Cool, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth vegan peppermint patties coated with rich dark chocolate. These easy-to-make, 5-ingredient treats are a great idea for holiday gift-giving or special treats!
This website turns four tomorrow, December 1st! FOUR!
This site is still up and running because I love sharing recipes and the whole process behind it. Some parts more than others (ha!), but the important thing is that I love doing what I do here because I get to share recipes like this:
It has become a tradition to share a chocolate mint recipe on each blog anniversary. It wasn't intentional, things just kind of happened that way, but I'm more than happy to continue this tradition because I love chocolate and mint together.
Here are some of my other chocolate + mint recipes, in case you love this flavour combo as much as I do!
- Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Mint Doughnuts
- Decadent Vegan Peppermint Hot Chocolate
- Dark Chocolate Mint Truffles
- Dark Chocolate Mint Avocado Pudding
- Chocolate Peppermint Bark
- Thin Mint Cookies
- Vegan Peppermint Mocha
- Easy Vegan Fudge (3 Ingredients!)
Now, let's discuss these vegan peppermint patties, shall we?
This is a treat I've been making and giving as holiday gifts for a while. They're my Christmas peppermint patties 🙂
When I give them, I'm always asked for the recipe, so I'm sharing it here, so everyone can see how easy they are to make and if they want to make them, they can...and not just during the holidays, but year-round!
There are many different variations of this recipe, most contain condensed milk and others call for shredded coconut.
This no-bake, 5-ingredient recipe is uncomplicated and it's:
- condensed milk free
- shredded coconut free
It may also remind you of a favourite store bought treat, York Peppermint Patties. This recipe and those patties are both cool, refreshing, chocolaty, and minty, but are York Peppermint Patties vegan?
Nope. They contain dairy and eggs. They also contain corn syrup.
THIS recipe is:
- dairy free
- egg free
- corn syrup free
Ingredients You'll Need:
So let's look at the peppermint patty ingredients in my recipe:
All you need is powdered sugar, semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk of choice, coconut oil, peppermint extract, and an optional candy cane to crush and sprinkle on top of your vegan peppermint patties.
That's it!
How to Make Them
(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step here, but find the full recipe and directions at the end of this post.)
This is a very easy recipe to make, as long as you follow the instructions as they are written, because there is one very important step you need to pay close attention to when making.
That important step is the addition of the milk to the powdered sugar. You cannot add the milk all at once, you need to do it gradually so you end up with a firm ball that holds together, isn't too dry, and isn't too wet.
The perfect texture will allow you to scoop and form into patties that aren't runny and don't fall apart.
After making the patties, they need to be placed in the freezer so they freeze solid to make the dipping step easy.
The next step is to melt the chocolate you'll be dipping the mint patties into. This can be done in the microwave or by using the double boiler method. A little coconut oil is added to the chocolate to thin it a bit to make dipping easier.
Dipping can be done with dipping tools (if you're a candy making pro and have some!) or with two forks.
When dipping the frozen patties, if you're sprinkling crushed candy canes on top, you'll need to move quickly because the chocolate will firm up quite fast and the candy won't stick.
Adding crushed candy cane is totally optional. I like to add them because they make your homemade peppermint patties look prettier, they add a little crunch, and they also add a tiny more mint flavour.
What candy cane brands are vegan?
There are a few brands that make vegan candy canes. The candy canes I use for this recipe are made by Wholesome Sweeteners and there is also the YumEarth brand. Their candy canes are 100% vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and corn syrup-free.
Canadians, you can find this brand in a well-stocked natural food store or grocery store.
In the US, you can find them at health food stores (try stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's), or if you prefer to shop online, you can click this link to see them on Amazon.
And of course, if it's not important to you for your recipe to be vegan, you can use any brand of candy cane.
Note that since candy canes are a seasonal item, the stores linked above may not have the candy canes in stock in the off season.
Read my article "Are Candy Canes Vegan" for more info about brands and buying vegan candy canes.
What Brands Make Vegan Chocolate Chips?
There are many vegan chocolate chip brands, but they may not be labelled as vegan or were not intended to be made vegan, they just happen to be. Most high quality dark chocolate chips are vegan, but always check the ingredients to be sure.
To figure out if a particular brand is vegan, read the ingredient list and look for dairy ingredients.
PC Organics bittersweet chocolate chips are vegan and there’s also Enjoy Life, and Equal Exchange. For more vegan chocolate chip recommendations, read this article: Are Chocolate Chips Vegan? (These Brands Are!)
What Kind of Milk Should be Used?
Any type of unsweetened milk will work for this recipe. I use almond milk.
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Before you head down to the recipe, I want to thank you for visiting my website, making my recipes, and for all of your kind messages and encouragement over the past four years.
YOU are a huge part of what makes doing this fun and exciting. Thank you.
If you make this recipe, please let me know by commenting below or by sharing a pic with me over on Instagram.
