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Vegan + Paleo Pecan Pie Bars

· Natalie 111 Comments

Gooey caramel-sweet Pecan Pie Bars that are simple, healthy, and perfect for holiday sharing! Vegan, paleo, refined sugar-free.

Vegan + Paleo Pecan Pie Bars

Why didn’t anyone ever tell me pecan pie was so good?

It’s only been a classic dessert for approximately forever, but never has a bite of the nutty stuff crossed my lips until now. What kind of dessert lover from the south am I? – a very NOT cliche one, obviously.

You know how sometimes it is the most basic recipes we overlook though in favor of the new and sparkly and Pinterest-popular? Pecan pie is no golden milk unicorn spice avocado toast latte (and thank goodness for that!) It doesn’t have to be flashy or glamorous because it’s just SO. GOOD.

But you probably already know that, don’t you? You’re probably here because you are already a fan of the stuff and just looking for a version that isn’t 90% butter and sugar. Fruit-sweetened. Super-easy. Wholesome-ish. Yep, I have just the recipe for you…

Vegan + Paleo Pecan Pie BarsVegan + Paleo Pecan Pie BarsVegan + Paleo Pecan Pie Bars

Acceptance of nuts in dessert things was a process for me. I wasn’t just born okay with walnuts in my brownies and almonds in my ice cream.

The evolution went something like this: rocky road ice cream > chocolate turtles > white chocolate macadamia cookies > jello instant pistachio pudding > ANYTHING. So really mini marshmallows are to thank for where we are today, because I never would’ve tried rocky road if it weren’t for their squishy sweet persuasion powers. But here I am making a pie loaded with pecans and loving every single bite.

And as far as nuts in desserts go, I’m starting to realize pecans are one of my favorites. It depends on the occasion of course, but pecans have a built in…toasty-ness? richness? buttery-ness? All of the above-ness? They are perfect with pumpkin, crazy good covered in chocolate, and killing it at the pie game of course. Do you know any other nut with a holiday pie named after it?  I didn’t think so.

Pecans, you’re pretty groovy.

Vegan + Paleo Pecan Pie Bars

Ingredients in this recipe that are not pecans:

  • Medjool dates. If you know me and you know pecan pie, you saw this one coming from many miles away. Instant buttery caramelized flavor. Easy 3-ingredient crust binding. The only kind of “sugar” this pie needs.
  • Coconut. Fact – pecans are expensive. But I really wanted to keep the crust flour-free, so instead of using all pecans I used a mix of pecans and shredded coconut. Plus coconut just works with these flavors.
  • Vanilla + sea salt. Because if we’re going to do the caramel-y thing, we’re going to do it right.
  • Arrowroot starch. Something has to bind all this sweet filling stuff together so it sets and slices like a dream. And that something is arrowroot starch. But cornstarch or tapioca starch would work too.
  • Simplicity. Um, do you see that list? Only six ingredients for the crust AND the filling – that’s what I’m talking about.

Vegan + Paleo Pecan Pie Bars

I know, I know these are squares not slices. But hear me out – pie requires plates and utensils, squares require nothing but fingers. So for sharing OR single-handed consumption, squares = pie simplified. But yes, you can bake it as a pie pie too.

Vegan + Paleo Pecan Pie Bars

Happy nutty square pie making to you!

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Vegan + Paleo Pecan Pie Bars

★★★★★ 5 from 20 reviews
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 16 squares 1x
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Description

Gooey caramel-sweet Pecan Pie Bars that are simple, healthy, and perfect for holiday sharing! Vegan, paleo, refined sugar-free.

Ingredients

Scale

Crust*

  • 1 1/2 cups (180g) chopped pecans
  • 1 cup (70g) unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 8–10 (150g) pitted medjool dates

Filling

  • 12 (200g) pitted medjool dates
  • 1 1/4 cup (300g) non-dairy milk
  • 3 tbsp arrowroot starch ((can sub cornstarch or tapioca starch))
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 1/2 cup (150g) pecan halves

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. For the crust, combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until sticky and clumpy.
  3. Press firmly into a square pan (8×8″) lined with parchment paper. Set aside.
  4. For the filling, blend the medjool dates, milk, arrowroot, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
  5. Add 1 cup of the pecan halves and pulse them in.
  6. Spread on top of the crust. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of pecans on top and press them in lightly.
  7. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350F or until the pecans on top are golden brown.
  8. Remove from the oven. Cool. Then refrigerate overnight.
  9. Slice into squares and enjoy! Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

For a cheaper oat flour option, you can use the crust from this pie recipe instead.

