Simple Gluten-Free Apple Crisp
This wholesome, honey-sweetened apple crisp is covered in an irresistible oat, almond meal and pecan topping. Everyone will love this dessert!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
What’s better than apple pie and a whole lot easier to make? Apple crisp! This apple crisp recipe is gooey on the inside, and tender but crisp on top. It’s made with wholesome ingredients, like old-fashioned oats, almond meal, pecans, honey, and of course, lots of fresh apples.
On a cool fall day, there’s nothing better the smell of this apple crisp baking in the oven. This homemade dessert would also be the perfect ending to your Thanksgiving supper.
This is my favorite apple crisp recipe, and it just happens to be gluten free and healthier than the rest. This recipe is made with significantly less sugar than most apple crisps, but tastes just as good. In fact, I’d say it’s even better!
This crisp turned out great for me when I made it a few years ago, but I heard that it didn’t turn out as well for some of you. This stuff keeps me up at night.
I’ve retested and tweaked this recipe, and it’s now better than ever. I’m so pleased to hear that with these updates, this crisp has been turning out perfectly in your kitchens.
How to Make the Best Apple Crisp
Apples take a long time to release their moisture, so my original crisp recipe was a little dry. To remedy this, I switched from using 1-inch chunks of apple to thinly sliced, which take less time to get juicy and cook through. I also added some liquid to the filling to the get the ball rolling, and reduced the amount of starch.
To ensure that the topping doesn’t get too crisp, you’re going to bake the apples for 20 minutes and then add the topping. This is actually pretty convenient, because it means that your crisp can start baking while you are still mixing together the topping.
That’s it! You’ve just made an apple dessert that rivals apple pie in flavor and comfort-food factor, but it’s so much easier.
Watch How to Make Apple Crisp
Healthy Apple Crisp Ingredients
The recipe is flexible. You can easily make it dairy free, vegan or nut free. See the recipe notes for details.
- Granny Smith Apples: Fresh and thinly sliced. No need to peel your apples—the skin softens up so much in the oven, you’ll hardly notice it’s there. You could also use Honeycrisp apples, or a combination of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp.
- Old-Fashioned Oats: Oats form the base of the topping. Once baked, they are perfectly crisp-tender. Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats for gluten-free apple crisp.
- Almond Meal or Almond Flour: Almond meal (or flour) lends some irresistible richness and flavor. You can use regular flour in place of the almond meal, if you prefer (see nut-free recipe note).
- Pecans or Walnuts: Chopped pecans or walnuts are technically optional in the filling, but I never leave them out. I love those little bites of nutty goodness.
- Honey or Maple Syrup: We’ll use one of these natural sweeteners in the filling instead of plain sugar. As a bonus, they impart some additional flavor that tastes so nice.
- Coconut Sugar or Brown Sugar: We’ll use some sugar in the topping, since liquid sweeteners would interfere with the texture. I like to use coconut sugar since it’s less refined, but brown sugar works just as well.
- Butter: This topping calls for a reasonable amount of melted butter, and I promise, you won’t regret it.
- Greek Yogurt: We’ll use some Greek yogurt in place of some additional butter (though you can totally go all in on the butter if you’d like). I love that the yogurt imparts a subtle tang.
- Liquid (Water, Bourbon, Apple Cider, Etc.): A little bit of liquid helps the apples break down. Additional options include brandy or apple juice. I love to use equal parts water and bourbon so the bourbon flavor is subtle. I think it’s just right!
- Lemon Juice: A squeeze of lemon juice brightens up the flavor of the filling.
- Starch: You can use arrowroot starch or cornstarch. The starch helps the filling come together so it’s not watery.
- Cinnamon and Allspice: No apple crisp recipe would be complete without some warming spices.
The Best Apples for Apple Crisp
Granny Smith apples are the perfect apple for crisps. They retain their shape but become wonderfully tender in the oven, whereas other apple varieties turn to mush. Their tart flavor mellows and sweetens in the oven, but doesn’t turn overtly sweet. Some contrast is key!
