This gluten-free apple crisp combines soft-baked apples flavored with maple and warm spices and a crumbly oat topping. Instead of using all-purpose flour, use a combination of almond meal and oats. Almond meal adds a lovely texture and delicious nutty flavor. To keep the recipe gluten free, make sure you’re using certified GF oats. This is a wonderful alternative to my regular apple crisp recipe.
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos and more helpful success tips.
This gluten-free apple crisp will test alllll your self control. It’s not just “really good for a gluten-free recipe.” I mean, just plain good… just like my cranberry frangipane tart. It’s every bit as good as my classic apple crisp recipe! And dare I say even better because you have the fabulous addition of maple syrup. Yum.
(By the way, did you know I have a section on my website dedicated to gluten-free recipes? I also have this gluten-free desserts page.)
One reader, Ruth, commented: “I’ve made this recipe at least 5 times now since fall… and it is amazing. Easy to prepare and tastes so delicious. Thank you—my gluten-free daughter and son-in-law thank you, too! ★★★★★“
Another reader, Lindsay, commented: “I’ve made this 3 times now—it’s so quick and delicious to make! I’m not even gluten free, but I think the almond adds nice flavor… ★★★★★“
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Gluten-Free Apple Crisp:
- Quick & easy: No pre-cooking, chilling, or waiting-for-it-to-cool steps
- Fall-favorite flavors of apple, cinnamon, maple, and brown sugar
- Crumbly, buttery oat and almond crisp topping
- Recipe doubles easily for serving a crowd
- No one will believe it’s gluten free!
I appreciate how easy it is to prepare fruit crisps. While I adore fruit pies with my homemade buttery flaky pie crust, they can be rather time consuming. Apple pie is a forever favorite dessert, but waiting for it to cool can be downright torturous. With this crisp, we can dig right in while it’s still warm!
Easy Apple Filling
- Apples: See below for the best apples to use. You need 5 cups of peeled, chopped apples, which is about 4 medium/large apples.
- Lemon Juice: A squeeze of lemon helps brighten up the flavor of the apple filling—it tastes a little flat without it.
- Brown Sugar: The molasses content in brown sugar adds so much flavor as it sweetens. It’s how I sweeten this apple galette and this apple brie phyllo galette, too.
- Maple Syrup: For sweetness with that unequaled maple flavor. The apple-maple combo tastes like quintessential fall! Have you ever tried my healthy apple muffins?
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances and complements all the other flavors.
- Cornstarch: This helps the filling thicken as it bakes.
- Spices: Just like in apple pie and apple cobbler, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice add warmth and depth of flavor to this gluten-free apple crisp.
What Are the Best Apples to Use for Baking?
Firmer apples are ideal for baking. Avoid soft, mealy, and mushy apples. For depth of flavor, it’s best to bake with a mix of tart and sweet apples. For this crisp, I usually use 2 tart and 2 sweet.
- Tart apples I love to bake with: Granny Smith (in my opinion, this is the best overall apple for baking), Braeburn, Jonathan, and Pacific Rose
- Sweet apples I love to bake with: Jazz, Pazazz, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Fuji
Peel & Slice Apples Into Chunks
You can skip peeling the apples if you’d like, but many prefer peeled apples in desserts. I use and love (affiliate link) this OXO peeler. A lot of crisp recipes use apple slices, but I prefer chunks because chunks easily fit onto a spoon or fork. It’s also difficult to get perfectly uniform slices, so some pieces can be much thinner than others—and that means mushy apples. 1-inch chunks that are between 1/4 and 1/2 an inch thick are ideal for this gluten-free crisp.
Toss the apple chunks with the rest of the filling ingredients and then spoon/pour the apple filling into a 9-inch pie dish or square baking pan.
Here’s What You Need for the Topping
6 ingredients come together to make a delicious gluten-free topping:
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds so much flavor and softness, and pairs really well with the maple flavor in the filling.
- Oats: Whole rolled/old-fashioned oats are best in this topping. Make sure to look for “certified gluten free” on the label.
- Almond Meal: This replaces the traditional all-purpose flour. Almond meal is simply ground almonds (before reaching the stage of almond butter). If you use blanched almonds and grind them up a little more fine, you’ll get almond flour. Almond meal has a little more texture. You can use almond flour or almond meal; I’ve done it both ways and either works.
- Cinnamon: A hint of cinnamon in the topping adds even more flavor.
- Salt: Sweetness balancer/flavor enhancer.
- Butter: Stirring in melted butter is what makes the crisp topping come together, all crumbly and delicious!
You can buy almond meal from the store, but it’s really easy to make at home. Pulse sliced or slivered almonds in a food processor until the almonds are pulverized. To avoid the almonds grinding into an oily almond butter due to the processor’s heat, pulse them with 2 Tablespoons oats. I note that in the recipe below.
