These are my 10 Favourite No Bake Vegan Desserts! Whether you need 15 minutes, or have an hour, this list will have you covered. Everything is so delicious!
Happy Friday! Is anyone else ridiculously hot?! If your summer is going like mine, aka fun but very hot, then you’re going to want to check this entire list out. I’m a big fan of not turning on my oven everyday during summer. Thanks to these No Bake Vegan Desserts, that is more than possible! Every recipe tastes delicious, cooling, and simple to make. Some take less time than others, so whether you need 15 minutes, or have an hour, this list will have you covered. Eat up and enjoy friends. Happy Summer!
Vegan Creamy Chocolate Avocado Ice Cream
No Bake Chocolate Avocado Pudding
Who knew avocado was so versatile? Cold desserts knew, that’s who. Avocado and chocolate blend together beautifully in this pudding, so much so that it’s basically mousse like. Perfect for serving small portions to a sea of guests, or yourself.
Watermelon Mint Popsicles
These might be the most refreshing on the list. Watermelon, lime and mint marry perfectly here. This is perfect for kids and adults who love popsicles and is bound to keep you calm and cool.
No Bake Mango Coconut Chia Pudding
Brb, off to go set this in the fridge! This “dessert” is so good you can have it for breakfast. It’s pretty versatile so definitely add your favourite fruits here!
No Bake Brownie Energy Bites
Definitely my favourite energy bite ever. There are dozens of reviews detailing that these brownie energy bites taste like the real thing! You should definitely try them for yourself.
Vegan Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream
If you want a great summer seasonal ice cream, this is it! Loaded with lots of fresh strawberries, you’ll feel like you’re on a summer vacation with just one scoop. It makes plenty too, so you’ll have lots to enjoy for a while.
4 Ingredient Salted Caramel Chocolate Cups
I originally made these for Halloween/November season, but they work all year round so well! This will cure any chocolate craving. Plus, it’s only 4 ingredients!
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites
Peanut butter lovers unite! These energy bites are great for a Netflix night in, and of course are so versatile that they are great for hikes and snacking too!
Rainbow Fruit Salad with Maple Lime Dressing
Don’t let the humble appearance of this Rainbow Fruit Salad fool you. It’s loaded with flavours thanks to the combination of fruits. As if that wasn’t enough, it’s then drizzled with a light maple lime syrup that brightens everything up!
Welcome to my Ultimate Tulum Guide! If things look a little bit familiar it’s because yes: we have been to Tulum before and I did write a guide about that experience. I always knew I would love travelling to Tulum. What I didn’t know was that I would really fall madly in love with this town, and make it my first non U.S. travel destination to actually return to. Two years later we found ourselves back in Tulum, Mexico for our third wedding anniversary, having visited it for our 1st wedding anniversary.
Friends, Tulum now has an even more special place in my heart. If you’re wondering about it as a travel destination, take my word for it: do it. I’m sharing a combination of everything that I’ve learned over my two visits to this beautiful heaven on earth. Where to eat. Where to stay. What to do. Even day trips you can take from Tulum! Read on to experience the magic!
About Tulum
Tulum is a town located in Quintana Roo, Mexico, and is basically everything you didn’t know you needed. It is in the heart of the rainforest in Quintana Roo and is the home of the Mayan Ruins. Tulum actually means wall, and the town was originally a major port for the entire area. The scenery, the food, and the beach all attracted us. If you’re looking for a tropical destination that’s a bit off the grid, with some of the best food you’ll ever eat, while still having your modern amenities (in good limitations – looking at you Wifi), then this is the town for you.
Since Tulum is located in the rainforest, you should expect a rainforest feel. They do everything to protect their flora and fauna, so for example, you can’t even wear toxic bug spray when swimming in the cenotes. Supporting the local vendors is heavily promoted, and you will be hard pressed to find a franchise or any fast food in Tulum. I like to think of it as my second hippie home away from home.
