This gluten free apple crisp combines warm maple and cinnamon infused apples and a crumbly oat topping. Instead of using all-purpose flour, use a combination of almond meal and oats. Almond meal adds a lovely texture and delicious nutty flavor. To keep the recipe gluten free, make sure you’re using certified GF oats.
I don’t have a gluten sensitivity, but I know many are intolerant or are choosing to live a gluten free lifestyle. I created this gluten free apple crisp recipe because I wanted to deliver something that we can all enjoy this holiday season. (By the way, I actually have a growing section on my website dedicated to gluten free recipes! These gluten free fudge no bake cookies are a favorite.)
This dessert will test all of your self control. It’s blissfully good. And not just “really good for a gluten free recipe.” It’s just plain REALLY GOOD. I did not expect it to be this tasty! The good news is that there’s no strange or costly ingredients required.
Filling
You need 4 medium/large apples. Peel and chop them into bite-size pieces. Mix the apples with a little cornstarch, cinnamon, sugar, maple syrup for flavor, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Lemon juice sounds like an odd ingredient here, but a little goes a long way. It brightens up all the flavors. You might regret skipping it!
Gluten Free Apple Crisp Topping
6 ingredients come together to make a delicious gluten free apple crisp topping. Instead of traditional flour, use almond meal. For anyone unfamiliar with almond meal, don’t get nervous– it’s a pretty standard ingredient these days. Almond meal is simply ground almonds before reaching the stage of almond butter. If you use blanched almonds and grind them up a little more fine, you’ll get almond flour. Almond meal has a little more texture and I prefer in an apple crisp topping.
You can buy almond meal from the store, but it’s really easy to make at home. Pulse sliced or slivered almonds in a food processor until the almonds are pulverized. To avoid the almonds grinding into an oily almond butter due to the processor’s heat, pulse them with with 2 Tablespoons oats. I note that in the recipe below.
The almond meal will be a little gritty and that’s ok for this apple crisp recipe! Adds texture.
Layer the apples into a round baking dish, top with the gluten free crisp topping and bake until browned. What I love most about fruit crisps is their ease. I adore fruit pies atop my homemade buttery flaky pie crust, but they can be rather time consuming. Apple pie is a forever favorite dessert, but waiting for it to cool is a real test to our self control. With gluten free apple crisp, we can dig right in while it’s still warm!
No apple dessert is complete without vanilla ice cream. And for a pop of color, sprinkle fresh pomegranate arils on top. Talk about texture heaven!
And here is my classic Apple Crisp recipe!
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Gluten Free Apple Crisp
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: serves 6
- Category: Pies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Here’s a recipe for warm, gooey, brown sugar oat topped flourless apple crisp. This gluten free dessert exceeded my expectations; it’s AMAZING. And simple.
Ingredients
Filling
- 4 large apples, peeled, cored, and chopped*
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) pure maple syrup*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Topping
- 1/3 cup (65g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (64g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats (certified GF)
- 1/2 cup (50g) almond meal*
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup (5 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
- optional: 2 Tablespoons sliced or slivered almonds, vanilla ice cream (GF), pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Filling: Stir all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl. Make sure the apples are evenly coated. Spoon into a 9-inch pie dish, cake pan, or square baking pan. Set aside.
- Topping: Whisk the brown sugar, oats, and almond meal together. Make sure there aren’t any huge chunks of brown sugar. Whisk in the cinnamon and salt. Once combined, stir in the melted butter. Sprinkle topping over the apples and finish with a few slivered or sliced almonds– these extra almonds on top are optional.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the filing is bubbly, the apples are a little soft, and the topping is browned. If it looks like the topping is browning too quickly, cover the top loosely with aluminum foil. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Top with pomegranate arils and serve with vanilla ice cream. Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Follow steps 2 and 3 in the recipe then cover the crisp and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bake as directed.
- Apples: You want about 5-6 cups chopped apple pieces. Use different varieties, such as 2 tart Granny Smiths and 2 apples of a sweeter variety like Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Braeburn, Fuji etc. I like to chop them in varying sizes. Some thin, some thicker. It helps the filling have a little more texture.
- Maple Syrup: Gives so much flavor. And makes the apple filling extra juicy and gooey. Don’t leave it out!
- Almond Meal: You can use store-bought almond meal or almond flour, or you can make your own. Start with 1/2 cup of slivered or sliced almonds. Pulse them, along with 2 Tablespoons of the 3/4 cup oats called for in this recipe, in a food processor until a crumbly meal has formed. Do not run the food processor continuously; you may end up with almond butter. Little pulses are best. You will end up with around 1/2 cup almond meal.
Keywords: gluten free apple crisp, easy apple crisp
Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe! I’m not GF but a friend of mine is. It’s nice to be able to make her a dessert and not have to buy specialty ingredients. These are all things I had on hand and it was delicious!
★★★★★
I’ve made this recipe multiple times, with different kinds of apples, and really like it! With firmer apples, sometimes I do have to bake it quite a bit longer. I’ve started doubling the topping because it’s so good and seems a little scanty otherwise. I like to punch up the apple mixture with a little nutmeg, powdered ginger, and cloves, as well as a pinch of salt.
★★★★
It looks delicious; but all I have is the Almond flour. Can I use that in place of the Almond meal? I’m looking for a topping that doesn’t get soggy. What do you suggest?
Hi Phyllis, almond flour works here – enjoy!
Amazing! I’m so glad we had a gluten-free eating friend over for dinner, or I never would have found this recipe. I’ve made a similar one for a long time, but the maple syrup really adds another level. Superb!
★★★★★
This was delicious!! I made as a test run for Thanksgiving dinner because I have 2 cousins that are gluten free due to celiac and gluten sensitivity. My son and husband were unknowingly my taste testers and they raved about it and THEN I told them it was gluten-free. LOL Thank you for helping me contribute an amazing dish that my cousins can enjoy and not feel left out of dessert!
★★★★★
So glad to hear that this recipe is a hit for you, Kay!
I’m going to try this this weekend. Your recipe sounds great.!
I haven’t tried this yet, but it sounds yummy. Unfortunately, I’m counting calories (Boo! lol). Any idea what a serving size would be and how many calories per serving ?
Hi Mimi, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients, and many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients. However, there are many great online calculators where you can plug in your exact ingredients like this one: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Hi Sally, I want to try this recipe but I was wondering if it can be doubled and baked in a 9×13 baking dish? If so then at what oven temperature and how long? Thank you for your help.
Hi Virginia! Yes, you can double this recipe for a 9×13 dish. Same oven temperature, the bake time will be longer so keep an eye on it in the oven. Enjoy!
Thank you for answering my question about doubling this recipe. I made it and served it to 10 family members and everyone loved it. I’ll definitely make it again!
I’ve made this recipe at least twice a month for the past 3+ years. Sometimes I add fresh cranberries and occasionally I omit the apples and make a mixed berries crisp.
I use vegan “butter” as well since two family members are Dairy Intolerant.
★★★★★
We’re so glad you love this recipe, Wendy!
I have made this for my celiac friends and it was a big hit. How would I alter this to use fresh peaches? Thanks.
★★★★★
Hi Judy, You can use this ginger peach pie filling and use this GF crust recipe. Use 1/4 cup of instant tapioca instead of the flour for the filling.