Fall in love with this easy to make dairy free Apple Crisp! Crunchy cinnamon and oat crisp topping with a spiced apple filling is the perfect cold weather dessert. Vegan + gluten free!
This Apple Crisp recipe is so simple and easy to make, requiring just one bowl and simple ingredients. It’s naturally vegan, no dairy or eggs here, gluten free, and nut free! This is a favorite dessert of fall and I did a lot of recipe tweaking to make sure that this is the best apple crisp possible. I've included a bunch of topping ideas, the different apple varieties to choose from, and the best way to store this.
This quintessential fall dessert is one you'll make again and again!
Free from: Dairy, casein, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery, corn, sesame, mustard, lupin, sulfites, nightshades, tomatoes, and more
Optional Free from: Wheat/Gluten
For more fall inspired desserts, make sure to check out my Dutch Apple Pie (gluten free, vegan, top 9 free), Baked Apple Cinnamon Donuts (gluten free), or Vegan Apple Cake!
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love this Apple Crisp
- Super easy to make in one bowl
- Filled with lots of fall spices like cinnamon, allspice, and cloves
- Simple ingredients
- Gluten free, Dairy free, Egg free, Nut free recipe
Ingredients
Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll need for this recipe. For the complete measurements, please see the recipe card below. For allergy substitutions and variations, keep reading!
- Apples: You want to have a good apple layer for this crisp so I tend to use 6 or 7 apples of about medium size when making this crisp. For the best type of apples, see below.
- Oats: Oats are the main part of the crisp topping. They mix with the melted dairy free butter and flour to make almost a granola but not quite a crumb topping.
- Melted Vegan Butter: You can also use refined coconut oil here. You just want a neutral flavored fat to mix in with the oats and flour.
- Flour: Used both in the crisp topping and to help thicken up the apple filling.
- Apple Cider/Apple Juice: I love to add fresh apple cider to my apple crisp! It really intensifies the flavor of apples. The apple cider I use is non-alcoholic. If you can’t find apple cider, using apple juice works just as well.
- Sugar: A bit of sugar to make it sweet. I call for brown sugar, but you can use coconut sugar to make this recipe refined sugar free.
- Spices: Lots of flavor comes from this! Cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and cloves all mix together to make this outta this world delicious.
Allergy Substitutions
If you need this to be gluten free, make sure that your oats are certified gluten free. My current favorite brand of gluten free oats is Zego Oats. Use a good all purpose gluten free flour blend. For a store-bought, I recommend King Arthur Measure for Measure. For a homemade (and nightshade free!) recipe, check out my Gluten Free Flour Blend.
Want to make this without refined sugar? You can! Use coconut sugar in equal amounts to the brown sugar for this recipe. I don't recommend using maple syrup for this recipe as it is a liquid sugar and will change the proportions of the recipe.
If you are avoiding corn, make sure that your vanilla extract is corn free. For my favorite brand, see my shop page!
Recommended Baking Dish
Out of all the pans you could use for this apple crisp, metal, glass, or ceramic, I recommend using a ceramic baking dish.
Ceramic heats up evenly and slowly, making it a great option for these longer baking desserts. They also retain heat, allowing them to cool slowly. This helps to form the syrup in the apple layer.
While some ceramic pans can go from the fridge to the hot oven without issue, I suggest that you use a room temperature pan to place in the hot oven.
If you don’t have a ceramic dish, my next go to would be a glass pan, followed by a metal pan. In test baking, I found the metal pan would burn the edges of the crisp, which makes sense as metal pans heat up quickly.
The best size for this recipe is to use an 8x10-inch (20x25-cm)or a 7x11-inch (18x28-cm) pan. A 9x13-inch (23x33-cm) pan would be too big. However, if you double the recipe, a 9x13-inch would be perfect!
What are the Best Apples for Crisp?
Firmer apples typically bake better than soft apples. For things like apple crisp, I like to use an apple that is on the sweeter side but still has a bit of a bite. However, any kind of apple will work in this recipe. Here are some suggestions.
Best Tart Apples: Granny Smith Apples, Braeburn Apples, Jonathan Apples
Best Sweet Apples: Honeycrisp Apples (these are what I used!), Fuji Apples, Pink Lady Apples
Instructions
For the full instructions, complete with measurements, please see the recipe card below.
