Gluten Free Apple Crisp

🍎 Why We Love This Recipe

• Gluten free and vegan: our apple crisp recipe is perfect for those with food allergies/preferences. We've also included a note on how to make this nut free.
• Easy and low effort: You only need two bowls, one skillet and a few minutes of prep time to make this gluten free apple crisp. It's perfect for any skill level and great for entertaining! Make the filling and mix together the topping ingredients ahead of time for a dinner party, then dump and bake whenever you're ready.
• Perfect fall flavor: this vegan and gluten free apple crisp is a great use of everyone's favorite fall fruit. Paired with fragrant fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, plus maple syrup, walnuts or pecans and brown sugar, this crisp tastes (and smells!) absolutely amazing.

🍯 Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients you'll need for this vegan apple crumble filling:

And here's what you'll need for the gluten free apple crisp topping:

📖 Ingredient Notes

• Apples: There are a few options when it comes to choosing your apples for this crisp. When it comes to baking, there are some apples you want to avoid, including Red Delicious and McIntosh apples, which can get pretty mushy. Here are a few to try that stand up well to heat:
  • Granny Smiths. You probably know these as the classic green apple breed. Their tart flavor comes in handy for baking. As fruit cooks, its natural sugars come out. Starting with an apple that's not too sweet will leave you with a dessert with just the right amount of natural sweetness.
  • Honeycrisps are the current starlet of the apple world. Celebrated for their long-lasting crisp texture, they won't fall apart in the oven. This is our apple of choice in this gluten free apple crisp!
  • Braeburn is a less common, but just as useful, apple. It can handle a lot of moisture without falling apart.
  • And for a really delicious vegan apple crumble, why not try a mixture of different apples? Mix and match to add sweetness, new textures and flavors to your baked dessert.
• Brown sugar: you can also substitute 1:1 with coconut sugar.
• Apple cider: a small amount of liquid helps the apples soften without drying out, creating a delicious sauce for the cooked apples. If you don't have any cider, feel free to sub with apple juice. Orange juice would work, too.
  • Note: apple cider is not the same as hard apple cider, which is alcoholic.
• Lemon juice. This keeps the apples from browning. It also adds the perfect amount of tart, bright flavor. Always use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor!
• Cornstarch: this helps thicken the filling and prevents it from becoming runny. You can also use arrowroot starch.
• Pumpkin pie spice. A classic fall spice blend of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. Grab a bottle at the store or make your own.
• Oats: while oats are naturally gluten free, be sure to purchase certified gluten free oats if you have Celiac disease or a severe allergy.
• Walnuts: you can also use pecans or another nut of choice. To keep this recipe nut free, sub in sunflower seeds.
• Coconut oil: you can also sub with regular or vegan melted butter.

🔪 Step-by-step instructions

PREP: Preheat oven to 350˚F.

(1) Add diced apples to a large mixing bowl with maple syrup, brown sugar, apple cider, lemon juice, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Stir well to coat apples evenly.

(2) Transfer apple filling mixture to a 9 or 10" cast iron skillet or baking dish. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. 

(3) Meanwhile, add all topping ingredients to another large mixing bowl. Stir well to combine. 

(4) After 30 minutes, remove the apples from the oven, stir, and top evenly with crumble topping. Return to the oven and bake for another 25-30 minutes until the crumble is lightly browned and crispy. 

(5) Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Serve hot with vegan vanilla ice cream.

🍽 Related Recipes