By Megan McFadden in Ingredient — Jan 6, 2025

25 Delicious Vegan Recipes Featuring Maple

Discover 25 irresistible vegan recipes showcasing the rich flavor of maple, from breakfast to dessert and everything in between.

What's So Special About Maple?

When I was a kid, my family had stereotypical Midwestern meals like roast beef and potatoes, hamburgers, pork tenderloin, chicken breast, and T-bone steak. The main focus was on the meat topped with condiments like cheese, ketchup, and barbeque sauce. The flavor in my life was meat served with veggies, fruit, and skim milk.

After growing up, I acquired food preferences utterly different from my parents'. I became vegan when I was 21, and as I learned how to cook for myself, I researched food galore across the internet, especially on vegan and vegan-friendly food blogs.

While experimenting with meal prep and baking, I learned that I like maple. I was not used to having maple syrup on anything besides on top of waffles and pancakes, but I was not the biggest fan of this because of its stickiness. Over time, I grew to like maple more and more by using it as a sweetener in vegan baked goods.

If you want more reasons to incorporate maple syrup into your cooking and baking, try these vegan maple recipes today, including but not limited to the following:

Vegan ham roast with maple glaze
Maple pecan coffee cake
Maple cinnamon rolls
Maple pecan banana muffins
Maple glazed carrots

1. Vegan Ham Roast with Maple Glaze

I am the only vegan in my family. One problem I encounter at family gatherings is bringing vegan food to these occasions.

Last Thanksgiving and Christmas, I decided to bring individual meals for myself because I did not want to waste any time making a vegan dish, so I quietly warmed up my food in the microwave. I feel like I make too much of a scene by creating an entire dish and not eating anyone else's food.

In the ideal world where my family was more accepting of my vegan lifestyle, I would make this vegan ham roast with maple glaze for the holidays with the help of Nora Cooks.

🦃

You might also like these Thanksgiving recipes.

2. Maple Pecan Coffee Cake

I do not fully understand why coffee cake is called that. After all, it is a sweet bread that is served with coffee instead of a coffee-flavored cake.

I haven't had it since I've gone vegan, but I need to make it sometime because it is delicious. If this sounds good, bake maple pecan coffee cake from ShortGirlTallOrder.

3. Maple Cinnamon Rolls

Before I went vegan, the highlight of church breakfasts was the cinnamon rolls. I miss being able to go to these outings, but at least I can make as many cinnamon rolls as I want at home.

Make these maple cinnamon rolls from plant.well.

🥞

If this sounds good, try these vegan breakfast recipes.

Maple Pecan Banana Muffins (Vegan) - Baker by Nature

There’s nothing like biting into one of these freshly baked maple pecan banana muffins! Easy, simple, homemade goodness in less than 30 minutes. These maple pecan muffins are a hit with the whole family! [adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=“NSgWae4S” upload-date=“2017-09-27T15:43:04.000Z” name=”…

Baker by Nature - A Baking Blog by Ashley ManilaAshley Manila

4. Maple Pecan Banana Muffins

One thing that makes bananas stand out is if they start to go bad, you can use them in various baked goods instead of discarding them. Actually, bananas are a great vegan egg substitute in baking because many people have them on hand in the kitchen, versus the less common flaxseed and tofu.

If your bananas start to brown, bake maple pecan banana muffins from Baker by Nature.

🍌

If this is to your liking, I recommend these banana recipes.

5. Maple Glazed Carrots

Carrots are one of my favorite go-to veggies. I tend to buy them to make veggie sticks. I peel and cut them, put them in Mason jars with water, seal the jars, and put them in the fridge. They last up to three weeks in the fridge, but change the water every two days to ensure the carrots stay fresh.

If you prefer to make them as a side dish right away, make maple glazed carrots with the help of Wow, It's Veggie.

🥕

Here are more carrot recipes.

6. Maple Spice Candied Cashews

In recent years, I learned about the deliciousness of cashews. I used to drink chocolate cashew milk, but I switched to chocolate almond milk because I moved, and they do not sell chocolate cashew milk around here.

Cashews also make a tremendous dairy-free option in soups and baked ziti. I am a work in progress, trying to figure out how to blend it all the way and eliminate the grittiness.

Fortunately, no blending is necessary for these maple spice candied cashews from Darn Good Veggies.