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Vegan + Paleo Pecan Pie Bars

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie

· Natalie 63 Comments

This Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie with oat cookie crust and luscious custard filling is THE dessert for your holiday table! Vegan, gluten-free, paleo-option.

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie

A slice of sweet squash-colored custard so silky smooth your tongue will feel spoiled. Nestled in a toasty oat crust with just the right amount of crumble to remind you of your favorite crunchy cookie. Topped with a dollop of coconut cloud cream + chopped pecans because textural contrast is key. And that perfect triangle of a first bite.

Now I remember why I like November.

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie

I feel the need to inform you that this was supposed to be a sweet potato only pie. But I reeeeeeeally love pumpkin pie. Like pie love level: better than chocolate. So if there is a crimped-edge crust in my kitchen in the fall months, odds are pretty high there will be an open can of pumpkin not far away. Or let’s be real, any month.

But what’s a girl to do when she already bought a bag of (the cutest, tiniest, 5 = 1 normal sized) sweet potatoes? Make the mashup pie of your wildest Thanksgiving dreams. A.k.a. Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie. The only logical course of action in such a situation, of course.

Sweet Potato Pumpkin PieSweet Potato Pumpkin Pie

The filling. Pumpkin is the predominant flavor because, um, there’s twice as much of it. But before you think I’m showing starch favoritism let me just tell you the sweet potato is essential. SP may seem like it’s playing the supporting role here, but trust me it’s doing BIG things for the flavor and texture – this amazingly simple pie would not be possible without it.

Can we just admire for a moment the fact that there are only six ingredients to this filling. And two of the six are vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. And none of the six are thickeners or starches. And I didn’t even use dates since I know some of you would appreciate more date-free recipes. And that it’s LUSCIOUS. Like lick-every-last-millimeter-of-your-spatula luscious.

Lusciousness in six. And…GO.

  1. Pumpkin puree, obvi.
  2. Sweet potato. Baked in the microwave or oven, as you wish, and mashed.
  3. Maple syrup for sweetness, although the sweet potato helps out too. You could experiment with less maple syrup (replace with more milk) if you wanted to, but for holidays and guests I think it’s just right.
  4. Pumpkin pie spice in abundance.
  5. Vanilla extract because the back of the Libby’s can taught me well.
  6. And last but not least, non-dairy milk. Just a splash. To help out the ol’ blender and just lighten things up a little.

See, amazingly simple!

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie

The crust. But actually it is crucial that you make this part BEFORE even though we are discussing it AFTER. I just get a little overly excited about the filling okay, don’t judge.

I had almost given up on oat flour in pie crusts. They are so often chewy and weird and the opposite of yum. But I know almond flour is expensive and higher in fat, so I decided to revisit the oat crust. And I took almond butter with me this time, along with inspiration from these cookies. And after the experimenting and rolling and transferring (eeek!) and crimping and baking, the result was a not too sweet cookie-like crust.

Easy to roll. Sturdy enough to survive the flip into the pan. Browns around the edges. Slices without a fight. And a delicious compliment to the filling.

Okay fine, oats you’ve redeemed yourself.

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie

You could easily pass this off as a “regular” pumpkin pie and only a diehard sweet potato hater would question you. But those don’t exist anyways. Or pass it off as a Thanksgiving side dish, there is sweet potato in there after all.

And just in case you forget how to use a can opener or mash a sweet potato or dollop on coconut whipped cream, it may be smart to make a few preliminary test pies before the big day. If ya know what I mean…

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie

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Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie

★★★★★ 4.8 from 11 reviews
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes
  • Total Time: 75 minutes
  • Yield: 8 people 1x
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Description

This Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie with oat cookie crust and luscious custard filling is THE dessert for your holiday table! Vegan, gluten-free, paleo-friendly.

Ingredients

Scale

Oat Flour Crust (*see notes for grain-free/paleo option)

  • 1 1/2 cups (180g) oat flour
  • 1/3 cup (85g) nut/seed butter ((I used almond butter))
  • 1/4 cup (90g) maple syrup
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 1/4 cup (60g) water

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Filling

  • 1 15oz can (425g) pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup (200g) baked sweet potato
  • 1/2 cup (180g) maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup (60g) non-dairy milk
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
  2. For the crust, combine everything except water in a large mixing bowl. Mix/knead adding water as needed to form a sticky ball of dough.
  3. Roll out the dough between two pieces of wax or parchment paper. Use one piece of paper to flip the crust into a pie pan (I spray mine with coconut oil first just to be safe!)
  4. Press into the pan and crimp the edges. Set aside.
  5. Combine all the filling ingredients in a blender. Blend on high until smooth and creamy.
  6. Pour into the crust and smooth the top.
  7. Bake for 15 minutes at 425F. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for an additional 40-45 minutes.
  8. Remove from the oven. Cool. Chill overnight.
  9. Slice and serve with coconut whipped cream. Enjoy!

