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Healthy Vegan Apple Crisp (Gluten-free)

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The Best EVER Vegan Apple Crisp that is gluten-free and oil-free, but you’d never know! So easy to make, so flavorful and healthy. 

overhead of 2 plates of vegan apple crisp with red apples

HEALTHY VEGAN APPLE CRISP

This is probably my family’s favorite fall dessert ever. Especially, my husband’s. He doesn’t make a sound while eating this vegan gluten-free apple crisp.

Apple crisp is notoriously full of butter and sugar. However, my version is so much healthier,  yet to-die-for delicious. Oil-free and made with whole foods and simple ingredients. Yup, no oil and no butter and also, low sugar!

Instead of using oil or butter in this crisp, we are using homemade walnut butter! This yields amazing flavor, buttery and crispy texture in a whole food fat form. There is also almond flour in the topping to give that extra buttery flavor. These 2 ingredients help to make it oil-free, yet keeping all that delicious flavor. Walnut butter works much better than almond butter because it is much more oily and runny, so it gives a better flavor and texture. You can also use pecan butter if you like.

apple crisp with dairy-free whip cream on white plate

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE VEGAN APPLE CRISP

  • Honeycrisp Apples: I like to use honeycrisp apples because they are naturally sweet, making the need for sugar in the filling to be very minimal. So many crisps call for 1/2 cup or more sweetener, which I find to be so excessive, especially since apples are sweet!
  • Cinnamon: Gotta have spice in the filling to enrich the overall flavor.
  • Allspice: Allspice further gives that fall vibe and enhances the cinnamon. Gives it that apple pie flavor.
  • Lemon juice: I think lemon juice is crucial to an apple crisp, as the acidity helps balance out the sweetness so it’s not just a big blob of sweetness in your mouth. A little does the job perfectly.
  • Sugar: I only use 1 tablespoon of sugar in the filling, that is it! And I promise, it’s all it needs because of using honeycrisp apples. I like to use raw sugar, but you could use regular sugar if you like. Also, the topping is sweet, too. The balance is overall perfection.
  • Maple syrup: For the topping, I use maple syrup. It crisps up really pretty and gives a wonderful depth of flavor.
  • Oats: What makes an apple crisp? The oat topping! Gotta have those oats. Texture galore.
  • Almond flour: Almond flour gives moisture and texture to the topping and crisps up so nicely.
  • Walnut butter or pecan butter: By using walnut or pecan butter, both which are extremely runny and naturally more oily than other nut butter, it gives this crisp a wonderful crispy topping and buttery flavor.

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN APPLE CRISP

Step 1: Make the filling. Slice the apples into 1/4 inch wedges and add to a large bowl. Add the spices, sugar, lemon juice and pecans. I finely chop these since my husband and daughter aren’t big fans of chunks of nuts. Stir for a good couple of minutes until the apples are evenly coated. Set aside.

white bowl of honey crisp apples with cinnamon and allspice

Step 2: Make the topping. To a medium bowl, add the syrup, walnut butter and cinnamon and stir until smooth. Add the oats and almond flour and mix for a couple of minutes until very thick and sticky, as pictured.

apple crisp oat topping filling in white bowl

Step 3: Fill the pie dish. Lightly spray a 9 inch pie dish with nonstick spray and spread out the prepared apples in an even layer.

Top with the topping mixture with your fingers and make sure all the apples are well covered evenly.

apple slices with cinnamon in pie dish

Step 4: Bake the apple crisp. Top the crisp with extra raw sugar for crunch, sweetness and shine. Bake for about 25 minutes in a preheated oven at 375°F, until the apples are tender and the top is a nice golden brown.

pie dish with oat crisp topping added before baking

HOW TO SERVE

Apple crisps are best served immediately while warm. Top with dairy-free whip cream, such as the So Delicious CocoWhip or a vegan ice cream, like this Vegan Vanilla Cheesecake Ice Cream!

