Fall produce makes being creative in the kitchen fun and easy. Squash, apples, pears, carrots, shallots and Brussels sprouts are all bursting with flavor and can taste even better once the seasons change.

That part is actually chemistry (you must know by now that we love how science makes everything more interesting)! When temperatures drop, brassicas and root crops convert some of their starch into sugar to keep their cells from freezing solid. Kale, carrots and parsnips all come out sweeter after the first frost. “Antifreeze” you can eat!

In celebration of getting cozy for fall, we rounded up 6 of our favorite dairy-free fall recipes that we just keep going back to, from easy weeknight dinners to make-ahead appetizers, and we couldn’t forget an easy, cheesy no-bake dessert. All of these recipes utilize Darë cheeses, so you can trust that you’ll be fueling yourself and your family well.

Vegan fall harvest salad

Roasted delicata squash, massaged kale, apples, chickpeas, dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds, with a maple balsamic vinaigrette. Pretty enough for a holiday table, but quick enough for a weeknight too. Our Balsamic Fig Wedge goes on last, sliced or crumbled, based on your culinary preference. It's tangy with just enough sweetness from the figs, complementing the apples and the cranberries instead of competing with them.

Two notes worth remembering:

• Delicata skin is edible, so there's no peeling involved!
• This is the salad that provides evidence for the frost theory: make it in September and again in November, and the November kale will taste sweeter.

 

 

Caramelized onion goat cheese tarts

Our Herbed Goat cheese gets a perfect pairing with a flaky almond flour crust. If that doesn’t get you excited to get in the kitchen, just wait, there’s more! Onions cook down for 45 to 60 minutes until they're sweet and sticky, then a splash of balsamic glaze goes in at the end to bump up the flavor even more.

This is an easy prep-ahead appetizer. Make it ahead of your fall dinner party with confidence: the sautéed onions keep for 3 days in the fridge, and the fully assembled tarts hold for 5.

Does it get better? Yes, it does. This vegan appetizer is totally gluten-free too, which quietly solves a problem at most holiday tables. As someone with multiple food allergies, I feel loved when there’s at least one option on the table I can eat. That small gesture means a whole lot.

 

 

Vegan cacio e pepe

Our Roasted Garlic Wedge melts straight into hot pasta water and becomes this dreamy dairy-free sauce. When we say simple ingredients, we mean it! This vegan pasta dish has 3 total ingredients (not counting the pasta water that usually goes down the drain anyway!). It’s a classic, done dairy-free, and cozy in the way only a bowl of creamy pasta can be.

A little history: the common story is that shepherds in central Italy (Lazio, Abruzzo, Tuscany and Umbria) came up with cacio e pepe in the 18th or 19th century, since aged pecorino and dried pasta traveled well. Food historians think the pepper came later, because it was expensive and hard for shepherds to get. It's historically a pantry dish, which is exactly why it works in fall! Can’t be bothered to shop on a chilly evening? Pull out these simple ingredients and enjoy.

The recipe pairs it with Italian roasted vegetables (zucchini, bell peppers, asparagus and cherry tomatoes), but you can make it as seasonal as you like. Swap in squash, mushrooms or Brussels sprouts, whatever's at the farmers market that week!

Vegan fall flatbread

Smoky pimento and sweet roasted squash on one crispy crust. This flatbread turns everyday ingredients into something super special.

Our Smoked Pimento Dip is spread over a warm chickpea flour crust, then topped with roasted butternut squash and shallots and finished with arugula when it comes out of the oven. The color combos are as appetizing as the flavors, we promise.

This easy gluten-free flatbread recipe can be cut into squares to become a shareable vegan appetizer. What’s better than a satiating, tasty bite while conversing with friends around a campfire? We think this is the exact recipe to stand up to that party food test.

 

 

 

Easy cheesy party platter

Football season is its own fall harvest, and this recipe is the best game day food for a crowd. Our Queso Blanco is warmed until it's melty and scoopable, served up with refried beans, salsa, guacamole and crunchy pepitas. Dish up with chips around the edge, and keep a backup bag handy in case these vegan dips are more popular than you expect!

Every scoop picks up a little of everything, which keeps guests coming back for “just one more bite.” It’s like a customizable nacho platter. Now, that’s my kinda party.

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin cheesecake ice cream sandwiches

Pumpkin spice is a quintessential fall flavor for a reason. We combined this beloved spice with a little creativity for out-of-this-world ice cream sandwiches. Plus, a no-bake dessert is a good thing to have on hand when the oven is busy.

Our Original Cream Cheese gets swirled through homemade pumpkin spice ice cream, so you get tangy cheesecake ribbons in each bite. Sandwich this flavorful ice cream between 2 cookies, and the magic is complete. We suggest store-bought cookies here for ease, but if you’ve got a cookie recipe you love, we say go for it!

Wrapped individually, these keep for weeks in the freezer. Make them now and you've handled dessert for the next time someone drops by unannounced.