Notes

For the grain-free crust, combine 2 cups almond flour + 2 tbsp maple syrup + 2-3 tbsp water. Mix until sticky and clumpy adding water as needed. Press into a pie pan and up the sides.

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Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

· Natalie 59 Comments

Fluffy and fruity with all the fall feels – these Baked Apple Cider Donuts are just the cozy thing. Made with oat or almond flour and a delicious dusting of cinnamon sugar!

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

Comin’ atcha the day before Halloween with something very not candy corn. Not pumpkin shaped. Not chocolate coated or fun-sized. Muffins with a hole poked out of the middle are sounding almost sophisticated now, huh?

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

In essence that’s all a baked donut really is, a muffin minus the center. But in reality – soft sweet ring of scrumptious reality – they are so much more. More fun. More dessert. More glaze-able or sugar coat-able. More make you smile and reach for seconds 11 times out of 10.

I’m not going to tell you that donuts > candy. That would be a very tough sell considering the current state of the food internet and how good THESE are. But I may show you a few kinda really irresistible donut closeups that say it for me.

Irresistible donut closeup number 1:

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

So I didn’t know apple cider donuts were a thing. I mean there really are no limits to what can be a donut thing, but apple cider is apparently a classic flavor that people seek out. Like if you type “apple cider” into google “…donuts” is the third suggestion that pops up right after “…vinegar” and “…sangria”.

I blame my ignorance on birthplace since I do believe they are of New England origin, but it’s never to late to try a new donut. Even if Florida may not be the mecca of apple cider mills, Trader Joe’s honeycrisp cider and BYODP (DP = donut pan) and we’re in business.

I don’t know why cider and not juice. I don’t know if what I used was actually cider or juice pretending (honestly either will work). But these Baked Apple Cider Donuts are delightful and have been filing my kitchen with all the fruity fluffy fall feels for the past few days and I don’t ever want it to end. Ever. Endless apple cider donuts plz.

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

I do not regret a drop of apple cider or speck of almond flour it took to get these deliciously spiced donuts just right. But there were a LOT of drops and specks involved. It wasn’t the ingredients so much as the baking logistics. See the donut pan loved them soooooo much it didn’t want to let them go. Even if I let them cool completely. Even if I generously sprayed with coconut oil. Even if I told the pan if it cooperated I’d give it a cookie. I know, I know – bribery is not the answer.

But here’s the nonsensical thing: the oat flour version DOESN’T STICK. It’s just the almond flour version that only comes out in crumbles. Why? No clue. Logically one would think almond flour = higher fat = less sticking. Not true friends, not true.

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

So here are your tried and tested options:

  • Almond flour in a silicone donut pan
  • Oat flour in silicone donut pan
  • Almond flour in a mini muffin pan with liners (like donut holes!)
  • Oat flour in a metal donut pan

Whether you choose to use almond or oat flour, I suggest spraying or coating the pan with coconut oil just to be safe. The oat flour version has a chewier almost gluten-like texture, while the almond flour version is more delicate and cake-like. Both are incredibly moist and tender courtesy of Medjool dates and almond butter. I love them equally and in a side-by-side would choose solely based on which one is wearing the most cinnamon sugar.

(BTW the minis in these photos are the almond flour and the full size are oat.)

The cinnamon sugar is optional (but totally and completely necessary because cinnamon + sugar ♡). Organic cane sugar mixed with a teaspoon or so of cinnamon works best. Coconut sugar is not the best choice here unless you plan to eat them immediately as it begins to dissolve into the donuts within minutes.

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

A quick note! I’ve been getting a handful of messages recently about almond flour baked things coming out mushy or not cooking through completely. This is almost always due to the batter being too moist, a.k.a. not enough flour. When measuring almond flour you do want to pack it in the cup a little bit, or better yet go by the weight measurement just to be safe. With these donuts and almost every other almond flour recipe I’ve posted, the batter should be quite thick. If you can pour it as opposed to scoop it into the pan then that’s a problem and you need more flour.