7. Maple Pecan Donuts

Years ago, I got a donut pan to make donuts and bagels at home. Even though I have hardly used it yet, I keep getting inspired by how many yummy donut and bagel recipes I find online.

Regarding maple, I recommend these maple pecan donuts from Feasting on Fruit.

8. Maple Sriracha Cauliflower Wings

Before I went vegan, I had no idea that people made veggie alternatives to anything meaty, but whoever thought that cauliflower would be a terrific meat substitute was a genius. It is a delicious alternative and a great way to sneak veggies into picky eaters' diets.

If you want to give plant-based wings a try, here are maple sriracha cauliflower wings from Cupful of Kale.

9. Maple Butter Sugar Cookies

If I crave cookies, I buy Sweet Loren's cookie dough from the store. It is much faster, vegan-friendly, and delicious.

I do need an excuse to do enough baking to get an apron. If you enjoy baking cookies, try these maple butter sugar cookies from Caitlin's Table.

🍪

If this is to your taste, here are more cookie recipes.

10. Maple Quinoa Harvest Granola

Years ago, I got upset when I learned that Nature's Path sold vegetarian Love Crunch Organic Dark Chocolate & Red Berries Granola Bars, even though the granola itself is vegan.

I filed a complaint with the company, suggesting that this product be vegan, and my response was insulting. The customer service representative went out of their way to explain the differences between vegetarian and vegan to me as if I didn't know that. I didn't buy any of their products for at least a year after that because of their reaction to my simple question.

Nature's Path's response to my request to make these granola bars vegan

Regardless, it is cheaper to make granola at home and customize it to your own taste. Give maple quinoa harvest granola a try from Peanut Butter Plus Chocolate.

11. Maple Pumpkin Pop-Tarts

My brother was fortunate to play in the marching band at the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl. I missed a great football game because the Iowa State Cyclones won by one point against the Miami Hurricanes (42-41).

If that game made you crave Pop-Tarts, make maple pumpkin Pop-Tarts with the help of Le Petit Eats.

🎃

If you crave fall flavors like me, you may like these pumpkin recipes.

12. Maple Cream Fudge

My grandpa used to be a great baker. He made many scrumptious sweets for family gatherings, including Thanksgiving candy turkeys, Texas sheet cake, chocolate chip cookies, and chocolate fudge.

Even though he passed away a few years ago, I can still make maple cream fudge from Go Dairy Free and think of him while I do so.

🍭

If you want more sweets to satisfy your sweet tooth, give these candy recipes a try.

13. Maple Blondies

When I first heard of a blondie, I was confused because I didn't understand why they would name a dessert after a hair color. After I learned more about it, I learned that blondies are kind of like brownies, except instead of being made with cocoa powder or melted chocolate, blondies get their flavor from brown sugar.

If this sounds good, bake maple blondies with the help of Strength and Sunshine.

🟫

14. Maple Walnut Ice Cream

I am against eating ice cream in the winter because it's too cold outside to enjoy it at home. Most of my family would disagree with that idea because they believe every day is perfect for ice cream.

No matter what your opinion is, make maple walnut ice cream from Pink Fortitude.

🍦

Check out these ice cream recipes and my vegan ice cream guide if you want more inspiration.

15. Maple Cornbread Banana Bread

When I have brown bananas, the first thing I want to create with them is banana bread.

If you like banana bread too, I recommend this maple cornbread banana bread from Feasting on Fruit.

16. Maple Candied Apples

Once a year, my family had a tradition of going to see the fall leaves. Sometimes, we collected branches from some of the Iowa state parks along the way for the leaf project for biology class.

Before or after shopping at Cabela's in Prairie du Chein, Wisconsin, we stopped at an apple orchard and bought an expensive bag of local apples, apple cider donuts, apple cider, and caramel apples.

I still see fall leaves with my parents as an adult, but it is not the same because my siblings live elsewhere.

If you are open to trying a new apple treat, create maple candied apples with the help of Nourished Kitchen.

🍎

17. Maple Chili Glazed Tofu

Many restaurants try to make vegan dishes with tofu without success. These dishes taste bad because these places do not know how to prep tofu. The main issue is they forget to press the tofu before cooking with it, so the tofu ends up a spongy and watery mess.

You do not need to go out of your way to buy a tofu press if you prefer to save money on an appliance.

