This gluten-free apple crisp tastes like a warm, delicious hug. With a crunchy topping and a spiced apple filling, it’s the perfect finale to any meal. The healthy apple crisp is naturally sweetened and lighter than other crisp recipes, but I promise you'd never know it!
I love a good crisp. It’s a humble dessert—all brown and bumpy and crunchy—but it's as uplifting as a soft sheep’s-wool sweater, especially with a dollop of ice cream on top. This healthy gluten-free apple crisp is my go-to recipe. It's as welcome on a Tuesday as it is at a weekend dinner with friends.
Ingredients and swaps:
- Rolled oats: Instead of using white flour in the crisp topping, this recipe uses whole rolled oats. Half of the oats are ground in a food processor into a flour, and half are kept whole for texture. Instead of grinding the oats you could use ½ cup of store-bought oat flour instead.
- Apples: Sweet-tart apples work best in this crisp. You can use Granny Smith, Fuji, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or a mix!
- Pecans: Pecans give the crisp a delicious crunch. You can swap them out for walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts, or you can omit them altogether for a nut free apple crisp.
- Maple sugar: The crisp is naturally sweetened with maple sugar, or you can use coconut sugar or brown sugar.
- Cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and salt: Warming spices give this gluten free crisp an irresistible aroma, while a touch of salt balances the flavors.
- Butter: This recipe uses half the amount of butter found in most crisps, but you'd never know it. See below for a vegan apple crisp variation!
- Vanilla paste: Vanilla paste is my secret ingredient, giving the apple filling a delicious flavor, but it's optional.
How to make a gluten free apple crisp:
Gluten free crisp topping
- In a mini food processor, blend gluten free rolled oats until they're finely ground. Transfer them to a bowl. Put the nuts in the processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Scrape the nuts into the bowl with the ground oats and add more whole rolled oats, spices, sugar and melted butter. Stir until combined (the mixture should look damp).
Apple filling
- In a large bowl, combined chopped (peeled) apples, sugar, spices and vanilla paste. Transfer the apples to a buttered baking 8x8-inch dish or to individual serving dishes, and dot with butter. Add the crisp topping, pressing it lightly to adhere.
- Cover the crisp with parchment paper then aluminum foil, and bake for 35 minutes (this will allow the apples to cook through and soften). Uncover, increase the oven temperature, and continue baking until the crisp is golden brown.
Dairy-free vegan variation
For a dairy-free, vegan apple crisp, swap out the butter for coconut oil. Serve it with with dairy free ice cream or coconut whipped cream.
Serving suggestions
Serve the crisp on its own, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, with a dollop of whipped cream, or with Cardamom Whipped Cream (swoon!). It's the perfect (not-too-rich treat) to finish off a celebratory meal or to cap off a regular old Tuesday.
Recipe tips:
- Instead of using white flour in the crisp topping, this healthy apple crisp recipe has you grind whole oats in a mini food processor (a Vitamix also works!) to make oat four. You could use ½ cup of store-bought oat flour instead of grinding the oats, if you wish.
- You can use brown sugar, coconut sugar or maple sugar in this recipe. Maple sugar is made by boiling down maple syrup until it crystalizes, and has a wonderful maple flavor. I buy it online and use it as a natural sweetener in cookies, pancakes and as a sweetener for tea and coffee.
- My two secret ingredients in this crisp are cardamom and vanilla paste, which lend sweet, aromatic warmth. If you haven’t tried vanilla paste before, it’s much more flavorful than extract, but it’s a lot cheaper than vanilla beans (but feel free to use the scraped beans from half of a vanilla pod instead!).
- You can cook this crisp in an 8x8-inch baking dish, but you can also use single serving baking dishes. I can't wait to try it in these mini cast iron skillets.
- Covering the dish with parchment before aluminum foil prevents the crisp topping from sticking. (p.s. these pre-cut parchment sheets are the best!)
