Eat dessert first. I mean, that’s a pretty great mantra, am I right? In this case, I’m sharing dessert first.
I have a handful of Thanksgiving recipes to share, but today, it’s all about the dessert. Hellooo, Apple Cranberry Crisp. This vegan version of the happy fall/winter classic swaps coconut oil in for the butter, and you’d never know it.
You have a few choices apple-wise with this one. You can go with straight-up all Granny Smiths, the star of the apple pie world. Known for their tart flavor and the fact they don’t just all go to mush, they’re perfect in this apple cranberry crisp. But sometimes it’s nice to add something more intensely apple-y and sweet – honeycrisps, golden delicious or braeburns are all solid choices.
And then we have the cranberries. Many years ago, I shared this recipe for apple cranberry pie, and I make most every year. But it calls for cranberry sauce. For this Vegan Apple Cranberry Crisp, I envisioned a fresh cranberry situation – some nice tart bites as a counterpoint to all the sweetness going on here.
And oh goodness – I loooove fresh cranberries in this dessert. I may even need to go back and revisit that pie recipe.
I think this Vegan Apple Cranberry Crisp is a perfect casual yet festive choice for Thanksgiving dessert. I mean, some folks aren’t huge pumpkin pie fans, so this one’s a nice alternative. Plus – no dairy or eggs! You can probably even make this gluten-free if needed – try some one-for-one gluten-free flour or oat flour (I haven’t tried either but will report back as soon as I do!)
But trust me – special diet or not, this one is a crowd pleaser.
Vegan Apple Cranberry Crisp
Ingredients
Filling:
- 5 medium Granny Smith apples (about 2 pounds (A half-and-half combo of Granny Smith and honeycrisps, braeburns, or golden delicious are also wonderful), peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks)
- 2 cups fresh cranberries (rinsed and picked over)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar*
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping:
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 1/2 cup solid coconut oil
For serving:
- Vanilla ice cream (optional but highly recommended. My favorite non-dairy/vegan vanilla ice cream is Coconut Bliss Vanilla Island.)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- To a large bowl, add the filling ingredients. Toss well to combine. Pour into a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish and spread into a relatively even layer.
- To a medium bowl (or rinse and wipe out the large bowl to reuse), add the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until well-combined. Add the coconut oil and cut in with a pastry blender or butter knives. Mix well, until topping resembles coarse crumbs. Pour evenly over apple cranberry filling.
- Bake until bubbly, apples are fork-tender, and the top is golden-brown, 35-40 minutes.
- Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then serve - preferably alongside a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum!
Im thinking about trying Mykinos plant based butter instead of cocunut oil. Or maybe earth balance, thoughts??
Both should work! If it were me I’d choose Miyokos because Earth Balance sometimes gives a bit of a funky taste to baked goods (I haven’t been able to figure out why it happens when it happens!)