Healthy Baked Apples Recipe – Gluten-free and Vegan

If you’ve been looking for the perfect fall and winter dessert to enjoy, look no further than this healthy baked apples recipe. It’s the best sweet treat for this time of year and is low in calories and suitable for vegans as well. It’s a speedy dish to throw together on a weekday or busy weekend night and requires very few ingredients to make. You’ll also use fewer bowls and dishes in the kitchen, which I know I always appreciate from a recipe!

This time of year, I can never get enough of apples. They are the perfect base for so many yummy desserts that the whole family will enjoy. While apple pie and apple crumble are two of my favorite desserts, they are quite heavy after a big meal. That’s why I absolutely love this Healthy Baked Apples recipe for those days when you are looking for something a little lighter.

One of my favorite memories from growing up was going apple picking each year, and my family would always cook baked apples and desserts each time we came home with our bags of fruit. I try to keep this tradition going each fall, and my kitchen is usually overflowing with apples, so it is always nice to get creative with some new recipes.

Baked cinnamon apples

This recipe is incredibly simple to make and is basically a delicious plate of warm apple slices with a sweet topping. The topping uses cinnamon, maple syrup, tapioca flour, lemon juice, and coconut oil, and if you are looking to make this an even more decadent dessert, consider adding vegan butter, dairy-free ice cream or coconut whipped cream. Vegan butter will be incorporated with the ingredients listed above and is a great addition to make the dish richer and more flavorful.

One of the best things about cooking this dessert is the delicious smell that fills your home. There’s no need to have a candle burning when you can have the scent of fresh apples filling your kitchen!

It’s up to you what type of apples you use in this recipe today. Some of the best options include Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, or Sweet Tango apples. Just use whichever you have on hand, and you’ll be able to create this recipe as soon as you like. With only fifteen minutes of prep time and up to thirty minutes to cook, this is a quick and straightforward bake that makes a good weekday dessert. If you want to save even more time in the kitchen, you can skip peeling the apples, and cook them with the peel still on.

The Perfect Fall or Winter Dessert

During the wintertime, I’m always looking for a warming dessert. While ice cream and cold treats are great during the summer and spring, I find that by winter, I want most of my meals to include something warm. This dessert is perfect for nights in front of the fireplace or TV when you are looking for something to enjoy without adding too many extra calories to your diet. This recipe is also a sneaky way to get your kids and teens eating more fruit, as with the delicious topping they won’t even realize that they are eating healthy apples!

Our recipe today serves between four and six people. You can adjust the recipe to fit a smaller or larger group, and you’ll just want to use about one apple per person. If you want to add more substance to the dish, you can serve it with your choice of nuts on top or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

Healthy Baked Apples Recipe

Servings: 4-6 servings
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 25-30 mins

Ingredients for Healthy Baked Apples:

• 5 medium Apples
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/3 cup of Maple Syrup
• 2 Tablespoons Tapioca Flour (alternatively, Corn Starch or Arrowroot Starch)
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil

Optional ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon of Vegan Butter (optional)
• Dairy-free ice-cream or Coconut whipped cream (optional)

How do you make Healthy Baked Apples – Step by Step Instructions

1. Gather your ingredients together and then preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Begin by peeling the apples. Next, you need to core the fruit – to begin with, slice off the tops to make them flat, and remove the stem. I recommend using a sharp paring knife to cut the center out of the apple. Don’t worry if the center isn’t perfectly round, as long as you’ve removed the seeds.

3. After coring the apples, thinly slice them. If you prefer, you can even bake the apples with their peel to save time.

4. Grease a pie dish or baking dish to get ready for your fruit. I’d recommend one that’s approximately 8 x 8 inches in size, but you can go bigger if needed.

5. Add the sliced apples to your dish.

6. Take a separate bowl and start by adding the maple syrup.

7. Add the lemon juice, cinnamon, and tapioca flour. Mix the ingredients together until they are well incorporated. If you are looking to create a richer dish, you can also add your vegan butter at this point.

8. Take the bowl of mixed ingredients from above and pour them over the apple slices in the dish. Stir and mix the ingredients with the apples, to make sure they are fully covered. Keep mixing until all the apples are covered.

9. Bake the apples for about 25 to 30 minutes, until they are soft and tender and caramelized.

10. 10. Once you’ve removed the apples from the oven, serve them straight away while warm. Optionally pair dairy-free ice cream or coconut whipped cream to the dish to serve, and for a richer taste, you could add some vegan butter.

These Healthy Baked Apples will impress your family and friends throughout the fall and winter this year, and you’ll be able to enjoy a guilt-free sweet treat regularly. Keep this recipe saved for whenever you have a surplus of apples, as it’s quick and easy to pull together any night of the week!