Gluten Free Apple Crisp
Topped with a buttery, crumbly oat topping, this Gluten Free Apple Crisp is the perfect dessert for fall. This easy recipe comes together in minutes and is even better when you serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Oven
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free option
- Skill Level: Easy
When it comes to fall desserts, many people go straight for the pumpkin pie or apple pie. While I do enjoy a lively slice of Gluten Free Apple Crumb Pie, let’s be real. I can totally forego crust and just dig into those sweet, cinnamon apples and buttery crumb toppings.
That’s why I love a good Gluten Free Apple Crisp. It’s all apples and all crumbs, with no need to fuss with a crust. The apples are tossed with a bit of cinnamon and sugar, the topped with a buttery, crumbly mixture of oats, almond flour, and a bit more cinnamon. It’s so good, I think you’ll be reaching for a second serving, but don’t forget a scoop of ice cream!
Gluten Free Apple Crisp is the Perfect Fall Dessert!
This apple treat is a fall favorite for so many reasons. Here’s why it will become a staple in your kitchen every fall.
- Easy as pie. In fact, it is even easier than apple pie because you don’t have to fuss with making gluten free pie crust. It’s one of the simplest gluten free fall desserts you’ll find!
- Quick to assemble. This entire crisp comes together in minutes. And you don’t even have to wait for it to cool because there isn’t much better than a warm scoop of apple crisp.
- Sweet and versatile. The apples and topping are sweetened just enough without being overly sugary. You can even use unrefined sweeteners by replacing the brown sugar with coconut sugar. Or customize it by using your favorite baking apple, adding raisins or dried cranberries to the filling, tossing nuts in the topping, and more. Keep reading for ideas!
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need to make this lovely apple crisp recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full amounts and step-by-step instructions.
For the apple filling
- Apples: Peeled and sliced. As I will mention below, I like to use Golden Delicious, but use your favorite.
- Granulated sugar: Just a bit. Feel free to use another sweetener.
- Cinnamon: Always makes apples taste better.
- Lemon juice: Keeps the apples from turning brown and the acid brightens the flavors.
For the oat topping
- Old-fashioned oats: Not quick or instant. To ensure your dessert is gluten free, use certified gluten free oats. You can read more in my article, Are Oats Gluten Free?
- Almond flour: Adds a little texture, protein, fiber, and a nice, nutty flavor.
- Gluten free flour: I used a 1:1 blend. For this recipe, something like Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 or Cup4Cup works great.
- Brown sugar: Sweetens and adds a nice molasses flavor.
- Cinnamon: For nice, warm spice.
- Melted butter: Holds everything together. You can use salted or unsalted, but if you use unsalted, you may want to add a pinch of salt. Vegan butter will also work fine to make it dairy-free.
What are the Best Apples to Use?
Generally, for baked apple desserts, you want to use an apple that is firm enough to not break down completely while baking. Otherwise, you will end up with a mushy crisp. And nobody wants that.
So crisp apples like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Golden Delicious are all good choices. The Granny Smith is a go-to for many people, but it can be a bit tart, which is why I usually choose Golden Delicious. But feel free to choose what you like best, or try a mixture, since all bring a slightly different flavor and texture.
For something different, you can even try Pink Lady, Crispin, Fuji, or Jonagold.
How to Make Gluten Free Apple Crisp
Now that you have all of your ingredients, preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish or glass baking dish. Let’s get started…
- Prepare the apples: Peel and evenly slice your apples, then toss them in a bowl with granulated sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
- Make the topping: Toss the oats, almond flour, gluten-free flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together with a fork or spatula. Pour in the melted butter and stir together until thick and crumbly. Scatter the topping over the apples.
- Bake the apple crisp: Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the crisp is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Let it cool for 5 minutes before eating. Give it a dusting of powdered sugar, if you like! Keep reading for more serving suggestions.
Tips for the Best Crisp
- Cut the apples evenly: You want the apple slices about the same size so that they bake evenly. I like to use one of those apple corers and slicers that you press down on the apple to form wedges. Then I cut each of those slices in half. You can also cut the apple into quarters, cut out the core, and cut each quarter into three or four slices.
- Don’t work it too much: While you want the topping ingredients combined, you don’t want to overmix it because you’ll want to be able to scatter it over the apples so that when it bakes, it forms a nice crumbly topping.
- Feed a crowd: If you need more servings, you can double the recipe and bae it in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Variations
- Use unrefined sugars: Try using coconut sugar or a low carb sweetener like Serve Brown for the topping. You can swap the sugar in the filling for maple syrup or raw honey, which will also give it a great flavor.
- Make it nutty: Try adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts to the topping mixture for extra crunch.
- Try other fruit: Swap the apples for pears, or make a juicy Gluten Free Berry Crisp.
- Mix something in: Feel free to add a handful of raisins or dried cranberries in the apple filling mixture, if that’s your thing. You can also swap some or all of the apples for pears.
- Turn it into a cobbler: You can make the same filling and top it with the dough from this Gluten Free Peach Cobbler.
Serving Suggestions
- Powdered sugar: If you want to keep it really simple, a little sprinkle of powdered sugar is all your need.
- Whipped cream: Whether you get it from a can or container or make your own freshly whipped cream, it’s delightful to add a creamy element to the sweet-tart apples.
- Caramel sauce: Apples pair so well with the fall-favorite flavor of homemade caramel sauce or even some thick dulce de leche. Give your crisp a drizzle.
- Ice cream: Personally, this is the only way I go. You can stick with vanilla from the store, or double up on the apple flavor by making No-Churn Caramel Apple Ice Cream.
- Yogurt: Either frozen yogurt or a dollop of sweetened Greek yogurt will give you that creamy contrast in a less rich way.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate – Cover any leftover gluten free apple crisp with plastic wrap, or transfer it to an airtight container. Then store it in the refrigerator, but be sure to enjoy it within 3 or 4 days.
- Reheat – You can place the entire baking dish in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes. Or microwave individual servings on a microwave-safe plate or bowl.
More Gluten Free Apple Desserts
When fall is here, there is nothing better than apple desserts like these:
Gluten Free Apple Crisp
Ingredients
For the apple filling:
- 6 cups peeled and sliced golden delicious apples (about 6-7, can substitute your favorite variety)
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
For the oat crumb topping:
- 1 cup old fashioned oats , certified gluten-free if needed
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- ½ cup 1-to-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (one stick) salted butter, melted (or unsalted butter and a pinch of salt)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish or 7×11-inch or 8×11-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, add 6 cups peeled and sliced golden delicious apples, and sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Toss everything together to coat the apples evenly, and transfer them to the prepared baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup old fashioned oats, 1/2 cup almond flour, ½ cup 1-to-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Toss together with a fork or spatula.
- Pour in ½ cup (one stick) salted butter, melted, and stir together until everything is thoroughly combined. Scatter the topping over the apples.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the crisp is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Let it cool for 5 minutes before eating. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
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What could you substitute for the almond flour? We have a nut allergy in our celiac family.
You can probably substitute oat flour or more gluten free flour, but I would try about half the amount since they both absorb more moisture than almond flour.
The recipe was very bland in my opinion. Just wasn’t sweet enough.
Thanks for your feedback. You can feel free to add more sugar to the filling. We find that between the sweet topping and serving it with ice cream, the slight tartness and just hint of sweetness of the apples provide a good balance.