Vegan Smores

Classic and nostalgic, these super simple vegan smores are a fun dessert to make outdoors or at home, no fire required. Both kids and adults will love making these smores any time of the year. Use dark chocolate, gelatin-free vegan marshmallows, and cinnamon graham crackers to make this simple but perfect dessert.

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Hey Internet, it might be nearing the end of August, but it’s not too late to enjoy some delicious smores. And if you don’t have any campfire nearby, you can make ‘em in your microwave!

It had probably been 20 years since I had a smore, but when I tested them last week to post this week, I nearly cried because they were so good and transported me right back to those summers around a campfire with my dad and brother.

I guess on some level I always assumed I could make smores at home without fire, but I never tried it. Before going vegan I actually wasn’t really a dessert girl.

But then I went vegan and learned to bake, mostly so I could start a blog, haha, and suddenly I was a dessert girl. Great news for the blog, terrible news for my waistline.

ANYWAY, I have been trying to make vegan smores a thing since going vegan about 3 years ago.

I suddenly needed to have that flavor in my mouth again--the foamy and sweet marshmallow, rich and melty chocolate, and the crunchy brown sugar graham cracker holding it all together.

So, my friends, let’s get into smores deliciousness! I promise not to make TOO many puns (whispers: I’m lying).

What You’ll Need

Luckily smores are pretty simple: graham crackers, a bar of chocolate, and vegan marshmallows. Let’s talk about these components and where to find them.

Graham Crackers

Thus my hunt for vegan graham crackers began. Oh man, was it hard to find them!

I found these delicious little graham cracker bunnies by Annie’s which are delicious and vegan, but not the right size or shape.

Almost every other graham cracker on the market -- even store brands -- had either honey or milk in them.

I read on PETA that Nabisco Original Graham Crackers are vegan, but a.) I couldn’t find them and b.) they do contain oil which I try to avoid. But this was a viable option.

Until, of course, my husband suggested I make my own graham crackers.

That sounds like me, I responded, before running into the kitchen in search of graham cracker supplies.

If you want to make your own as well, here’s my recipe for vegan graham crackers.

If not, feel free to seek out your own.

Don’t feel like you NEED to use graham crackers, though. No one said you had to.

Try saltines -- the salt would go awesome with the chocolate. Or try another cracker, just make sure it’s big enough for your marshmallow to puff out.

You could even sandwich it between two cookies! Or put it in a giant cookie like my vegan smores cookie bake, yum.

Chocolate

You can use any kind of vegan chocolate you’d like. Many commercially produced dark chocolate bars do contain milk, so be careful when reading labels.

I used a 70% dark chocolate bar from Trader Joe’s. They come in a pack of 3 and they’re very inexpensive.

I recommend a somewhat thick chocolate bar (mine was slightly thicker than ¼” inch) because when it melts you don’t want the marshmallow to overwhelm it.

You also want the chocolate to stay a bit more solid than the marshmallow because otherwise it will all melt off and your smore won’t taste very chocolaty.

If you can only find vegan chocolate chips, you can still make smores, just a little bit differently. Simply melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave. Microwave the marshmallow separately on the graham cracker, push it down, and spoon the chocolate on top, then add the top graham cracker.

Marshmallows

Most marshmallows unfortunately contain gelatin, an animal product. Gelatin is not usually considered even vegetarian, as it is directly made from animal parts.

However, luckily there are vegan marshmallows available! You can find them at Trader Joe’s (they have their own brand), but the brand I prefer is Dandies which can be found online or at health food stores or stores like Whole Foods Market. Dandies melt extremely well and taste just like the marshmallows I remember eating as a kid.

How to Make Smores in the Microwave

Making smores couldn’t be easier in the microwave!

I recommend making no more than 1 or 2 at a time to keep things even. Our microwave is so old it doesn’t have a turn table! So we just made 1 at a time.

How long do you put smores in the microwave?

We used Dandies vegan marshmallows and they only took 20 seconds in the microwave on high! As soon as the marshmallow expands a lot, stop the microwave.

Press the marshmallow down a bit and add your graham cracker on top. Voila!

How to Make Smores in the Oven

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit or 218 degrees Celsius. If you have a broiler, I would broil at 400 Fahrenheit (205 Celsius).

Line a cookie sheet with parchment, a silicone baking mat, or foil for easy clean up.

Place your graham crackers upside down on the cookie sheet. Make just one or ten smores this way, but make sure to leave at least an inch of space between each cracker since the marshmallow expand so much.

On one graham cracker, place the chocolate and on the other graham cracker, place the marshmallow.

Cook until the marshmallows have expanded a lot, about 5-10 minutes. If broiling, leave the door open a bit and check after 30 seconds, and again after a minute. It will happen much faster with a broiler.

How to Make Smores on the Grill

With a grill, you can make Smores the same way you would on a campfire!

Get your graham cracker and chocolate ready on a plate.

Add your marshmallow to a skewer and carefully roast it in the flame. If you like your marshmallow only lightly cooked, don’t let it completely catch fire--just cook it in the outer edge of the fire. If you like that super-cooked marshmallowy goodness, let your marshmallow catch fire and quickly blow it out.

Then quickly and carefully sandwich the marshmallow in between one chocolate covered graham cracker and the other graham cracker.

How to Make Smores on the Stovetop

If you have a gas stove, you could roast your marshmallow on a skewer in the flame, though be warned that this is somewhat dangerous.

I wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t have a proper ventilation system above your stove. We live in an apartment that doesn’t have a vent above the stove so we opted to cook these either in the microwave or oven.

Ways to Customize Smores

There are lots of awesome ways to customize these smores and make it crazy awesome. You could:

• Replace the chocolate with a vegan nut butter cup (Justin’s makes a good one)
• Use cookies or savory crackers like saltines instead of graham crackers
• Add in a sauce like raspberry preserves, yum)
• Add a spoonful of nut butter--or even chocolate hazelnut butter--Justin's makes a good vegan one (not sponsored, but I'd take free product if they threw at me with a t-shirt gun)
• Instead of a marshmallow, add in a scoop of ice cream (less like a smore and more like an ice cream sandwich, but whatever it’s good)

Other Fun Vegan Desserts

Like fun desserts? We do too! Check out some of these easy and awesome recipes!

• Matcha Pound Cake
• Lavender Nice Cream
• Apple Cake
• Mango Nice Cream
• Toasted Coconut Nice Cream
• Coconut Cake
• Carrot Cake
• Banana Bread

Anything Else?

As always, I hope you love this recipe–I know I do and so does Mr. Zardyplants. We keep making these over and over again.

These vegan smores are:

• Crispy
• Gooey
• Sweet
• Cozy
• Crunchy
• And the perfect dessert for kids and adults!

Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe or tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)

Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!

<3 Liz

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