Vegan Rocky Road

Vegan rocky road is one of the easiest, fastest, delicious and surprisingly good looking treats that hardly anyone will say no to. It’s a childhood favourite, made without dairy and gelatine, but just as chocolaty, crunchy and flavour-packed as you remember it.

Don’t you just love those recipes that require no baking, no kneading or rolling, and can be made without a pile of dirty dishes left behind? Rocky road is exactly that. Plus, it tastes anything but quick and easy, and looks like you’ve put way more effort into it than you actually need to.

If you’re not convinced yet, here’s why I’m sure you’ll love this recipe:

• Vegan and gluten free-friendly
• Super easy to customise using anything you have in the cupboards
• Calls for no more than 15 minutes of prep time
• Looks really nice and is the perfect party snack
• Will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks
• Requires no special skills or equipment

How Is This Rocky Road Recipe Vegan and Gluten Free?

Traditional rocky road recipe calls for butter, milk chocolate and marshmallows. This recipe substitutes milk chocolate with dark chocolate or vegan milk chocolate, and uses vegan marshmallows (sans gelatine). I recommend these marshmallows. Moreover, the recipe calls for coconut butter instead of dairy butter.

If you want to make the recipe gluten free, make sure to use certified gluten-free biscuits.

What Exactly Is Rocky Road?

Rocky road is a simple no-bake dessert made with chocolate and marshmallows, along with other ingredients that vary from country to country. The most common varieties come from Australia, United Kingdom and United States.

Australian rocky road recipe is believed to be the oldest one, dating all the way to the 19th century, and calls for glace cherries, milk chocolate, desiccated or shredded coconut, peanuts and marshmallows.

The recipe came to the UK in 1971, and was adapted slightly by adding dried fruits, biscuits, rice crispies and sometimes a light dusting of icing sugar on top.

The most popular variety in the US is rocky road ice cream, which consists of chocolate ice cream, marshmallows and nuts, such as walnuts or almonds.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Vegan Rocky Road

Dark chocolate – use dark chocolate or a combination of vegan dark chocolate and milk chocolate for a slightly sweeter treat.

Coconut butter – this is not the same as coconut oil. Coconut butter is made from the whole coconut, so it also contains saturated fat and nutrients coconut oil doesn’t, most notably fiber but also protein, potassium, magnesium and iron. It’s not very suitable for cooking, as it burns easily, but is perfect for making no-bake desserts.

Maple syrup – you can replace maple syrup with agave syrup, reduce the amount or omit it altogether.

Digestive biscuits – make sure to use vegan biscuits or gluten free if needed.

Vegan marshmallows – traditional marshmallows contain gelatine, but there are plenty of vegan-friendly marshmallow brands out there.

Vegan white chocolate chips – vegan white chocolate is difficult to find in stores because legally, white chocolate has to contain 3.5% milk fat and 14% milk solids. But you can still find them in whole food stores. Or, you can make your own. You can find a recipe for homemade vegan white chocolate here.

Glace cherries – Australian rocky road is traditionally made with glace cherries, and I would recommend including them. They add a pop of extra sweetness and texture to the bars.

Brazil nuts – you can substitute Brazil nuts with different nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, pecans, or peanuts.

Desiccated coconut – this is optional, but highly recommended. The flavour goes great with the coconut butter.

How to Make Vegan Rocky Road

Rocky road really is one of the easiest no-bake recipes you can make. You can have a batch ready in just 5 easy steps:

1. Chop up the add-ins
2. Melt the chocolate with coconut butter and maple syrup
3. Place the chopped up ingredients in a pan and pour the chocolate mixture over them
4. Let it harden in the fridge for at least 2 hours
5. Slice into bars or squares

Vegan Rocky Road FAQs

Can I swap any of the ingredients?

Yes! Feel free to omit any of the add-ins you don’t like and add stuff you do like or have at hand. You can try adding pretzels, rice crispies, different kinds of nuts or dried fruits.

How long does it keep?

Rocky road will keep in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 3 weeks.

More No-Bake Vegan Recipes

If you’re looking for more no-bake vegan recipes, make sure to check out these no-bake oatmeal cookies, chocolate almond balls or these no-bake-energy balls.