The temperatures are in the high 80s right now in San Diego and it’s not feeling much like fall outside, but that’s not stopping me from being excited about fall recipes and flavors.
Here are 15 of my fall favorites that I’ve either made recently because I was impatient and started my fall cooking in July or that I made a few seasons ago and that I’m excited to make again.
Dips, Spreads, Appetizers & Snacks
Dark Rum Caramel Sauce – A step by step tutorial on making caramel sauce for all those apples you’re going to pick. The rum is optional although recommended.
Caramel Pumpkin Whip Dip – Takes mere seconds to make with just a few ingredients stirred together, including pumpkin and caramel
Cranberry & Orange Ginger Mango Chutney (vegan, GF) – I was addicted to Trader Joe’s Mango Ginger Chutney and those little jars were getting expensive so I came up with my own version and added cranberries
Rosemary Chipotle Roasted Almonds (vegan, GF) – Scott never met a roasted almond he didn’t inhale and these are no exception
Soups, Sides, & Mains
Sweet Potato Red Pepper and Coconut Milk Soup (vegan, GF) – The fastest and easiest soup you’ll ever make with just 3 ingredients and a microwave-friendly recipe
Spicy Baked Black Beans with Mixed Vegetables (vegan, GF) – Baked beans embody fall comfort food
Pumpkin Spiced Brown Rice Tempeh and Cranberry Salad (vegan, GF if GF tempeh is used) – This was a fall-inspired salad I just had to have in June and it can be served warm or cold
Curried Ginger & Raisin Lentils (vegan, GF) – There was no way I could make the lentils look pretty, but the ginger and raisins made them taste pretty enough that no one complained they were eating lentils for dinner
Chips and Cheese Chili Casserole (vegetarian/vegan, GF) – Casseroles are fall comfort and tailgating food at its finest especially when chips are baked right in
Beverages
Cinnamon Raisin Bread Smoothie (vegan, GF) – I made this in the blazing Caribbean heat because I was craving the warming flavors and spices of fall – go figure
Caramel Maple Pumpkin Pie Smoothie – Have your pumpkin pie and drink it, too
Desserts
Coconut Spice Cheesecake Bars – The spice cake base makes this perfect for fall. If desired, omit the coconut and replace it with grated apples.
Candy Corn Cookie Dough Pretzel Bites (No Bake) – Stuff leftover Halloween candy or candy of any type into no-bake cookie dough and perch it on top of a pretzel for a salty ‘n sweet treat
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – Cinnamon, brown sugar, golden raisins, and oats create these chewy and hearty cookies that remind me of leaves changing and fall weather
Caramel and Chocolate Gooey Bars (GF with Vegan adaptation) – You could eat a caramel apple but I’d rather have one of these dense, rich, and gooey caramel bars
Do you have any recipes or flavors of fall you’re excited to incorporate?
Feel free to link up any recipes you’ve made and can’t wait to make again or those you’re excited to try.
For all the pumpkin lovers, stay tuned. You’re in luck. So much luck, actually. I’m on my fourth can of pumpkin puree and September just started. I have a pumpkin recipe coming up in just a couple days and I’m restraining myself from adding pumpkin to just about everything I make.
Thanks for the Capresso Froth Plus Automatic Milk Frother Giveaway entries and have a great weekend!
Awesome round-up! These should be made all year long, especially those pretzel bites! YUM!
All of those recipes have me longing for a slight nip in the air even more than I already was – it’s 86 here today, so I feel you on the heat :)
I love baking things for fall, but I’m still pretending like it’s summer! That caramel sounds and looks fabulous! I love caramel and the addition of rum would be wonderful.
I’d like a big-o’ glass of the dark rum caramel sauce… so I can drink it!
You and me both :)
I am (especially) in love (of course, a bar!) with your caramel chocolate gooey bars! The photos look good enough to eat! :-)
Our friends own an apple orchard and I am going to head up this week and pick a few buckets of red and green speckled, juicy and tangy apples to make our yearly batch of apple butter. Super easy recipe: it only has the apples, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and apple cider! We like to pass out the jars for stocking stuffers at Christmas time!
