Their mild, sweet flavor, firm texture, and ready availability make apples a strong contender for best all-'rounder: Raw, baked, or stewed, in desserts, breakfasts, salads, baking, and dressings, the apple does it all. Grab a bag of your favorite apples and sink your teeth into these scrumptious vegan apple recipes, no processed sugar or added oil required!
With a bold array of textures and flavors, this vibrant salad appeals to even the pickiest of eaters. The earthy flavor of chewy wild rice gets a lift from crisp apples, tangy clementines, juicy blueberries, and sweet beets. Tender salad greens add green goodness, and a zesty Orange-Poppyseed dressing ties everything together.
Riffing on the golden milk latte—a spicy-sweet beverage made with milk, turmeric, and ginger—this cozy millet porridge soaks up the chai-like flavors perfectly, creating a creamy bowl of porridge that’ll warm you up from the inside out and keep you satisfied all morning. Top with small cubes of fresh apple and sliced almonds or other toppings.
This striking fall salad combines some of season's finest produce. Jewel-like pomegranate seeds, sweet diced apple, and tart grapefruit sit atop a bed of greens, and a little lemon juice, salt, pepper, and fresh mint is all you need to dress the salad. Note: You can use oranges instead of grapefruit.
In this luscious breakfast casserole, orange- and ginger-infused quinoa takes on a mouthwatering creamy consistency when baked between layers of tender apple slices. Top with a date-sweetened sweet cherry sauce and serve this cozy morning casserole anytime you want to start the day with something special.
If you've got an apple and some tomato paste, you're halfway to making the quickest, tastiest, and healthiest ketchup in town. Throw in a little lemon juice, garlic powder, and dried oregano. Voilà! Now, where are those oven-baked fries and yummy burgers? Writes a fan, "Excellent! I was able to make it in a mini food processor. I might never buy ketchup again."
Nothing says sweater-time like apple pie. This vegan oil-free apple pie features a date-sweetened oat crust that you can press into the pie pan with your fingers. Filled with a just-sweet-enough apple filling and topped with almond butter oat crumble, this is one dessert you’ll make again and again.
With a crispy outside and melt-in-your-mouth center, these apple-loaded quesadillas feature the unusual and delicious combination of creamy hummus with cinnamon-infused stewed apple. It’s like an apple pie quesadilla. If you’ve got an extra few minutes, make your own fresh corn tortillas; once you get the hang of them, they’re quick and fun to do.
These kid-friendly salad bowls skip the leafy greens in favor of other nutrient-rich ingredients such as edamame, apple cubes, broccoli florets and strips of dried apricots. A garnish of roasted sunflower kernels adds a nutty depth to the salad while a sweet ’n’ sour apple spice–flavored dressing will have them licking their bowls.
Polenta, aka ground cornmeal, helps form the luscious, fluffy base for this pretty cake. A scoop of sweet-tart cherry compote is the perfect finishing touch.
In this luscious salad, the juicy sweetness of clementines and apples perfectly balances the slight bitterness of radicchio and licorice-like fennel. Sunflower seeds add a nutty depth, and the sweet Meyer lemon vinaigrette, fragrant with fresh ginger, boosts the flavor. One reviewer shares, “Best salad ever! Even my husband likes it!”
Simple to make, this elegant cinnamon-infused banana nice cream is the perfect way to end a meal. The fruity notes of an orange-infused apple and pear fruit compote complement the creamy, chilled nice cream. To finish, sprinkle with low-fat granola.
For a lively start to your day, try this bright green smoothie bowl loaded with tangy kiwifruit, creamy banana, earthy wheatgrass, and kale. Top with nutty cooked quinoa, crisp apple slices, and sunflower or pumpkin seeds for a nutrient-rich breakfast that’ll keep your body blissed out for hours.
In this fall-themed twist on chips and salsa, baked tortilla chips, brushed with cinnamon and maple dressing, are the perfect dippers for a juicy all spice–seasoned salsa featuring apples, pears, pomegranate, and orange juice. If you like a little heat, add cayenne pepper to the tortilla chips. A supremely munchable appetizer or movie night snack!
These earthy, chewy bars are a cinch to make, and the fruity topping steals the show. Cranberries, cherries, and fresh apples are cooked down until sweet and tangy through and through. Naturally sweetened with date paste, these gorgeous bars are nourishing enough for breakfast and make a great snack anytime.
With sweet cubes of cornbread baked with sautéed mushrooms, celery, tart apples, and sweet onions, this vegan cornbread stuffing is worthy of any plant-based feast. Fresh sage and poultry seasoning deepen the flavors, bringing out the umami richness of the veggie and apple medley.
This recipe is like giving your average plain-Jane coleslaw (which is perfectly delicious and satisfying) a makeover. Just add generous portions of chopped apple, a creamy cashew-based dressing, juicy sweet grapes, and a sprinkle of poppy seeds. Now you’ve got fancy slaw—and you’d never guess it was vegan.
