I’m often asked what my favourite vegan dessert is, the dessert that is a dazzler, crowd pleaser, and would fool even the toughest vegan dessert skeptic.
I don’t know about you, but double chocolate pretty much always wins in my books, so my Chilled Double Chocolate Torte is at the top of the list. It’s also Eric’s favourite dessert.

I made this torte back in December, after visiting The Coup and being unsatisfied with the texture and taste of their tofu-based chocolate torte. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m not a big fan of tofu. Instead, I used avocado to create a creamy mousse on top of a wholesome chocolaty spelt crust. And don’t worry, you can’t taste the avocado at all. I’ve served this to many skeptics and no one can believe the ingredient list!
I’ve always secretly called this the PMS torte because Eric likes to mention it whenever I start feeling moody and hormonal. And he’s still alive. Now if I could just get him to make it for me, then I’d be set!

PMS aside, it’s chilled in the freezer so it makes a great warm weather dessert. The avocado mousse remains firm in the freezer, but not frozen solid, making this a great treat to pop out of the freezer whenever the craving strikes…which is pretty much the entire time it’s calling your name from the freezer.
Earlier this week when I saw Jenna make it, I realized there was just one thing missing: this recipe still requires that you turn on the oven! I pictured that California girl sweating over a piping hot stove and guilt set in. Turning the oven on during hot weather sometimes feels like turning on a space heater at your desk because your office cranks the A/C too much. It just doesn’t make sense. But I’ll save Eric’s office plights for another time. :)

Given our warm weather this week, I decided to make a nutty no-bake crust to really bring this torte into full Summer mode. No oven required.
And let’s be real, I really don’t want an oven getting in the way of my chocolate fix. It’s time to cut out the middle man.


Chilled Double Chocolate Torte: The No-Bake Version

Yield
8 pieces
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Chill time
2 hours
Total time
Crust from Healthy Hoggin. Chocolate avocado mousse from my Chilled Double Chocolate Torte.
Ingredients
For the No Bake Chocolate Crust
- 2 cups pecans
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp coconut oil (other light taste oil may work)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
For the Chocolate Avocado Mousse
- 2 cups avocado flesh (approx 3 small avocados), pitted and scooped out
- 1/3 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter (or other nut or sunflower seed butter)
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp chocolate chips, melted
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted if clumpy
Directions
- Crust: Oil a 7-10 inch springform pan and line it with a circle of parchment paper. In a food processor, pulse the pecans until crumbly. Be careful not to over process them as you still want them a bit chunky. Now add in the rest of the crust ingredients and pulse until just mixed. Scoop mixture onto prepared pan and press down firmly and evenly with slightly wet fingers or a spatula. Pop into freezer to set while making the mousse.
- Chocolate mousse: Place all mousse ingredients (except chocolate chips) into food processor. Process until smooth. In a small bowl, melt your chocolate chips in the microwave and scoop melted chocolate into food processor mixture. Process until smooth.
- Remove crust from freezer and scoop this mousse on top of crust. Smooth out as much as possible and then place in the freezer for 2 hours to firm.
- Once firm, remove from freezer and allow to sit on the counter for about 5-10 minutes before serving chilled. Place leftover torte in the freezer wrapped and placed in a seal container.
Tip:
This torte should be served chilled as it gets soft at room temperature.
Thanks to Healthy Hoggin’s chocolate crust this worked out beautifully. No flops, no trial #2, 3, or 4. Just perfection.

The chocolate pecan crust adds an irresistible nutty and slightly salty flavour which is a perfect contrast to the rich chocolaty mousse. The crust is quite thin when made in a 10-inch pan, so next time I might make this in a 7 or 8 inch cake pan for more height.
It might also be fun to make this in a muffin tin (with muffin liners) for single servings treats! Or in a square pan and cut into bite-sized squares. It probably goes without saying, but when you make individual servings you get to eat one without your guests being the wiser. It’s a bit more difficult to hide the fact that you already enjoyed a slice of the pie before they came over. Or two. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything…

