Healthy Apple Crisp Recipe {Gluten Free & Very Easy}
This easy Apple Crisp is warm and tender apples with a crisp buttery brown sugar oat topping. An irresistible dessert that is perfect for any occasion or any time of year! It is so simple to make and always a hit, you will definitely want to keep this recipe handy at all times!
I think this just might be the easiest dessert I’ve ever made! After chopping the apples, it can be thrown together in less than 5 minutes. And let me tell you, this apple crisp is a real crowd-pleaser. It didn’t even last a full day in the Lee household!
If that’s not reason enough to make this classic fall dessert, let me entice you a little further. It’s cozy, comforting, much easier to make than homemade apple pie and absolutely irresistible topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Easy Apple Crisp Ingredients
One of the best parts about this apple crisp recipe is that it’s made with healthier ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchens. For this recipe you’ll need:
- Apples. We’ll talk more apple details below. Personally, I love to use Honeycrisp apples for this recipe.
- Maple syrup or honey. I like to use maple syrup for the filling. You could also get away with using regular sugar here as well.
- Lemon juice. There’s not many desserts that don’t benefit from the addition of citrus zest or juice. It helps balance sweetness.
- Arrowroot powder or cornstarch. Keeps the apple filling from getting too watery.
- Old fashioned rolled oats. Use gluten free if desired. And I would stick with old fashioned rather than quick oats for the best texture.
- Flour. I used almond flour, but all purpose, whole wheat, and oat flour will all work.
- Sugar. Brown sugar yields the best results in my opinion, but you can also use coconut sugar and in a pinch regular white sugar can be used.
- Cinnamon & nutmeg. Adds the perfect amount of warmth!
- Butter (or vegan butter). Makes the oat topping crisp and buttery.
How to Make an Easy Apple Crisp
This Apple Crisp is seriously SO simple to make! The most time consuming part is slicing the apples.
- Prep apples. Wash and thinly slice your apples.
- Make apple crisp filling. Toss the apples with maple syrup, lemon juice, arrowroot powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and sea salt.
- Make the crisp topping. Stir together the rolled oats, almond meal, brown sugar and melted butter. I like to use a fork to get them fully combined.
- Bake. Add fruit to a pie plate and sprinkle the topping over the fruit layer and bake until golden brown. Allow crisp to cool slightly before spooning out and serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
Why Apple Crisp is a Favorite Fall Recipe
I never let the fall season get away from me without baking up this recipe for healthy apple crisp! Here’s some of the reasons why we love it:
- This gluten free apple crisp recipe has a basic ingredient list. From fresh organic apples to wholesome rolled oats – there are only simple ingredients required.
- It’s so quick + easy! Throw this delicious dessert together in a time crunch and love the results.
- A dessert that goes from its baking dish in the oven directly to the table is always a winner.
- Servings are easy too: simply scoop out some of the apple filling with the topping and place it in a small bowl. Top with ice cream or caramel sauce (or both!). No fussy slicing or worrying about presentation. This easy apple crisp is a breeze to dish up.
- You’d never know this was a healthier recipe. I’ve lightened it up just enough for you to enjoy and still feel like it’s something really special coming out of your oven.
The Best Apples for Apple Crisp
I personally like to use Honeycrisp apples for any apple recipe. The tart apples pair really well with the sweet filling and makes for a great flavor. They are also firm enough to hold up to baking. They’ll bake up nice and tender, but not get overly mushy.
Other great apple options would be Granny Smith, Gala, Fuji, Braeburn and/or Golden Delicious. You could also use a mix of a couple different types of apples to give it even more depth of flavor.
Tips for the Perfect Crisp
A few notes for the best apple crisp every time!
- Unless the skin of the apple just really bothers you, there’s no need to peel the apples. It saves so much time and you’ll hardly notice the skin once the apples are cooked and soft.
- Make sure that you cut your apples into similar size slices so that they cook evenly.
- Your topping will be best with rolled oats (old fashioned oats) instead of quick oats. Quick oats are cut into pieces to cook more quickly and tend to get mushy when baked.
- If you notice your topping browning too quickly in the oven, cover with foil and continue to cook until apples are soft.
Crisp Variations
This healthy apple crisp can be customized to include your favorite fruit flavors.
- Berries. Mix together 2 cups of berries such as raspberries, blueberries or blackberries and 2 sliced apples in the filling.
- Pear. Stir together 2 diced pears and 2 diced apples for the filling.
- Peach. For the filling, stir together 2 diced peaches and 2 diced apples. Or try my favorite peach crisp recipe!
- Peach & Blueberry. You’ve got to try this recipe. It’s a family favorite!
Storing Leftover Apple Crisp
Since the topping has melted butter, I recommend that you refrigerate apple crisp if you want to eat it at a later date. It will stay good for the day out on the counter and then after that refrigerate it for 3-4 days. You can reheat your apple crisp by microwaving individual servings for about 30-45 seconds. To reheat the entire dish, place (uncovered) in a 375 degrees F oven for 10-15 minutes.
Freezer Options
- Unbaked. Freeze an unbaked apple crisp directly in a freezer-safe (and ovenproof) pan. Wrap the pan securely (to keep out excess moisture) with plastic and then foil.
- Baked. Allow the crisp to cool completely before storing. Then wrap it in freezer-safe packaging and freeze.
- Thawing. Thaw the unbaked or baked dessert in the fridge overnight. Once it’s thawed, you can bake it according to the original recipe or until warmed through. The reheating process of a baked crisp will take about 20-30 minutes.
