Dairy-Free Bake Off Recipes: Cakes, Cookies, Breads & More!

For millions of people, the fall is a special time for enjoying food with loved ones. To help everyone share in the moments, we teamed up with Simply Organic and 10 talented food bloggers for a Dairy-Free Bake Off! The bloggers created sweet and savory recipes that are filled with dairy-free flavor. For those of you with additional food restrictions, there are many vegan, gluten-free, and allergy-friendly recipes, too.

And The Dairy-Free Bake Off Winners Are …

There were a Baker’s Dozen entries in total, and though all were fantastic, the ones below edged out the competition in taste, performance, and creativity or by your vote!

Grand Prize: Mexican Hot Chocolate Donuts

Dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free recipe by Brianna of Flippin Delicious

As the Grand Prize Winner, Brianna won a $500 Gift Card from Simply Organic! Want to know why we loved her recipe? Get our Go Dairy Free Kitchen Notes for This Recipe Here (or click the image below!).

Runner Up: Smoky Chipotle Gingerbread Cake

Vegan, peanut-free, and soy-free recipe by Hannah of Bittersweet

As the Runner Up, Hannah won a $250 Gift Card for Revol Porcelain USA (my favorite bakeware!). Want to know what makes this cake so great? Get our Go Dairy Free Kitchen Notes for This Recipe Here (or click the image below!).

Reader’s Choice: Chai Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake

Vegan, peanut-free, and soy-free recipe by Jenn of Veggie Inspired Journey

As the Reader’s Choice, Jenn also won a $250 Gift Card for Revol Porcelain USA. And we think you chose well! Get our Go Dairy Free Kitchen Notes for This Recipe Here (or click the image below!).

More Delicious Dairy-Free Bake Off Entries (With Our Notes!)

We trialed every single recipe entry in the Simply Organic Dairy-Free Bake Off, and honestly, it was so hard to pick the winners! There were three different Go Dairy Free kitchens at work, ovens ablaze, and although the recipes below didn’t walk away with a prize, they were all enjoyed. I’ve included tester notes with each, so that you can fully indulge in them, too!

Red Pepper Bird Seed Savory Snack Bars

Vegan, gluten-free & allergy-friendly recipe by Alexa of Flo & Grace

Go Dairy Free Kitchen Notes: These bars turned out quite good! They sounded complicated, but came together really easily. At first I thought the flavor was a bit too mellow, but the flavors developed quite a bit when tasted the next day.

Whole Wheat Vegan Pumpkin Scones With Cinnamon Orange Glaze

Vegan, nut-free & soy-free recipe by Ashley of Fit Mitten Kitchen

Go Dairy Free Kitchen Notes: The glaze on these scones is excellent, with a nice strong cinnamon-orange flavor. We though it would be great on cranberry-orange scones for the holidays, too. We wanted the pumpkin flavor to come through more in the scones, which were heavier in wheat taste and texture. Grating the frozen coconut oil was a cool idea in this recipe but a bit frustrating!

Paleo Spiced Almond Butter Cookies

Dairy-free, gluten-free, peanut-free and soy-free recipe also by Ashley of Fit Mitten Kitchen

Go Dairy Free Kitchen Notes: These cookies were quite good, everyone liked them, including the kids. They had a nice flavor, chewy texture, and pleasant crunch from the sugar crystals.

Twisted Garlic and Herb Bread

Vegan, nut-free, and soy-free also by Hannah of Bittersweet

Go Dairy Free Kitchen Notes: This is the type of recipe I’d expect to find in a trendy bread bakery! The filling is very flavorful, and the bread rises nicely, despite being part whole wheat. At first the recipe was daunting, but once you get the rolling and twisting, it’s really just a couple steps beyond regular French bread. The only caveat was the salt level. The filling adds a nice wallop of flavor, but when I got a bite of bread on its own, it was a little flat. I would either up the salt in the bread part, or take ¼ teaspoon salt from the filling and add it to the bread salt to balance.

