This Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Crisp (Apple Crumble) is made with tender, subtly spiced, caramel-flavoured apples and a chewy, crispy, nutty crumble topping. It's also refined sugar free and is the best comforting dessert that can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, British
Keyword gluten-free apple crisp, gluten-free apple crumble, vegan apple crisp, vegan apple crumble
75g(⅔cup)gluten-free flour blend (or sub rice flour, or plain all-purpose flour if not gluten-free)
25g(¼cup)rolled oats (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
½teaspoonground cinnamon
Instructions
For the apples:
Place the apples, coconut oil, coconut sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a pan with a lid.
Leave to cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes*** until softened.
Taste and add extra coconut sugar if necessary.
For the topping:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave.
Add the maple syrup, ground almonds, gluten-free flour, oats and cinnamon and mix well – add a splash of any plant-based milk if it’s looking too dry to combine.
To assemble:
Place the cooked apple mixture in a baking dish - I used one measuring 26 cm (10 inch) by 18 cm (7 inch) and 7 cm (2 ½ inch) tall.
Use your fingers to crumble the topping over the top until it is all used up and the apples are completely covered.
Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy on top.
Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Video
Notes
*The amount of coconut sugar (or other sweetener) needed will depend on the type of apples you use as some are more sour or more naturally sweet than others. It's best to taste the cooked apples and add extra coconut sugar if necessary. You can use normal sugar or some other sweetener (like maple syrup) instead of the coconut sugar, but if using a liquid sweetener I'd recommend adding 1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch) to the uncooked apple mixture to make sure the apples aren't too watery. Make sure to mix the cornflour into the apples completely to make sure the cornflour doesn't clump up.**You can alternatively use almond flour.***Cooking time will depend on the type of apples you use - some varieties will require a shorter cooking time and others will require a longer cooking time. I'd recommend checking at 10-minute intervals and cooking until apple pieces are tender enough to gently pierce with a fork.
You can top it with any type of chopped nuts before baking: pecan nuts, walnuts, pistachios, desiccated coconut, flaked coconut etc.
For a different crumble topping recipe, try the one in my Blueberry Crisp recipe instead!
You can use any type of apples you like. For best results, I recommend a crisp, slightly tart apple, or even a mixture of sweet and tart apples.
Cooking apples can be used too, but generally require a longer cooking time and require more coconut sugar (or other sweetener).