The BEST Vegan Chocolate Turtles
These vegan turtles feature crisp pecan-almond cookies, luscious date caramel, and silky dark chocolate. They're everything you love about the classic candy, made entirely from whole food ingredients and completely dairy-free. This vegan turtle recipe is easy to make but special enough for gifting.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
A few months ago, a friend told me she ate a few turtles at a workshop and ended up in a sugar crash. An idea popped into my head. What if I swapped traditional caramel for the date caramel from my Chocolate Pecan Pie?
Turns out, it worked! And the most delicious vegan turtle cookie was made. The cookies taste even better with time, once all of the flavors have had a chance to marry (they should be stored in the refrigerator). No sugar crash, just pure joy in cookie form.
Nicki's Tip: Because date caramel doesn't harden like classic caramel, I created a nutty cookie base with pecans and almond flour to hold it in place. The slightly salty cookies balance the sweet filling and dark chocolate coating. The result is a crisp base, creamy middle, and glossy chocolate shell that crackles when you bite in. These vegan chocolate turtles have become one of our favorite vegan holiday treats.
If you like these, try my Chocolate Pudding Pie, Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies, or Mini No-Crust Cheesecakes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pecans: Toasted pecans bring deep flavor and crunch in the cookie base.
- Almond flour: Adds structure while keeping the cookies tender.
- Psyllium husk powder: Binds the dough and adds a sturdy, chewy bite.
- Maple syrup: A touch of natural sweetness that also helps the cookies hold together.
- Dates: Medjool dates blend into a thick, spreadable caramel.
- Coconut milk: Creates a smooth, creamy texture in this vegan caramel recipe.
- Dark chocolate: Use high-quality vegan chocolate for smooth melting.
- Flaky sea salt: Finishes the cookies with balanced salty-sweet flavor.
Step-by-Step: How to Make Vegan Turtles
Step 1: Toast and blend the nuts.
Toast the pecans until fragrant. Cool slightly, then pulse with almond flour, psyllium, and salt until finely ground. Add coconut oil and maple syrup and pulse again until the dough clumps.
Step 2: Shape and bake.
Scoop the dough into small rounds, flatten slightly, and bake until golden. Cool completely.
Step 3: Make the date caramel.
Soak pitted dates in hot water, drain, then blend with coconut milk, vanilla, and salt until smooth and creamy. The texture should be thick and spreadable.
Step 4: Melt the chocolate & Assemble
Gently melt chocolate with coconut oil until smooth. Top each cookie with a dollop of caramel, spread evenly, then spoon melted chocolate over top.
Step 5: Finish.
Sprinkle with flaky salt and finish with a toasted pecan half.
Step 6: Chill and enjoy.
Refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 45 minutes. These vegan pecan turtles are great cold from the fridge.
Tips for Success
- Use Medjool dates for the caramel. Their natural sweetness and softness create the best texture.
- A small cookie scoop keeps everything neat. It's helpful for portioning both the dough and caramel.
- Make ahead: The caramel can be made several days in advance and stored in the fridge.
- Storage: The cookies can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for up to 2 months.
These vegan caramel turtles also make lovely gifts. If you prefer a sweeter filling, blend in a little coconut sugar. For a coffee twist, add a pinch of espresso powder to the chocolate for a fun spin on vegan confectionery.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Use your favorite dairy-free caramel or a nut-butter-based version and keep the layers chilled so they set cleanly.
Use dark chocolate labeled for melting to get a smooth, glossy finish on these dairy-free turtles.
Yes. Freeze in layers with parchment between them and thaw in the fridge before serving.
Cool the coated cookies in the fridge and store them cold. Avoid warm rooms and temperature swings.
I'd love to hear how these turned out for you. Leave a comment, rate the recipe, or share your own twist. Your feedback helps others discover these recipes and supports this community of home cooks.