Tulum is broken up into Tulum Town (Pueblo) and Tulum Beach (Playa). Having now stayed on both, I would definitely recommend staying on the beach, but let me tell you – staying in the Town is incredible for budget travellers. You’ll get fantastic airbnbs for low prices.
What You Need To Know Before You Go/Important Information: Getting There, Getting Around Immigration Forms, Currency, Cards vs Cash
Visa/Getting There – Firstly – do you need a visa? Chances are no, but you should check with your local Mexican embassy or consular/their website to double check, but we did not and there are several exemptions. If you plan to stay longer than 180 days however you will need a visa. There is no airport in Tulum, and the closest one is in Cancun, so you can fly into Cancun. When you’re in the airport, you’ll be given an immigration form. Do not lose this. Just keep it with your passports – you’ll need it to leave.
From there, you can take a shuttle or public transportation to Tulum. We took the most popular company at the airport Super Shuttle, especially after reading horror stories from other visitors about accidentally taking illegal services when looking for cheap alternatives. Like I said, you can always take the public transportation too, or rent a car. We rented a car our first time at the airport, and took a shuttle this time. We definitely preferred the shuttle. Our driver even bought us a 6-pack of beer!
When to visit Tulum and For How Long – you can pretty much visit Tulum at any time of the year. We always go in July. While it isn’t overcrowded, it was more crowded this time than the last. With most tropical destinations, down seasons are from like October to May and so you can probably get cheaper accommodation then. I would recommend at least 5 days in Tulum, and up to a month if you can. Honestly, there is so much to do and see here that you’re never going to want to leave anyway.
Safety – A lot of you asked me about this. Tulum is a very safe place for tourists, speaking from personal experience. We’ve stayed in both the town and on the beach, and it felt very safe both times, all the way up to hanging out until midnight.
Currency – In Tulum they use Mexican Pesos or MXN. We always exchange our USD at a bank in town. You can use USD, but it’ll be at a very beneficial rate for them, so I recommend changing out your money. Speaking of money…
Cards vs. Cash – okay this is a BIG ONE. Tulum is a CASH town. Sure, you’ll find some places using cards, but trust me – you’ll want to have cash on you, no matter what you see online. We ran into a slight incident when at Charly’s Vegan Tacos since OpenTable says they take card, but they don’t and we had no cash and the ATMs were not working. That’s the other thing – a lot of the ATMs don’t work, which is why it’s good to just change at the bank. Fortunately the owner was so kind and said we could pay the next day, or let us pay via Paypal!! More on those mind-blowing tacos below.
Don’t drink the tap water & don’t flush the toilet paper – Ah. Don’t drink the tap water in Mexico, ever. Always buy bottled water, which is usually in a glass jar so you don’t need to worry about plastic :). Nothing else to say here – please don’t chance this, you will get sick. This includes do not get water in your mouth while showering, or brushing your teeth with it. Also – don’t flush the toilet paper. It can clog the pipes, especially since it’s a rainforest and all the water runs through everywhere. If it feels weird at first, you’ll get used to it after a day or so.
Wifi – Don’t expect wifi in your room. We brought our own wifi device, but it barely worked in our rooms and the hotel wifi was strongest on the beach and in the lobby. For someone who was trying to take a real vacation, this was like a Godsend. It forced me to take plenty of downtime, and to know that my wifi time was limited, which I used mainly for uploading photos to instagram.
Rent a car vs Taxi vs Biking – honestly speaking, I would recommend renting a car while in Tulum or biking. There is nothing wrong with taking the taxis – they are safe and are pretty consistent with the cost, but it costs like $7-10 USD to go one way on the strip, so almost $20 just to go to dinner and back basically. Plus, while your hotel will call your taxi for you, you now have to go out and find one. We rented a car the first time, and tried not to this time around. Long story short, by day two of this trip we had rented a car! It is so much easier to have one, especially for taking trips to cenotes, dinner and any day trips away from the strip.
