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Home » Recipes » Vegan Baking

Gluten Free Apple Crisp

Published: Aug 30, 2021 by Lexi

212 shares
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This easy vegan and gluten free apple crisp is the best comforting fall dessert. It comes together in just a few simple steps, with a flavorful apple filling and buttery, crispy topping. All you need is a scoop of ice cream!

overhead view of gluten free apple crisp in an oval cast iron skillet with vanilla ice cream on top and serving spoon.
Jump to:
  • 🍎 Why We Love This Recipe
  • 🍯 Ingredients
  • 📖 Ingredient Notes
  • 🔪 Step-by-step instructions
  • 💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
  • 🍽 Related Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Reviews

🍎 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:

overhead view of ingredients for gluten free apple crisp filling in small prep bowls.

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

overhead view of ingredients for gluten free apple crisp topping in small prep bowls.

📖 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.

before and after stirring together ingredients for vegan apple crisp filling in black mixing bowl.

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

before and after baking cinnamon maple apple filling for crisp in baking dish.

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

before and after stirring together ingredients for vegan apple crumble topping in mixing bowl.

(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. 

before and after baking gluten free apple crisp in skillet.

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

close up view of gluten free apple crisp on serving spoon in skillet.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

  • Toppings: the best topping is plain old vanilla ice cream. (Try our no churn vegan recipe – it's easy and so delicious!) For a slightly lighter version (hello, breakfast apple crisp), serve with some vanilla yogurt. This crisp is also great with whipped cream and/or a drizzle of homemade vegan caramel sauce.
  • Make ahead: You can par-bake the apples (30 minutes) and make the vegan apple crumble topping ahead of time. Cover the par-baked crisp with aluminum foil until ready to bake, then add the topping and finish baking for 30-35 minutes. You can also make and freeze the crumble topping for up to 6 months and use whenever you need it. You can even make a mini version for one or two in small ramekins!
  • Storage: store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If reheating an individual portion, reheat in microwave. If reheating the entire crisp in the baking dish, heat in the oven for 10-15 minutes until warmed through.
  • No pumpkin pie spice? No problem! Simply sub the 2 teaspoon of pre-made spice with 1 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and ½ teaspoon ginger.
  • Pair with: a warm apple cider cocktail or a refreshing apple cider margarita!
What's the difference between apple crisp and apple cobbler?

If you've ever wondered, a crisp has a crunchy top layer typically made with oats, nuts and other ingredients. A cobbler, on the other hand, is topped with biscuit dough. There's also an apple crumble, which is similar to a crisp but typically doesn't contain oats or nuts.

How do you prevent a runny apple crisp?

Some of it has to do with the variety of apple. For best results in this gluten free apple crisp, we suggest honeycrisp, granny smith or braeburn. Other varieties may yield a runnier mixture, which can throw off the recipe. Additionally, a small amount of cornstarch goes a long way. It helps soak up any extra moisture and keeps the filling moist, but contained. Don't skip it!

overhead view of vegan apple crisp served in mini cocottes with vanilla ice cream on top on wood table.

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    Cranberry Oatmeal Bars
  • side view of vegan pecan pie bars with caramel topping.
    Vegan Pecan Pie Bars
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    Chocolate Covered Apple Slices

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or by subscribing to our newsletter.

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overhead view of gluten free apple crisp in an oval cast iron skillet with vanilla ice cream on top.

Gluten Free Apple Crisp


  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

This easy vegan and gluten free apple crisp is the best comforting fall dessert. It comes together in just a few simple steps, with a flavorful apple filling and buttery, crispy topping. All you need is a scoop of ice cream!


Ingredients

Units Scale

For the filling:

  • 7 cups peeled and diced apples (about 6-7 large apples)
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup apple cider or apple juice
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

For the topping:

  • 1 ½ cup old fashioned whole rolled oats
  • ⅔ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup melted coconut oil
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup gluten free all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
  2. 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.
  3. Transfer apple filling mixture to a 9 or 10" cast iron skillet or baking dish. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. 
  4. Meanwhile, add all topping ingredients to another large mixing bowl. Stir well to combine. 
  5. 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. 
  6. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Serve hot with vegan vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Apple varieties: our favorites for the crisp include honeycrisp, braeburn and granny smith.

Toppings: the best topping is plain old vanilla ice cream. For a slightly lighter version (hello, breakfast apple crisp), serve with some vanilla yogurt. This crisp is also great with whipped cream and/or a drizzle of vegan caramel sauce.

Pumpkin pie spice is a classic fall spice blend of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. If you don't have any, sub the 2 teaspoon in this recipe with 1 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and ½ teaspoon ginger. 

Walnuts: you can also use pecans or another nut of choice. To keep this recipe nut free, sub in sunflower seeds. 

Storage: store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If reheating an individual portion, reheat in microwave. If reheating the entire crisp in the baking dish, heat in the oven for 10-15 minutes until warmed through. 

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Slice
  • Calories: 371
  • Sugar: 37.4 g
  • Sodium: 160.3 mg
  • Fat: 13.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 59.3 g
  • Fiber: 5.3 g
  • Protein: 3.9 g

Keywords: vegan apple crisp, gluten free apple crisp

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #crowdedkitchen

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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  1. Shannon

    October 14, 2022 at 6:34 pm

    Any substitutes for coconut oil?

    Reply
  2. Paula

    October 01, 2021 at 4:16 pm

    What kind of apples do you recommend? Thank you

    Reply
    • Lexi

      October 04, 2021 at 11:39 am

      Our favorites for the crisp include honeycrisp, braeburn and granny smith. More info in the blog post!

      Reply

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