P.S. More Festive Holiday Treats:
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The BEST Vegan Chocolate Turtles
Ingredients
Pecan Cookie Base
- 2 cups (210g) pecans, plus 18 nice looking pecan halves for topping the cookies
- 1 cup (100g) almond flour
- 1 tablespoon psyllium husk powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅓ cup (67g) virgin coconut oil, melted
- 3 tablespoons (60g) maple syrup
Date Caramel Filling
- 15 plump Medjool dates pitted (be sure to remove the hard stem end as well)
- ½-3/4 cup full-fat unsweetened coconut milk (well stirred)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Chocolate Topping
- 9 ounces (255g) dark chocolate chips or finely chopped dark chocolate
- 1 ½ teaspoons virgin coconut oil
- Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
Instructions
Make the pecan cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Spread 2 cups of pecans out onto a large parchment-lined baking sheet. On a separate (small) parchment-lined baking sheet, spread 18 nice pecan halves (these will be for topping the cookies). Bake the pecans until they're fragrant and a shade darker in color, about 5-7 minutes.
- Transfer the 2 cups of toasted nuts to a food processor and let them cool for 5 minutes. Pulse the nuts until they're finely chopped. Add the almond flour, psyllium husk powder, and sea salt, and pulse to incorporate. Pour in the coconut oil and maple syrup, and process until the mixture looks damp and clumps up along the side of the work bowl.
- Form the dough into 1 ½ tablespoons-sized balls (about the size of a golf ball)-a small ice cream scoop makes this easy (see the tips). Arrange the balls onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 2-3 inches apart (you should get about 16 balls). Using your hands, press the cookies into ¼-inch thick rounds. You can tidy up the edges with your fingers, but there's no need to go crazy-the cookies will be mostly covered.
- Bake the cookies, rotating the pans and switching their positions halfway through, until the edges and bottoms are golden brown, about 9-10 minutes. Set the pans on racks and let the cookies cool completely.
Make the date caramel
- In the meantime, place the pitted dates in a heatproof bowl and pour enough boiling water over top to cover (if your dates are very fresh and sticky, use warm water instead). Soak for 10 minutes.
- Drain the dates well, then transfer them to a food processor and pulse until chopped. Scrape the sides, and add ½ cup of coconut milk, along with the vanilla and salt. Process until smooth, stopping and scraping down the sides occasionally (this might take awhile, so just let the machine rip). The consistency should be thick and spreadable, like creamy nut butter-if it's too thick, add a bit more coconut milk (this will depend on the freshness and size of the dates you used). Do Ahead: The date caramel can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Make the topping and assemble the cookies
- Combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a heatproof bowl and microwave, stirring every 20-30 seconds, until smooth (alternatively, place the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water and cook, stirring often, until melted).
- Dollop 1 ½ tablespoons of the date caramel over each cooled pecan cookie (use that same ice cream scoop!). You will likely have one extra cookie. Using the back of a small spatula or spoon, spread the caramel over the cookies, leaving a ¼- to ½-inch border (I like a nice mound of caramel in the middle, so don't flatten it too much).
- Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the melted chocolate over each cookie, using the back of a spoon to nudge it evenly over top so that it completely covers the caramel. This takes a bit of patience, but it can be fun if you lean into it (also, it's okay if the chocolate drips over the sides!). Sprinkle the cookies with a bit of flaky sea salt, and garnish with one of the reserved toasted pecans.
- Refrigerate the cookies until the chocolate is set, at least 45 minutes. Enjoy slowly, with delight!
Notes
- You can make the date caramel several days ahead to streamline the recipe. Be sure to use Medjool dates (not regular dates), as they are important for flavor and texture. Also, if you prefer a sweeter caramel you can add coconut sugar or brown sugar to taste (although my family finds it plenty sweet). The date caramel is also a fabulous dip for apple slices (my kids love it).
- A 1 ½-tablespoons sized ice cream scoop makes it really easy to scoop the dough and the caramel (it's the same scoop I use for these lentil meatballs).
- The cookies should be stored in the refrigerator, which will keep the base firm. They can be enjoyed cold or at room temperature. They can also be frozen for several months (although in my house there's no way they'd last that long).
- Storage: The cookies can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 weeks, or they can be frozen for up to 2 months.
