Quick & Easy Vegan Apple Crisp Recipe (No Sugar Added Filling!)
The best vegan apple crisp recipe you’ll ever make! This gooey & sweet healthy apple crisp is super easy to make with a no added sugar filling and topped with a gluten free cinnamon rolled oat crumble. Ready in under an hour, naturally low in sugar, gluten free, and the perfect healthy fall dessert!
Why you need to try this apple crisp recipe:
Put this undetectably healthy apple crisp at the top of your list of fall baking, especially after a trip to the apple orchard.
This is is THE apple crisp recipe to make. Like above all healthy apple recipes out there (okay maybe not alllll of them, because I do have a pretty awesome apple pie recipe, as well as gluten free apple crumb cake and vegan apple spice cake that is just amazing), this crisp is the best.
Here’s why you need to make this recipe:
- As delicious as pie, but way easier: We’re simply tossing all the ingredients in one casserole dish and baking. The result? A filling with caramelized gooey sliced apples , coated in a sweet cinnamon, and topped with a sweet and crisp oat crumble topping that just makes you swoon.
- Unbelievably vegan and gluten free: And dairy free, soy free, and easily nut free, making it a perfect recipe for those who need food to be free of the Top 8 Allergens.
- No sugar added filling, yet this apple crisp is so sweet: Yep, no brown sugar nor maple syrup to the filling. Just the sweetness from the apples!
- You can serve it immediately: No need to cool! Just scoop some vegan ice cream on top and devour!
- Approved by non-vegans!!! In fact, my family is obsessed. They had no clue this apple crisp was vegan AND that it had a no sugar added filling.
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What’s the difference between a crisp, crumble, and cobbler?
So with many making crisps, cobblers, and crumbles right now, you might be wondering what the heck is the difference between them all.
I know I did, at least! So let’s break it down:
A cobbler is typically more like a biscuit on top of a filling. It’s made with flour, a fat (like coconut oil or vegan butter), a sweetener, and water. You can check it out here on my Paleo Vegan Blueberry Cobbler.
A crumble is very similar to a crisp, but it actually typically doesn’t have any oats in it. The crumble consistency is made from a combination of sugar, flour, and coconut oil, plus a little bit of cinnamon if you’re going for a more streusel topping. If it does have oats, the ratio has more flour than oats. You can check out a crumble topping on my Blueberry Crumble Bars and my Apple Crumble Cake.
A crisp is made from oats, flour, coconut oil, and sugar, but with more oats than flour, if at all. Now the reason why it’s called a crisp is because when baked, the topping gets nice and crunchy, whereas a crumble is much softer.
Of course, the example of this on the blog is this healthy apple crisp!
Vegan Apple Crisp Ingredients
This healthy apple crisp is very minimal in terms of both ingredients and equipment needed. For the ingredients, you’ll need:
- Apples, sliced thick and skin removed: use a super sweet apple variety, since this healthy apple crisp has a no sugar added filling. I recommend gala or fuji! Honeycrisp is great too.
- Cinnamon: I also add in a mix of pumpkin spice, but you can just use cinnamon!
- Rolled oats: gluten free as needed.
- Oat flour: or another flour, such as all-purpose flour, or a gluten-free flour blend- this recipe is super flexible!
- Coconut oil: you can also swap in vegan butter if you’d prefer!
- Maple syrup: I have not tested this recipe with coconut sugar, but you can use a keto-friendly liquid sweetener, such as Wholesome Sweets’ Allulose!
As you can see, this is an entirely gluten free and vegan apple crisp! Absolutely zero butter, dairy, or the like going in this crisp recipe.
In terms of equipment, you will need to skin the apples, or else the skin will prevent the apples from caramelizing together. Since this is a no sugar added crisp filling, we’ll need to give the apples the best chance to caramelize!
Then you’ll just need a cast iron skillet or casserole dish. You can make this in a large casserole dish, but I just think presentation wise, a cast iron is beautiful!
Overview: Step by Step how to make a vegan apple crisp:
For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.
How to make a no sugar added apple crisp in 3 easy steps:
Once it’s done, remove it from the oven with an oven mitt and let it cool for a few minutes before topping with some vegan vanilla ice cream and diving in!
Do I need to remove the the apple skin for an apple crisp?
Yes, please do remove the apple skin for making an apple crisp. Please don’t skip this step.
If you don’t remove the apple skin, the apples won’t create that gooey caramelized texture that you think of with an apple crisp.