Your taste buds will flip over the heavenly textures and flavors in these earthy, sweet handheld vegan pizzas. Featuring a whole wheat crust topped with apple slices, a lemon-scented maple syrup dressing, and crunchy granola, these are so good you’ll want to share them with friends. As an added bonus, they take less than an hour to make!
Sick of the same old salads? Grab some fresh (or dried) morel mushrooms and add raw apple, dried apricot, walnuts, and a tangy vinaigrette for a flavor-packed salad that’s a tantalizing blend of earthy, zesty, and sweet.
If you’re not good in the morning, or you need breakfast in a hurry, these overnight oats are ideal. Throw the ingredients into a bowl the night before and in the morning enjoy the flavors of apple, orange zest, walnuts, and dates melded together with softened oats. And a bonus: Nuts, dried fruit, and oats are easier to digest after soaking overnight.
Get your day off to a good start with this fresh and filling apple-lemon breakfast bowl. And it’s easy too, just toss apple, dates, and walnuts into a food processor with lemon juice and cinnamon. Voila!
Apples make a great crumble filling—they’re just sweet enough and when cooked are soft but hold their form. The addition of raspberries, which are slightly tarter, gives this dish a real lift. Top with a mixture of oats, oat flour, almond butter, and maple syrup for a rich-tasting, butter-free crumble!
Simple to make and absolutely delicious, these large oatmeal cookies are the perfect snack, on-the-go or at home. Naturally sweetened with banana, grated apple, and maple syrup, and with peanut butter and raisins upping the chewy quotient, every mouthful is a treat. Note: These freeze well, so you can always have some around for snacking emergencies. Shares one commenter: “Delicious chewy cookies. They will be on my permanent rotation.”
Turn those less-than-stellar apples in the bottom of your fridge into these mouthwatering vegan apple pie bars. With an oat crust, cinnamon-scented apple filling, and cider-caramel sauce, they’ve got all the flavor of an apple pie and the ease of a grab-and-go bar. Shares one commenter: “Loved this. It’s a great, healthy replacement for regular apple pie bars loaded with sugar and butter. I’ll definitely be making this again.”
These hand-shaped tarts feature a golden sweet potato–infused whole wheat crust topped with date-sweetened stewed apples, walnuts, and strawberries. The crust uses baking powder as the raising agent, which means there’s no rising time. Note: If strawberries are out of season, just leave them out; the tarts are still great without them.
Tired of the same old snacks? For a healthy, chewy anytime snack these baked fruit chips rock. The natural sweetness of apple, combined with date sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, are sure to spice up your day.
In this almost-instant, no-cook vegan apple crumble, diced apples are coated with an easy applesauce made from cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and raisins. And the topping is just dates and walnuts!
As every good cook knows, the secret to a good salad is in the dressing; but what most people don’t know is you don’t need oil to make a good one. This thick vinaigrette uses applesauce as its base, and with the addition of tasty ingredients like miso, cumin, maple syrup, and dijon mustard, it turns an average salad into a gourmet one.
The combination of apples and red wine gives this yummy cabbage and navy bean side dish its pleasant sweet-and-sour flavor. And it’s hard not to love the lush pink color: It looks so warm and appealing on the plate.
The success of this green salad is in the pairing of sweet, crunchy apples, pecans, and dried cranberries with a dressing laced with orange zest. Serve as is for a light lunch or alongside just about anything: pizza, burgers, or even a stew.
Savor the contrast of flavors and textures in this satisfying salad. Sweet apples, crunchy celery, and fat, juicy raisins pair beautifully with tender, chewy wheat berries. Now top with a cayenne- and cumin-spiked lemon dressing for a salad your family and friends won’t forget.
A waffle maker is a great tool to have in the kitchen, and you can get that satisfying crunch without using oil. Sweet potato and oats give these waffles a lightly sweet flavor, and a simple slaw made from apples, dates, and cinnamon make a fresh, sweet-tart topping.
These cinnamon rolls are melt-in-your-mouth gooey goodness. Apples, raisins, cider, and maple syrup are cooked down to a sweet sauce that gets slathered onto the dough before rolling.
Aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) and mashed banana serve as binders for these perfectly moist mini muffins, which are studded with chopped apple and raisins. Keep some in the freezer so that you always have a convenient healthy treat ready to go.
This article was originally published on Aug. 30, 2019, and has been updated.
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About the Author
About the Author
Lisa Esile, MS
Lisa Esile is an author, illustrator, blogger, vegetable gardener, and whole-food enthusiast with a special fondness for potatoes. She has a master’s degree in human nutrition and is passionate about showing people how to live happier, healthier lives. She is the author of Reach Your Big Calm and the co-author of Whose Mind Is It Anyway? Find her on Facebook.
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