Ah, fall. That wonderful transition between the scorching summer and ruthless winter. Warm drinks by the window wrapped up in cozy, oversized pajamas. And of course, apple season. One of the most versatile fruits, vegan apple recipes can be enjoyed in so many ways: raw, cooked, baked, in a salad, in desserts, in dressings; the possibilities are endless.
If every fall you end up with a huge amount of fresh, crisp apples but your imagination stagnates after one or two, classic vegan apple recipes, fret no more. Below you will find 10 mouth-watering (and whole food plant-based!) vegan apple recipes to put all that in-season fruit to good use. Enjoy!
10 Vegan Apple Recipes for All Those Apples You Picked
1. Vegan Apple Crisp
Recipe and Image from MamaSezz
Firstly, no vegan apple recipe round-up would be complete without a delicious vegan apple crisp. And this refined sugar-free apple crisp can be served on its own for breakfast, snack or desserts, with some coconut cream and your favorite nut butter.
2. Peanut Butter Caramel Apples
Recipe and Image from Forks Over Knives
Kids love apples, especially when you make them into dessert. For example, this is a kid-favorite that will surely bring aromas and memories from festivals and fairs to your house. This recipe for peanut butter caramel apples is also ridiculously easy to make and a surefire way to help littles ones get closer to their five servings of fruit a day.
3. Green Apple Slaw
Recipe and Image from Forks Over Knives
Even more, if you have never tried apple in a salad then you need to run in the kitchen and make this apple slaw recipe immediately! It is deliciously crispy, with a slightly sweet and tangy flavor from the apples. Cabbage who?
4. Baked Apple Crisps
Recipe and Image from Forks Over Knives
Say goodbye to the fat-laden store-bought potato chips and try these crispy, cinnamon-y apple crisps instead. Their natural sweetness will definitely curb your afternoon cravings and you can have as many as you’d like without feeling guilty. (Grab more healthy vegan potato chip alternative ideas here!)
5. Oil-Free Apple Bread
Recipe and Image from This Healthy Kitchen
It is unfair, really. Banana bread is so popular! Even zucchini bread gets its day in the spotlight come end of summer. But what about apple bread? An underrated seasonal treat if you ask me! And this delightfully rich (yet oil-free) apple bread recipe, is what breakfast dreams are made of. With a hidden cinnamon swirl, top it with your favorite all-natural nut butter and you will be adding apple bread to your staples in no time.
6. Apple, Beet, Carrot, and Kale Salad
Recipe and Image from the Simple Veganista
This crunchy, vibrant apple salad is packed with nutrients and colors, and it is perfect as a side or a main dish. The fruity, orange dressing binds all the flavors together, making this the only salad you will ever want to eat this fall.
7. Baked Apple Oatmeal
Recipe and Image from the Simple Veganista
Trust me, you need this apple oatmeal recipe in your life. What is a better way to wake up than to enjoy a warm, heavenly bowl of oats with baked apples, walnuts, cinnamon, and nutmeg? I will let you think about it while I devour my bowl.
8. Sour Apple Smoothie
Recipe and Image from This Healthy Kitchen
This is a smoothie with a twist. Sweet from the apples and cucumber yet slightly sour from the lemon, it's chock full of essential vitamins and minerals. And, when the kids go to sleep, you can turn this vegan apple recipe into a cocktail should it float your boat.
9. Homemade Applesauce
Recipe and Image from the Unconventional Baker
Can you even go apple picking without making your own applesauce? Not only is making your own is healthier than buying it from the store, it's cheaper, too! This foolproof refined sugar–free applesauce recipe consists of only two primary ingredients and can be used everywhere!
10. Apple-Cinnamon Muffins
Recipe and Image from Eat Plant-Based
Time to use your delicious, homemade applesauce that you just made to whip up these kid-friendly vegan apple muffins. Naturally sweet and oil-free, these apple muffins can be added to your kids’ plant-based lunch boxes, as they make a delicious, quick breakfast, or snack.
BONUS: Vegan Apple Pie
Of course, there has to be a vegan apple pie on this list! While most pies are loaded with refined sugar and butter, this whole food plant-based version from The Whole Food Plant-Based Cooking Show uses dates to naturally sweeten your favorite fall dessert and is completely dairy-free.
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Rafaela Michailidou is a Vegan Lifestyle Coach, and a freelance health and wellness content writer, with a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies.