These Vegan Baked Apples are a simple, healthy dessert perfect for apple season! The apples are cored, dusted with cinnamon, air fried until soft, then served with a scoop of coconut vanilla ice cream.
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If you’re looking for an easy and quick fall dessert that’s sure to impress, you’ve found it!
With apple season in full swing, it’s time to enjoy autumn apples in new and creative ways. Sure, you can make healthy sugar-free applesauce and sugar-free apple crisp, but how about something even easier, faster, and arguably just as delicious?
You can have a show-stopper dessert or a special snack with simple ingredients, 5 minutes of hands-on time, and 10 minutes in the air fryer.
The best part, this recipe is healthy! They say, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away!” I don’t see why vegan baked apples wouldn’t qualify! To make them extra special, serve them with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream!
💗 Why you’ll love these Vegan Baked Apples
- Super simple and quick dessert!
- Gluten-Free
- Only two main ingredients.
- Healthy and sugar-free (if you leave off the dairy-free ice cream)
- Only 10 minutes in the air fryer!
🥣 Ingredients and Notes
Apples: You can choose any apple that you like. Granny Smith’s are great for baking because they hold their shape and have a tart flavor. However, Gala and Honeycrisp apples are sweeter and also make a delicious treat.
Cinnamon: A touch of ground cinnamon gives the flavor of baked apples.
Coconut Oil: Rub the outside of the apple with coconut oil to give them a crisp finish.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Vegan Baked Apples
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 350 F. Slice two Granny Smith apples in half, and remove the core from each half.
- Rub each apple half with coconut oil over the top and the back. Sprinkle with coconut sugar and cinnamon.
- Place the apple halves in the air fryer basket. Set the temperature to 350 F. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the apples are soft.
- Remove the apples from the air fryer basket. Place each apple half on a plate. Top with one scoop of vanilla ice cream and a tablespoon of granola. Enjoy!
💭 Expert Tips
- Use aluminum foil to line the air fryer basket; this will keep them from sticking.
- Use a good “baking” apple, such as a Granny Smith or one of the varieties suggested below. They will hold up better in the oven. Softer apples such as gala or red delicious don’t work as well.
❓ Recipe FAQS
Which apples are best for baking?
When looking for the best apples for baking, it’s essential to use tart, sweet, firm, crisp flesh. Here are some of my favorites!
Golden Delicious-Mellow and sweet, this apple is crisp with tender golden skin.
Jonagold-A crunch, sweet and tart apple.
Honeycrisp-As the name suggests, this type of apple is crisp, sweet, and juicy.
Braeburn-A sweet-tart flavor with a hint of spice!
Granny Smith-Crunchy and tart, these apples have a firm texture, great for baking!
Pink Lady-A unique sweet and tart flavor with a firm and crisp flesh.
Fuji-A crunchy, super sweet flavor. Great for this simple baked apple recipe.
Are vegan baked apples healthy?
Yes, one baked apple is about 100 calories, 1 gram, and 5 grams of protein. This is without added sugar. When you make baked apples at home, preservatives or unnecessary sugars aren’t added. Apples are high in vitamin C (14%), vitamin K (5%), and potassium (6%). In addition, they are high in fiber and a low-calorie snack. Vegan baked apples are filling because they are high in fiber, keep you feeling fuller longer and make a great low-calorie snack!
How do you prepare vegan baked apples in the oven?
You can also easily prepare this recipe in an oven if you don’t have an air fryer. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Place the apples on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a 9×13 baking dish. Bake the apples for 15-20 minutes or until the apples are soft and golden brown.
🍴How to Serve
Serve with ice cream or whipped cream! Top with crunchy granola or chopped nuts for added texture.
🫙 How to Store and Keep
Store the baked apples in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. They taste best when enjoyed warm out of the air fryer!
📖 Variations and Substitutions
- No Cinnamon? Try pumpkin pie spice!
- Drizzle with vegan caramel sauce, maple syrup, or melted vegan butter.
- Top with chopped nuts.
- Add a hint of nutmeg.
- Top with a crunchy oatmeal mixture (2 tablespoon melted vegan butter, ¼ all-purpose flour, ¼ rolled oats, 2 tablespoon of brown sugar, and ⅛ teaspoon of cinnamon.),
- If you don’t have ice cream, try topping it with coconut whipped cream and chopped walnuts or pecans!
- If you’re having difficulty getting the apples to open and bloom, thinly slice, transfer to a baking sheet in one even layer, sprinkle with cinnamon and bake for 20 minutes.
🎥 Video
⚖️ Serving Size
Each serving is half of an apple. Using two apples the total servings for this recipe is four.
😋 More Apple Desserts!
Recipe
Vegan Baked Apples
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Granny Smith Apples or other type of baking apples
- 2 teaspoon coconut oil
- 2 teaspoon coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 scoops vanilla ice cream vegan or regular optional
- 4 tablespoon granola
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 375 F. Slice two Granny Smith apples in half, and remove the core from each half.
- Rub each apple half with coconut oil over the top and the back. Sprinkle with coconut sugar and cinnamon.
- Place the apple halves in the air fryer basket. Set the temperature to 350 F. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the apples are soft.
- Remove the apples from the air fryer basket. Place each apple half on a plate. Top with one scoop of vanilla ice cream and a tablespoon of granola. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Nutrition facts include vanilla ice cream.
- Use an apple core-er to help remove the inner core.
- Use aluminum foil to line your air fryer basket to keep the apples from sticking.
- Use a good “baking” apple, such as Granny Smith. They will hold up better in the oven. Softer apples such as red delicious don’t work as well.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Sadia Malik
so few ingredients yet so flavorful
Neha
Need to try this one asap. Love the combination of apples and coconut together, pinning this recipe to try for later.
veenaazmanov
Such a unique and a perfect dessert option. Nutritious and healthy and yum too. Love the Cinnamon flavors….
Adrianne
Oh yum!! I love using apples for dessert and the coconut ice cream and apples combo sounds absolutely delicious!! The pumpkin pie spice sounds awesome as an option if I can’t find my cinnamon. Thanks
Nart at Cooking with Nart
I tried this and it was a hit in our house. The apple, the cinnamon – YUM! Love that it’s just a few ingredients!