Your apple butter sounds amazing and I’d love to have you be my secret Santa with that stuff!
Ooh, Averie! That’s the pumpkin whip dip you were talking about? DELISH. Adding caramel to it is pure genius. And I think I need a straw for that dark rum caramel sauce.
Yes that’s the dip I was talking about! After your post I kept thinking about it and wanted to make sure to link it up today!
Those Coconut spice cheesecake bars are calling my name! It’s 90’s here in Florida and I’m still baking and lighting candles like it’s fall :) Hope you have a great weekend!
They are so.good. If you like spice cake, make them. They’re easy, too! They start off with a boxed mix of spice cake (you could make your own) and then the top is just cream cheese + sweetened cond milk stirred together and baked. Easy and rich!
I’m just going to go ahead and swirl my tongue through, oh, ALL OF IT.
Averie! It’s been so hard to hold back on my pumpkin, too. I’ve already gone through two cans as well! I have a bake sale tomorrow (my first one!!) and I’m making some pumpkin treats. I can’t wait to share them with you! I’d say that spiced pumpkin and apple are my two favorite fall flavors. My mom makes a mean caramel apple crisp. To die for! I don’t think I could ever replicate it. You have some amazing treasures in your fall collection. Those candy corn cookie dough bites are adorable! Beautiful shot of those chipotle almonds too. They look incredible. I love spiced nuts around the holidays!
And I’m glad we share a favorite cookie.. Oatmeal Raisin holds a special place in my heart! I made oatmeal cookies last night and thought of you! :)
You have a bake sale? That’s awesome! Your mom’s caramel apple crisp sounds to die for good! That is my exact perfect dessert..apples, caramel, crumble topping!
I honestly just started digging around my archives last night in prepping this post and was like, oh wow, forgot about this one. And that one. And another one. Good thing I have my own archives to remind me what I made. lol
Cant wait for your Oatmeal cookies! I know you were ISO the perfect recipe. CAnnot wait to hear about it!
so excited for all these flavors :) !! haven’t caved yet with the pumpkin but its truly only a matter of time… err days.
Being in Aruba FORCED me to not start til Sept 1. Otherwise I would have started Aug 1. But I couldn’t get it down there :)
NOO!!!! I don’t want it to be fall yet!!! Except that I do have a bag of cranberries in my freezer that, thanks for the reminder, I need to make into some cranberry sauce. Ahhh, I love that on my salads. Weekend cooking commences…
Cranberry sauce or cran anything is awesome.
It’s so funny to me the different perspectives of temps and weather. For us, 80 feels like fall. That’s when it’s ok to start making chili and soup! Chili is one of my fave fall/winter meals. Just warm and comforting.
glad to hear that 80F means fall chili & soup to you – I don’t feel bad now. lol
I have a pot luck this weekend! Thanks for the inspiration!
Ellie
Ahh- these recipes make me think comfort food! I start roasting veggies a lot more when late summer comes and I am really craving your roasted baby carrot recipe (I need to double check the recipe but I think they are drizzled with coconut oil and PB). I am making the sweet potato soup tomorrow so will report back ( but I know we’ll love it!).
omg yes that recipe – I need to remake it b/c the pics aren’t too hot but the flavors of the dish are – but yes, PB, coconut oil, mmmmm, I should remake them. Thanks for the reminder :)
I can’t wait to read about the pumpkin recipe you are working on! I made applesauce the other day that was so simple, it’s ridiculous. It was delicious, and definitely got me in the mood for fall (and lots of apples)! https://eatmovebalance.com/amazing-applesauce-no-cooking/
I love no-cook applesauces. That’s what a Vitamix is for, right? :)
Hey Averie!
I love the fall recipes! I’d love to see a Caramel Apple Cider one. :) I don’t think the Starbuck’s here in Barcelona will have them. They seem to be capitalizing on their blended ice drinks in this perpetual summer city.
I made the thin mints and the no bake chocolate peanut butter balls. Both were delicious! If I could only gravitate more towards meals, haha.
Thanks for the great posts,
Kimber @ Lemon in My Coke, Si Us Plau
So happy to hear both the Thin Mints & choc PB balls were a hit for you!