Vegan Apple Dessert Recipes: Cake, Crisp, Crumble, and More

Table of Contents

Today I want to inspire you with vegan apple dessert recipes! Whether you have a sweet haul from your local apple orchard, or just love eating apples, this little roundup is packed with ideas I think you’ll love.

Further down, I’ve also included tips on using recipes you find online, as well as great ingredients to keep around. Be sure to use the table of contents so you can jump to the sections that interest you most.

First, Let’s Talk Apples

As you set out to make delicious vegan apple dessert recipes, it’s important to know that there are a huge range of apple varieties available. Also know that during apple season, there are WAY more to choose from, especially at a local farmer’s market. Grocery stores will have all of the standard apple varieties you’re used to seeing, but a farmer’s market will give you something to think about.

Best Apples for Pies

You’ve probably not heard of these apples, but according to some farmers, these are the best options when making a standard or vegan apple pie. However, these apples are on the sweeter side. If you’re looking for a tart apple pie, choose a tart apple variety from further down in the article.

Ambrosia Apples
Cortland Apple
Bareburn Apples
Gala Apples
Granny Smith Apples
Honeycrisp Apples
Jazz Apples
Lady Apples
McIntosh Apple
Northern Spy Apple
Snapdragon Apples
Spencer Apple
Sugarbee Apples

The Best Apples for Baking

You can use apples in a variety of baking projects. You may use shredded apples in a vegan apple cake recipe, or chopped apples in something more rustic like a modern tarte tatin. Either way, these are the apple varieties that are considered the best for baking.

Bareburn Apples
Cortland Apple
Fuji Apples
Gala Apples
Granny Smith Apples
Honeycrisp Apples
Idared Apple
Lady Apples
Northern Spy Apple

List of Tart Apples

Cortland Apples
Empire Apples
Envy Apples
Granny Smith Apples
Idared Apples
Lady Apples
McIntosh Apples
Northern Spy Apples
Pacific Rose Apples

Apples That are Sweet

If you’re looking for apples that are sweet for your next apple pie or apple oat crumble, here’s a list to get you started:

Ambrosia Apples
Empire Apples
Fuji Apples
Gala Apples
Gold Delicious Apples
Idared Apples
Jonagold Apple
Juici Applies
Macoun Apples
McIntosh Apples (these are both sweet and tart)
Northern Spy Apples

List of Mid-Range Apples

Here are a few apples that I like to call the mid-range. They’re not super sweet, or super tart. They’ll pair well with a wide range of flavours, including out-of-the-box ideas like a Spicy Korean Gochujang Apple Crumble. Wouldn’t that be epic?

Whilst this isn’t an exhaustive list, it’s enough to get you started.

McIntosh: These apples are OK for most tasks, but not great for baking. They are however really good for eating straight.

Empire Apples: These are best used for eating straight, for making applesauce, and for salads. You’ll want to avoid baking with Empire apples.

Macoun Apples: These are fantastic for eating straight, making salads, and making applesauce.

Spencer Apples: The Spencer is wonderful for eating straight, making applesauce, and pies.

List of Apples: From Most Tart to Most Sweet

Here’s a straight list of apples with the top of the list being the most tart apples and the bottom of the list being the most sweet apples. This can really help you select the best apple for your vegan apple dessert recipes.

Granny Smith Apples
Pacific Rose Apples
McIntosh Apples
Empire Apples
Cortland Apples
Envy Apples
Lady Apples
Bareburn Apples
Jazz Apples
Macoun Apples
Autumn Glory Apples
Opal Apples
Sugarbee Apples
Smitten Apples
Honeycrisp Apples
Snapdragon Apples
Red Delicious Apples
Gold Delicious Apples
Jonagold Apple
Juici Applies
Ambrosia Apples
Gala Apples
Fuji Apples

List of Apple Desserts & Apple Recipes That Are Easy to Make

The nice thing about these classic apple dishes is that you can find a thousand and one recipes for them online, including vegan versions.