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

You deserve better than a plastic-wrapped chocolate peanut butter pumpkin. You deserve a damn donut with all the cinnamon sugar as your heart desires. Donut let anyone tell you otherwise.

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

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Baked Apple Cider Donuts

★★★★★ 4.7 from 11 reviews
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 6 donuts 1x
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Description

Fluffy and fruity with all the fall feels – these Baked Apple Cider Donuts are just the cozy thing. Made with oat or almond flour and a delicious dusting of cinnamon sugar!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (240g) apple cider (NOT apple cider vinegar)
  • 10–12 pitted medjool dates (200g)
  • 1/4 cup (70g) nut/seed butter*
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 1/4 cups (125g) oat flour**
  • 2 tbsp tapioca starch***

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

  • 1/4 cup cane sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. Add the dates, apple cider, and nut butter to a high speed blender. Blend on high until smooth.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients. Blend to combine, being careful to not over blend. The batter should be quite thick and barely able to blend, if not add 1/4 cup more flour.
  4. Thoroughly spray/coat a donut pan with coconut oil. Spoon the batter into the pan filling each donut cavity to the top. (See post above for pan recommendations/options).
  5. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350F. Or if making mini donuts, 15-20 minutes.
  6. Remove form the oven and allow to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before carefully removing from the pan.
  7. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Dunk each donut into the cinnamon sugar to coat. It sticks best while they are still warm, otherwise a light spray of coconut oil will help it stick.
  8. Enjoy! Keep in the fridge and coat with cinnamon sugar just before serving.

Notes

*You can skip this, but the texture and moisture will not be as nice.

**For the grain-free option, replace the oat flour with 1 1/2 cups (180g) almond flour. If not measuring by weight, be sure to pack the cup measure.

***You can skip this for the oat flour option although they may be slightly gummier. I do not recommend skipping for the almond flour version, but you can sub with arrowroot or cornstarch.

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Baked Apple Cider Donuts

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Banana Mocha Chip Muffins

· Natalie 36 Comments

Sweet banana base, cold brew kick, and lots of chocolate chips make these vegan + paleo Banana Mocha Chip Muffins an ultra fluffy indulgent breakfast or sweet treat!

Banana Mocha Chip Muffins

If only life came with a homemade muffin on demand button I feel like the whole affair would be much more manageable.

You think I am joking. I am not. Just consider for a moment – they are the ideal cozy, cute, can’t-be-mad-while-consuming food. I have yet to find another baked good that can check all those boxes quite so effortlessly.

Banana Mocha Chip MuffinsBanana Mocha Chip Muffins

What’s that? You need a bulleted list of hypotheticals to convince you…

  • Monday morning when you didn’t meal prep (shocker!) and breakfast is like: I’m here, it’s time for me! Muffin.
  • Busy 4pm when you are trying to squeeze as much productivity as possible out of the last little bit of your workday motivation but need sustenance that tastes like cake NOW. Mocha muffin.
  • Lazy day mug of warm cozy coffee or tea that is just begging for a caffeinated companion. Mocha chip muffin.
  • Just casually being a human doing your human thing with impeccable taste in snacks. Banana Mocha Chip Muffin.

So now that you just saw your entire week flash before your eyes, I think we can agree the 5 minute effort investment it takes to throw this batter together in the blender more than pays for itself in snack problem-solving and overall positive vibes.

You’re feeling all Monday We Got This now too, right?

Banana Mocha Chip Muffins

See here’s my dilemma with coffee in baked goods. In the past I have used instant espresso powder, but instant espresso powder is a) not something I typically have in my pantry and b) not something I feel good about consuming after 3pm. And if there are muffins in the house I am going to want to eat one after 3pm. Instant espresso definitely delivers on flavor, but I prefer to have my muffin and sleep sometime in the near-ish future too.

Banana Mocha Chip Muffins

Hey, what’s coffee and super trendy and less potent but still so good in muffins?

Why yes, I do mean COLD BREW.

No I didn’t choose cold brew mostly completely because it’s really really easy. Effort level = unscrewing a lid. Fun fact: it also comes concentrated which means more flavor without over-liquidifying the recipe. And the caffeine equivalent of one full cup of coffee spread across six muffins means napping later is a very real possibility.

The flavor is certainly more subtle than the BAM-POW spoonful of espresso in your muffin batter route, so if you want to add that I will not stop you. If you don’t have cold brew concentrate, a half cup of very strongly brewed coffee will work too. If coffee isn’t your jam (wait…why are you still reading?) then swap it out for non-dairy milk and enjoy your coffee-less chocolate chip banana muffins like this.

