According to a statistic by finder.com, 6.3% of UK adults made plans to, or already followed, a vegan diet. That’s an estimated 3.5 million people! With the rise in popularity of the vegan diet, businesses can no longer settle without good quality plant-based options on their menu. Not only do people avoid dairy & egg products because of their diet choice. It’s also because they may have food intolerances.
Adding delicious vegan desserts to your menu is a sure way to increase your range of potential customers. But it doesn’t have to be a complicated endeavour! On CFWs website, you can find a number of mixes, ingredients and toppings to contribute to your menu without complicating your process.
Why Offer Vegan Menu Items?
In a lot of cases, having a poor choice of vegan options can drive away customers that don’t even follow a vegan diet. Groups of people will likely go for a place with a more diverse menu if there isn’t anything for their vegan friend. Some even avoid meat, egg and dairy products when possible to help reduce their carbon footprint. It is worth mentioning that there isn’t exactly a large amount of vegan dessert options out there – so if your place has some tasty dishes with real thought put into it, it could find itself a great reputation. Because of the scarcity of good-quality vegan options, the ones that do exist have potential to go viral online, therefore bringing in more customers.
Waffle Mix
Customers love waffles as they are a parlour classic, and you can serve them in loads of different ways. Sephra’s vegan waffle mix allows you to create waffles in a number of different shapes and sizes – given you use one of their Sephra waffle makers – where you can choose from bubble waffles, waffle balls, or standard circular checkered waffles. A waffle makes a strong contender for a vegan option because of its sweet but not overpowering flavour. Cafes, dessert parlours and caterers can use the waffle as their starting point for making their next vegan product.
Maple Syrup
Maple syrup naturally suits vegan desserts. It brings sweetness, depth and a distinctive flavour without needing dairy, eggs or complicated preparation. It also feels more premium than many standard “pancake syrups”, which are often maple-flavoured rather than true maple syrup. For a vegan menu, maple syrup is especially useful because it pairs with so many other ingredients. It can be poured over pancakes, drizzled over waffle balls, mixed with cinnamon, served with fruit, or used as part of a breakfast-style dessert. Menu ideas could include vegan pancakes with maple syrup and berries, maple waffle balls with cinnamon sugar, or a vegan brunch waffle with banana and toasted nuts.
Dark Chocolate
Many vegan desserts use dark chocolate because a lot of dark chocolate products are made without milk. It gives plant-based desserts a richer flavour and helps them feel more indulgent. Sephra dark chocolate products can work across a range of dessert ideas. Staff can melt it for dipping, use it for drizzling, or turn it into sauces or added to baking recipes.
Dark drinking chocolate or melts can also be useful for cafés and dessert counters. Served with oat milk, almond milk or another dairy-free alternative, they can create a rich vegan hot chocolate option. A hot chocolate machine can make this easier to serve consistently during busy periods.
Sephra Cocoa Powder is another useful vegan-friendly ingredient. It can be used for dusting, baking, brownies, cakes, muffins, chocolate batters and hot drinks.
One important point: dark chocolate is not automatically vegan. Businesses should always check the current product label, ingredients and allergen information before listing it as suitable.
Dessert Toppings
Once the main dessert is made, you can use toppings to turn it into something that feels purposeful rather than like an afterthought. Sephra fruit flavoured sauces, along with selected sauces such as dark chocolate, bubblegum and toffee, can help build colourful vegan dessert options. They work well for drizzling, glazing, filling and decorating. Fruit sauces are especially useful because they add colour and freshness. Bubblegum sauce brings a more playful dessert parlour feel. Dark chocolate sauce gives depth, while toffee-style flavours work well with waffles, pancakes, banana, popcorn and maple syrup.
Honeycomb chunks and honeycomb dust can also add crunch and sweetness. They work particularly well with chocolate, cocoa, maple syrup and fruit-based desserts.
Popcorn as a Packaged Vegan Snack
Packaged popcorn is a simple way to add vegan-friendly products to food counters, entertainment venues and event setups. Sweet, salty and sweet & salty popcorn can stay fresh while sealed, making it easy to store, display and sell without preparation. This makes it useful for cinemas, soft play centres, cafés, kiosks, markets and event venues.
Because it needs no cooking or prep, packaged popcorn is one of the easiest plant-based add-ons for busy businesses.
Plant-Based Ideas Using Sephra Products
There are plenty of simple ways to turn these Sephra products into finished menu items.
Ideas include:
- Maple syrup waffles with fruit and dairy-free cream
- Strawberries dipped in melted dark chocolate
- Seasonal waffle desserts with fruit sauces and fruit salad
- Crunchy honeycomb brownies
- Oat milk or almond milk hot chocolate
- American-style pancake stacks with plant-based chicken substitute
This, however, is only the beginning. With other plant based additions and a bit of creativity, you could soon be creating your own vegan menu staple.
Vegan Does Not Always Mean Allergen-Free
Vegan suitability and allergy suitability are not the same thing.
A product can be vegan-friendly but still carry allergen warnings. It may also be prepared in an environment where milk, egg, nuts, soya, gluten or other allergens are handled. Staff should always check ingredients, allergen statements and preparation methods before advising customers. Businesses should also use separate utensils, clean prep areas and clear labelling where needed to help reduce cross-contamination risks.
Where to Buy CFW’s Vegan Products
You can find all vegan products, including those by Sephra and other catering products brands, on CFW’s website under the vegan tab. Whether you are a dessert parlour looking to boost your reputation or a café looking to add your next best recipe, integrating CFW’s vegan products to your menu is the best way to start.