Apple Butter
Apple Crisp
Apple Crumble
Apple Tarte Tatin
Baked Apple Pancakes
Stovetop Softened Apples
Waldorf Salad (this could be a great main meal, followed by your apple dessert)

Apple butter is essentially a concentrated version of applesauce. It has a rich dark colour and is incredibly sweet. Be sure to look for recipes with minimal ingredients, and no added sugar since the natural sugars are concentrated.

An apple crisp, apple crumble, and apple pie are all very similar. The biggest difference will be the crust or crumble topping. Each of these desserts can be made with different types of apples (or even a combination of varieties).

Baked apple pancakes are essentially an upside down cake, but made with pancake batter rather than a cake batter. You can use any standard or gluten free pancake recipe you enjoy.

Gluten Free + Vegan Apple Dessert Recipes

These are all amazing recipes from my RAISE Membership website. Each recipe is gluten free, nut free, soy free, vegan, top 9 free, and more. If you don’t manage food allergies, I encourage you to take these ideas and run with them. Find comparable recipes online that include ingredients you regularly work with.

Vegan Apple Crisp Recipe (pictured with amazing vegan vanilla ice cream)
Amazing Apple & White Chocolate Sheet Pan Cake Recipe (One of the best vegan apple cakes you’ll ever eat)
Easy Vegan Apple Upside Down Cake Recipe (GF + Top 9 Free)
Apple Crumble Cake (none of my tasters drink coffee, but several think this would taste fantastic with a cup of coffee whilst chatting with friends)
Apple Pie Rice Crispy Treats
Fried Apple Pie Fritters
Truly Corn Free Apple Pie Cups (Grain Free, Top 14 Free, Refined Sugar Free)
Delicious Apple Pie Waffles (GF, Top 9 Free, Refined Sugar Free, great for breakfast or dessert)

Great Ingredients & Tools to Keep on Hand in Your Pantry/Kitchen

As you go about making vegan apple dessert recipes (especially if you’re also soy free, wheat free, nut free, gluten free, or more), there are certain ingredients that will be called for again and again. Keep these in your pantry (or fridge) so you’re always ready to cook or bake up something awesome.

Granulated & Liquid Sweeteners

Brown Sugar (light brown sugar and dark brown sugar)
White Sugar (also check out caster sugar)
Molasses
Refined Sugar Free Granulated Sweeteners (coconut sugar, date sugar, maple sugar)
Refined Sugar Free Liquid Sweeteners (brown rice syrup, coconut nectar, date syrup, maple syrup, sorghum syrup)

When shopping for sugar, make sure you’re purchasing vegan sugar. If the package doesn’t say vegan, you’ll need to contact the company to make sure bone char wasn’t used in the manufacturing process.

Fats & Misc. Wet Ingredients

Acids (lemon juice, apple cider vinegar)
Dairy Free Butter aka Vegan Butter
Coconut Oil (this is a popular setting agent in vegan cheesecake recipes)
Olive Oil
Applesauce and Apple Juice
Vanilla Extract

Dry Ingredients

All Purpose Flour (wheat based or gluten free)
Almond Flour (some GF recipe developers call for an all purpose gluten-free flour blend + Almond Flour as the blend, with great results I hear)
Baking Powder & Baking Soda (this article outlines the differences between them)
Dry Flavouring Agents (spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc.)
Organic Ground Vanilla (you’ll see this in more upscale/high-end recipes, but it’s an amazing ingredient)
Salt (be sure to experiment with smoked salt and finishing salt)

Cooking & Baking Tools

Parchment Paper (I always use parchment, never a cooking spray, and get a great release each time)
Springform Pan (often called for with cheesecake)
Regular Cake Pan (6-inch, 8-inch, and/or 9-inch cake pan)
Mixing Bowl (you’ll want a large bowl, medium bowl, and small bowl)
Measuring Cup (be sure to have dry and liquid cups)
Measuring Spoons
Kitchen Scale (this is the one I love)
Glass Baking Dish (usually a basic square is fine)
Airtight Container (for storing leftovers)
Spatulas
Scissors (for cutting parchment paper into cake rounds, opening food packages, etc.)
OXO Cookie Dough Scoops (a very versatile tool for portioning and more)

If you’d like to see the kitchen tools I adore for cooking and baking, check out my Amazon Shop.