Where to Stay (Staying in Town (Pueblo) vs Staying on the Beach (Playa))
Papaya Playa Project
I sing the highest of praise about this hotel. I was curious about it from our first trip, and then saw that my amazing designer Katelyn had stayed there for her honeymoon. She gave me the green-light to book and we did. We even got upgraded to the Jungle Breakfast, and stayed in Casita D which was a room out of this world. Take a look at that photo.
But it was so much more than the incredible room with a direct ocean view ON the beach, and the entire top floor which was the bathroom and outdoor tub and basically having an entire sanctuary to ourselves. The staff was outstanding especially Ricardo, a member of the reservations team. They did everything for us. We were provided with unlimited water, they called cabs for us, they helped us with any directions we needed. They even called the rental car place for us – and then Hertz met us AT our hotel! I’ve never had that happen. Plus, they have vegan food galore friends, I promise you. Everything from the beach to the morning yoga to people remembering us made this feel like home. Stay here – you’ll love it.
Los Amigos
We stayed at Los Amigos the last time we were in Tulum, which is in Tulum town. If you’re staying in town, I 100% recommend Los Amigos. Although it’s on Airbnb, it’s actually a small boutique hotel, so someone even cleans your room daily and there’s a little office where you can ask directions and everything! They have bikes outside that you can ride, and a rooftop pool. We stayed in the Honeymoon suite I think, we had a skylight. It’s a great location for sure.
What To Do in Tulum & Around Tulum (Excursions & Our Itinerary)
Cenotes
Gran Cenote, Dos Ojos, Nicte-Ha – you can’t come to Tulum and not go to a cenote! A cenote is an underwater sink hole, and there are thousands of them. The magical thing about cenotes is how clear the water is (as you can see above) and how stunning it is underwater. That, and that are you swimming with sea life too! It’s a truly surreal experience. Nicte-Ha is now our favourite cenote in terms of looks, but Gran Cenote and Dos Ojos are much larger. You can also dive there, so I would recommend checking out a few. P.S. if you can’t swim – several cenotes have life jackets. Fun fact: Gavin used to swim for Jamaica’s National Swim Team, and I did synchronised swimming and then coached it for 3 years!
Maya Ruins of Tulum
We visited these the last time we were in Tulum. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the Mayan Ruins of Tulum even more than Chichen Itza. Hearing the history of the royal lives in comparison to the people was so intriguing, the inventions, and the fact that many of the houses/properties in the ruins still stand until this day. Remember to bring sunscreen and a hat and sneakers for these tours – it is HOT here. You can also swim in the beach here.
Coba Ruins – we didn’t get to visit this, but it is stunning and you can climb it!
Day Trips from Tulum
Chichen Itza
If you can spare a day, go to Chichen Itza! I won’t go into too much, because learning about the area is what makes the whole trip, but we had an absolute blast. We learnt quite a lot and had a great tour with Santiago and it was amazing hearing his own story (he’s from the nearby town with some of the last surviving original Mayan families). As an aside, we skipped buying souvenirs at the tourist venue and stopped by a local vendor who was making the most breathtaking souvenirs. It felt amazing getting something unique, hearing the origin of the piece, and connecting with the maker. By the way ATM access is very limited here so remember to bring enough cash!
Swimming with Giant Turtles in Akumal Beach
You have to watch this video from my instagram page! Akumal means turtle in Spanish, and boy, are they gorgeous. These babies are like 4 ft long! I love how much Mexico cares about their animals, and so this ecological site does not allow you to ride these turtles or even touch them. You can’t even wear fins in the water since you might kick up the site too much. Basically, we are given the privilege to even be near them, without disturbing their home.
Sharing my travels with you has been such a real treat & honour! Here’s a little Sunday video of just how even more magical it is to be swimming surrounded by fish ??✨and so much life. Grateful. Plus – we swam with giant turtles in Akumal Beach! At an ecological site that protects these 4ft long beauties ?? A post shared by Jessica Hylton-Leckie (@jessicainthekitchen) on Jul 29, 2018 at 9:42am PDT