Another great option, albeit more expensive, would be Honeycrisp apples. They possess similar qualities and have become widely available in recent years. You could even use a combination of the two!
More Apple Recipes to Enjoy
Craving more apple deliciousness? Check out these recipes:
- Applesauce
- Apple Steel-Cut Oatmeal
- Favorite Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Pepitas
- Gluten-Free Apple Tart
- Healthy Apple Muffins
- Homemade Bircher Muesli
Please let me know how this crisp turns out for you in the comments! I hope it’s your new favorite fall dessert.
Gluten-Free Apple Crisp
This wholesome, honey-sweetened apple crisp is covered in an irresistible oat, almond meal and pecan topping. This dessert is perfect for the holidays! This recipe yields about 8 modest servings.
Ingredients
Apple filling
- 2 ¼ pounds Granny Smith apples (about 5 large or 7 small), cored and sliced into ¼” thick wedges
- ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup
- ¼ cup water, or bourbon or brandy, or apple cider or apple juice (I like 2 tablespoons bourbon and 2 tablespoons water)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot starch or 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice or nutmeg
Oat, almond meal and pecan topping
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats (use certified gluten-free oats for a gluten-free crisp)
- ½ cup firmly packed almond meal or almond flour
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional but recommended)
- ⅓ cup lightly packed coconut sugar or brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup plain yogurt (Greek or regular)
Don’t forget vanilla ice cream, for serving!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the sliced apples in a 9-inch square baking dish. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey and water until combined. Add the lemon juice, starch, cinnamon and allspice, and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture over the apples and toss to combine. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, stir together the oats, almond meal, pecans, coconut sugar and salt. Mix in the melted butter and the yogurt. Stir until all of the flour is incorporated and the mixture is moistened throughout.
- Once the apples have baked for 20 minutes, give them a stir and redistribute them evenly in the baker. Dollop small spoonfuls of the oat mixture evenly over the filling (see photos; no need to pack it down). Return the baker to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 more minutes, until the filling is bubbling around the edges and the top is nice and golden.
- Let the crisp rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream, I insist. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 5 days.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my pear cranberry crisp.
Make it nut free: To make this recipe nut free, omit the walnuts and use ¾ cup whole wheat flour and ¾ cup oats instead of the almond meal and oats specified above. It will no longer be gluten free. If you want to keep it gluten free, I suspect that you could replace the almond meal with certified gluten-free oat flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Make it vegan: In the topping, use non-dairy yogurt and coconut oil in place of the butter. In the filling, use maple syrup instead of honey.
Make it dairy free: Use non-dairy yogurt and coconut oil in place of the butter.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Amazing, simply amazing! Flavor explosion!
The apple filling is delicious!!!! I wasn’t a huge fan of the topping, though, but I didn’t add the nuts. It was very wet initially when mixed, so I may have also added a bit too much dry ingredients in an attempt to compensate.
Thanks for sharing, Erin!
Enjoyed this recipe topped with non-dairy, coconut milk ice cream. Substituted ghee for butter and GF flour for almond flour. The honey gave it a balanced sweetness..not overly sweet….just right. . My husband loved it and is begging me to make more. This is our favorite Fall dessert!
It looks inviting, however some gluten sensitive people cannot eat oats ( even gluten free certified), as oats contain a cousin to gluten. I am one of those – so any oats cause excruciating problems. Any substitute for making an apple crisp?
I’m not sure without trying it, but you could try using more almond flour. I’m hesitant you will get a similar result though.
I just tried the oat-free topping ( for gluten free people who cannot have even gluten free oats)- I have put in all except oats – the result is just perfect. I am not sure there will be something left for breakfast :)
with Canadian Thanksgiving coming this weekend, I will definitely include the crisp in the menu – perhaps with cranberries and lemon zest this time. Thank you!
Best apple crisp recipe I have found. We thought it was delicious!
Wonderful to hear, Connie!
Just a heads up if you replace almond flour with coconut flour put way less orelse it’ll be dry and dusty! Still yummy though
The best apple crisp recipe I have ever made. The topping is yummy. Love the addition of yogurt in it.