Sprinkle the topping all over the top of the apple filling, and your gluten-free apple crisp is ready to bake! No chilling, pre-cooking, cooling, or any other steps that would further delay the moment of bliss when you dig in your spoon for that first bite.
And of course, don’t forget the vanilla ice cream! No apple dessert is complete without a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. And for a juicy pop of color, sprinkle some fresh pomegranate arils on top before serving. (Totally optional, but look how pretty!) Talk about texture heaven.
Can I Make Other Gluten-Free Fruit Crisps?
Yes, you can replace the apples with cherries or pears, or even replace 1 cup of the apples with fresh cranberries. You can also use blueberries or peaches, but reduce the maple syrup in the filling down to 3 Tablespoons, because both of those fruits get so juicy. Feel free to adjust the spices, based on the fruit you’re using.
Gluten Free Apple Crisp
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: serves 6
- Category: Pies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This gluten-free apple crisp combines soft-baked apples flavored with maple and warm spices and a crumbly oat topping. Instead of using all-purpose flour, use a combination of almond meal and oats. Almond meal adds a lovely texture and delicious nutty flavor. To keep the recipe gluten free, make sure you’re using certified GF oats. It’s not just “really good for a gluten-free recipe.” It’s just plain REALLY GOOD.
Ingredients
Filling
- 5 cups (about 600g) peeled & chopped apples
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) pure maple syrup*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Topping
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 cup (85g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats (certified GF)
- 1/2 cup (50g) almond meal or almond flour*
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup (71g, or 5 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
- optional: 2 Tablespoons sliced or slivered almonds, vanilla ice cream (GF), pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9-inch pie dish, cake pan, or square baking pan. Set aside.
- Filling: Stir all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl. Make sure the apples are evenly coated. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
- Topping: Whisk the brown sugar, oats, and almond meal together. Break up any large clumps of brown sugar. Whisk in the cinnamon and salt. Once combined, stir in the melted butter. Sprinkle topping over the apples and finish with a few slivered or sliced almonds (optional).
- Bake for 35–40 minutes or until the filing is bubbly, the apples are a little soft, and the topping is browned. If it looks like the topping is browning too quickly, cover the top loosely with aluminum foil about halfway through baking time. Allow to cool for 5–10 minutes before serving.
- Top with pomegranate arils, if using, and serve with vanilla ice cream.
- Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Follow steps 2 and 3 in the recipe, then cover the crisp and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake as directed.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Pie Dish, 9-inch Round Cake Pan, or 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Vegetable Peeler
- Apples: You want about 5 cups (about 600g) chopped apple chunks. For best flavor, use a mix of tart and sweet varieties, such as 2 tart Granny Smiths and 2 apples of a sweeter variety like Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Fuji.
- Maple Syrup: Delivers so much flavor. And makes the apple filling extra juicy and gooey. Don’t leave it out!
- Almond Meal: You can use store-bought almond meal or almond flour, or you can make your own. Start with 1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds. Pulse them, along with 2 Tablespoons of the 1 cup oats called for in this recipe, in a food processor until a crumbly meal has formed. Do not run the food processor continuously; you may end up with almond butter. Quick pulses are best. You will end up with about 1/2 cup almond meal.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Thanks for sharing this recipe!! It was so yummy!!
Hi Sally, thank you for this yummy recipe! I think you may have made a unit conversion mistake, 1/3 cup butter is about 80g
(454g is 2cups)
Ooh, this looks so good, I can’t wait to try it. Do you think it would work with pineapple, and if so how much?
I’ve made this a few times this Fall and it’s incredibly delicious! Every time I’ve made it, someone asks for the recipe. Thank you!
Can I sub the cornstarch with tapioca flour?
Thank you!
That should work!
Delicious! I made this yesterday with ginger gold mixed with pippin apples and doubled the apples for a 13 x 9 inch pan. However I did not double the other filling ingredients as I didn’t want it too sweet. I did double the topping and I used flour instead of almond meal. And our family loves cinnamon so I used much more of that too. It turned out just great and I will be using this crisp recipe from now on! Rave reviews from my husband!
Hi Sally,
Would it be better to make this a day in advance, refrigerate, and bake the next day? Or assemble and bake a day in advance and reheat on the day I’m serving it? And how would you suggest reheating?
Thanks!
Hi Kassia, either method will work! I would likely prepare it and then bake it before serving since even if you bake it the day before you will have to put it back in the oven to re-heat it the next day. Enjoy!
I am making this for my sister who is gluten intolerant as part of my giant cooking and baking weekend. Am i able to use the filling from the ginger and peach pie ive just made myself to make another crisp for my mum who loves ginger but isn’t really a pastry person (the horror)?
Hey Holley! Absolutely, you can take the ginger peach pie filling and use this GF crust recipe. Use 1/4 cup of instant tapioca instead of the flour.
I would love to make this recipe using blueberries instead of applies. Would anything have to be altered in the recipe to substitute them?