Prep Tips for Vegan Apple Dessert Recipes

Did you you know you can freeze cake batter? When you find a vegan apple cake recipe you love (or a vegan cake recipe in general), you can make a double or triple batch, then freeze the cake batter. This is extra helpful if you have a small freezer and have space for batter versus lots of baked goods.

To use frozen cake batter, thaw it on your countertop until completely thawed. Give it a mix, then use as you normally would. I’ve done this with the cake recipes from my award winning vegan, GF, top 9 free bakery, and it works like a dream.

DIY Boxed Mixes! You can pre-make bags of dry ingredients that will function like a store-bought mix. To do this, measure out dry ingredients into a bowl. Mix together very well, then transfer to a storage baggie. Label, then next time, your baked goods will come together faster. This is extra helpful for pancake and waffle mixes on a busy morning.

Most people don’t realize that boxed mixes aren’t super special. It’s the flour mixture with a sweetener and a leavening agent. There may also be some flavouring agents. These are all simple ingredients you can mix yourself, and save money in the long run.

Don’t toss the apple skins! Apple skin can be used for garnish, or added to smoothies for an extra boost. If a recipe has you remove the apple skin, chop it up, pop it in a freezer baggie, and use in the future.

Brown is OK. If you’re like me and you like to get ahead with meal prep, it’s OK to prep your apples one day, then cook them on another day. If you don’t store the apples in a solution of lemon juice and water, or lightly salted water, you’ll have browning from oxidation. This is fine. I’ve made so many delicious vegan apple dessert recipes with browned apples. Want to know what happened? No one complained and everyone loved the dessert(s).

General Recipe Tips for Vegan Apple Desserts

As you go about making delicious desserts, especially if you’re more than vegan (gluten free, nut free, soy free, and so on), here are some great tips to keep in mind as you move forward.

Don’t skip a “cold butter” step. If a recipe wants the vegan butter to be cold, make it cold, on the verge of freezing.

If you live in an apple growing region, visit a local orchard and talk to the farmer(s). They’ll be able to tell you SO much about the apples they grow, which variety would be a great choice for your recipe(s), and much more.

Don’t add extra sugar to a baked recipe, especially if it’s gluten free, unless the recipe developer says you can in the recipe notes or on the recipe card. If you absolutely need extra sweetness, consider adding a glaze or sauce to the top of the baked goods once they’ve cooled. Sugar is technical a wet ingredient, and it’s hygroscopic. That means it plays an important role in keeping baked goods moist. When you alter the amount, you can absolutely ruin a good recipe if done poorly.

Experiment with different apple varieties, as each one will give you slightly different results. Well, in some cases, the shift can be dramatic (think: swapping a Fuji apple for a Granny Smith). This is especially true if you live near an apple orchard. Sample all the apples and see which one(s) to try in your desserts next.

More Vegan Dessert Recipes to Explore

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Recipe (GF + Soy + Nut + Top 9 Free)
Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe (GF + Allergy Friendly)
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe
Baked Pumpkin Donuts (Vegan, Gluten Free, Top 9 Free, Seed Free)
Gluten Free Orange Cake Recipe
Gluten Free + Vegan Lady Fingers Recipe

Answering Your Vegan Apple Dessert Recipe Questions

What’s a good vegan ice cream to buy?

Cado. Notice how simple that answer is? That’s because my kiddo with a milk allergy (and my other kids as well) have samples pretty much every dairy free and vegan ice cream option out there. According to said child, Cado is in his all time favorites where ice cream is concerned.

