Dairy Free/ Egg free/ Vegan/ Vegan/Vegetarian

Vegan Red, White and Blue Dessert (Strawberry Banana and Blueberry) Version 1

With the 4th of July quickly approaching, it’s time to enjoy a little Red, White and Blue celebration (from an approved social distance due to Covid-19.) So as you and your household prepare your celebration feast, be sure to add this stunning red, white and blue vegan dessert. Enjoy! Oh, and why do I call this Version 1? Because there will be a Version 2 with a strawberry cookie base and banana cream filling!

For an additional finishing idea, please see: Red, White and Blue Cheesecake: Strawberry, Banana, and Blueberry Cheesecake with a Gluten-Free Option.

The Inside Scoop

Since there are several steps to this dessert, it is easiest to begin it the night before feasting and simply apply the blueberry pie topping the day of your celebration.

When both volumetric and weight measures are provided, the volumetric measures should be considered approximations. The standard measure for a cup of sugar is 192 grams. By volume, this measure will be less than 1 cup.

For this recipe, the bananas need to be pureed. I found that fork mashing the bananas left too many small chunks of banana- the liquid in these small chunks of banana made the base “wet” within a few hours. By pureeing the bananas, the bananas bake evenly and the cookie base maintains its firmness.

Be sure to grease and flour the baking pan. The cookie base will stick to the pan and be almost impossible to remove otherwise. (I found this out the hard way.)

Two to three drops of red food coloring will make a more visually appealing color for the strawberry filling. After cooking, quickly pass the filling through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds and any larger bits of strawberry. Use a spoon to quickly stir and press the filling through the sieve, before it sets.

Pressing the filling through a fine mesh sieve leaves a very smooth, creamy strawberry filling.

Spoon or carefully pour the strawberry filling over the bananas to avoid pushing bananas aside.

Strawberry filling on top of the bananas.

You can substitute a can of prepared blueberry pie filling for the homemade blueberry pie topping. However, I prefer to make my own blueberry pie filling because I like LOTS of blueberries. To me, canned pie fillings have too much sugar syrup and not enough actual fruit.

Print Recipe

Vegan Red, White and Blue Dessert (Strawberry Banana and Blueberry) Version 1

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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By Connie Teunis – Serves: 9

A delicious, multilayered dessert with a banana cookie crust, a layer of bananas, a strawberry cream filling and a blueberry pie topping. And it's VEGAN!

Ingredients

Banana Cookie Base:

96 g./ ½ c. All-vegetable Shortening

96 g./ ½ c. Vegan Sugar

63 g./ ¼ c. Very Ripe Bananas, Pureed (approximately 1 small banana)

150 g./ 1 ¼ c. All-Purpose Flour

½ t. Cinnamon

Banana and Strawberry Filling:

2-3 Ripe Bananas, Sliced

192 g./ 1 c. Vegan Sugar

48 g./ 6 T. Cornstarch

½ t. Salt

2 c. Non-Dairy Milk

240 g./ 1 c. Strawberries, hulled, pureed

1 t. Strawberry Extract or Vanilla Extract

2 – 3 drops Red Food Coloring (opt.)

Blueberry Pie Topping:

1 Can Blueberry Pie Filling

OR

360 g./ 2 ½ c. Blueberries, Fresh or Frozen and Thawed

96 g./ ½ c. Vegan Sugar

15 g./ 2 T. All-Purpose Flour or 8 g./ 1 T. Cornstarch

1 T. Lemon Juice

Instructions

1

The Day before or Early in the Morning of Serving:

2

Make the cookie base and strawberry filling.

3

For The Cookie Base:

4

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5

Coat the bottom and sides of an 8” x 8” or 9” x 7” baking pan with vegetable shortening. Dust the bottom of the pan lightly with flour. Set aside.

6

In a small food processor, puree the bananas; set aside.

7

In a medium bowl, by hand or with a mixer on slow speed, mix the shortening, sugar and pureed bananas together. By hand, stir in the flour and cinnamon.

8

Spread the cookie base onto the bottom of the prepared pan, pressing lightly.

9

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until the base is firm to the touch and edges are just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven; cool.

10

While the cookie base is baking, prepare the Strawberry Filling.

11

For the Strawberry Filling:

12

In a small food processor, puree the strawberries; set aside.

13

In a small saucepan, combine the vegan sugar, cornstarch and salt. Slowly whisk in the non-dairy milk and the pureed strawberries. Cook over medium-low heat until filling thickens and begins a low boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

14

Pour the filling through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds and larger bits of strawberry puree. Use a spoon to press the strawberry filling through the sieve. Work quickly as the filling will begin to set. Cover the filling with wax paper until the cookie base has cooled.

15

Once the cookie base has cooled, cover the base with 2 large or 3 small bananas, sliced. Carefully spoon or pour the strawberry filling over the bananas. Cover with waxed paper; chill until firm.

16

2 Hours (or more) Before Serving:

17

For the Blueberry Pie Topping:

18

In a medium saucepan, combine the vegan sugar and flour, mix. Add the blueberries and lemon juice; stir to mix.

19

Cook over medium low heat until the blueberry topping comes to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook for 1 minute, or as long as needed, until the topping has thickened. (If you are using frozen and thawed blueberries, you may need to cook a little longer to reduce the excess liquid.) Remove from heat; cool.

20

Carefully spread the blueberry pie topping over the cooled and firmed strawberry filling. Decorate with vegan whipped cream, strawberries and bananas, if desired. (Please see Red, White and Blue Cheesecake: Strawberry, Banana, and Blueberry Cheesecake with a Gluten-Free Option for ideas.)