If you like this vegan peppermint patties recipe, you may also like these:
- Vegan Gingerbread Pancakes
- Vegan Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
- Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Vegan Food Gifts
- Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding
Vegan Peppermint Patties
Suggested Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 3 cups (360g) powdered sugar
- ½ - ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract (see note below)
- 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 2 cups (360g) chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
- 2 ½ teaspoons coconut oil
- ½ candy cane, crushed (optional)
Instructions:
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Add powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl and add ½ teaspoon peppermint extract to the powdered sugar.
- Add 1 tablespoon of milk and mix well until everything has combined. Add another tablespoon and mix again. Add the third tablespoon and mix again.
If the mixture is still a little dry at this point, add more milk, only a few drops at a time. Mix again until a firm ball is formed. Ball should be firm and hold together, it should not lose its shape while sitting. - Using a small cookie scoop, a spoon, or your hands, scoop a small piece of the dough and roll into a ball. Place ball on the parchment-lined baking sheet and flatten slightly. Repeat until all of the dough has been used.
- Place cookie sheet in the freezer and freeze for at least 1-hour.
- Place chocolate chips and coconut oil in a glass bowl and melt using the double boiler method or in the microwave in 30-second intervals. Stir after each interval. Once chocolate has melted, stir well to make sure oil and chocolate have combined. Allow chocolate to cool slightly before dipping.
- Remove the cookie sheet from the freezer. Place 1 patty at a time on a fork and dip into the chocolate. Let excess chocolate drip off and place back onto the cookie sheet.
- If using, sprinkle crushed candy cane on top of the patty. You'll have to work fast because the chocolate firm up quickly.
- Repeat with the rest until all patties have been dipped.
- Place baking sheet back into the freezer for about 10 minutes for patties to harden. Once firm, place patties into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes:
- IMPORTANT: Don't add all the milk to the powdered sugar at once or you may end up with a runny powdered sugar mess. Instead, add the milk gradually, as instructed in the directions.
- All peppermint extracts have different strengths. Start by adding ½ teaspoon and once the ball is formed, taste. If you find that it needs more mint flavour, knead ¼ teaspoon more into the ball.
- Patties can be made as small, large, or as thick as you'd like, but don't make them too thin or you will run into issues when dipping them into the chocolate. The patties I made in the pictures above are about 2-inches in diameter and the recipe made 22 of those.
- When dipping the frozen patties into the chocolate, if they start to thaw out and get soft, put them back into the freezer to firm up again before continuing with the dipping.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 1 month. Layer between sheets of parchment paper to prevent sticking. They can also be placed in the freezer for longer.
- Nutrition info is based on 1 of 22 peppermint patties (2" in diameter) without crushed candy canes on top and using semi-sweet chocolate. Nutrition info is only to be used as a rough guide. Click to learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.
Christy says
This is the third year I am making these, I always make them for my cookie box gifts I give to friends. I should have left a comment earlier, but I always forget. Anyways, I wanted to let you know that I love this recipe and it is always loved by y friends who I gift them to. Thank you for making this recipe vegan!
Gwen Leron says
They are a must-make every single year for me too, Christy! Happy to know you and your friends like them so much 🙂
Rochelle says
Powdered sugar has cornstarch in it doesn’t it? Have you found a brand that doesn’t?
Gwen Leron says
Hi Rochelle, yes, powdered sugar does contain cornstarch. I don't know of any store-bought brands that are cornstarch-free, but I know you can make your own homemade powdered sugar and replace the cornstarch with arrowroot starch. Google "cornstarch free powdered sugar" and you'll find several step-by-step recipes on how to do it (it's easy!). I hope this helps. (and if you end up making the peppermint patties, let me know how things go!)
Rachel says
Hi, do you need to use coconut oil? I don’t have any. Thanks
Gwen Leron says
Hi Rachel, any oil can be used instead of coconut oil (as long as it doesn't have a strong taste). It helps the chocolate to melt a bit better and to thin it out, it also helps the chocolate to not seize when the extract is added. Let me know if you have any further questions!
Karen says
I just found your recipes and I'm so excited to try them! My son and I are vegetarian and my daughter is vegan so it's fun to find some recipes that can work for us all!
I am excited to try these peppermint patties and the dark chocolate truffles...
Gwen Leron says
Hi Karen! I'm glad you found me, too! Have fun trying the recipes and always feel free to get in touch if you ever have any questions about them 🙂
Geena says
Hi Gwen! These look fantastic to add to my vegan cookie boxes for friends! Do they HAVE to be refrigerated? I was planning on adding 2-3 per cookie box and don't want them to have to put other cookies in the fridge. Thanks!!
Gwen Leron says
Hi Geena, they will be fine if they are kept at room temperature. Anything above, like a very warm kitchen, etc. is where you will run into trouble. So as long as they are kept at room temperature or below, they will keep just fine in your cookie box 🙂 If you have any other questions, please feel free to get in touch. I hope you and your friends enjoy them!