By Lisa Esile, MS,
Last Updated:Are you wondering what to do with all those apples? Raw, baked, or stewed, in desserts, breakfasts, salads, baking, and dressings, the apple does it all. With their sweet flavor, crunchy texture, and ready availability, apples are a strong contender for best all-rounder. Grab a bag of your favorite apples and sink your teeth into these scrumptious vegan apple recipes. Most of the recipes are free from refined sugar, sweetened instead with whole foods such as dates and applesauce—so they’re as good for you as they are delicious!
Roasted Radish Salad with Sweet Potato and Apple
In this vibrant fall salad, the soft, sweet flesh of roasted radish and sweet potato pairs well with crunchy apples and the subtle anise flavor of raw fennel. Red lentils lend extra staying power. (Be sure to cook them until tender but not mushy!) Serve this hearty salad over a bed of leaf lettuce and drizzle with cider-mustard dressing. This would make a standout side dish at your next potluck or festive gathering.
Polenta Cake with Apples and Cherry Compote
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.
Chewy Apple-Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
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.”
Tangy Cabbage and Apple Sauté
Cooked until wilted but still tender, this cabbage and apple sauté has an earthy and refreshing bite. With five ingredients, it comes together quickly and perfectly accompanies a veggie burger, cauliflower steak, or stuffed winter squash. A fan writes, “This was quick and delicious.”
Eat-the-Rainbow Salad
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.
Crunchy Hash Brown Waffles with Applesauce
Up your waffle game with these delicious savory waffles, which feature shredded potato, carrot, and cabbage. They’re fantastic topped with a dollop of tofu sour cream and a liberal amount of unsweetened applesauce. You can buy unsweetened applesauce at most supermarkets, but if you're inundated with apples, why not make your own?
Golden Milk Millet Porridge
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.
Apple, Grapefruit, Pomegranate Salad
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.
Stuffed Whole Cabbage with Kasha and Mustard Cream
Stuffed whole cabbage has a wow factor that makes it a perfect centerpiece for a celebration meal. Kasha (toasted buckwheat groats) and whole grain bread cubes give the stuffing body, while chopped apples, juicy raisins, and roasted chestnuts (you can also use hazelnuts) add a decadent touch. Serve with a spoonful of creamy mustard sauce.
Quinoa and Apple Breakfast Casserole with Cherry Drizzle
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.
5-Minute Ketchup
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."
Vegan Apple Pie
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.
Cinnamon Apple Quesadillas
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.
Chopped Winter Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
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!”
Cinnamon-Banana Nice Cream with Fruit Compote
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.
Apple Pie Bars
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.”
Manna Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
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.
Apple Salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips
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!
Farro Cranberry Squares
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.
Vegan Cornbread Stuffing
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.
Green Apple Coleslaw
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.
Kid-Friendly Chopped Salad
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.
Purple Potato Cake with Autumn Fruits
Sliced apples are the finishing touch on this lovely fall loaf cake, which features a maple glaze.
Kale, Apple, and Quinoa Salad
Apple, pumpkin seeds, and roasted butternut squash are tossed with kale and quinoa for a salad that is sweet, earthy, and chock-full of fall flavors.
Apple Dessert Pizza
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!
Cranberry-Stuffed Hasselback Apples
This gorgeous dessert is surprisingly easy to make and bursting with sweet fall flavors—worthy of any holiday table!
Apple Overnight Oats
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.
Apple-Lemon Breakfast Bowl
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!
Apple-Raspberry Crisp
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!
Strawberry-Apple-Walnut Galettes
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.
Baked Apple Chips
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.
Apple-Walnut Breakfast Bread
Make your mornings simpler and sweeter: Prepare this easy loaf for a delicious, nutritious on-the-run breakfast.
Raw Apple Crumble
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!
“Magical” Applesauce Vinaigrette
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.
Stewed Red Cabbage and Beans
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.
Autumn Mixed Greens Salad
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.
Rye and Wheat Berries with Celery and Apples
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.
Peanut Butter Caramel Apples
For a healthy, family-friendly treat, create your own “candied” apples with peanut butter and brown rice syrup.
Vegan Sweet Potato Waffles with Apple-Date Slaw
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.
Apple-Maple Cinnamon Rolls
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.
Mini Apple-Raisin Muffins
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.
About the Author
About the Author
Lisa Esile, MS
As an author, Do Nothing meditation instructor, and wellness coach, Lisa Esile combines her love for food and nutrition with her mental health background and delights in helping people find a stress-free way to make lasting lifestyle changes. Esile has a master’s degree in human nutrition and is the co-author/illustrator of Whose Mind Is It Anyway? Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life. Learn more at lisaesile.com.
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