HOW TO REHEAT LEFTOVERS

To reheat any leftovers, reheat in the oven at 300°F covered with foil until hot. The topping will get nice and crispy again.

apple crisp in white pie dish with red apples

2 plates of apple crisp with whip cream

MORE VEGAN HOLIDAY DESSERTS TO TRY

VEGAN PUMPKIN DESSERTS

VEGAN SPICE DESSERTS

I originally wrote this recipe 7 years ago originally for my previous blog, The Healthy Flavor, before I created The Vegan 8. Therefore, it is 9 required ingredients instead of 8, but it is still incredibly easy to make and so delicious! It has been updated with much better photos and directions from its original post.

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!

apple crisp with dairy-free whip cream on white plate

Healthy Vegan Apple Crisp (Gluten-Free and Oil-Free)

Brandi Doming
The Best EVER Vegan Apple Crisp that is gluten-free and oil-free, but you'd never know! So easy to make, so flavorful and healthy. Made with whole foods!
5 from 22 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Gluten-free, Vegan
Yields 6 servings

Ingredients

FILLING

  • 4 heaping cups (430g) of peeled and sliced honeycrisp apples, into 1/4 inch slices (the weight is AFTER they are peeled/sliced)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 tablespoon raw sugar (please understand that if you change the apples to sour or less sweet than honeycrisp, you may need more sugar)
  • pinch salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

TOPPING

  • 1/2 cup (160g) pure maple syrup
  • 4 tablespoons (64g) of my homemade walnut butter or pecan butter
  • 1 1/2 cups (150g) gluten free old fashioned oats
  • 3/4 cup (84g) blanched almond flour (this keeps it moist, do not sub with another flour, as that will change the buttery topping)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Optional: 2 tablespoons raw sugar for sprinkling on top, highly recommended for shine and crunch!

NOTE

  • I like to use honeycrisp apples because of their natural sweetness, making the need for sugar very minimal. I, personally do not want to eat a pie of sugar, so the apples are an important choice here. If you change the apples, you may need a lot more sugar. The honeycrisp flavor is the best and complimented by the lemon juice.
  • I use this scale.

Instructions
 

  • First, you will need to make the walnut butter or pecan butter. It helps to do this the day before so it's ready to go. This replaces any oil or butter, yet still gives a wonderful buttery taste and crisp.
  • Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease the bottom of a 9 inch pie dish.
  • For the filling, peel and slice the apples into 1/4 inch wedges and add to a large bowl. Add the cinnamon, allspice, sugar, lemon juice and pecans. Set aside.
  • For the topping, to a separate medium bowl, add the syrup, walnut butter and cinnamon and stir until smooth. Add the oats and almond flour and mix for a couple of minutes until very thick and sticky, as pictured.
  • Spread out the prepared apples in an even layer into the pie dish. Top with the topping mixture with your fingers and make sure all the apples are well covered evenly.
  • Bake for about 25 minutes or until the apples are tender and the top is a nice golden brown.
  • Apple crisps are best served immediately while warm. Top with dairy-free whip cream, such as the So Delicious cocowhip or a vegan ice cream, like this Vegan Cheesecake Ice Cream!

Notes

  • If gluten-free, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
  • Be sure to use either walnut or pecan butter, as these are both naturally very oily and runny after being roasted. This is what yields such a wonderful buttery taste that other nut butters won't provide.
  • To reheat any leftovers, reheat in the oven at 300°F covered with foil until hot. The topping will get nice and crispy again.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 358kcalCarbohydrates: 51.6gProtein: 7.1gFat: 15.1gSaturated Fat: 1.2gSodium: 10mgPotassium: 284mgFiber: 6.9gSugar: 26.2gIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Tag @thevegan8brandi on Instagram and use tag #thevegan8!
Keyword easy apple crisp recipe, gluten-free apple crisp, healthy apple crisp, vegan apple crisp recipe, vegan holiday dessert

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Comments

  1. Diana

    5 stars
    So I’m a little late to the party for this recipe but better late than never! This was fantastic! So easy and so much better tasting than anything else I ever made, even those with sugar and butter! Today my husband was talking to his daughter and told her what a delicious dessert I had made and asked me to email her the recipe! Thanks!

