Apple Cinnamon Crêpes (Vegan & Gluten Free)

My hubby LOVES crêpes but we haven’t had them in ages. (It’s not so easy to find vegan ones.) I never made them before, but it was his birthday and I wanted to surprise him. (Hard to do that lately, being together 24/7 with 3 small kids!)!

It was my first time making crêpes, both because I was intimidated by attempting a vegan version of these delicate pancakes, and because I am not the biggest crêpe person normally. (Just like pies… I really prefer just the filling, lol! or with cakes… I just prefer the icing! But REALLY just prefer some chocolate or vegan ice cream! LOL!)

But he loves them so I thought I would give it a shot. And you know what? I surprised myself! They are a little labor intensive, but even less so than regular pancakes. And I really loved the flavor. Actually… everyone did!

I highly recommend making a batch of these Apple-Cinnamon Crêpes for a weekend brunch, a snack, a special someone or just for something different! It also felt a bit patriotic making this on INAUGURATION DAY! Nothing as American as apple… crêpes! (pie, crêpes… not so different!) My husband’s birthday is January 21 BUT I knew I had homeschooling to do then, a baby to nurse and get down for naps, a 4 year old to entertain, dishes and laundry to do, his chocolate birthday cake to bake and frost… so I made these the day before! I made all the crêpes, the apple pie like filling and even the caramel sauce and I have to tell you… it still turned out scrumptious and was SO easy to pull together the day of! I love doing things ahead of time and this recipe fits the bill for being convenient! Delicious, vegan, gluten free, NATURALLY SWEETENED (so I felt good giving it to my kids and even eating it myself!), healthy and you can make ahead? That’s a keeper of a recipe, right there!

I hope you like it as much as we did!

Enjoy!
xo

Apple Cinnamon Crêpes (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Ingredients (Crêpes)

1 cup oat flour
½ cup rice flour
4 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tbsp ground flax seeds (I used this flax meal)
1 tsp baking powder
1½ cups almond milk
1/3 cup organic applesauce
3 tbsp avocado oil (plus some for cooking)
½ tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients (Apple Cinnamon Filling)

3-4 organic apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (I used 2 green & 2 red)
1 1/2 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tbsp almond milk
½ tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cornstarch

Ingredients (Caramel sauce)

3 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tbsp peanut butter (or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version)
2 tbsp water

Tools Used

Cast Iron pan, or Teflon-free ceramic nonstick pan
Mixing bowls
Blender
Measuring Cups
Measuring spoons

Directions

Prepare the filling by combining all ingredients in a small frying pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until apples are soft
For the crêpes, mix the dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl
Mix the wet ingredients in a blender
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk to combine
Heat a pan (I used my cast iron Field Pan) on medium heat with a little bit of avocado or high heat oil
Spoon ¼ cup of batter onto hot pan and spread thinly with the back of a spoon.
Cook 2-4 minutes on the first side
Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes
Repeat for the remaining crêpes
For the caramel sauce, bring the water and sugar to boil in a small saucepan, stir in the nut butter and transfer to a dish to cool
To serve, put a small amount of filling in each crêpe, roll them up and drizzle with sauce
Enjoy!

*Note: can be made the day before and just warmed before assembly. The crêpes roll much more easily when warm.