Classic gluten-free apple crisp. Made with sliced apples and a crunchy and sweet gluten-free topping. Great served warm with ice cream.
Why You’ll Love This Gluten-Free Apple Crisp
- Easy-to-make. This apple crisp tastes like an apple pie with none of the hard work.
- Crunchy topping. There’s something delightful about a nice crunchy topping sitting on warm, soft apples.
- Not-too-sweet. Some apple crisps are really sweet. Not this one! It uses a little brown sugar but doesn’t tip into overly sweet territory.
Gluten-Free Apple Crisp Ingredients
Apples: The best apple crisp starts with good apples. I like to use a combination of Granny Smith apples and Braeburn. The granny smith apples bring a tart flavor that goes well with the topping, while the Braeburn bake up juicy and a little sweet. (But they don’t get soggy.)
Lemon: The zest and juice of a fresh lemon adds a bit of freshness to the apples and also enhance their flavor.
Brown Sugar: There’s a little brown sugar in both the filling and the topping of this apple crisp. If you prefer a less-sweet apple crisp, you can skip the sugar in the filling.
Salt: A pinch of salt brings out the flavors of both the filling and the topping.
Gluten-Free Flour: You can use either a gluten-free flour blend or a gluten-free flour like white or brown rice flour, sorghum flour, or millet for the topping. The gluten-free flour thickens the filling and helps to give the topping a nice texture.
Gluten-Free Whole Oats: Gluten-free oats add a nice crunch to the topping. As always, be sure to use gluten-free oats. If you avoid oats, replace them with quinoa flakes.
Cinnamon: I keep the spice simple when it comes to apple crisp: I use ground cinnamon. However, if you prefer a blend of apple pie spices, like nutmeg, clove, and ginger, go ahead and use them.
Butter: Cold butter is cut into the topping to give it body and richness. If you’re dairy-free, use a dairy-free butter replacement.
Nuts, optional: Some folks love their gluten-free apple crisp with a nutty crunch. You can add up to one cup chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, or pecans) if you’d like.
How to Make Gluten-Free Apple Crisp, the Basic Steps
- Preheat your oven and prep your pan. Before you begin, preheat your oven and butter your baking dish. This way, they are ready and waiting.
- Prep the Topping. I like to prep my topping before I make the filling. This way, after I slice the apples, I’m ready to top and bake.
- Prep the Filling. Peel and slice the apples. Then toss with the filling ingredients. Spoon into your prepared baking dish. That’s it.
- Top and Bake. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling and bake until the filling bubbles.
- Serve. Gluten-free apple crisp tastes best when served warm. You can serve it about 20 minutes after baking or re-warm it before serving. I love it with vanilla ice cream but, of course, this is totally optional.
Gluten-Free Apple Crisp: FAQs
Can I use almond flour?
You can! The texture of a gluten-free apple crisp made with almond flour instead of a gluten-free flour will be different because almond flour is very rich and doesn’t absorb liquid.
Can I use coconut flour?
I don’t recommend coconut flour in this recipe because of how it absorbs liquid.
Can I omit the oats?
You can. If you don’t want to use oats, you have two options: either replace them with gluten-free quinoa flakes or you can increase the gluten-free flour to 1 1/4 cups. Please note that gluten-free apple crisp made without oats resembles a gluten-free cobbler, more than a traditional crisp.
Gluten-Free Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Topping
- 1 cup old-fashioned whole oats (3 ½ ounces; 100 grams)
- ¾ cup gluten-free flour (4 ounces; 115 grams)
- ½ cup packed light or dark brown sugar (3 ¾ ounces; 110 grams)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, cold and cut into 14 pieces (1 stick; 4 ounces; 115g)
Filling
- 5 pounds apples, cut into thick slices (about 7 to 8 large apples, 10 cups sliced.)
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- ¼ cup packed light or dark brown sugar, see note
- ¼ cup gluten-free flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350° F (177 °). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with softened butter or nonstick cooking spray.
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Prepare the topping: Whisk together oats, gluten-free flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers until crumbly. Set aside.
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Prepare the filling: Stir together the apple slices, lemon zest and juice. Add the brown sugar, gluten-free flour, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until all the apple slices are evenly coated.
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Spread the apples into an even layer in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apple slices.
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Bake until the apples are soft and filling bubbles, about 45 minutes. Remove pan from the oven. Allow apple crisp to cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
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Store leftover apple crisp covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat before serving in the microwave on low heat for about 30 seconds.
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