Mini Rosemary Socca Rounds

Vegan, gluten-free, and allergy-friendly recipe by Kelly of Tasting Page

Go Dairy Free Kitchen Notes: These rounds are good, and a great healthy chip swap for dips or perhaps a unique base for bruschetta. I just wasn’t sure which way to go once they were made and would have loved a topping or dip as a part of the recipe for initial direction.

Chai Spiced Zucchini Bread with Cardamom + Vanilla Bean Glaze

Dairy-free, gluten-free, peanut-free, and soy-free recipe by Lacy of Making it Milk Free

Go Dairy Free Kitchen Notes: This had very good texture for a gluten-free bread, but our taste buds wanted more sweet and a little more salt. The glaze is nice and sweet, but the bread itself was very vegetal in flavor, and almost savory. That said, the spices are very nice; especially the cardamom and vanilla.

Hasselback Baked Apples with Figs + Pecans

Vegan, gluten-free, and allergy-friendly recipe by Lauren of Wicked Spatula

Go Dairy Free Kitchen Notes: Love this idea and the overall flavor is quite good! It could use a little salt though to make the cinnamon notes pop. I loved the creativity in this recipe, but it was time-consuming with perhaps a step or two more than needed for the resultant goodness. I struggled to put fig slices in the slots, and you need only about half of the figs called for. I was also a little sad when the crumble melted away. But, I saved all of the sweet, rich juices to reuse with oatmeal!

Paleo Pot Pie

Vegan, gluten-free, peanut-free, and soy-free recipe also by Lauren of Wicked Spatula

Go Dairy Free Kitchen Notes: These turned out nice. The texture of the pastry topping is crisp on the outside and really light and fluffy on the inside. We all enjoyed them, and I really like the idea of using blended potato as the creamy factor of the inside.

Chai Spiced Pear Crisp

Vegan, gluten-free, and allergy-friendly recipe by Sarah of Sarah Bakes Gluten Free

Go Dairy Free Kitchen Notes: This dessert was excellent! It was probably the most time-consuming crisp I’ve ever made, but the spice flavors came through and everyone enjoyed. The topping crisped up nicely on top, but a little bit of the crumb underneath was just a touch pasty. I think I would omit the milk beverage in the future to prevent this, but otherwise it was spot on.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Dairy-free, gluten-free, peanut-free, and soy-free recipe by Sharon of What The Fork Blog

Go Dairy Free Kitchen Notes: I loved the way this cake is made “biscuit-style” for a unique crumb. The crumb topping is excellent (it’s generous even when you don’t double it), but my taste buds wanted some of that cinnamon spice in the cake, too. I also think I would swap coconut oil for the palm shortening in the cake, as that heavier flavor came through quite a bit with the gluten-free flours.

And a Bonus Recipe!

To support this Dairy-Free Bake Off, Nutritionist Laura Peill created a special healthy, dairy-free recipe for all of you to enjoy. And you’ll never guess what it is …

Pumpkin Chips with Creamy Cumin Cashew Dip & Harissa Sauce

Laura’s recipe is really three-in-one, and is naturally nutritious, vegan, gluten-free, peanut-free & soy-free!

Reader Winners

You voted to pick the Reader’s Choice Winner! And to thank you, we randomly picked TWO of you to receive a Large Holiday Spice Gift Set from Simply Organic!

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About Simply Organic

Simply Organic produces an amazing array of naturally dairy-free herbs, spices and blends. With these healthy helpers in your kitchen, the flavor combinations are endless, and there really is no need for milk or cheese! You may not believe me now, but just wait until you try any of the above dairy-free bake off recipes.

To enjoy more new recipes and tips from Simply Organic, follow the hastag #OrganicMoments on social media. Simply Organic also posts daily deliciousness on Instagram and Facebook. Not all of their recipes are dairy-free, but they definitely have some gems.

About Revol Porcelain

Since 1768, REVOL porcelain has been a family owned-business that has developed a very unique expertise in manufacturing culinary porcelain in Saint-Uze, France. Their incredible pieces have become a staple in my kitchen, including the Les Naturels bakeware shown below, the Revolution ceramic cookware, and the gift-worthy Aborescence serving dishes.