Start with making the apples. Peel and roughly chop them. You can use sliced apples, but I just like the unfussyness of chopped apples. Place them in a large bowl and cover with the apple cider (or apple juice), sugar, flour, vanilla, and spices.
Tip! The apple cider works just as well as lemon juice for preventing the apples from browning with the added bonus of more apple flavor infused into the crisp.
Transfer the apples to the baking dish.
Next, it’s the crisp topping! In the same bowl, stir together with a fork the oats, flour, sugar, and melted butter. Use a fork or your hands to mix this together, making sure to leave some of it clumpy. Those will crisp up the most in the oven and be the best part!
If you are adding any additional nuts or seeds to the crisp topping, make sure to add them with the oats and flour.
Tip! Don’t over mix this topping! It will turn into a paste if you over mix. Just mix it until the crumble has formed.
Sprinkle the crisp topping over the apples in the baking dish.
Bake this uncovered for about 35 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the crisp is golden brown. Remove it from the oven and let it rest for about 10 to 15 minutes. This allows the apple layer to thicken.
Serve with vegan vanilla ice cream, coconut whipped topping, or covered in dairy free caramel sauce!
FAQs
Yes, you can! The topping becomes more of a crumble, inspired by my topping from my Dutch Apple Pie. In a medium bowl, combine flour (yes, it can be gluten free) with melted (dairy free) butter, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Using a fork, mix it together and sprinkle over top just like the crisp topping.
Yes! Use a good gluten free all purpose flour blend and make sure that you use certified gluten-free oats. My favorite brands are King Arthur Measure for Measure and Zego Oats for the crisp.
How to Store + Make Ahead
Fridge: To store leftovers, let it cool completely before covering and storing in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To Make Ahead: You can make and assemble the crisp without baking it for up to 1 day in advance. Then, on the day of baking, bake as directed. The crisp might need an extra few minutes in the oven if starting from cold.
More Autumn Inspired Desserts
If you try these out, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. And if you want more delicious, dietary friendly recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!
Recipe
Equipment
- mixing bowls
- mixing spoons
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- baking dish
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 5-7 apples peeled and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup apple cider or apple juice. Make sure the apple cider is non-alcoholic
- ¼ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar as desired
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Crisp Topping
- 1 cup oats gluten free if needed
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour gluten free if needed
- ¼ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar as desired
- ¼ cup dairy free butter melted
- ¼ cup seeds or nuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C with the oven rack in the center of the oven. Have an 8x10-inch (20x25-cm) baking dish for baking.
- Make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, place the peeled and chopped apples with the apple cider. The apple cider will prevent the apples from browning as you make the crisp. Stir in the sugar, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Transfer the apples to the baking dish.
- Make the crisp topping. In the same bowl, add the oats, flour, sugar, melted dairy free butter, and any additional nuts or seeds, if desired. Mix this together. Sprinkle over top the apples in the baking dish.
- Bake. Bake the apple crisp uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crisp on top is browned. Remove from the oven and let rest a good 10 to 15 minutes to allow it to cool. Scoop, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Allergy Substitutions
- If you need this to be gluten free, make sure that your oats are certified gluten free. My current favorite brand of gluten free oats is Zego Oats. Use a good all purpose gluten free flour blend. For a store-bought, I recommend King Arthur Measure for Measure. For a homemade (and nightshade free!) recipe, check out my Gluten Free Flour Blend.
- Want to make this without refined sugar? You can! Use coconut sugar in equal amounts to the brown sugar for this recipe. I don't recommend using maple syrup for this recipe as it is a liquid sugar and will change the proportions of the recipe.
- If you are avoiding corn, make sure that your vanilla extract is corn free. For my favorite brand, see my shop page!
- How to Store + Make Ahead
- Fridge: To store leftovers, let it cool completely before covering and storing in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To Make Ahead: You can make and assemble the crisp without baking it for up to 1 day in advance. Then, on the day of baking, bake as directed. The crisp might need an extra few minutes in the oven if starting from cold.
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
This site contains affiliate links which means I may receive commissions for purchases made though those links. However, please know that I only provide links to products that I actually use and totally recommend! Your purchases help support this blog. Thank you!
Leave a Reply