These healthy and easy vegan baked apples with oat streusel are a ridiculously simple to make. They come together in minutes and make your home smell amazing while they bake. Serve with plain yogurt for a comforting breakfast or your favourite dairy-free ice cream for a lovely dessert.
A quick and healthy dessert for fall
I absolutely adore easy desserts. These easy vegan baked apples with oat streusel might be one of the simplest ever.
This recipe is quick to prepare for an impromptu gathering, but it also makes for a lovely breakfast served with yogurt (or on its own). Oats and spelt flour give this recipe a similar texture to traditional streusel topping, but with more fiber and less refined sugar.
This recipe is
- vegan
- dairy-free
- lower in refined sugar
- healthier than traditional baked apples
- higher in fiber than traditional streusel topping
- super simple to make
- cozy and comforting
- great as a dessert or weekend breakfast
Why you will love vegan oat streusel
Clumpy streusel topping is such a delight; this version is made without butter and includes rolled oats and spelt flour for fiber and nutrition. And you can never go wrong with cinnamon when it comes to apples, right?
Oats also add a great texture to streusel topping, plus they add fiber. As mentioned above, this dessert recipe also works as a weekend breakfast because of the rolled oats!
What are the best apples to use?
Almost any apple will work for this recipe. However, I recommend not using the red delicious variety as they tend to be too dry. Ideally, you want a fresh apple that is juicy, crisp, and will hold together well after baking. As such, for this recipe I recommend using:
- gala
- pink lady
- honey crisp
- jazz
- braeburn
- fuji
- granny smith
Most importantly, source your apples as fresh and blemish free as possible. And I recommend using local or organic apples if possible; support your local growers when you can!
Ingredients you will need
The ingredient list for these easy vegan baked apples and oat streusel are fairly straightforward and simple:
- Gala apples
- fresh lemon juice
- coconut oil
- spelt flour (or whole wheat flour)
- brown sugar
- rolled oats
- ground cinnamon
- sea salt
- and plain dairy-free yogurt or ice cream for serving
How to make this recipe
The most time consuming part of this recipe is preparing the apples - they need to be washed, cut in half lengthwise and cored with a melon-baller. You then need to arrange the cored apple halves on a baking tray lined with parchment.
In a medium bowl, you need to combine the coconut oil, flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Then, use a pastry blender (or clean hands) to combine the ingredients until you have pea sized crumbs and there is no dry flour remaining.
Next, simply fill each apple with enough streusel to form a small mound, then sprinkle each filled apple with lemon juice. They need to bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the apple juices start to run and they are easily pierced with a knife.
After cooling for about 15 minutes, they can be served warm with a scoop of your favourite dairy free vanilla ice cream or plain yogurt.
Substitutions
You can us whole-wheat flour or all purpose flour instead of spelt flour in equal measure. You can also use a vegan butter in equal measure instead of coconut oil for the streusel topping.
How to Store this Recipe
This recipe should be stored covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, but they are best the say they're made. Note that the streusel topping will lose it's crisp texture after a day.
More Recipes like this
If you like these healthy vegan baked apples, you may also enjoy these other favorites:
Healthy Vegan Rhubarb Oat Crumble
Vegan Spiced Apple Baked Oatmeal [gluten-free]
Vegan Baked Apples with Oat Streusel
A simple and easy dessert perfect for autumn holidays or gatherings. These vegan baked apples are made with oat streusel for a comforting yet healthy-ish indulgence. Serve with plain yogurt or your favourite dairy-free ice cream.
Ingredients
- 4 Gala apples sliced in half lengthwise, core removed
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ⅓ cup coconut oil softened
- ½ cup spelt flour (or whole wheat flour)
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a medium baking tray with parchment paper. Arrange cored apple halves on the tray, cut side up. Set aside.
-
In a medium bowl, combine the coconut oil, flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Using a pastry blender (or clean hands), combine the ingredients until you have pea sized crumbs and there is no dry flour remaining.
-
Fill each apple core with enough streusel to form a small mound, then sprinkle each filled apple with lemon juice. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the apple juices start to run and they are easily pierced with a knife.
-
Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm with a scoop of your favourite dairy free vanilla ice cream or whip.
Recipe Notes
All-purpose flour can be used instead of whole wheat or spelt flour. You can also use a non-dairy vegan butter in equal measure instead of coconut oil. The baked streusel apples will last covered in the fridge for 3 days.
Lizzy says
These look SO delicious and SO perfect for fall! I have a bag full of apples right now so will be making these for dessert soon!
Heidi Richter says
Thank you so much, Lizzy! I hope you love them and let me know how they turn out 🙂