Remember my Lemon and White Chocolate Slice? I asked my Instagram friends if they would like to see a completely vegan version of this delectable slice and the consensus was a big fat YES! I mean, it was easy enough to do, replace the dairy ingredients with non-dairy ingredients right? Not that easy… because have you ever found a great alternative for condensed milk? I hadn’t either, until this one day beautiful day….i was looking for a can of coconut milk and there it was, shining in all its glory, condensed coconut cream. I may or may not have shed a tear out of pure joy.
My next hurdle was finding a substitute for butter. My mum was actually making this slice one day and i give all the props to her for turning this into the best vegan lemon slice ever! I use vegan spreadable butter for my toast and what not and that is what she used in this slice. Although the frosting texture is softer and doesn’t set completely like my original lemon and white chocolate slice, it’s still completely and utterly perfect. Oh and I’m sure you can find vegan white chocolate at your local health food store! (p.s. that sentence right there was nearly going to say ‘Oh and i'm sure you can find vegan white chocolate at your local white chocolate store’) safe to say white chocolate is on my mind, i just love chocolate.
Now let’s take a moment to fully appreciate this slice:
- Gooey and some what chewy.
- Burst of fresh lemon infused biscuit crumble base.
- Completely gluten free and vegan.
- No bake is like the best kind of bake right…?
- Sweet, slightly guilt free (*cough, icing sugar cough*)
- Only need a small slice at once, trust me, this way it will last much longer!
This isn’t your typical lemon slice you know, it doesn’t have that gooey lemon curd middle layer topped with a flaky pastry topping. This is so much better. My favourite past time is food, always has been and always will be. You will find me in my natural habitat which consists of a comfy couch, a warm blanket, my puppy dog Max with some sort of sweet treat on hand whilst binge watching Gilmore Girls, are you with me?
This weekend, that sweet treat constantly in my hands was this vegan lemon slice. Do you ever find yourself sneaking off to the fridge to grab another slice but you keep telling yourself ’this is your last one’ whilst grabbing 2 more slices for the next episode? Guilty! This will be you when you try this tasty slice, let me know how you go!
- Base
- 2 x 200g packets plain arrowroot biscuits (gluten free)*
- 1 medium lemon, zest and juice
- 1 x 320g can condensed coconut cream*
- 1½ cups desiccated coconut
- Frosting
- 100g vegan white chocolate*, melted
- 60g vegan butter*, chopped into chunks
- 3 cups icing sugar (gluten free)
- 3 tablespoon almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean extract
- Base
- Line a 10 x 10 inch square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a high speed food processor, add 1 packet of the biscuits and process until a fine crumb. Pour into a mixing bowl. Repeat with the second packet of biscuits.
- Add the lemon zest and juice to the crumb mixture.
- Pour in condensed coconut cream and desiccated coconut.
- Thoroughly mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon, you may find it easier to mix it using your hands.
- Evenly spread the mixture into the prepared pan and place in the refrigerator.
- Frosting
- In a double boiler over low-medium heat, melt white chocolate. Begin frosting while chocolate is melting but remember to stir the chocolate every now and then.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, add butter. Using the whisk attachment, whisk the butter for 30 seconds or until just soft.
- Gradually add icing sugar, 1 cup at a time.
- If white chocolate is done, take it off the heat to let it cool slightly.
- Between the addition of the icing sugar, add almond milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Add in vanilla extract and beat well.
- Add melted white chocolate and beat mixture for a further 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Evenly spread frosting on top of the base and place back into the refrigerator until set, approximately 1-2 hours. It won't set completely, it will still be soft.
- Keep slice in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 10 days, if it lasts that long 😉
- Enjoy!
* You can find vegan white chocolate from any health food store.
* You can find vegan butter from any health food store.
* I found my condensed coconut cream from Woolworths (In Australia) in the asian grocer aisle. Try your local supermarket or health food shop.
Sue says
These are so super delicious. Can you make a large batch and freeze them? Sue
Samantha says
Hi Sue, that's wonderful to hear you're enjoying this lemon slice recipe, thanks 🙂 I've personally have never tried freezing these before but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Just be sure to leave enough time of them to defrost back to room temperature. The base may not freeze solid due to the condensed coconut milk, as it doesn't freeze sold itself. The frosting however will freeze, again just bring it back down to room temp before serving so both base and topping are the same. Hope that helps! Sam x
Sonia says
Oh my! This Lemon Sice is amazing!
I recently made it for my family & it was a huge hit.
I’ve had to change my diet, no longer able to have wheat or oats, so to find a substitute for the traditional lemon slice & caramel slice, which I’ve been making for 30+ years, is terrific.
I’ve just made the Caramel Slice today, so hubby will be taste testing it for me in about 2 hours.