I would suggest using the blueberry filling from my favorite blueberry pie instead! You can use gluten free flour if you are trying to keep the whole recipe gluten free: https://route-span.live/blueberry-crumble-pie/%3C/p%3E
How would you double this recipe? Just double all ingredients?
Thank you,
Becky
Yep, that’s correct!
Hi! Can I sub coconut flour for almond flour? It needs to be nut free and gluten free.
I haven’t tested it with coconut flour but it should work!
I have to try it! Apple desserts are my top favorite in the fall 🙂
This is so good. I’ve been making half a recipe for two days of breakfast. I eliminate the white sugar and reduce the brown sugar by half. I add chopped pecans to the topping. It’s still very sweet, so I will try reducing the syrup next. I eat it with Greek yogurt.
Really good for a gluten free recipe! I had to use coconut oil instead of butter because a friend is dairy free and it definitely would have been better with butter. My only issue was the super sweetness of the filling. Next time I’ll cut the sugar and syrup in half. Still so good
I am dairy free, gluten free, nut free ,egg free ,basically living in a bubble , but I can use butter and have no reactions , so maybe you can try it out as well instead of missing out on the deliciousness of it all 🙂
Hi Sally!
I have an allergy to
Almond, can I use regular flour? And if so, how much?? Thanks!!!
Yep! Same amount of regular flour.
I haven’t tried this yet but I totally plan to soon!
But I wanted to share a tip with you about the pomegranates. The best way I have been able to separate the seeds from the white stuff is by quartering the pomegranate, then in a big bowl of water, start to break it all apart. The seeds just fall off and a lot of the white stuff floats to the top. And very little mess. Hopefully this helps!
Thanks for all your recipes! This is my favorite baking blog ever! 🙂
Love this recipe!!!! So tasty and so easy!
This recipe was a hit! I do have to say I made some adjustments as it was made on a whim and was shy on some ingredients. I used black current maple syrup (PC) OMG! I added a tbsp of chia seeds to filling. I used ground flax instead of almond flour, but still added slivered almonds to the topping as well as a dash of pure almond extract. I didn’t quite use 1/3 of brown sugar. My friends loved it – 5)3 gooey texture you talk about – it’s the syrup. Definitely ‘favourited’ 🙂
Made this for Christmas family meal. It was so delicious!
I made this yesterday and added 3/4 cup fresh cranberries. It was delicious. Thank you very much for sharing.
My mom has Celiac, and trying to find a dessert that she loves is hard. (She misses her precious gluten SO MUCH!). I made this for her using pears instead of apples (due to her preference), and she loved it so much that she’s asked me to make it again for her for Christmas. I followed the instructions above exactly (aside from changing the fruit from apple to pear) and I made no other substitutions or changes. She was in HEAVEN to have a “real dessert that didn’t taste like cardboard” for once. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!!! (p.s., YES, make your own Almond Flour, that stuff is EXPENSIVE! Holy cow).
OMG….this dish was heavenly. Thank you so much for creating this mouth watering desert.
I substituted dried cranberries for our Thanksgiving dinner, and it was a huge hit. We topped it with salted carmel ice cream!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for the recipe. I altered it only for my dietary needs and it turned out great. For both sugars I used coconut sugar; I used arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch; and instead of butter I used melted coconut oil. Mine had to bake longer only because I used more apples. I had already sliced them up before finding your recipe so there were more…but they were small so it was probably close (and I used Honeycrisp). Again, thanks so much!!!
Made this for Thanksgiving and served with homemade coconut ice cream. Was perfection! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Sally,
I made this over the weekend and it was really delicious. I used only half of the granulated sugar and didn’t add any of the “optional” ingredients since I didn’t have them on hand. As a Vermont girl, I love an excuse to put maple syrup in anything and this was a great way to add it! Thanks for the recipe; I will make this again.
Best,
Rachel
Hello from Ontario! I just came across your recipe while googling for a Christmas dinner dessert that would be gf for my sister-in-law. My niece is allergic to almonds. Do you think that I could substitute walnuts? I usually add them to the topping when I make apple crisp since they pair so nicely with all the flavours and add extra crunch. But I don’t know about making them into a “flour”. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Absolutely. Finely ground walnuts would be just fine. They won’t get as finely cut as the almonds, but it will work.
I am making this in a 6×13 pan and it seems like there isn’t enough topping to cover. Can I make a double batch of topping next time or do I need to use a more square pan?
The topping should fit a 9-inch round or square pan quite nicely. You may need to double the topping for your size pan.
Sally I have never had an apple crisp before. I just made this and it is in the top 5 desserts I have ever had!
just made this with all Gala apples because I have an abundance of them. It turned out great (although I did leave out the maple syrup in the filling, did not replace it with anything it was sweet enough as is). I used whole almonds ground for the almond meal and I love it, the slight almond taste is incredible with the apples and cinnamon. Thanks for another winning recipe, Sally!