Thanks for sharing you loved it, Ellen!
Making this recipe for Canadian Thanksgiving in Mexico tonight! It’s hard to find Granny Smith apples so I got Galas and goldens- will they be ok?
Thank you!
Those should work too. Taste will be slightly different, but should provide a nice crisp. Let me know what you think!
Hi! I made this recipe last night to bring for a dinner party. It turned out fabulous and everyone loved it! I used your suggestion for bourbon and water and not sure if that was what made the difference. I am saving this recipe and will definitely recommend it to others looking for gluten free apple desserts.
Thank you for your comment, Lisa!
Why do you leave on the apple skin? When I made this the skins were like eating shoestrings. Ruined it for us.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it. I appreciate your feedback, Curt.
Made this for the grandkids last night. They absolutely loved it! Thank you so much for sharing this.
You’re welcome, Terry!
Thank you for your insight about the apples taking longer! I made this without the honey, I used sliced russet apples and added some fresh cranberries and it was amazing.
Thank you for your review, Tracey!
Omg. I made this yesterday and it was delicious. It was my first time but not the last. Absolutely lovely
Hooray! I’m excited you loved it, Anna.
My family is scarfing this down as I type. I used mealy apples from an ancient tree in our yard and added some vanilla extract. Perfection!
I made this for our brunch club last Sunday, & it was a hit!! I used almond meal, rather than flour, & I added cinnamon to the greek yogurt before I mixed the topping. Otherwise, I followed your directions on the baking, adding the topping after 20 mins. The last thing I did was to use the Crisp function on our oven to finish it–maybe 3 mins. That added a really great crunch to it! I agree with others–the bourbon added a lot to the recipe–it really brought out the flavor of the apples! Delish!! I’ve made other recipes from your website, & the results are always great. I’ve got you bookmarked now! Thanks!
You’re welcome, Cortney!
This week was a really long and hard one for me, I have to say. This crisp for dessert though at the end of it all? Absolutely delicious and helped sweeten up a Sour week. I can’t wait to make this a bunch of times through the holiday season. I love the maple bourbon apples even more than the crumble!
Sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing, Hayley.
Looks scrumptious. I was wondering if I can make and Freeze ahead of time.
Hi Kate,
I’d like to make this for a party and include a Caramel Rum Sauce for drizzling. Would you recommend I swap out the brandy for rum in the recipe as well? Do you think that would work? I will star rate after making it. I am quite confident my guests will love it.
Can I use quick oats?
Hi Kate, I’m having trouble finding an appropriate yoghurt for me (due to food allergies). Do you think coconut cream would work in this recipe instead???
I haven’t tried it, but a vegan yogurt should work. Let me know!
Great recipe but trying to get to it , through all manner of advertising is really annoying.
I’m new to this website but I’m thinking I’ll find it frustrating
Nice recipe…
I made this recipe for a potluck last week. My friends are all mostly gluten-free, dairy-free and/or vegan. What a group. I got raves about this recipe. The only thing I changed was added a little more cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. 5 stars for sure! Thank you so much for this recipe!
You’re welcome, Nancy!
This recipe is perfect! Our family devoured it on Thanksgiving. The one complaint was there wasn’t enough topping. I just Now made it and doubled the topping and it’s in the oven as we speak for Christmas desert. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Jenn!
I have made this vegan version + with the addition of Half a bag of cranberries that were in my freezer. Also are used date molasses instead of honey or sugar. Yum!
Thank you for sharing, J!
It was delicious! Apple crisp has always been a favorite dessert. Now that I am gluten free, it is especially so. This was the best of the best.
My husband and I made this together and thought it was the best apple crisp we had ever tasted! I think it was the Brandy that made it extra special. We topped it was a little vanilla yogurt. This is now my official Apple crisp recipe. We used regular flour instead of almond flour. Delicious!
Made it with single malt whiskey (all we had!) And vegan coconut lemon yogurt, maple syrup and just a bit light on butter (again we ran out, so not by choice).