Cado uses avocado oil as part of the base, which makes it uber creamy. The best part is that the kids say you can’t taste the avocado. Their second choice would probably be something from So Delicious.

However, these days there are so many vegan and dairy free options to choose from. Our options are limited since I need to purchase foods make on milk free equipment due to the severity of the allergy and reactions. You may be able to try more options, and I’d encourage you to do so.

When you find a new option, look at the ingredients. Not only should they be simple ingredients, there should be a clear source of fat. Without fat, you have more of an ice milk product, and the mouthfeel will be off. To compensate, a lot of vegan ice cream brands use a lot of stabilizers, thickeners, binders, and so on. On the other hand, brands that use fats properly will have a short list of ingredients, and you should be able to taste the difference.

Keep an eye out for vegan ice cream that uses cashews, as this can really lend to a creamy mouthfeel. Oils and ingredients such as coconut will do this as well.

What fruit can I substitute apple with in vegan apple dessert recipes?

If you’re allergic to apples, have run out of apples, or just want to try something different, you have a few choices when it comes to substituting apples.

The easiest option will be pears. Their season in the US is the same time of year as apples, so you’ll have several varieties to choose from including green, red, Asian, and more. For best results, think about the final texture of your dish, as this can help you when choosing a pear variety, but also knowing how long to cook the pears and how ripe they should be. Some pear varieties can get pretty mushy when they ripen, or are cooked for too long.

Your next choice is quince. It’s not a super popular ingredient here in the States, but it’s an awesome apple substitute. You can use it for applesauce, stewed apples, apple pie, and more.

Whilst the flavour is distinctly different in apples, pears, and quince, the important thing to know is that they’re close enough. Not only that, but pears and quince can indeed cook and bake up like an apple where texture is concerned.

Which type of apples will work the best in an apple cider ice cream?

To get the best apple flavor I’d suggest using apples in several ways in your ice cream recipe. When it comes to the type of apples, that depends on what you’d like in the end. If you love tart apples, go with a Granny Smith for maximum tart flavour. If you want sweet, stick to Fuji or Gala apples.

Now, when it comes to how to incorporate the apples into the ice cream, here’s what I’d personally do:

Pan roast or oven roast chopped apples in organic brown sugar (this also creates a caramel-like sauce). When the apples are soft, use them as part of the ice cream base/blend. I’d also use fresh organic apple juice in the base as well (probably about 20%), Churn the ice cream. Whilst the ice cream is churning, I’d small dice crisp apples, toss them in organic maple sugar, and caramelize on the stove top. The goal isn’t to soften, but to just caramelize. I’d probably also add some maple extract to boost the flavour.

Then, according to the ice cream I’m making and the machine itself, I’d use the stovetop apples as my mix in, almost like a ripple. So now we have apples in the base, and folded throughout. That’s going to deliver a very good amount of apple flavor.

You could take this even further by creating an ice cream sundae type of experience. Drizzle a little caramel sauce on top of the ice cream, serve it in a waffle bowl, and top with a crisp topping that incorporates oats and apple slices (maybe even a tree nut if you’re not allergic).

Can I fix a crumble consistency if it’s too wet?

In theory, yes, you can fix a crumble topping if you’ve gone too far with the wet ingredients. Hopefully you have a food processor, as I’ve found it to be the best tool at making a crumble topping.

To save a super wet mix, you’ll add (in equal parts) rolled oats and the main flour the recipe calls for. Pulse in your processor (don’t have it on full/100%) until just combined. You’ll have to eyeball how much to add. Let’s say the mix is full on pancake batter territory. You’d add 50g of the oats and 50g of the flour. Once you see the power of 100g, you can decide how much more to add.

Once the texture is back to what you’d expect from a crumble mixture, you’re good to go. You will have leftover crumble topping since you’ve made “extra”, but that’s OK. You can cook it on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and let it crisp up a bit. Then, sprinkle it on a scoop of vanilla ice cream with some apple slices and a little caramel sauce. Heck yes!