15 Perfect Fall Foods You Need to Make This Year

Make the most of the season with these 15 fall foods. I look forward to making these perfect(ly simple) recipes all year!

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Crisp air just cool enough to make you hug your sweater a little closer, yet not cold enough to chill your bones.

Scenic drives through nature’s boast of its full-color palette.

Hands wrapped around a steaming latte that warms your heart as much as your belly.

Cute sweaters and fashionable boots you’ve been waiting all summer to wear.

Candles lit around your house, filling your home with scents like pumpkin souffle, apple orchard, or vanilla chai.

Is there anything better than fall? If I had to describe fall in one word, it would be … cozy. There’s just something so comforting about the season.

But as much as I enjoy all the things I mentioned above, the most comforting thing about fall to me is the food. Pumpkin spice everything, crisp apples, warm breads, hot soup … oh yes, I love fall food.

If you love fall food, too, then this is a list for you. Over 15 different fall recipes that are sure to satisfy your soul as well as your stomach.

Enjoy the list, and feel free to leave a comment with your favorite fall food!

My Favorite Fall Foods

• Chili 

  You had to know this was coming. Nothing pairs better with dropping temperatures like a steaming bowl of chili. My husband is known for having strict rules about acceptable temperatures for serving chili, but once we hit that threshold, it’s all systems go! 

  There are about as many different ways to cook chili as there are recipes in your grandma’s kitchen. And personal preferences vary widely. But if you’re looking for a classic base to fine tune to your family’s particular tastes, this is the one to start with. 

  For more hearty soup recipes, check out my post on my 15 favorite things to make in my slow cooker! 

• Anything pumpkin!

  • Pumpkin Muffins – This recipe from 100 Days of Real Food uses all real food, but I guarantee you will not even miss the white flour or refined sugar!
  • Pumpkin Cookies – These pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting from Taste of Home are my favorite, but here is an outstanding real food alternative from Kitchen Stewardship. (Be aware that this recipe makes 6-7 dozen. If you don’t want that many, you could probably cut the recipe in half, but I recommend making up the entire batch and freezing the leftovers!)
  • Pumpkin bread – I LOVE this pumpkin spice bread. 
  • Pumpkin waffles – These pumpkin waffles are perfect for a lazy fall Saturday. Make extras and freeze them for a quick breakfast during the week! 
  • Pumpkin Bars – I had a hard time finding recipes for pumpkin bars that didn’t call for a boxed cake mix. So when I found this Pumpkin Pie Crumb Cake, I knew I had to try it. I tested it out this weekend, and it was delicious! 
  • **Update 10/12/17!! I just made these pumpkin pancakes today to use up some leftover pumpkin, and I couldn’t not add them to my list. They were SOOOO GOOD! And by the way my boys gobbled them up, I think they agree. 😉 The only changes I made were subbing whole wheat flour for the AP flour and maple syrup for the sugar. 

• Apple Crisp
  

  There are hundreds of apple crisp recipes out there, and I don’t think you can really go wrong with any of them. This recipe from Taste of Home was a contest winner, and I can see why! If you’re looking for a simple but delicious apple crisp recipe, this is one you need to try.

• Applesauce

  Homemade applesauce is my favorite thing to make when I have a bunch of apples to use. It’s simple, delicious, and all my guys go nuts over it. And with my Perfectly Easy Way to Make Homemade Applesauce, it’s a snap to make! With only ten minutes of prep, I can easily sneak it into the margins of even the busiest days. 

• Butternut Squash 

  This is a very recent discovery, but now it is firmly in my list of favorite fall foods. For the longest time, though, I didn’t think I liked it at all!

  I have always hated acorn squash. I couldn’t stand it as a kid, and when I tried it as an adult a few years ago, thinking that perhaps my tastes had changed, I discovered that nothing had changed. I am still not a fan.

  So I always assumed that I wouldn’t like butternut squash, either. Perhaps I didn’t realize they were so different. I’m not sure. But I tried butternut squash for the first time a few weeks ago, and I was tickled to find out that I am actually a really big fan.