Drain the liquid from the packaging.
Then, put it on a ceramic plate.
Afterward, place a ceramic plate with a couple of heavy books on top of that. (Ensure the books aren't longer than the plate, or else it will not work.)
Cut the rest of your produce and measure out the rest of your ingredients.
Finally, drain the excess liquid and pat dry with paper towels.

After you press the tofu correctly, make maple chili glazed tofu from She Likes Food.

18. Maple Pecan Cupcakes

One thing that I dislike about bought cupcakes is they tend to have way too much frosting and not enough cake.

The main advantage of creating homemade cupcakes is you have control of everything. They might not taste as good, but you can pick whatever flavor you want and how much frosting and cake you want with your cupcakes.

If that works for you, try these maple pecan cupcakes from The Loopy Whisk.

🧁

If this sounds good, give these cupcake recipes a try.

19. Maple Pumpkin Pecan Baklava

Growing up, one of my mom's doctor friends gave my family baklava as a Christmas treat. Even though I never had the guts to try it, my siblings and parents devoured it.

Try maple pumpkin pecan baklava from Nikki Vegan.

20. Salted Maple Latte

Last fall, once again, maple lovers at Starbucks were disappointed. The fall flavors in this limited edition menu were pumpkin spice, pumpkin, apple crisp, and honey apple. The beloved maple pecan latte was nowhere in sight, but you can put maple in your hot beverages at home.

Lucky for maple lovers, Almond Cow has your back with their salted maple latte.

21. Maple Walnut Scones

Some of my family rave about how great tea is. There are even a few tea places in the area, but I am not the ideal audience for them. I dislike tea, and I act like a kid on a sugar high when I have caffeine.

I might need to expand my horizon on trying more teas besides a couple, but that does not stop me from making maple walnut scones from Okonomi Kitchen.

22. Maple Caramel Almond Cheesecake

One of my favorite times of the school year was when most students were gone at state wrestling and other tournaments. I admit that I was valedictorian and loved learning, but it was a treat to do fun things in class occasionally because hardly anyone was there.

In chemistry class, we made caramel and fudge. Even though I'm not a big candy person, those were my favorite labs.

If you like caramel, try this maple caramel almond cheesecake from The All Natural Vegan.

23. Maple Vanilla Cashew Cream

Sweet cashew cream is good at enhancing breakfast time and desserts. Put it on oatmeal, waffles, cookies, muffins, and more to make your food taste better.

Make maple vanilla cashew cream with the help of Okonomi Kitchen.

24. Maple Mulberry Brittle

One time in high school, my brother made peanut brittle and brought it to school. I do not remember the actual reason why, but my guess was he was trying to suck up to one of his teachers.

If you like peanut brittle, I encourage you to have this maple mulberry brittle from Feasting on Fruit.

25. Maple Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lastly, chocolate chip cookies are a classic, but sometimes, we need to spice them up, or else they get boring.

If you are up to the challenge, bake maple whole wheat chocolate chip cookies with the help of The Conscientious Eater.

The Grand Finale

Maple syrup is a versatile and natural sweetener made from the sap of sugar maple trees. It’s a vegan cooking and baking staple for its rich, caramel-like flavor and all-natural origins. Here are a few reasons why maple syrup shines in a vegan diet:

Natural Sweetener: It’s an unrefined, plant-based alternative to processed sugars.
Nutrient-Rich: Maple syrup contains antioxidants, manganese, zinc, and small amounts of calcium, making it a more nutritious sweetener.
Flavor Booster: Maple syrup adds depth to both sweet and savory dishes with its distinct earthy sweetness.
Vegan-Friendly: Unlike honey, it’s entirely plant-derived and sustainable.

Common Uses in Vegan Recipes

Breakfasts: Drizzle over pancakes, waffles, or oatmeal for a classic touch.
Baking: Replace sugar in cookies, cakes, or muffins for a moist texture and unique flavor.
Savory Dishes: Balance flavors in marinades, dressings, or roasted vegetables.
Beverages: Sweeten lattes, teas, or smoothies naturally.

Why Not Maple Syrup?

I hope this blog post inspired you to incorporate maple syrup into your recipes regardless of the time of the year.

Even though it is traditionally a fall flavor, it tastes excellent throughout the year with store-bought options. If you prefer fresh, maple syrup season takes place in March.

Stay tuned for the Ingredient of the Week every Monday. Ciao for now!