Raw desserts & bliss balls rock (& hubby & the family approves)
Samantha says
Hi Sonia, I'm so happy to hear this! This vegan lemon slice is such a wonderful recipe, especially for you to transition into your new lifestyle. I'm glad it has lived up to your exceptions, especially not being able to enjoy your traditional lemon and caramel slices. How did you go with the caramel slice? Hope you and your family enjoyed the taste of that one also. Thank you so much for sharing this with me, looking forward for you to make more healthy sweet treats! Sam xx
Samantha says
Hi Kim, thanks so much!! It's definitely delicious 😀 I don't have a straight substitute for white chocolate but here are a couple of options; you can use vegan dark chocolate as a swap (that's only if you can find a dairy free and soy free dark chocolate product of course?). Switching to dark chocolate will change the flavour profile of the slice, but any chocolate is good right?! ;). Otherwise you can omit the white chocolate completely and just have a regular frosting recipe, without the addition and flavour of white chocolate. You will just be making a plain frosting which still tastes fantastic and will absolutely work in this recipe. If you choose to omit the white chocolate, you may not need as much icing sugar to thicken the mixture, so just gradually add the powdered sugar until you reach desired creamy frosting consistency. Hope this helps and I hope you enjoy this slice - YUM! xx
Kim says
Hi Samantha, this recipe looks AMAZING! I cannot wait to try them. Is there anything I can use if I omit the white chocolate in the frosting? I am soy free so unfortunately the only vegan white chocolate I have found contains soy 🙁
Samantha says
Hi Kim, thanks so much!! It's definitely delicious 😀 I don't have a straight substitute for white chocolate but here are a couple of options; you can use vegan dark chocolate as a swap (that's only if you can find a dairy free and soy free dark chocolate product of course?). Switching to dark chocolate will change the flavour profile of the slice, but any chocolate is good right?! ;). Otherwise you can omit the white chocolate completely and just have a regular frosting recipe, without the addition and flavour of white chocolate. You will just be making a plain frosting which still tastes fantastic and will absolutely work in this recipe. If you choose to omit the white chocolate, you may not need as much icing sugar to thicken the mixture, so just gradually add the powdered sugar until you reach desired creamy frosting consistency. Hope this helps and I hope you enjoy this slice - YUM! xx
Kim says
Thank you so much for your reply! I will try it using a regular frosting 🙂
Samantha says
You're so welcome! Enjoy it 🙂 xx
melanie says
how can these be vegan when you are using Arrowroot biscuits, which contain milk and condensed milk?///
Samantha says
Hi Melanie, I use dairy free and egg free arrowroot biscuits which can be found from health food shops. I do state in the recipe that you can use regular arrowroot biscuits or find vegan arrowroot biscuits 🙂
Anna Wright says
I just made these for my family and they were a HIT! We devoured every last one of them .YUM. Thank you 🙂
Samantha says
Hi Anna! That's wonderful to hear! This recipe is one of my family favourites too. Each time we make them for friends, they also devour them! So irresistible and decadent, enjoy! xx
Alison says
This slice is seriously my fave, ever! And you've made it vegan - nice work! I don't know that I've ever come across condensed coconut cream, tho - where did you find it?
Samantha says
Hi Alison! Thanks so much, I'm seriously addicted to it now. I found my condensed coconut milk from my local supermarket which is Woolworths (in Australia), it's the brand 'Pandaroo'. This is not my photo but this is what the can looks like http://veganact.org.au/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Pandaroo-Sweet-Condensed-Coconut-Milk.jpg
You also may be able to find it in an asian grocer? I just did a quick Amazon search and here is what they list: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=condensed+coconut+milk
Hope this helps Alison and i hope you give the slice a try once you find some condensed coconut milk/cream! xx
Alison says
Tried it today! Absolutely lush - soft and gooey which I like. I used lemon juice instead of almond milk in the frosting for that citrus tang I love so much. xx
Samantha says
Hi Alison, oh good! I'm so glad you enjoyed the slice, you got me craving it now! Definitely sounds like it will be one of your favourite go-to recipes 🙂
Bethany @ Athletic Avocado says
Lemon is soooo refreshing right now! I'd love a piece of this with a cup of coffee/tea! YUM
Samantha says
Thanks Bethany! I know how good is it?! This slice would most certainly be the perfect paring with your coffee/tea! xx
Rachel Smith says
It's so funny, lemon slices were the very first vegan dessert I've tried, and I've had them on my mind recently, and then BAM, this stunning recipe pops up in my inbox! And gosh it sounds like the perfect mix of zesty lemon, and sweet coconut! You're a genius!
Samantha says
Thanks so much Rachel! I can read your mind hehe! I've already had about 3 slices today and I'm still craving more, yum! Hope you give it a go! xx