The cold brew concentrate I used happened to be already mocha. Which means it happened to have chocolate flavor in it too. Which means I happened to not add cacao powder to the batter. Which happened to be the best decision because with mini chips in every bite the muffins were plenty mocha for me but not overpoweringly CHOCOLATE.

You do you though. As long as “you” involves chocolate chips and lots of them.

Banana Mocha Chip Muffins

It feels a little late in the game to bring this up, but these are BANANA mocha chip muffins btw. No maple syrup. No dates. Just bananas – sweet and simple.

This entire batter-made-in-a-blender situation is heavy on the simple. Only 7 ingredients (including chocolate chips!), a couple of buttons to press, and a few spoonfuls to plop into a pan. Does this still qualify as baking even?

Banana Mocha Chip Muffins

I used almond flour to keep these mocha chip muffins grain-free. You will need either ground flax or tapioca starch too, personally I prefer the texture with the tapioca. I did not test it with oat flour so you will have to experiment on your own. But almond flour + tapioca starch does make for the most amazing muffin texture ever…just sayin.

If you really want an oat flour muffin/cupcake with coffee flavor, I’d recommend this recipe instead -> Vegan Caramel Espresso Cupcakes

Banana Mocha Chip Muffins

Muffins emerging from the oven perfect golden domes with a tiny bit of overflow and just a few crusty crackles on top. Those tell-tale signs before even prying them out of the pan that this is it. This is THE batch. The culmination of all those trials finally coming together in the ultimate soft fluffy inner surround by subtly crisp outer. This moment of muffin victory fills my heart with joy on a puppies and rainbows level.

Happy mocha muffin baking joy-creating to you!

Banana Mocha Chip Muffins

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Banana Mocha Chip Muffins

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 muffins 1x
  • Category: muffins
  • Method: baking
  • Cuisine: american
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Description

Sweet banana base, cold brew kick, and chocolate chips make these vegan and paleo Banana Mocha Chip Muffins an ultra fluffy indulgent breakfast or sweet treat!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 (325g) ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup (120g) cold brew concentrate (*)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup (70g) tapioca starch (**)
  • 2 1/4 cup (250g) almond flour (***)
  • 1/3 cup (65g) chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. In a high speed blender or food processor, blend the bananas briefly until no large chunks remain. (Or you could mash/mix by hand.)
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the chocolate chips) and blend until combined. The batter should be very thick and barely able to blend, so if it seems too pour-able add an extra 1/4 cup almond flour.
  4. Stir/mix in the chocolate chips.
  5. Spray or line a muffin pan with paper liners. Divide the batter between 6-8 muffins filing each to the top if you want nice rounded domed muffins.
  6. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F or until golden brown and bounce back when lightly pressed in the center.
  7. Remove from the oven. Cool for 30 minutes before removing from the pan. Enjoy! Keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.

Notes

*Or very strongly brewed coffee. Or 1/2 cup non-dairy milk + 1 tsp instant espresso powder. Or if you don’t like coffee at all, just use non-dairy milk. **You can sub with arrowroot or cornstarch. Or an equal amount of ground flax (60g) although they will be a bit more delicate/crumbly. ***I have not tested these with oat flour. You can experiment on your own, but since there is no nut butter or oil they will be quite dry. I’d recommend this coffee cupcake recipe instead that is designed for oat flour.

Keywords: baking, snack, dessert, banana, chocolate, paleo, vegan

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Banana Mocha Chip Muffins

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Roasted Butternut Squash Ice Cream

· Natalie 14 Comments

Cold creamy and…cozy? Yes it’s possible and it’s called Roasted Butternut Squash Ice Cream. Cinnamon-spiced, maple-sweetened, vegan, and no-churn!

Roasted Butternut Squash Ice Cream

Is it weird that I sorta feel like I am cheating on pumpkin right now?

I love pumpkin ice cream. Deeply. But I am crushing prettyyyyyy hard on this alternative orange squash stuff. Pumpkin doesn’t need to know.

Roasted Butternut Squash Ice CreamRoasted Butternut Squash Ice Cream

To be fair, this butternut recipe comes to the game with a few unfair advantages…

Novelty. We’re more than halfway to Halloween, so pumpkin {insert any dish here} has already happened on the internet. Twelve times with subtle variations. Butternut is a welcomed breath of fresh crisp fall air. Fall air is fresh and crisp, right? Cooler climate friends, fill me in.

