Enjoy Caramel Apple Dip – the perfect fall treat- in no time, using only 5 ingredients! Or make caramel apple nachos – an incredibly easy, delicious and healthy after school or late night snack, that comes together with pantry ingredients and the microwave. This vegan caramel is sweetened with just the right amount of maple syrup to keep that sweet tooth in check! This post contains affiliate links for products I’m obsessed with.
Confession: this post was supposed to be a healthy Caramel Apple Post. Like slices on sticks. Fun toppings. I had such a vision.
And then my easy, vegan caramel (that I totally stole from the coconut caramel layer in my Healthy Samoas Cookie Bars) would not freaking stick to the apples. It was the second recipe I tested that morning that totally didn’t work.
It was a sad, sad morning.
Until my husband, who is currently working from home, came down and ate all of my sad little apples and then we chatted about my kitchen failures while dipping into the leftover Caramel Sauce.
And then…DUH. It was so obvious that what we have here is a DIP! A delicious, caramel apple DIP! And it legit couldn’t be easier to make. In fact, you probably have all the ingredients to make it right now!
Ingredients for Vegan Caramel Apple Dip
Not only is this caramel apple dip vegan, it’s gluten free and made with just a few, real food ingredients:
- Coconut Oil – Look for extra virgin. In this dip, I don’t taste the coconut flavor, but if you are concerned, you can use refined coconut oil and it won’t have any coconut flavor. I just prefer the mild sweetness of unrefined. Also, you don’t want to use liquid coconut oil for this recipe – it must be the solid kind.
- Maple Syrup – you want pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup.
- Almond Butter- I prefer to use almond butter in this because it has more of a neutral flavor, but it works great with any nut butter, or even sun butter if there is an allergy.
- Vanilla Extract – If you are don’t have any on hand, you can omit this, but it takes the flavor up a notch, in my opinion.
- Salt – I mean. Salted. Caramel. Nuff said.
- Apples – I mean, of course you need apples! I love using honeycrisp apples, but you can use whatever your favorites are!
How to Make Caramel Apple Dip + Tips
This recipe is SO easy. Simply:
- Melt the coconut oil and maple syrup together in your microwave for 1 minute.
- Grab an oven mitt and remove the oil and syrup mixture – it will be super hot, so use care. Stir in the 2T of almond butter and mix until smooth and creamy. Keep stirring and your sauce should start begin to thicken.
- Let your dip sit out on the counter to cool before serving. This will also allow it to thicken from a liquid into more of a dip consistency.
TIP: If you are short on time, place your dip in the fridge for 5 minutes to chill. Stir and place back in the fridge if it’s still not thick enough. If you leave it in the fridge too long, it will solidify…but if this happens, you can just let it sit out at room temp until it gets melty again.
Does Caramel Apple Dip Need to be Refrigerated?
If you aren’t sharing this dip with your family, store your leftover dip in a mason jar in your pantry or on your counter. No need to refrigerate! I keep it for up to a week, but it honestly never lasts that long!
How to Make Caramel Apple Nachos
A super fun way to take caramel apple dip up a notch is to turn them into dessert nachos! You may have seen a variation of these on my 21 Day Fix Full Meal Plan Vol. 6 using just nut butter, but the caramel sauce makes it perfection!
To make caramel apple nachos:
- Slice apples and lay them flat on a plate. Feeling extra? You can also make “donuts” by coring the apple and slicing long ways through the middle.
- Drizzle a serving of vegan caramel on the apple slices.
- Sprinkle with your favorite toppings. Shredded coconut, mini chocolate chips, and nuts are my favorites! You could even top with some pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for a little crunch! Just be sure to count all of your containers as you go!
What is a serving size on the 21 Day Fix?
This caramel apple dip is made from real food ingredients, but if you want to eat it while on the 21 Day Fix, you need to portion it out just like you do with all your other recipes. One serving size is 4 teaspoons or 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon. This counts as three of your oil teaspoons for the day, which on plan A is all of them. But guys…it’s WORTH it.
If you get carried away or want a larger portion of dip (I cannot blame you there!), you can increase your serving size to 3 tablespoons and count it as a treat swap!
More Healthy Dessert Dips:
Healthy Edible Cookie Dough [Vegan | Flourless]
Caramel Apple Dip | Caramel Apple Nachos
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup real maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons almond butter - you can sub peanut butter cashew butter, or even sun butter
- Pinch sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dip with your favorite apples - I love honey crisp
Instructions
- In your microwave, melt the coconut oil and maple syrup together in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute.
- Carefully remove (bowl will be hot) and whisk in the 2 Tbsp of almond butter until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Sprinkle in salt and vanilla extract and continue to stir. Sauce should start to thicken.
- Allow to sit on the counter and cool before serving. If you are short on time, place in the fridge for 5 minutes to chill. But don’t leave it longer as the coconut oil will solidify. If this happens, just remove it from the fridge and let it sit at room temp until it soften again.
- Enjoy as a dip with apple slices or as a topping for apple nachos!
Cecilia says
Delicious! Made for my family and they all approved 😀
Nancylynn says
Amazing!!
Theresa says
Delicious! Thanks for the recipe! I just tried it with peanut butter as that’s what I had. I can tell I’ll be making this again and again. 🙂
Donna says
I just made this and I will be making again but mine stayed runny . What kind of coconut oil?
Nancylynn says
Hi! So glad you liked it, I hope it works better next time! Did you let it cool enough? And there’s a link for coconut oil in the post – really any will do!
Jaci Rogers says
OMG!!! This is the BOMB! The hubs was impressed…I have a feeling he will be putting this on all things fruit, pancake, muffin, and toast that he can! This was absolutely delicious and perfect with the honeycrisp apples we had in the fridge. Thank you again for a fabulous recipe!
Leah says
I. Love. You. This sounds so yummy and you’re right – I have all the ingredients! I can’t wait to try this 🤤
Nancylynn says
oooh yay! Let us know how it goes!