  Since then, I have gotten several butternut squashes and tried them a few different ways. There are lots of yummy-looking recipes out there that add a variety of sweeteners, but I prefer to keep it simple, maintaining as much of the natural tastes (and nutritional value) as possible. Here are my two favorite (super simple) ways to prepare butternut squash:

  If you want to cook it whole – (We added a sprinkling of cinnamon on ours, as well.) 
  If you want to cook it cut up.

  Cooking it whole requires a lot longer cooking time, but it saves on prep time. However, here’s a tip for easy peeling if you’re planning to cut it up before baking: poke several holes in the squash, then pop it in the microwave for about 3 minutes. After it cools, it will be MUCH easier to cut and peel.

• Spaghetti Squash

  This is another somewhat recent discovery. I had never in my life had spaghetti squash until last year. Once I had it, I was hooked. It’s very easy to cook (especially in the Instant Pot), and there are a lot of different things you can do with it. My favorite is tossing it in a little butter and Parmesan cheese, but here are a few other ideas of how to serve it:

  • Topped with marinara sauce (just like spaghetti)
  • Spaghetti Squash Cabonara
  • Cheesy Garlic Parmesan Spinach Spaghetti Squash
  • As a burrito bowl
  • Spaghetti Squash Fritters
  • Like Mac ‘n’ Cheese

• Sweet potatoes

  As with the butternut squash, I prefer to stick to sweet potatoes’ natural goodness and nutrition. I don’t see any need for the brown sugar that a lot of recipes call for. Sweet potatoes are plenty sweet all on their own!

  If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m a big fan of keeping it simple. Cooking homemade dinners with a couple of littles underfoot is enough of a challenge some nights. I don’t need to make it any harder on myself by cooking elaborate dishes. 😉

  So my favorite way to prepare sweet potatoes is unbelievably easy: baked whole and sprinkled with a little cinnamon. It could not get any easier than that — except, maybe, if you have an instant pot! This is my new go-to cooking option because it cuts my cooking time in half. And what momma doesn’t need more time-saving methods?

• Pumpkin Spice Latte

  Nothing ushers in the beginnings of fall like the addition of pumpkin spice to every coffee shop in town. And I LOVE the occasional pumpkin spice latte as a special treat. But I don’t love all the sugar and artificial ingredients in most pumpkin spice creamers and flavorings.

  Thanks to this recipe from Wellness Mama, I can now enjoy my favorite fall drink guilt-free! It has no artificial ingredients, and only uses a small amount of (real food) sweetener. And it only takes a few minutes to put together! I still wouldn’t make this an everyday thing, but it is perfect for an occasional treat.

• Apple cider

  This is actually one of Levon’s favorite fall foods, but he loves it so much, I thought it was worth including. I have not ever made my own apple cider before, but I am excited to try it this year! This slow cooker recipe from Wellness Mama is the one I’m going to use once. Be sure to follow me on Facebook to catch an update on how it goes!

• Oatmeal

  This isn’t just a fall food — I could make oatmeal all year ’round — but it’s extra special in the cooler months of the year. I just love the comforting warmth and smell of oatmeal on a chilly fall or winter morning.

  I love preparing oatmeal in every kind of way imaginable – baked, soaked, stove-top, steel-cut (ONLY in the Instant Pot, though), overnight … not to mention made into muffins, pancakes, or granola!

  But here are two of my favorite recipes that just scream, “Fall,” and are easy to prepare the night before!

  Apple Pie Overnight Oats

  Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats

  For more ideas on how to prepare oatmeal, be sure to check out my post of 15 Make-Ahead Breakfasts for More Relaxed Mornings!

I could go on and on with more deliciously comforting fall recipes, but those are the ones I eagerly anticipate all year ‘round. 

What fall recipes do you look forward to making? Share them in the comments below!

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Recommended Reading:

• 9 Secrets to Feeding Your Family Well (When You Don’t Have Time)
• How to Cook Real Food on a Budget
• Beat the Heat with Cold Dinners for Hot Summers
• How to Create a Smart Recipe Database