Ease. So you probably missed it, but there is a silent and invisible “N” in front of the ice cream part. This recipe is made like nice cream only with butternut instead of banana. After the butternut is frozen you are only approximately 5 minutes and some cinnamon away from butternut squash ice cream at any given moment. Probably less – how savvy are you with a blender?

30 minutes at 400F. That’s right, it’s roasted. No matter how lazy I am, not even I can honestly say that canned puree is as good as roasted. At home. With love. Although I did buy it pre-cut…let’s not get carried away now.

All those reasons combined with the fact that this butternut ice cream was more recently on my mind/spoon are why I am sorta kinda MEGA obsessed. But I’m playing it cool. And not to worry, butternut can’t compete in the jack-o-lantern arena. Being scooped out, poked with sharp objects, and internally lit on fire – that’s all you, pumpkin.

I see you watermelon carvers. I see you and I say save your antics for the appropriate season.

Roasted Butternut Squash Ice Cream

Obviously there is more than just squash in that blender. You will also need:

  • Coconut milk. Nothing too crazy, just the light kind is perfect. You could use almond/any other milk but it won’t be as ice CREAMy.
  • Cinnamon + vanilla + salt because it’s fall so those are a given.
  • Maple syrup if you want your ice cream sweeter than squash is naturally. I used about two tablespoons for the whole batch, it doesn’t take much.
  • Frozen butternut squash in large quantities. Because the holidays are all about sharing, so it would be rude to not make extra…for your tomorrow self.

Yes I know “the holidays” usually refers to November/December affairs, but I’m just getting in the zone, okay? And how do we know we won’t still be butternut ice cream blending by then. Odds are you and your fuzzy-socked, blanket-burritoed self probably will.

Roasted Butternut Squash Ice Cream

In the name of roasting once and ice creaming all week, I roasted 2 pans worth of cubed or crinkle cut squash. That may seem like a lot, but it will seem like a lot less after roasting. (Also frozen squash makes for very yum smoothies, so there’s never too much!) The shape doesn’t matter, although it seems there is a consensus: crinkle cut = better. If you are a lucky enough ducky to live near a Trader Joe’s you can find it there already cut or cubed for pretty cheap. If you are a brave enough ducky to cut your own, please lookout for those precious little fingertips of yours.

After roasting, cooling, transferring to a bag, and freezing overnight (more work to say than to actually do, promise!) now comes the blending part. Which is my favorite part because it effortlessly flows right on into the eating out of the blender part.

If you blend all the frozen squash at once, you will end up with about four servings. Unless you are throwing your annual Butternut Squash Ice Cream Party, I recommend blending just half at a time because it really doesn’t re-freeze very well after blending. Any less than half will be difficult to blend. You will need a high-speed blender with a tamper for this, or a food processor. Either way you will probably have to stop and scrape down the sides a few times as you go.

Roasted Butternut Squash Ice Cream

The end result is orange and autumnal beyond your wildest wishes. If you’ve ever wondered why it’s called BUTTERnut squash before, you won’t again after you experience this texture.

Turns out cold AND cozy is possible after all.

Roasted Butternut Squash Ice Cream

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Roasted Butternut Squash Ice Cream

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Yield: 4 people 1x
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Description

Cold creamy and…cozy? Yes it’s possible and it’s called Roasted Butternut Squash Ice Cream. Cinnamon-spiced, maple-sweetened, vegan, and no-churn!

Ingredients

Scale
  • Approximately 8 cups (1kg) cubed butternut squash
  • 1/2–1 cup light coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup ((optional))

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
  2. Spread the butternut squash between 2 baking pans lined with parchment paper.
  3. Roast for 25-30 minutes at 400F or until fork tender, flipping halfway through to avoid burning.
  4. Allow to cool. Transfer to a plastic bag and freeze overnight.
  5. The following day, break apart the squash chunks and add them to a high speed blender or food processor along with 1/2 cup coconut milk, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and maple syrup (if using).
  6. Blend using a tamper or stopping to scrape down the sides frequently. Add more coconut milk slowly as need be to get a creamy thick soft serve consistency.
  7. Scoop into bowls. Top with nuts and extra cinnamon. Enjoy!

Notes

I recommend blending right before serving, so if you just want one or two servings halve the amounts and save the rest of the frozen squash in the freezer for later. It will last quite a while frozen, and tastes great in smoothies too!

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Roasted Butternut Squash Ice Cream

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