I want you to have the absolute best experience making this vegan apple crisp, so be sure to not skip this step!
Best vegan apple crisp tips & tricks
I know that a few will always need to swap out ingredients because sometimes we don’t have everything on hand or can’t consume something due to an allergy.
So let’s go over it all right here in my tips and tricks for making this the best apple crisp recipe you’ll ever eat!
- Use gala apples. I really prefer Gala apples because we’re not adding any sugar to the apples. You can use Granny if you’d like, but I don’t think it will be sweet enough. Another great sweet apple to use here is Golden Delicious or Fuji!
- Slice your apples very thin. This will ensure that they cook evenly throughout the skillet and really caramelize all together.
- Add in nuts to the crumble topping for extra fall flavor: warmed pecans or walnuts go wonderfully in this crisp.
- However, you can also make this a nut free healthy apple crisp! Got an allergy to nuts or just don’t like them? Easy! Swap in the walnuts and pecans for pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds if you’d like! Or you can leave the nuts and seeds out all together- your apple crisp will still taste amazing 🙂
- Flour swaps: this gluten free apple crisp recipe doesn’t necessarily need to be gluten free if you don’t need it. If you only have all-purpose flour, then by all means, swap it in at an equal ratio! You can also use homemade oat flour as well. If you don’t have access to cassava flour, this apple crisp works with oat flour, a gluten free flour blend, and almond flour 🙂
How to store apple crisp
If you have any leftovers of your crisp, not a problem.
Store in the refrigerator. Use an airtight container to maintain freshness.
To reheat: This apple crisp will last for about a week in the fridge. To reheat, simply scoop your desired amount onto a piece of aluminum foil, and heat it in the oven for 5 minutes at 350F.
There you have it! An easy, and surprisingly vegan apple crisp (but don’t let that scare you!).
You’ll just absolutely love this super easy vegan apple crisp recipe! It’s so incredibly simple in ingredients and method, and tastes out of this world- no one will know it’s healthy!
If you give this apple crisp a go, let me know what you think in the comments below! As always, I’d absolutely love to see your beautiful recreations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!
Happy healthy apple crisp baking!
More vegan apple dessert recipes:
Vegan Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
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How to make healthy apple crisp video
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
Print
Quick & Easy Vegan Apple Crisp Recipe (No Sugar Added!)
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 50
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
The best healthy apple crisp recipe you’ll ever make! No added sugar to the apples and topped with a cinnamon rolled oat crumble, this easy vegan apple crisp is ready in under an hour, naturally low in sugar, gluten free, and the perfect healthy fall dessert!
Ingredients
- 4–5 medium Gala apples, skin removed and sliced thin
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tbsp pumpkin spice or mix of cardamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice
- 2 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (1/2 lemon)
- 1 cup rolled oats (gluten free if necessary)
- 1/3 cup oat flour or all purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice or blend of cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice
- 1/3 cup coconut oil or vegan butter , melted
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- Optional: 1/4 cup pecan halves (or sub in nut-free alternative, such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or omit all together)
Instructions
- Please read through all instructions before beginning.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a medium sized casserole dish or cast iron skillet with oil. Set aside. Make sure the apples are peeled and sliced thinly. Measure out all remaining ingredients.
- Make the apple crisp filling: In a large bowl, combine the apple slices, lemon juice, and 1 tbsp cinnamon with 1/2 tbsp pumpkin spice or spice blend. Once coated evenly, pour into your prepared casserole dish, and set aside.
- Make the oat crisp crumble: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, and spices. Add in the maple syrup and melted coconut oil, and combine until all dry ingredients have been absorbed. Add in your nuts and/or seeds here as well.
- Assemble the apple crisp: top the apple slices with the crumble topping until all of the apples have been covered.
- Bake: Cover with tin foil and place into the oven to bake for 30 minutes, then remove the tin foil and bake the apple crisp for another 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven using an oven mix and let cool for 10 minutes. You can carefully place a piece of tinfoil back over to maintain moisture.
- Serve and enjoy! Serve with your favorite ice cream! Store any leftovers in an air tight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8th of apple crisp (no nuts)
- Calories: 223
- Sugar: 15.9 g
- Sodium: 4.1 mg
- Fat: 9.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.1 g
- Fiber: 4.7 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I LOVE apple-based treats and this is no exception!! What an amazing recipe! Thank you 🙂
Aw thank you so much!! That means the world to me!