- Don't miss my strawberry crisp and peach crisp recipes!
*This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links to products I use and love (from which I earn income, at no cost to you). Thank you or supporting From Scratch Fast!
FAQs
If your apple crisp isn't getting crispy it simply needs longer in the oven. Be sure uncover the crisp and increase the oven temperature to 400˚F (200˚C). Let the crisp cook until the topping is golden brown.
Yes! The crisp can sit at room temperature for up to 8 hours, or it can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. Reheat the crisp in a 350˚F (175˚C) oven until warmed though (or eat it straight out of the fridge!).
If you don't like cinnamon, simply omit it in this recipe. The cardamom, nutmeg and vanilla will provide plenty of flavor.
Any sweet-tart apple variety will work well, such as Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp or Fuji.
Coconut oil is a fantastic swap for butter in this apple crisp, but you can also use olive oil or a neutral vegetable oil.
How can one ever decide! Apple crisp is an easier dessert, but an apple galette is always a show-stopper.
Other fall desserts to try:
- Easy Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
- Pumpkin Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
- Easy Apple Skillet Cobbler
- Crustless Pumpkin Pie Custards
Stay connected
I'd love to answer any of your questions and see what you're cooking!! Don't forget to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube & Pinterest, and be sure to tag @fromscratchfast so that I can share your creations!
Watch the video!
Get the recipe!
The Best Gluten Free Apple Crisp (Lightened Up!)
Ingredients
Crisp topping
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats, divided
- ⅓ cup pecans
- ¼ cup packed maple sugar, light brown sugar or coconut sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling
- 5 sweet-tart apples (about 2 pounds), such as Granny Smith, Fuji, Pink Lady and/or Honeycrisp, cored and cut into ¾-inch dice
- 2 tablespoons packed maple sugar or light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste (optional)
- 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
- Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for serving (optional)
Instructions
Make the crisp topping
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C).
- Process ½ cup of the oats in a mini food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl. Add the pecans to the processor (no need to wash it) and pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer the pecans to the bowl with the oat flour, and add the remaining whole oats, maple sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and melted butter. Stir until combined.
Make the filling & assemble
- In a large bowl, toss the apples with the maple sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla paste (if using).
- Transfer the apples to an 8x8-inch or similar sized baking dish (or you can use individual baking dishes, ramekins or mini cast iron skillets!), and dot with the butter. Sprinkle the crisp topping over the apples and spread it in an even layer, pressing lightly to adhere. Cover the dish (or dishes) with parchment paper then aluminum foil. Place the baking dish (or dishes) on a baking sheet (this is to catch any juices that might bubble over).
- Bake the crisp for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and parchment and increase the oven temperature to 400˚F (200˚C). Bake 15-20 minutes longer, or until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender and bubbling around the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream, if you wish. Swoon!
Notes
- I use a mini food processor or Vitamix to make the oat four. You could use ½ cup of store-bought oat flour instead of grinding the oats, if you wish.
- You can use either brown sugar or maple sugar in this recipe. Maple sugar is made by boiling down maple syrup until it crystalizes, and has a wonderful maple flavor. I buy it online and use it as a natural sweetener in cookies, pancakes and as a sweetener for tea and coffee.
- If you haven’t tried vanilla paste before, it’s much more flavorful than extract, but it’s a lot cheaper than vanilla beans (but feel free to use the scraped beans from half of a vanilla pod instead!).
- Feel free to swap out the pecans for other nuts, such as walnuts, hazelnuts or slivered almonds.
- You can cook this crisp in an 8x8-inch baking dish, but you can also use single serving baking dishes. I can't wait to try it in these mini cast iron skillets.
- Covering the dish with parchment before aluminum foil prevents the crisp topping from sticking. (p.s. these pre-cut parchment sheets are the best!)
- Try the crisp with this Cardamom Whipped Cream (swoon).
- Don't miss my strawberry crisp and peach crisp recipes!
Leave a Comment