Healthy but sinful! We’re ringing in the holiday season by spotlighting seven home bakers in India and bakeries that are changing the game with their super-indulgent vegan and gluten-free desserts. P.S. They are so good, you wouldn’t know how to stop bingeing.
Let’s get this right out of the way before discussing anything else. Vegan and gluten-free desserts can seriously be decadent and drool-worthy. A pantry sans butter, eggs, and cream can do an equally dramatic magic with desserts, and woo not just the vegans and the ones on a diet, but also anyone else on the table who fancies a dessert to die… Or live for!
Whether you’re on your way to making that healthy lifestyle switch or are already following a vegan, gluten-free or keto diet, the new crop of home bakers in India have their healthy stash loaded and are ready to make you love desserts and Christmas a little more. Bookmark this list of seven bakeries and home bakers in India to order some truly toothsome, healthy desserts this holiday season.
Crave it Clean
Crave it Clean does not pull any stops to its trove of organic, vegan and gluten-free desserts. The brand dedicated to plate up healthier than healthy bakes in Mumbai is helmed by founder Seema Shetty, who crafts magic in her kitchen, bringing out of her baking hat, desserts like almond flour carrot cake, jowar and ragi chocolate cake sweetened with jaggery, paleo lemon chia muffins made with coconut flour, crunchy tahini cookies, oats and quinoa aussies perfect for pre-workouts and a selection of vegan and keto bread. Did we mention, actors Farhan Akhtar, Kajal Aggarwal, and celebrity hair stylist Adhuna Bhabani swear by the vegan and gluten-free delights of Crave it Clean, too!
- Must-have: Dark chocolate cake made with jowar, ragi, jaggery and walnuts and the latest on the menu, strawberry chocolate tart.
- Instagram: @crave_it_clean
Reylicious
The only thought that comes to mind after sifting through the Instagram feed of Reylicious is how irresistible vegan and gluten-free desserts can be! Started by one of the dexterous home bakers in India, Reyna Mirchandani, the diversity of desserts at Reylicious whips a colourful story of ingredients, flavours and types of bakes. From home-baked tea cakes like dark chocolate and yoghurt bundt and caramel and cinnamon with almond to seasonal and flourless cakes, there are other varieties of cheesecakes, brownies, tubs and biscotti that make holiday-season celebrations even sweeter.
- Must-have: Salted Caramel Pecan Nut With Belgian Dark Chocolate Mini Cakes and Raspberry & Belgian Dark Chocolate with vegan buttercream, gluten-free carrot loaf and Berry Blast, a triple-layered Belgian Dark chocolate naked cake
- Instagram: @reylicious_cakes
Eat A Whey
Sometimes, when one’s absolute love for desserts meets an absolute passion for fitness, sweet little something like a guilt-free brand of desserts transpires. For Ankeeta Chawla, founder of her passion project Eat-A-Whey, it was a similar motivation to make the two pole-apart concepts—as generally assumed—work. Now with a growing following on and off Instagram, Eat-A-Whey is dishing out indulgent bakes that are gluten-free, keto, vegan, paleo and protein-rich, delivering across cities in India. They also customise the desserts according to one’s dietary needs, so it is in all ways, a win win!
- Must-have: Nutella sea salt cookies (ask for vegan option), vegan blueberry lemon teacake, vegan double chocolate brownies and Chocolate Prookies.
- Instagram: @eatawhey
The Orange Bowl
There’s just something about The Orange Bowl’s page that you just cannot take your eyes off it. But if you think twice about it, it is their vegan and gluten-free desserts that promise a drool-worthy, sweet affair, presented as perfect dealmakers for this Christmas and after, too! What started off in 2016 by Shamita and Tushar Gogia, the promising home bakers in India, as something to be shared with friends and family has now become one of the go-to dessert destinations for many. This home baker duo uses local ingredients to craft their delightful treats, be it the dark chocolate and orange cookies, berry-licious rich dark chocolate ganache tart and more.
- Must-have: The gluten-free Tob Tart made with dark chocolate and peanut butter.
- Instagram: @the.orange.bowl
Healthy Treats
The Healthy Treats by Divya Ranglani and Hitesh have been baking endless reasons for us to dig into vegan and gluten-free desserts. And, when have we ever said no to desserts? Enjoying cult popularity among celebrities, too, Healthy Treats takes care of all the binge-worthy needs to celebrate Christmas the right way with their super-sinful selection of cakes, muffins, cheesecakes, plum cakes, cookies, brownies, pies and more. Whipping up the desserts with natural sweeteners like dates, carrots, applesauce, orange juice and honey, the star bakers customise their menu into vegan versions as well.
- Must-have: This holiday season’s hottest, Plum cake!
- Instagram: @healthy_treatss
The Conscious Baker
No frills here, just a lot of vegan and gluten-free dessert options for you to try this Christmas, because why not! The Conscious Baker is one of the most versatile bakeries to put on your dial list, and what we love is that they commit to using no refined flour and no refined sugar. Plus, they have interesting diabetic-friendly options to try out too. A fun fusion of flavours, ingredients and aesthetic appeal, the desserts at The Conscious Baker we’re especially eyeing are the uniquely put-together banana zucchini chocolate travel cake, single origin chocolate hazelnut brownie bar, mendiants and cakes!
- Must-have: vegan pumpkin cake, vegan banana zucchini chocolate travel cake and gluten-free baked blueberry, raspberry or pumpkin cheesecake and gluten-free apple crumble
- Instagram: @theconscious.baker
Bakeology
Lucky for us, Christmas has come just in time at Bakeology. Their baking kitchen dishes out desserts that are not only gluten-free but also free of preservatives, butter, refined sugar and eggs. Their varieties can be made with and without rum base, and all that we’re craving for right now is the classic Christmas plum cake sweetened with jaggery, date and walnut cake and even mildly-spiced sourdough plum bread laden with nuts and fruits.
For plant-based options, don’t forget to ask for vegan customisation for the cakes. For the holiday-special menu, Bakeology is taking orders until December 20 and what’s more fun is that they conduct workshops too on how to bake a gluten-free plum cake, rum cake, and chocolate and plum cookies.
- Contact here: 9766367788
Which of these home bakers in India are you going to order from this Christmas?
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