Vegan Sugar-Free Stewed Apples

The Warm Apple Pie Smoothie Project

For my warm apple pie smoothie project, I wanted to find the best way to get the fresh-out of the oven warm apple pie vibe. I figured I could bake the apple, which would work just fine I’m sure. 

But I wanted to attempt a vegan, sugar-free version of stewed apples, because it seemed like a closer approximation of the apple pie vibe and there is nothing better than stewed apples on a cold gray day (well, hot cocoa and turmeric golden milk lattes are pretty legit options too, to name a couple, but I digress). And sometimes I just don’t want to wait for something to bake in the oven. Yes, I can be rather impatient in the kitchen.

The Solution

The potential hiccup in the plan was that traditional stewed apples call for a ton of sugar – both white and brown in many cases, and while coconut sugar or even honey might make for a healthier alternative, I’ve been on a completely sugar-free diet. Besides, apples are naturally sweet so I figured it might be unnecessary to add so much extra sweetener.

Many versions also call for a substantial amount of butter, so to make this version dairy-free, I swapped out the butter for some coconut oil and added a little coconut cream, which adds richness as well as bulk that lost from the sugar. I then added fresh ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg to spice it up, and a dash of green leaf stevia to take the sweetness factor up just a notch.

Voilà: a simple and super tasty vegan sugar-free version of one of my favorite comfort treats.

Vegan Sugar-Free Stewed Apples

What you need:

• 2 cups chopped apples
• 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/8 cup coconut cream
• 1/2 – 1 in piece fresh ginger, minced
• 1/4 tsp green leaf stevia
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/3 cup water

How to make:

1. Heat the coconut oil in a pan, add the apples and stir until coated with the oil.
2. Add the ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and stevia and stir a couple times until the apples are thoroughly coated.
3. Add the coconut cream and water and stir thoroughly. Heat on medium until the apples are tender and the mixture thickens, 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy! xx