Vegan cooked apple and cinnamon purée

Vegan cooked apple and cinnamon purée: a mild recipe with apple, Ceylon cinnamon, apple pectin and a pinch of unrefined salt – soft, warm and pleasantly simple.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 5 min
• Cooking time: 15 min
• Total time: 20 min
• Calories: 180 kcal per serving
• Protein: 2 g
• Fat: 1 g
• Carbs: 38 g

Ingredients

• 2 apples
• 100 ml water
• 1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
• 1 pinch of unrefined salt
• 1 tsp apple pectin

Method

You’ll need: saucepan · grater

1. Finely grate the apples, skin and all, and put them in a small pan.
2. Pour in the water and briefly bring everything to the boil until the apple mixture is hot.
3. Cover and simmer the purée over a low heat until the apples fall apart and form a smooth purée.
4. Stir in the apple pectin and leave it to swell briefly so the purée thickens a little.
5. Stir in the Ceylon cinnamon and the fine unrefined salt and mix until smooth.
6. Serve lukewarm and eat in small spoonfuls.

Good to know

When you fancy something plain and warm, a purée like this is often just right. Mild, soft and pleasantly simple – without any fuss.

Swaps

Apples → pears (often milder, similarly gentle sweetness) Water → unsweetened oat milk (creamier, with a little more fibre; contains gluten unless certified gluten-free) Ceylon cinnamon → vanilla (milder flavour) Apple pectin → a small amount of psyllium husk (helps the purée set and provides soluble fibre)

Allergens

The recipe contains none of the classic major allergens. If you have a very sensitive stomach or fructose intolerance, or for young children, use the cinnamon sparingly; in pregnancy, Ceylon cinnamon in normal cooking amounts is considered the obvious choice.

Frequently asked questions

What's special about apple pectin?

Apple pectin is a soluble fibre from apples. It binds water and gives the purée its soft, lightly set texture.

Why use Ceylon cinnamon rather than cassia cinnamon here?

On average, Ceylon cinnamon contains less coumarin than cassia cinnamon. If you use cinnamon often, that's the more relevant difference.

Should you peel the apples?

The skin contains extra fibre and plant compounds. If raw or fibrous skin bothers you, peeled apples are sometimes the better choice.

Which minerals are in apples?

Apples mainly provide potassium, plus small amounts of other minerals. The content isn't especially high, but it fits well into a simple everyday recipe.

Can cinnamon be too much for a sensitive stomach?

For some people, yes. Many people like the small amount, but if your stomach is very irritated, even cinnamon as a spice can be too much for you.

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