairy-free cake pops can be served chilled but taste best after sitting at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Healthy Cake Pops
They don't need to be frozen before dipping but they do need to be extremely cold or they will crumble- especially being gluten-free. Freezing them is normally the easiest way to dip them.
The cake balls themselves are pretty delicate so it can be hard to get the cake pop stick in. A few ways to get the stick to hold in the cake pops are to make sure that the balls are hard from the fridge or freezer and not soft. Likewise, dipping the stick in honey before pressing it into the ball will help them hold together and look more like traditional cake pops.
Other Healthy Dessert Recipes You'll Love
- Candy cane fudge
- Healthy keto fudge
- White chocolate fudge
- Chocolate protein balls
- Carrot cake balls
- Chocolate chip cookie dough protein balls
- Dark chocolate crunch bars
- White chocolate protein truffles
- Dairy-free s'mores cups
- Hot chocolate bombs
- Cashew cookies with chocolate frosting
- Chocolate coconut drop cookies
- Chocolate magic shell
- Healthier dessert recipes
Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Cake Pops
Video
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- 12 Cake pop sticks
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup Almond butter
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon liquid vanilla stevia optional, see notes
- ¼ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ cup almond milk
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk from a can, see notes in blog post
- ½ packet stevia
- ¼ cup enjoy life chocolate chips dairy-free
- ⅛ cup coconut oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
- In a large bowl, mix the oat and almond flour with the baking powder.
- In a smaller bowl, beat together the almond butter and maple syrup so that you can mix them together. Stir in the vanilla stevia and vanilla extract to this bowl.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the flour until combined.
- Slowly add in the almond milk and mix to combine.
- Prep a muffin tin with silicone molds and portion the batter into eight muffin cups.
- Bake for 21-23 minutes before removing them from the oven and letting them cool in the pan.
- Once cooled, crumble the muffins into a large bowl and break them apart with your hands.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and powdered stevia.
- Add the coconut milk to the crumbled cupcakes and mix until moist.
- Using your hands, roll the dough into balls. Place a stick into each cake ball pinch around the base so that they stay together and set them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Place the balls into the freezer for thirty minutes. While the balls are setting, melt the chocolate chips and coconut in a small pot on very low heat. Mix well.
- Once melted dip the balls into the melted chocolate making sure to get some onto the stick and place them back on the tray. Sprinkle them with any toppings you want and into the freezer for another thirty minutes for the chocolate to harden.
- Let them chill in the fridge or come to room temperature before serving.
Notes
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Raia Todd
These sound like something my kids would absolutely love! And I love that there's only natural sweeteners in them!
fitasamamabear
Mine definitely loved them! And I'm all about natural sweeteners are I'm not quite yet ready to give them sugar!
Kelsey
OH MY STARS!!! I've made super un-healthy cake balls before and they were AMAZING, but I just can't make them again knowing how bad all the ingredients were for me and my family! Thank you for this healthier option! Now I can give them another whirl!
fitasamamabear
Aw this made my day! I hope you enjoy them! They were definitely an "accidental" recipe haha but they're yummy! Just an fyi that's they're more dense than a regular cake/cupcake ball. My family adored them though, I hope yours does too!
Shannon
I can't believe I have never had a cake ball. Gasp. But these look awesome! High in protein and low in sugar is my kind of treat. I'm going to have to put this on the make list.
fitasamamabear
They turned out really yummy considering they were a screw up initially haha. Make them and let me know! Keep in mind they're not fluffy like cake but more dense and yummy.. and you can pop them in your mouth which makes them even better lol
Gwen
Wow, these dairy-free cake pops were a huge hit. It's nice knowing that I am serving something the family that is really healthy!
fitasamamabear
Yay!