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This healthy apple crisp recipe is made with oatmeal, maple syrup and no butter! It’s an easy, gluten free recipe that’s perfect for the fall and apple season.
For other fruit desserts perfect for fall, try cranberry oatmeal bars, blueberry crumble bars, or gluten-free dutch apple pie next.
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We went apple picking this year and grabbed a giant bag of honey crisp apples and we immediately knew we had to make one of my favorite desserts. There is something so good about a warm apple dessert ing the fall. It makes your house smell delicious and it warms your soul when you take a bite.
Bonus points if it’s with a big scoop of (dairy free) ice cream! Any warm baked apples (like an apple crumble) with ice cream is my kind of dessert, so I can’t wait to dig into these baked apples too.
I’m a huge fan of apple crisp, but I’m not a huge fan of all the added sugar in a traditional apple crisp. Which is why I came up with an easy apple crisp recipe that’s healthy!
Ingredient Notes
Here are the simple ingredients to make this no butter apple crisp. Skip to the recipe card below for exact measurements!
- Apples: we like to use a variety of sweet and tart apples (more on this below)
- Maple syrup: I love using maple syrup in our filling, but brown sugar or coconut sugar work well.
- All Purpose Flour: we opted for a gluten-free flour, but whole wheat flour or oat flour are great options too.
- Flavors and spices: cinnamon nutmeg, salt and vanilla
- Lemon juice: just a squeeze to balance the sweetness and keep the apples fresh.
- Almond flour: a blanched almond flour is best! This means the almond are peeled prior to grinding.
- Old-fashioned oats: we used gluten-free rolled oats from Bob’s Red Mill.
- Pecans: nutty pecans add a nice crunch but can be left off if desired.
- Coconut oil: use a cold coconut oil to give you the best crisp, but a vegan butter is another great option.
Best Apples for Crisp
Choose an apple that stays firm and crisp when it bakes so you’re left with tender apples rather than mushy ones. You’ll also want a mix of sweet apples and tart apples. My two favorites granny smith apples and and honeycrisp apples.
How to Make Healthy Apple Crisp (No Butter)
- Make the filling: Start by peeling and slicing all of your apples. Get the skin off the apples then slice them very thinly. Place the sliced apples in a large bowl and mix them together with maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla and spices. Pour into a 2 quart, or square, greased baking dish and set aside.
- Oat topping: In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients then add the coconut oil and use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut in the room temperature coconut oil to create a crumble topping. Place the apple mixture in a baking dish and top with the crisp.
- Bake: Bake at 400°F for 40 minutes. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Apple crisp is as healthy as the ingredients you put in it. This apple crisp is gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free!
They key to a crispy topping is cold butter or oil. The oil melts, creating air pockets and a crispy topping. Be sure to place your coconut oil or butter in the fridge or freezer before using.
Coconut oil or vegan butter are both great options instead of classic unsalted butter. Grab the refined coconut oil so it has less of a coconut flavor.
Storage Instructions
Allow the apple crisp to cool completely then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight then warm individual servings in the microwave or bake again until warmed through.
If you make this recipe don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and tag me with @what_mollymade so I can see it and feature you!
More Apple Desserts
Healthy Apple Crisp
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Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 7 cups baking apples peeled and very thinly sliced (4 medium or 3 very large apples)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or brown sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour or 1:1 gluten-free flour (or 2 tbsp tapioca flour)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Crisp Topping
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned gluten free rolled oats
- 1/3 coconut sugar
- 1/2 chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup coconut oil or vegan butter chilled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and cream a 2 quart baking dish with non stick spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the apples, maple syrup, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, sea salt and lemon juice. Dump apples into the prepared baking dish and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the almond flour, old fashioned gluten free oats, coconut sugar, pecans, cinnamon and salt. Add the cold coconut oil and cut it into the dry ingredients with the back of a knife or a pastry blender. Spoon the crisp topping evenly over the apple mixture, there will be a lot. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. Begin checking the crisp at 35 minutes to avoid over-browning. Allow to cool slightly and serve warm.
- Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes or until warmed through the center.
Notes
Video
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this last year, and we loved it so much that I couldn’t wait to make it again this fall! Super easy and delicious!! I used arrowroot powder instead of corn starch. I followed recipe otherwise. Oh and I added a scoop of vanilla ice cream when serving 😉 Thanks for sharing Molly!!! 🙂
A scoop of vanilla is always a good idea!!:) Thanks, Sara!