    Reply

  2. Janis

    5 stars
    Made this for dessert w/ my New Years Eve dinner last night. It was delicious. Everyone thought it was great & could not believe that such delicious fare could be healthy. My apples did not make much juice as they cooked, & it was beginning to look a bit dry near the end of the cooking time. I just poured a little apple juice over the top & let it cook about another 5 minutes, which allowed the juice to warm up & moisten up the dish while the top got crispy.

    Reply

    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      Wonderful! I’m so glad to hear everybody loved it so much! Thank you so much for the feedback, I truly appreciate it 🙂

      Reply

  3. Mandy

    5 stars
    I couldn’t believe how easy this was to make and our house smelled SO good while it was baking. We couldn’t get our hands on organic honeycrisp apples, so we used organic opal apples and it turned out amazing! So buttery with just the right amount of sweetness. Everyone loved this at Thanksgiving!

    Reply

  4. jackie dean

    5 stars
    This apple crisp was the best !! It was easy to make and smelled so wonderful in my kitchen while baking. And so pretty when you put the raw sugar on top. It sparkles ! This is definitely a favorite I will be making again !! Keep the recipies coming Brandi ! You Rock !!

    Reply

  6. Liv

    Btw, absolutely better than chocolate! Especially if I had the time to make vanilla sauce (cashew+maple syrup+water+vanilla) but it was also yummy served with plain yoghurt!

    Reply

    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      I’m so happy to hear that Liv, thank you so much for letting me know! So glad it still worked with your slight changes. I actually have a cashew cream sauce on my blog too, btw 🙂

      Reply

  7. Liv

    Wanted to treat myself a little extra tonight after a busy day with the kids and I just love crumble pies! Great idea to spice up the apples a bit. I ran out of maple syrup so only used the half amount and added coconut oil instead for the other half so the crumble wouldn’t be too dry – the result was great, I don’t like it too sweet anyway. And peanut butter instead of almond butter worked fine too. I don’t have all-spice either but used some nutmeg, cardamum and clove instead. Thanks again!

    Reply

  8. Melinda Amato

    This recipe looks incredible, one of the only ones I’ve that doesn’t have coconut oil. I’m going to be making this for a gathering at a friend’s house on Saturday. Would you recommend preparing it beforehand and then baking it there, bringing the topping and cut up fruit separate and assembling it and baking it there, etc.? Thank you!

    Reply

    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      Hi Melinda! Yes, I agree…they all seem to have oil or butter right?! Well, it certainly doesn’t need it, I promise, especially with the nut butter! I would definitely wait to get to your destination to bake it up, crisps are always best eaten straight out of the oven and fresh. The granola is best and crunchy that way and if it sits out too long, it becomes more chewy and less crispy. What I would do, to save time, is just mix the dry ingredients separately for both the topping and filling in containers and label them appropriately, so you don’t get confused! Then just add the apples and wet ingredients right before you bake it up. Hope that helps and let me know how it turns out! 🙂

      Reply

  9. On Top Of Spaghetti

    That’s so true about the sugar in most recipes! I made a simple applesauce recently (British style, no spices) and I didn’t use ANY sugar! Greek apples are sweet, so no need for extra sweetness! I even used juice of half a lemon and it was still sweet enough 🙂
    This looks gorgeous! Will be trying it!

    Reply

    • The Healthy Flavor

      Thank you so much! This is a favorite if mine and one of my friend’s too, it’s sooo delicious and healthy! The honey crisp apples are just to die for 🙂 Let me know if you try it! I really appreciate your comment.

      Reply

  10. The Healthy Flavor

    Thank you so much Erika!! I hope you love it as much as my friends and I have! Absolutely, cornstarch should work just fine too. 🙂 Let me know how it turns out. Seriously, honey crisp apples are amazing..adding buckets of sugar just ruins it and I even have seen people pour sugar on apple chips….another thing I don’t understand?? lol. I like sugar too, but its just not necessary in many instances. 🙂

    Reply

  15. petit4chocolatier

    I really enjoy crumbs and crisps; especially as the weather gets cooler. They are such a great comfort food. Your honey apple pecan crisp looks and sounds so delectable! I like the strong cinnamon too, and the raw sugar. Your topping ingredients are all perfect!

    Reply