Also used Kanzi Apples, otherwise followed the recipe. Popped it in the oven 10 mins ago, pretty sure it will be amazing
We loved it. I would recommend peeling the apples. I only had golden delicious apples on hand which turned out fantastic as well. Soaked the flavor up nicely. Did not have greek yogurt on hand so I substituted with sour cream. Worked out well. Will make again!
We must have such similar taste! So often when I google recipes, I choose yours without realising who’s it is. I love your classic taste with a healthyish twist.
Made this recipe tonight using whatever substitutes I had in my pantry given the infrequent grocery shopping in this current era. Also, did a low carb, minimal sugar version since I’m diabetic. Took some over to the neighbors who had just the day before brought me some of their garden irises. They LOVED it. the husband said it was the best he had ever had! So now, just sent the recipe to the wife, my dear friend! Hubby wants his own baking dish full ASAP!
Thanks for sharing how you made this, Sandy!
Can I use Blending flour in apple crisp. It is the only flour I have
This Apple Crisp had a nice taste. A little too sweet for me though. Also I think the apples should be peeled as the skin is grainy in the dish.
Wow, I can’t wait to make this! Making it for a friend who has a gluten and dairy free diet, but he is also allergic to oats. Any suggestions on what I can replace the oats with?
Hi Emma, that’s a dilemma! I’m sorry, I’ve not come up with a good substitute for the oats. You could perhaps try using 3/4 cup gluten-free flour blend in place of the 1 cup oats, but I’m not sure how it’ll turn out. Probably more like a crumble than a crisp. Here’s my full listing of gluten and dairy-free recipes (some of them do contain oats—I don’t have an oat-free category yet). Hope it helps!
Out here in the tri-State region of VT, NH, and MA, we are still having cold nights, and Spring is a bit delayed! Among these many hills, it can feel like Fall in Spring, with all of the gusting winds! I had some organic Pink Lady apples that were not being eaten, and it got me thinking of apple crisp! I decided to make this comfort food apple crisp with whatever I had in stock in my kitchen! And I Just want to report that I substituted coconut flour, and crumbled 5 Tbs butter into topping instead of melted butter because I did not read recipe correctly, did 1/2 pecans and 1/2 almonds because I did not have enough pecans, and did not put yogurt in it because I did not have any, used apple cider vinegar because I did have that, and it was fabulous!!! It was not too sweet, and I found that the apple cider vinegar gave the apples a nice tang! I know it is a GREAT base recipe, if this much tweaking still produces a wonderful result!
Thank you for such wonderful recipes!
First time I made this recipe and it turned out delicious! I love the topping and will double that portion of the recipe next time :)
Roxy
This is my absolute favourite recipe for fruit crumbles – thank you! So delicious, versatile and not too sweet. I’ve made this many times now, changing out the fruit and nuts to what I have on hand and it’s always a winner! Made an apple and persimmon crumble PIE for a dinner part last night using this recipe and your apple tart base (https://capital-fly.pro/gluten-free-apple-tart-recipe/#tasty-recipes-24186%3C/a%3E) and not a crumb was left – literally! I also made it vegan by using coconut oil, coconut yoghurt and maple syrup and I didn’t have any bourbon/brandy so added a tablespoon of butterscotch snapps which happened to be on hand. Served it with vegan salted caramel swirled ice cream too… oh lordy, it was so good!
I loved the recipe for the fruit portion of the crisp! Great idea to pre-bake the apples, and also to add more moisture to the mixture. I used orange and lemon juices, and it was delicious. I didn’t enjoy the texture of the topping. For some reason, the yogurt made the topping too wet/not crunchy, even after I broiled it for a minute or two. But I’ll fiddle around with the toppings to get the balance right next time. Thanks!
Made this recipe and it was just amazing!