Very good! I didn’t have gala, so I used granny smith apples. If I ever do that again, I’ll use more maple syrup or less lemon juice. I also didn’t have pumpkin pie spice or anything other than cinnamon and ginger so I used 1/4 tsp ginger in each (the apples and the topping) and 1 tbsp cinnamon for each, too.
Hi there! I was planning on making your recipe tonight and was wondering if it is possible to substitute unsweetened applesauce for the coconut oil, as I wanted to make this oil-free? Thank you!
Hi there! I’m so sorry I’m just responding! So I’m not sure the applesauce switch would work for the crisp part in this scenario! I know it would work to add in more maple syrup, but then it might be too sweet!
This recipe is amazing!! Can you tell me what 1/8 of the pan equals in volume? 1 cup or 2 cups = 1 serving. Thanks! It was a family hit!
Aw my goodness, I’m so happy to hear it!! So glad you all enjoyed!! A serving is approx. 3/4 cup! 🙂 Enjoy!!
This looks so good! What a great way to still enjoy dessert while sticking to a healthy diet!
Thank you!! Hits the spot 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Do you top it with anything vegan?
I like it with coconut whipped cream or cashew milk ice cream 🙂
Naturally sweet Apple Crisp, but not too sweet – the topping was amazing and this will be our go to Fall dessert from now on! It compliments so many dishes. We topped it with some vanilla ice cream and loved it!!!!
This is so wonderful to hear, thank you!! Enjoy!
Hi – this looks delicious! Just wondering what size casserole dish works for this recipe? Is it closer to 8×8 or 9×13?
Thanks so much!
Hi Izzy! You can use an 8×8 or a 9×13- either will work. The 8×8 will have a thicker layer of apple however!
Can steel oats be substituted for the rolled oats? As I don’t have rolled oats, are there substitutes or can they be omitted?
Hi Debby!
I wouldn’t use steel cut outs, but what you can do, is actually swap in the crumble topping on top of my vegan coffee cake- it will be a bit similar to an apple crumble instead but still delicious! Here’s the coffee cake link: https://thebananadiaries.com/vegan-coffee-cake-gluten-free/
I made this recipe. I used Teff flour instead of oat flour and I used applesauce instead of maple syrup. I used ample pecans and pumpkin seeds in the crumble. The crisp turned out amazing and I want to thank the author for sharing the recipe!!
So happy to hear it!! Thank you so much for noting what swaps you made too 🙂 So helpful! Enjoy!
Hello! I would like to make this with apple sauce instead of the maple syrup. How much apple sauce did you use? Thank you! 🙂
i tried this out and used honey instead of maple syrup…amazing well done..turned out perfect!
So happy to hear it!! Thanks for the review!
Absolutely the best apple ‘crisp’ – I love the moist texture, much more than the drier flake version of other crisps. Maple syrup ALL the way, tastes so much richer than any sugar. After trying many recipes, this is the One! (just baking one in the oven tonight!)
So so happy to hear it!! Enjoy 🙂 Thanks for the review!
Foil is made from aluminum, not tin.
I prefer to leave the skins on the apples – can I do this here?
Hi Anna! You can, but the apples might not get “gooey” like they would without skins. It will still taste delicious though!
It’s Delicious, and a perfect crisp for my 1 year old too! This brings all the fall feelings and is easy to make. I definitely will be serving this for breakfast this week.
Is it possible that the spices are suppose to be in teaspoons, rather than tablespoons?
Hi Julie! I used tablespoons, but I like it really spicey- you can reduce to 1.5 tsp for each or 2 tsp each!
Can it be made without the maple syrup?
Yes definitely! You can swap in coconut sugar, maple sugar, or even light brown sugar.
My apples did not carmelize. The taste was good, but the apples were slightly undercooked and you had promised carmelized :{
I followed the recipe and baked at 375 for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 20, then I turned off the heat but forgot to take them out for another 15-20 minutes.
Hi Dr Debra! Were you able to skin the apples first? This is essential to getting the apples to caramelize!
Tasty! The only thing missing was a bit of salt in the crumble topping, which I added after baking. (I used granny Smith apples, omitted the maple syrup, and added a couple tablespoons of monkfruit sweetener).
Hi Amy! Wonderful! So glad you were able to make it perfect for YOU! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
This is a super delicious and easy recipe. Love it!