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These are the best vegan moon pies with soft yet crunchy graham cracker-flavored cookies stuffed with a sweet, fluffy marshmallow filling all coated in dark chocolate.
Just like my vegan toaster strudels and homemade honey buns, these nostalgic cookies taste better than the store-bought version!
Why You’ll Love These Vegan Moon Pies
Wow, I don’t think there’s a snack that could be any more nostalgic than moon pies. I honestly can’t remember the last time that I had a moon pie, but I’m sure it was nearly a decade and a half ago. Since I haven’t had a moon pie in literally years, when I say I’m excited about these…I mean it!!
These chocolatey morsels are seriously the best vegan moon pies. They’re pulling on all my nostalgic heartstrings and are so good. Here are a few more reasons why we love this recipe and you will too:
Emily’s Recipe Notes:
- Chocolate Coated Goodness: Melted dark or semi sweet chocolate coats everything.
- Homemade Graham Cracker Cookies: This recipe has a homemade, soft graham cracker flavored cookie.
- No Gelatin or Animal Products: Store-bought moon pies are not vegan since the marshmallow filling has gelatin. This recipe is dairy free, eggless and is made with vegan-friendly marshmallows.
What Are Moon Pies?
Moon Pies originate from Tennessee and are a classic Southern sweet treat. Traditional homemade moon pies typically have butter and milk, plus the marshmallow filling has gelatin, so they’re not even technically vegetarian…which is such a shame!
But I’ve got your back! I’ll show you exactly what vegan swaps to make. But, before we begin making them, here’s a little brief synopsis of what a moon pie is. Moon pies typically consist of 3 components:
- A marshmallow filling
- Two graham cracker cookies
- And a chocolatey exterior
Ingredients
No fear! These moon pies are pretty easy to make, and I’ll show you how to make them step-by-step. This recipe subs in vegan butter, a flax egg to bind the cookies, and vegan marshmallows for the marshmallow fluff (which I get from Trader Joe’s, but you could also use the Dandies brand).
Here are a few key ingredients:
- Vegan Butter, I prefer Violife Vegan Butter
- Ground Flaxseed, to make a flax egg (our vegan egg substitute)
- Vegan Graham Crackers, which we’ll blend into a fine ‘flour’
- All Purpose Flour, also needed for the cookies
- Baking Powder, to help leaven the cookies
- Vegan Marshmallows
- Semi Sweet Vegan Chocolate Chips, for the chocolate coating (you could also use chopped chocolate)
Helpful Equipment
To make this recipe easy, here are a few crucial pieces of kitchen equipment that will come in handy:
- Medium Sized Pot, for melting the marshmallows
- Heat Proof Bowl, for melting the marshmallow
- Mixing Bowl
- Rolling Pin & Circular Cookie Cutters
- Baking Sheet & Wire Rack
How to Make Homemade moon Pies
Make The Marshmallow Filling
Set up a simple double boiler to melt down the marshmallows. Add the marshmallow filling ingredients to the double boiler.
Cover and melt the ingredients, stirring occasionally until the marshmallows are melted and combined with the coconut oil. This will take about 20-30 minutes.
Make the Cookies
While the marshmallow melts on the stove, you can make all the other components. The cookies are fast and easy to whip up.
Mix together the wet ingredients for the cookie dough. Then, add the dry ingredients.
Mix until a dough forms. On a floured surface, roll out the dough so it is ¼ inch thick.
Using a glass or a circular cookie cutter, cut out the dough into 2” diameter circles.
Lay the dough on a parchment-lined baking tray, and bake for 12-15 minutes at 325F until golden brown on top.
Assemble the Moon Pies
So now’s the fun part…and this part is perfect for kiddos, too! We get to sandwich our marshmallow fluff between our baked cookies and coat them up with melted chocolate!
Spread a tablespoon or two of the melted marshmallow filling onto the flat side of a cookie. Place another cookie on top and press down lightly to flatten the filling. Repeat for all the cookies.
Dip the pies into the melted chocolate, spooning chocolate on the tops and sides until completely covered. Chill in the fridge.
Serving & Storage
Once all the pies are coated in chocolate, set them in the fridge to cool for at least 30 minutes. The chocolate coating should be hard to the touch when ready to eat.
These moon pies can be stored at room temperature (if you don’t mind the chocolate being a bit softer), or they can be stored in the fridge. Just be sure to let them come to room temperature for about 5 minutes prior to chowing down on them!
My husband and I ate this entire batch in a day and a half. That’s how good these are. Plus we have very little self-control when it comes to sweet treats haha! But for real, these are the best vegan moon pies out there! The graham cracker cookie is soft in the middle, with layers of crunchiness.
The marshmallow filling is fluffy and sweet. And you really can’t go wrong with chocolate. I hope you enjoy! I know we did :).
Some tips for the Best Moon Pies
- Melt the marshmallows with a double boiler: The marshmallows need to be a spreadable consistency to be able to put them between the cookies. The best way to do this is with a double boiler on the stove top.
- Add some water if the cookie dough is dry: Different temperatures, weather, and more can affect how flour absorbs moisture when baking. If the dough is dry and isn’t coming together into a ball, you can add up to 1 tablespoon of water.
- Let the chocolate coating harden: Before digging in, give these vegan moon pies some time to chill in the fridge.