YYUUMM! My boyfriend came home with 2 bags of apples and I needed to use some up, so I started making your homemade applesauce recipe. While the apples were in the oven, I stumbled upon this apple crisp recipe and decided I wanted this instead. So I added the starch, lemon, nutmeg, and more honey to the already cooked apples, then let that sit while I made the topping. I used old fashioned oats, almond flour, cashews, brown sugar, and greek yogurt. My whole house smells delightful and my sweet tooth is satisfied :)
Thanks Kate!
Am I able to leave the yogurt out or substitute it with anything? We’re having a vegan yogurt shortage where I live, they are always gone from the store. Can’t wait for a reply, this recipe looks so good.
Hi Miriah! You can look at my vegan suggestions in the notes. I hope this helps!
Vegan here. We are eating it! Awesome. I added a little ginger to the nutmeg and cinnamon and used Earth Balance instead of butter. Used arrowroot. I used Cocoyo vegan yogurt. I had walnuts so used those. I used maple syrup instead of honey and only had date sugar for the top. One of the best yet! Thanks for this recipe. I wish I had added more lemon. That was because I ran out and didn’t have the full amount. Love your stuff!
Wow, this is pretty bullet proof! I have quite a few apple trees and absolutely love making apple crisp late summer,early fall!! The thing is, I was short a few items and made a few subs that seriously worked out amazing!!! Don’t be afraid to try this out if you are short! The items I had to improvise…
I swapped Pine nuts for wall nuts! Not cheep but YUM!
I didn’t have Greek yogurt so I used unsweetened coconut milk.
Lastly, I didn’t have bourbon so I swapped out with rum and water… even though this cold have turned out a trainwreck it was wonderful! Can’t wait to try it with all the proper ingredients!
I was hesitant to leave the skin on the apples, but it was a nice change than other apple crisp recipes I’ve used! I only had gala apples, but it still came out delicious! I ended up using 6 apples and had to use a 9×13 pan. This recipe is a keeper! So delicious!
Oh my goodness. How am I just finding this recipe?! So, so good. Had gone apple picking and didn’t have Granny Smith, but the Gala and Arlet’s we got still did the trick. This recipe is a keeper, and with a fraction of the guilt! Amazing, and also kid approved. Thank you!!
I’m happy you found it, Marina! Thank you for your review.
This apple crisp recipe was DIVINE. Paired with vanilla ice cream, the combination to end all combinations. This is possibly one of the best desserts I have ever eaten, and I have eaten a lot of desserts. DELICIOUS. absolutely DIVINE. 11/10
Do you think I could make this dairy free? Coconut yogurt and a vegan butter?
Hi Erica! Check out the vegan notes below the recipe instructions.
This was really good! Instead of butter I used coconut oil and I only had unsweetened vanilla coconut yogurt so i used that instead of plain Greek. Also, I used 2tbsp water and 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar so I think that made it slightly on the tart side,but with the scoop ice cream (coconut milk – vanilla) it was perfect! My whole family was over and it disappeared pretty quickly!
Hi! So glad I discovered this recipe! We have just been to the apple orchard and used a blend of fresh picked: Macs, Golden Delicious, Jonathans and Honey Crisps. I’ve made a lot of apple crisps and really enjoyed the substitution of almond flour for regular all-purpose in the topping. I also loved that it used honey instead of white sugar. It was a hit with my family and the kids smelled it baking and gobbled it up. The bourbon didn’t cook off as much as I expected, so will probably take your suggestion and use less or just use cider/water next time. 1/4 cup yields a very strong bourbon alcohol flavor – which some may prefer :) I will definitely make this again and am excited to try different fruits with it!
This was one of the best crisp recipes I’ve ever had, and I’ve made a lot! Searched for a gluten free version for my daughter and when I saw Cookie + Kate I knew I’d be in good hands!
I used honey instead of maple syrup for the filling and dark brown sugar (from Trader Joe’s) which added a rich caramel like flavor. I didn’t use any yogurt in the topping, and it was delicious. So, don’t let that stop you from making this if you don’t have any on hand.
I also liked that only 4TB of butter was needed for the topping. Often these crisp recipes have an entire stick or even two!
I put a scoop of leftovers in my oatmeal the next morning – so yummy!
Definitely a keeper!