It’s Raining Loquats

A month ago, I couldn’t identify a loquat if it fell on my head. Now I’m over here with bowlfuls of loquats baking away.

You might be wondering how this happened…basically, there’s this tree outside my apartment that I’ve been wondering about for months now.

I had no clue what kind of tree it was, but suddenly, as soon as spring hit, it started producing clusters and clusters of this beautiful orange fruit.

Naturally, I picked some and took to Google to try to identify this mysterious fruit. Turns out, they’re loquats!

Loquats, or Japanese plums, are part of the Rosaceae family, along with apples, pears, plums, cherries, apricots, peaches and more.

To me, loquats taste a bit like an apricot-plum hybrid, but more importantly, they work amazingly in a fruit crisp recipe.

The Crisp

Honestly, the hardest part about this recipe was slicing, peeling, and de-seeding all of the loquats. Other than that, it’s really a breeze.

I played around with a few renditions of the recipe - more sweet, less sweet, more oats, fewer oats, more oil, less oil (you get the picture).

What I ended up with? Two delicious recipes that I couldn’t decide between, so I’m giving you options.

Recipe Notes

I tested out this recipe a few different times in a few different ways. I couldn’t decide which rendition I liked best so I decided to provide you two options to choose from! One is the “original” and the second is a lower sugar, lower fat option.

Here are some recipe notes that apply to both:

• Loquats - I chose to remove the skins on the loquats but if you’re short on time and energy you can try skipping this step and leave the skins on. However, I cannot guarantee the results as I have not tried this yet. You can also easily sub out loquats for a different fruit. I tried using both frozen peaches and fresh apple slices and the results were great. Peaches, apricots, apples, and berries are just some ideas that come to mind. If you do not have fresh fruit, frozen will work too - use what you have available to you!

• Oats - if you’re sensitive to gluten, make sure to use gluten-free oats. I used rolled oats, but quick oats should work too.

• Flour - to easily make your own oat flour, measure the called for amount of oats and process in the blender until a fine flour texture is achieved. For a lower-carb option, use half almond and half oat flour. You can try using all almond flour, though I have not tried this myself so I cannot guarantee the results.

• Sweetener - I used a combination of monkfruit sweetener and coconut sugar. Monkfruit sweetener is one of my favorite ingredients for baking as it is a natural sugar-free sweetener option that is also calorie-free and does not spike blood sugar levels. I used coconut sugar as well to get more of a caramely flavor. For less sugar, use more monkfruit and less coconut sugar. For more of a caramely flavor, use more coconut sugar and decrease monkfruit accordingly.

• Oil - I used melted coconut oil as the flavor is complementary to the fruit, but you can use any other neutral-flavored oil in its place, such as avocado oil. You can also use vegan butter instead. I like Miyokos brand.

• Applesauce - to keep the fat content down, I used half oil and half unsweetened applesauce. If you do not have applesauce you can try mashed bananas in its place or just use all oil.

• Filling - if you’re a purist, you can simply use the fruit as the filling on its own or with some cinnamon. If you like some extras, you can add the sliced almonds, additional sweetener, vanilla and/or almond extracts. To thicken it up, you can also add a tbsp or two of oat flour, arrowroot starch, or tapioca starch.

I hope you love this recipe! Be sure to leave a comment below if you give it a try, and tag me in your photos on Instagram @wellismore so I can see all of your delicious creations!

Loquat Fruit Crisp, Vegan, Gluten-Free

Original

Ingredients

Fruit Filling

• 4 cups loquats, halved with seeds and skins removed

• 1/3 cup sliced almonds

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional

• 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)

Crisp Topping

• 3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats

• 1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour

• 1/3 cup monkfruit sweetener

• 1/3 cup coconut sugar

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp nutmeg

• 1/8 tsp sea salt

• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

• 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce

Lower Sugar, Lower Fat option

ingredients

Fruit Filling

• 3 cups loquats, halved with seeds and skins removed

• 1/3 cup sliced almonds

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp almond extract

Crisp Topping

• 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats

• 1/3 cup monkfruit sweetener

• ¼ cup gluten-free oat flour

• ¼ cup almond flour

• 1 tbsp coconut sugar

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt

• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted

• 3 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Decide whether you’re using the original recipe or the lower sugar, lower fat option

2. Preheat oven to 350°F

3. In a medium mixing bowl, add the fruit and additional mix-ins if using (cinnamon, sliced almonds, and/or flavored extracts). See recipe notes for additional suggestions.

4. Stir well until fruit is evenly coated. Transfer fruit mixture to an 8x8 baking dish.

5. Add all dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir to combine.

6. Add the melted coconut oil and applesauce and stir well to combine until the oat mixture is evenly coated.

7. Pour the oat mixture over top the fruit in the baking dish. Spread in an even layer.

8. Transfer to oven and bake 30-40 minutes, until the crisp topping is golden brown and the fruit layer is nice and bubbly. Leave to rest and cool slightly.

9. Serve warm with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream on top. Enjoy!