To Make Apple Crisp Ahead of Time
Make the apple filling and the crumble topping separately. Refrigerate each in airtight containers, for up to one day. When ready to bake, sprinkle the crumble on top of the apples, and bake as directed in the recipe below.
What is the difference between a crisp and a crumble?
The difference between a crisp and a crumble is all about the topping. Both a crisp and a crumble are desserts with a fruit filling and a sweet topping.
- A crisp topping contains oats and often nuts. The oats tend to crisp up during baking and the nuts provide a little crunch.
- A crumble topping bakes up soft and usually contains only brown sugar, flour and butter.
I hope you get a chance to make this easy apple crisp recipe very soon because it’s truly one of my favorites! It’s so much easier and quicker to make than pie and, in my opinion, just as wonderful. Thanksgiving will be here before you know it and this apple crisp would be a lovely addition to the menu. My favorite way to serve it is with vanilla bean ice cream!
More Apple Favorites
Whether you’ve been apple picking and have tons of apples to use up or you just LOVE apple recipes like me, I think you’ll enjoy some of my other favorite apple recipes!
If you try this easy apple crisp recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Healthy Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 2 pounds apples (about 5-6 medium apples), thinly sliced*
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Crisp Topping
- 1 cup rolled oats (use gluten free, if desired)
- 1/2 cup almond meal or flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar (I prefer brown sugar)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and spray a 9-inch pie plate or 8×8" square baking dish with cooking spray.
- Combine all filling ingredients in a medium bowl and transfer to pie plate. Apple slices will almost be overflowing out of pie plate.
- Combine all crisp topping ingredients in a medium bowl. I like to use a fork to get them fully combined.
- Evenly sprinkle crisp mixture over the top of the apples.
- Bake for about 40 minutes and until apples are of desired softness. If after 40 minutes, crumble topping is browning, but apples are not soft enough, place tin foil over the crisp and bake another 5-10 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly before spooning out.
- Serve warm and with vanilla ice cream, whipped topping or coconut cream, if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @kimscravings on Instagram and be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy and delicious recipes straight to your inbox!
This recipe was first published October 2018 and was updated with new content September 2020.
I compared this apple crisp recipe to a Betty Crocker one I had. Kim’s recipe was nearly identical but with less sugar and flour so I chose her version. It was delicious! I think the next time I make this I will increase the topping by maybe half so I can have more of the yummy goodness of the topping because that’s the best part for me!
So glad you love it! Yes, love the topping too!
I made this tonight to test a new apple crisp recipe. Easy to make, like the idea of honey or maple syrup with the apples. The topping wasn’t as crunchy as I like. Now, I am trying to decide between your delicious peach cobbler or this apple crisp to bring to a girls night out. Thanks for your delicious recipes.
Thanks so much for your feedback! Glad that you enjoyed! If you’d like the crust a bit more crunchy, you might try more oats and a bit less almond flour or try all-purpose flour rather than almond flour. You could also add in some chopped nuts.
Hi Kim! I love the recipe and appreciate that you posted the macros too. Can you please clarify the serving size though? Thank you. I look forward to trying this recipe.
Hi Ashley! I’m sorry, but I don’t have more exact measurements for this recipe. I would just divide as best you can into 8 servings and then each serving is a serving size. Enjoy!
Went to an apple orchard today and had a bunch of fresh apples so I decided to whip this up! It was so simple to make and so delicious! Served it warm with some vanilla ice cream and it was amazing! Definitely will keep this recipe for next time.
So happy to hear that you enjoyed! Thanks for your comment!
I have an apple tree so I am always looking for new fresh apple recipes to try. Thanks for this healthy apple crisp recipe. It was super delish!
Have tried many apple crisp recipes and loved this one! Will be my go-to going forward.
The crisp is divided into 8 equal servings.
I made this tonight for dessert. I had granny Smith apples I needed to use. It was delicious!
I’ve made this twice now and it doesn’t last a day in my house! Definitely a favorite. I make my own caramel sauce to drizzle over the top after it comes out of the oven.
I love this recipe! It’s easy and delicious and so full of flavor!
This recipe was so easy and delicious! And I love all the information you give in the post, very helpful and informative!
I got this recipe from a friend. She made it with Gala apples, so I did the same. The apple crisp was delicious and easy to make. Sadly, I didn’t have ice cream. But I will pick some up tomorrow to have it with the Apple Crisp for dessert.
I loved how simple, yet delicious this recipe was. Will definitely be making again.
OOHH MMYYY!!! This is sooo heavenly..warm out of the oven with vanilla ice cream on top..Doesn’t get much better than this.
This was SO delicious! My family loved it and I’ll definitely be making it again soon!! Only thing I did differently was use an 8×8 pan, and used cortland apples! Thanks for the recipe, Kim!
I love to cook but I’m not much of a baker. But this recipe was easy to follow and everyone loved it! I even had requests to add it to our list of Thanksgiving desserts!
This was a HUGE hit with my family tonight!! Thank you! I served it with a few scoops of vanilla bean ice cream for an extra special treat 😊
Made this today and it was delicious! I think I liked it better than my old favorite I’ve been making for years. The only thing I did different was add more apples and put into a 9”x13” pan. I only had Honeycrisp apples from my tree so I used all Honeycrisp. It was so good warm out of the oven. Thank you for this delicious recipe.