These festive vegan rum balls are full of flavor and easy to make with just six ingredients! They're perfect for holiday gifting and entertaining.
A bunch of readers have asked for a recipe for vegan rum balls over the years. It really shouldn't have taken me this long: these were absolutely delicious and one of easiest holiday treat recipes ever! You only need a handful of ingredients, and there's no baking required.
Conventional rum balls are almost vegan. Almost! The typical recipe calls for crushed up cookies, some cocoa, sweeteners, and of course, rum. The cookies and sweeteners are the ingredients we need to watch out for, but switching them up with vegan alternatives isn't a big deal at all. And I think these turned out to be the best rum balls I've ever had.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Biscoff cookies. Lots of rum ball recipes use vanilla wafers, but I have yet to find a vegan brand at the store. So I used Lotus Biscoff cookies instead! They're vegan and way tastier than vanilla wafers if you ask me. Look for them in the cookie aisle or the International aisle of your supermarket (they're Belgian). If you can't find them, vegan graham crackers will also work.
- Organic powdered sugar. Conventional (non-organic) powdered sugar may be processed using animal bone char, so it may not be vegan.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Rum. I used spiced rum.
- Maple syrup. Conventional rum balls are often made with corn syrup, which I'm not a fan of, or honey, which isn't vegan. Maple syrup makes a great alternative and adds a wonderful flavor. If you need an alternative, see my guide to vegan honey substitutes.
- Vanilla extract.
- Toppings. These are optional, but will make your rum balls tastier and prettier. Powdered sugar, shredded coconut, chopped nuts such as pecans or walnuts, sprinkles, colored sugar, and nonpareils all make great toppings.
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Start by crushing your cookies. You can put them in a food processor to do this, or use my quick and dirty method: stick them in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
Place your crushed cookies into a large mixing bowl, along with the powdered sugar and cocoa.
Stir up the dry ingredients, then add the rum, maple syrup, and vanilla. Keep stirring the mixture until the dry ingredients are evenly saturated with the wet ingredients.
Roll the mixture into 1-tablespoon balls, preferably using a cookie scoop to measure. Optionally, roll each ball in toppings, gently pressing them into it's surface.
Tip: Keep a bowl of water handy. If the mixture feels too crumbly, add a splash of water. If it sticks to your hands during rolling, wet them. If you're having trouble getting toppings to stick, lightly moisten the rum ball.
Your rum balls are finished! You can enjoy them right away if you'd like, but they're best when they've spent a few days chilling in the fridge.
Shelf-Life & Storage
Vegan rum balls will keep for about a week in an airtight container in the fridge, or for up to three months in the freezer.
More Vegan Holiday Sweets
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Rum Balls
Ingredients
- 3 cups crushed Biscoff cookies, 36 or 37 cookies (Notes 1 and 2)
- ¾ cup organic powdered sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- â…“ cup rum
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Toppings of choice, such as powdered sugar, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, and sprinkles
Instructions
- Place the cookie crumbs, powdered sugar, and cocoa into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the rum, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir until the mixture is combined and the dry ingredients are evenly saturated.
- Roll the mixture into balls by tablespoonfuls. Add a splash of water if the mixture seems too dry, and use wet hands if the mixture is sticking to them.
- Optionally, roll each rum ball in toppings of choice, lightly pressing the toppings into the surface. You can lightly we the outside of the rum ball if you're having trouble getting the toppings to stick.
- Serve immediately, or (preferably) place the rum balls in an airtight container to chill for 2 to 3 days.
Notes
- Graham crackers will work as a substitute if you can't find Biscoff cookies. Just make sure they're vegan, as many brands are made with honey. You'll need about 20 whole graham cracker sheets to obtain 3 cups of crumbs.
- You can crush your cookies in a food processor, or by placing them in a sealed plastic bag and rolling over them with a rolling pin.
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This is so easy and delicious! I used a s’mores whiskey instead of rum, and since Biscoff cookies remind me of graham crackers, the flavors were perfect together. Thanks for this healthier vegan version! My old old recipe I was trying to replace used vanilla wafers (not vegan) and corn syrup (not the healthiest).