Have yourself a sweet Friday!
This sounds amazing, I’m going to make it for Thanksgiving! I can’t find arrowroot here in Mexico… any alternatives? Thanks!
Yes cornstarch will work in it’s place. Enjoy!
Dear god this torte is incredible. Thank you thank you!!
I made it and… wow! the no-bake was better than ANY non-vegan dessert! I’m gonna try a carob version next. It’s so easy and so delicious! (I’m only 12 yearrs old)
Hi Angela
I absolutely love this torte. I served it at a dinner party and it was very well received! Several of my guests were not vegan (or vegetarian either) and couldn’t believe it was made without dairy or butter. I use your site a lot for inspiration. Thank you!
Thank you for letting me know Melissa!
So excited to make this … going to try to make it a festive version with candy cane bit is it or on top … and put in coconut instead of pecans – other suggestions for those allergic to nuts? I also am having a horrendous time trying to find a seed butter that doesn’t say may contain nuts/tree nuts … suggestions/recipes?
Thanks, Angela! Your blog is amazing and a life saver!
Hi Joanna! Just a suggestion, but maybe you could make your own seed butter? If you can secure some certified nut-free seeds, you could grind them in a food processor (or Vitamix if you’re fortunate enough to have one). I just made this, and I think coconut in the crust instead of pecans would be delicious, maybe even thrown in some sunflower seeds or pepitas too for a little texture. Or even a tablespoon of chia seeds which would help it all stick together. Whatever you try I hope it’s successful!
I made this tonight! Lately I’ve been on a raw kick as far as desserts go, and man it’s awesome :) Almost guilt-free!! Of course technically this dessert isn’t completely raw, but close enough for me. Thanks for sharing this recipe, it turned out great and was a big hit at our family’s bonfire get-together. (By the way, I did follow the recipe exactly, no substitutions and it was devine)
I’m so happy to hear that Rachel! Thanks for letting me know :)
Looks amazing..and LOVE that it’s non-dairy. Can you tell me about the arrowroot powder? Never worked with it, and not sure I can get it around here. Is it essential? Is there something I could substitute? Thanks!
You can probably sub cornstarch. goodluck!
This was amazing! Everyone loved it at my dinner party- vegans & non vegans alike!
Hi Angela,
This is the recipe I was talking about…sorry for the confusion! Can I use seeds in place of the pecans to get the same effect for the crust? We have nut allergies so I have to steer clear.
Thanks,
Laura
I’m new to your page and I love it! It’s so full of amazing recipes and it’s just so easy to follow.
I have a question, I was wondering if instead of chocolate chips, you’ve ever tried raw cacao nibs in any of your chocolatey recipes.
Thanks and keep up the awesome work!
Christine
You can, but I find them very bitter so I don’t use them often. Sometimes I put them in smoothies though!
Thank you for the reply.
Keep up the awesome job!! :o)
Hi Angela! We made this for my sister’s bday and it was AMAZING! It tastes like a sour cream fudge cake we get from Georgia (US). My uncle couldn’t believe it was both vegan and raw. This recipe just shows how delicious plant-based foods are, although I know this isn’t exactly a health food, but healthier than all the tortes I’ve come across.
This looks amazing!!!
My workplace is having a baked goods contest for all employees next week. Last year I took 3rd place. Some professional looking non-vegan cake won. I am bound and determined to win this year!My local store had a close-out on mini pe-baked phyllo shells (vegan!). Bought about 50 of them. I am planning on using the phyllo shells instead of the crust and fill each one with the chocolate mixture, Then make some coconut whipped cream and put that on top.
Goodluck! I hope you win :)
I made this today and I added MINT extract in the mousse layer instead of Vanilla. This was the best decision ever, as it made this taste like chocolate-mint mouse cake! This is one of the most delicious & nutritious dessert I have EVER made! So, soooo good :)
Thanks so much for this recipe! I made it for a co-workers birthday and she and the office loved it :) I can’t wait to try your other recipies!
Oh. My. Goodness. This looks absolutely amazing. AND it is over 89 degrees (!) here in Jerusalem, AND I’ve been using the oven all day because I finally got a day off to do a serious photo-shoot for my blog… I go online, and BAM, this amazing-looking cake of yours looks like just what I need right now! I will definitely try it out soon :)
I don’t think I’ve ever commented on here before but I just had to tell you – I love your blog, your journey is amazing, and you are so so brave!
Thank you Adi, I appreciate it so much! :)
This is the funniest vegan chocolate cake I’ve been making so far – and probably the best one too. I couldn’t stop scraping every bit of chocolate-avocado mousse out of the bowl before cleaning it. Well it was already clean by then ;) We have some Mexican friends and of course they put avocado in everything. So I’m very excited to see their faces tonight after telling them the secret ingredient in the cake. Thank you Andrea for this wonderful recipe!
Sorry of course I mean Angela! Andrea referred me to your great website ;)
This looks absolutely delicious. I would love to make it for my boyfriends birthday but I only have raw cacao powder… would that work over cocoa powder or would it change the taste a lot?
Hi Jane, I’m sure it would be fine – you might need a bit more sweetener if it’s super strong though? Let me know how it turns out!
This looks AMAZING. Is there a sub I could use for the crust, since I am allergic to nuts?
Tried this and loved it thank you for sharing such great healthy recipe, I changed few things but was so tasty very impressed! :)