More Vegan Sweet Treats
The Best Vegan Moon Pies
Rate this RecipeIngredients
Marshmallow filling:
- 20 vegan marshmallows, I get mine from Trader Joes but Dandies brand is also great
- 2 tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
Cookies:
- ½ cup salted vegan butter, melted (like Violife)
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup agave nectar or maple syrup
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed, mixed with 3 tbsp water (see notes)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup vegan graham crackers, blended into a fine powder- see notes
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch table salt
Chocolate Coating:
- 2 cups vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. On the stove, make a double boiler by filling a medium-sized pot with a few inches of water. Place a medium-sized bowl that is able to sit on top of the pot on it. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat.
- Add the marshmallow filling ingredients to the double boiler. Cover and heat the ingredients, stirring occasionally until the marshmallows are melted and combined with the coconut oil. This will take about 20-30 minutes.*20 vegan marshmallows, 2 tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup, 2 tbsp coconut oil
- In the meantime, make the cookies by combining the melted vegan butter, brown sugar, agave, flax egg, and vanilla to a bowl. Stir to combine.½ cup salted vegan butter, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup agave nectar or maple syrup, 1 tbsp ground flaxseed, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- In the same bowl, add the graham cracker powder, all-purpose flour, pinch of salt, and baking powder. Mix until a dough forms. If the dough appears cracked and doesn’t come together easily, add a tablespoon of water.1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup vegan graham crackers, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 pinch table salt
- On a floured surface, roll out the dough so it is ¼ inch thick. Using a glass or a circular cookie cutter, cut out the dough into about 18-20 2” diameter circles.
- Lay the dough on a parchment-lined baking tray, and bake for 12-15 minutes at 325F until golden brown on top.
- In a small bowl or the same bowl as the dough, combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil. Melt in the microwave by heating it for 2 minutes, stopping to stir the chocolate every 30 seconds.2 cups vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 tbsp coconut oil
- To make the moon pies, spread a tablespoon or two of the marshmallow filling onto the flat side of a cookie. Place another cookie on top and press down lightly to flatten the filling. Repeat for all the cookies.
- Dip the pies into the melted chocolate, spooning chocolate on the tops and sides until completely covered. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet or wire rack.Chill the pies in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour until the chocolate is set.
Recipe notes
- This recipe is adapted from the non-vegan moon pie recipe by The Garden and Gun.
- The marshmallows melt down into a fluffy texture, but not into a liquid.
- To make a flax egg, mix 1 tbsp ground flaxseed meal with 3 tbsp of water in a small bowl. Set aside for 3-5 minutes. Once it has thickened slightly, it is ready to add to the cookie dough.
- To make graham cracker powder, you can place the whole graham cracker sheets into a food process and blend them until they reach a fine, sandy texture.
Did You Make This?
Leave a star rating and a comment below to let others know how it turned out for you!
Categories:
Baked Goods, Southern, Vegan Comfort Food, Vegan Cookies, Vegan Dessert Recipes, Vegan Recipes,
Great recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Of course! I’m glad you liked it!
I came across your site when doing an ingredient search for Moon Pies. To clear things up, store bought Moon Pies don’t have butter and milk. They contain no dairy. Yes, gelatin. That’s the only non-vegan ingredient.
no clarification needed as the author referred to “traditional” and not store-bought moon pies. traditional pies do contain milk, butter and gelatin. as an aside: having “only” one animal-based ingredient (such the boiled skin, tendons, ligaments and bones of innocent beings) is just as heinous as having more than one.
Emily, was just thinking about moon pies when I googled ingredients/recipes. so glad to have landed here and look forward to making these with my granddaughter in the near future! Oh, and I haven’t found this (neither have I looked for it), but I wonder if this product could be used instead of melting vegan marshmallows?! https://vegnews.com/2021/9/dandies-vegan-marshmallow-fluff
Hi Pam! I believe the marshmallow fluff would work here. It will probably be softer than the melted marshmallows (which firm up a bit once they cool) so the end texture may be different. If you end up using it, I’d love to know how it goes!
Hi! I’m hoping to make this this weekend. Do you suggest food processing the graham crackers? Also would whole wheat flour work or should I get white flour?
Hi Lilly! Yes, you can food process the graham crackers into a fine powder. I used white all-purpose flour in this recipe. I’m not sure how these would taste with whole wheat flour.
These look great! I plan to make them for a moon-themed birthday party. How do you think they would do being frozen ahead of time?
Hi Meagan! I haven’t tried freezing these moon pies before. Because of the marshmallow center, I’m not sure if the texture will be the same once they thaw. These do keep well covered in the fridge for 2-3 days though. Let them come to room temperature before serving for the best texture!
Thank you so much! I’ll try making them just a couple days ahead.
These look fun and were ok to make. I was a tad disappointed because mine weren’t as sweet as I was hoping. I think I was thinking of something else. My man liked them though and I would still make them again.
Hi Elizabeth, thank you for your feedback! If you prefer sweeter Moon Pies, I recommend using a dairy free milk chocolate to coat them vs. dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate. This will make a big difference in the overall sweetness level!
I’m already on my next batch! This time I’m using my own homemade marshmallows and they’re sweet! Dairy free melted chocolate instead of melted chocolate chips, you say?