6 Healthy Apple Dips Besides Peanut Butter
Looking for healthy dips for apples besides peanut butter? Try these 8 easy, kid-friendly dips for apples that are whole food plant-based.
In the winter we mainly eat apples, oranges, and bananas for our fresh fruit. We get a little tired of them, so here are some dips to up your apple game and breathe some new life into them!
My favorite apple lately is Cosmic Crisp. They are consistently sweet and crisp, not mushy. I love to slice them thinly (about 16 slices per apple since they are large apples) and dip them in any of these.
Apple Donuts
We also like to make apple donuts, and you could use any of these dips as the “frosting.” Just slice your apple into rounds, cut the core out so there is a hole, and spread peanut butter, almond butter, or any of these dips. Then add sprinkles of raisins, coconut, nuts, etc.
Melting a handful of chocolate chips and drizzling melted chocolate on top makes it into dessert–a really, truly delicious wholesome treat.
I have separate blog posts for all these recipes, but here they are in one post for you below as well! Save this post, send it to your friends who also need fun healthy apple dips recipes, and come back every time you need a snack or treat that will be a hit!
Pumpkin Cookie Dip is a sneaky way to eat beans in treat form (shhh–don’t tell anyone about the beans)! It tastes like a pumpkin cookie!
Pumpkin Cookie Dip
Ingredients
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained (or 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas)
- 2/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (or any other nut butter)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup, brown sugar, or dates (more to taste)
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger and 1/4 tsp nutmeg)
- pinch of salt
To serve
- apples
- pretzels
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients into a food processor (or a blender) and blend until smooth (some texture from the oats is good though). Add more sweetener if you want, or add more pumpkin spice.
- Serve with thinly-sliced apples, and/or pretzels. SO GOOD.
- Keep leftovers in the fridge. Stores well for about a week.
The Healthiest Chocolate Frosting is just a delightful thing to have in your fridge after making a dessert, and it happens to be yummy on apple donuts because it actually is frosting, but it also actually is sweet potatoes!
The Healthiest Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 baked orange sweet potato (1 to 1 1/2 cups mashed)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup dates, soaked in hot water at least 10 minutes
- 1/4 cup nut butter (I've used peanut butter or almond butter)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon almond extract....delicious!
- 1/4 tsp salt
- maple syrup to taste (optional)
- 1/2 cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Bake sweet potato by microwaving it for about 8 minutes, or cooking it in the oven. Put all ingredients into a bullet or small high-speed blender (a food processor does not get it the dates very smooth). Blend, stir, and blend again until smooth, adding up to 1/4 cup water if necessary to help it blend. If you'd like to add chocolate chips (for a richer, more traditional frosting), melt them in the microwave first and add to the blender.
- Taste and add maple syrup or other sweetener of choice if desired. I like it as is, but it is not as sweet as buttercream frosting. If you'd like a darker chocolate flavor, add a little more cocoa powder.
- The dates and cooling chocolate chips thicken it up with time. Store in the fridge. Can be piped as cake decorating frosting, eaten with fruit, or on rice cakes or pancakes.
Homemade Nutella is something I usually just make for crepes, but it also is an incredible healthy apple dip! It’s super healthy with vital minerals and nutrients from hemp seeds and dates. No added sugar. Knock yourself out!
Homemade Nutella
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup hemp seeds (or slivered almonds or hazlenuts)
- 1/2 cup plant milk
- 4 large medjool dates (or 8-10 small dates), pits taken out
- 1.5 TBSP cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Blend all together until smooth, scraping down sides and blending again. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.
- If you don't have a high-speed blender, you may need to let the ingredients soak together for a while to soften. Or blend together, let sit, then blend again until smooth.
Chocolate Hummus is divine with apples, and also adds more fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Mmmm it’s so yummy! My favorite thing to take to events lately, especially with a beautiful plate of strawberries.
Chocolate Hummus
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 15-oz can black beans (or garbanzo beans)
- 1/3 cup cocoa or cacao powder
- 1/4 cup almond butter (or peanut butter, tahini, or other nut/seed butter of choice)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar* (or 1 cup soft Medjool dates or soaked dates)
- 1/4 cup plant milk
- 1/4 cup chocolate protein powder (optional--will affect flavor)
- 1/4 cup walnuts (optional--for the health benefits!)
Dippers
- strawberries
- sliced apples
- banana chunks
- pretzels or pretzel chips
- crackers or pita chips
- graham crackers
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until very smooth. Add a little more milk if you'd like it thinner. It will thicken over time as the beans absorb some liquid.If using dates, blend them with 2 tablespoons water and the 1/4 cup milk first, then add the remaining ingredients. Blend until very smooth. Taste and add additional sweetener of some sort, if needed (such as stevia or maple syrup).If using a blender instead of food processor, you'll probably need to add 1-2 tablespoons extra water or plant milk to help it blend.
- Scrape into a bowl, and garnish with chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or shredded coconut if desired. Surround with your dippers of choice and enjoy!
- This can be frozen and thawed out.
Notes
Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dip is my go-to apple dip. It is not just a crowd pleaser, it’s a crowd-swooner! Everyone will ask you for the recipe, because pumpkin and peanut butter go that well together!
Peanut Butter Pumpkin Spice Dip
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbls raw honey (or pure maple syrup)
Instructions
- In a bowl, stir together all the ingredients. If you're making a large batch, mixing with an electric mixer is handy. Adjust sweetness and pumpkin spice to your liking, if needed.Allow to sit or chill for at least 30 minutes, for optimum flavor. Garnish with chopped pecans and extra cinnamon, if desired. Serve with sliced apples. Keeps well in the fridge for 1 week in an airtight container.
Notes
Date Carmel is one of the best healthy apple dips! Might as well go the next step though and make full-blown apple nachos because the textures, the flavors, the whole nacho is just too good!!!
Apple Nachos with Carmel Sauce
Ingredients
Carmel Sauce
- 6-8 large medjool dates (or 12 deglet noor dates)
- 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Apple Nachos
- 4 apples (I like to use 2-4 different varieties and colors)
- 1/4 cup peanut butter or almond butter
- shredded coconut
- chopped nuts
- dried cranberries
- mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Blend all the carmel sauce ingredients together until very smooth.
- Arrange apples slices on a plate. Slightly melt nut butter in the microwave for 30 seconds, if needed to be pourable. It's best to not use the bottom of a jar of natural nut butter, as it's usually stiff. Drizzle carmel sauce and then peanut or almond butter over the apples. Sprinkle with desired toppings--coconut, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, etc.Â
- Try not to eat the whole plate by yourself! Or, do!
Notes
I also think this Caramel Apple Dip with Greek Yogurt from Hannah Magree would be yummy to try with plant-based yogurt. You could even stir some protein powder or PB2 powder in if you wanted.
Tell me in the comments below–what’s your favorite thing to dip an apple slice into?!
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