Gluten free apple crisp is the perfect way to enjoy an easy fall treat, without the effort! This gluten free apple dessert is loaded with fresh apple cinnamon filling and a double topping, chock full of buttery oats and brown sugar!
Ingredients Needed
An easy recipe for gluten free apple crisp only requires fresh apples and staple kitchen ingredients! For a caramel apple version, don’t forget to pick up some caramel topping to drizzle on when serving.
Fruit Filling:
- Apples – I prefer Golden Delicious, but see below for alternative baking apples.
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Lemon juice
- Melted butter
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
Crumble Topping:
- Old-fashioned rolled oats (gluten free certified)
- All purpose gluten free flour blend – I use and recommend Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour.
- Brown sugar
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Unsalted butter
- Optional nuts, such as chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds
How To Make Gluten free apple crisp with oats
- First make the apple filling by whisking together water, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir in the chopped apples, grated apple and sugar.
- Transfer to a baking dish and drizzle melted butter over the top. Securely cover with foil and bake at 400ºF for 20 minutes.
- While the apples are partially baking, begin the gluten free crisp topping. In a food processor (see recipe notes for alternative “by hand” method) place 3/4 cup oats, flour, brown sugar, vanilla, water, and salt. Pulse briefly to combine.
- Add the butter and half the nuts, if using. Process until all the ingredients comes together in a large, crumbly ball.
- Add remaining nuts and 1/3 cup oats. Pulse 2-3 times to just combine.
- Break off clumps and scatter over partially baked apple filling. Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes, or until the juices are bubbly and top is golden brown. Serve with ice cream and caramel topping for apple caramel crisp.
Best apples to use for baking
With so many apple varieties out there, it’s hard to know which are best for baking! Apple crumble can be made with a variety of apples for diverse flavor and texture.
These apples are known to be good for baking, hold their shape, and don’t turn mushy. My personal favorite to use for gluten free apple desserts are Golden Delicious because they also have a perfectly balanced flavor, not too sweet or too tart.
- Honeycrisp
- Granny Smith (these apples are tarter so may want to pair with something else)
- Jonagold
- Braeburn
- Pink Lady
- Golden Delicious
Difference between apple crumble, crisp, and cobbler
- Fruit cobbler usually has a biscuit topping, made from scratch or with Bisquick. Some recipes use a cake mix or cookie dough for the topping. When making a gluten free fruit cobbler, you will want to use gluten free biscuits or gluten free shortcakes and cornstarch or tapioca as a naturally gluten free thickener for the fruit sauce.
- Fruit crisp topping contains oats, which crisp up when baked. There are many versions of crisp, such as peach crisp, blackberry, or the ever popular apple crisp.
- Fruit crumble is very similar to crisp. Technically a crumble does not contain oats, and is more of a streusel topping with flour, butter, and sugar. However, the terms crisp and crumble are often used interchangeably.
Frequently asked questions
Why grate an apple for the filling?
The trick of grating one apple in the filling with the chopped apples is a technique Cook’s Illustrated uses. The grated apple breaks down during baking, leaving the filling juices optimally flavored and thicken. I’ve tried it both ways (because grating an apple is an extra step), but taking the time to grate an apple definitely makes the filling SO much better!
Can I use canned apple pie filling?
Yes, but fresh is best! If you want to save a step, and make apple crisp with canned apple pie filling, use two 20 ounce cans. The crisp will be a lot sweeter, so you may also want to decrease the amount of brown sugar in topping.
Can I make this recipe without a food processor?
Yes. This homemade apple crisp may still be enjoyed by replacing some of the oats with oat flour, almond flour, or coconut flour and mixing by hand.
Stir together 1/2 cup oat, coconut, or almond flour with gluten free flour, brown sugar, sugar, salt, 1/3 cup old fashioned oats, and optional chopped nuts. Then use a pastry blender or fork to mix in the vanilla extract, water, and softened butter.
Serving apple crisp
Fruit crisp is best served slightly warmed with ice cream or whipped cream. For a gluten free caramel apple crisp, either drizzle caramel topping over the oat topping or on top the ice cream. Caramel apple crisp is always a wonderful step up!
How to store gluten free fruit crisp
Store baked gluten free crisp on your counter, covered with foil, at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. Avoid using plastic wrap, which traps moisture, making the topping soggy.
If you would like to keep your dessert for longer than 2 days, store it well covered in your refrigerator for up to one week.
When you are ready to enjoy let it come to room temperature for about 20-30 minutes. For optimal reheating, place it in your oven at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes or until heated through. You may need to cover with foil if the topping starts to get too brown.
If you would like to freeze your crisp, bake and allow to cool completely. Then, wrap the cooled crisp tightly in plastic wrap, cover in foil, and freeze for up to three months.
To reheat the crisp after it has been frozen, thaw either on the counter, or in the fridge overnight and then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through.
More gluten free Apple Recipes
- Apple Cheesecake Bars
- Fresh Apple Cake
- Snickers Apple Pie
- Bacon Apple Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
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Gluten Free Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 ¾ pounds (about 5 large) Golden Delicious apples, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
- 1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled and grated
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Oat Topping
- ¾ + ⅓ cup gluten free old-fashioned rolled oats, divided
- ⅓ cup all purpose gluten free flour (I recommend Cup 4 Cup)
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut in 8 pieces
- ⅓ cup (optional) chopped nuts, pecans, walnuts, or almonds
- (optional) caramel ice cream topping, for serving
Instructions
Apple Filling:
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Grease a 11X7 or 2 quart baking dish.
- In a large bowl whisk together water, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add chopped apples, grated apple and sugar. Stir to combine.
- Transfer to prepared baking dish. Pour melted butter over top of apple filling. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Oat Topping:
- While apples are partially cooking, make topping. In a food processor (see recipe notes for by hand method) place 3/4 cup oats, flour, brown sugar, vanilla, water, and salt. Pulse to combine, about 5 times.
- Add butter and half the nuts, if using. Process until all the ingredients comes together in a large, crumbly ball. Stop halfway through to scrape down bowl, if necessary.
- Add remaining nuts and 1/3 cup oats. Pulse 2-3 times to combine.
- Break off clumps and scatter over partially baked apple filling. Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes, or until the juices are bubbly and top is golden brown. Let crisp cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, until warm, and then serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
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Equipment Needed
Recipe Notes
By Hand Method:
Stir together 1/2 cup oat, coconut, or almond flour with gluten free flour, brown sugar, sugar, salt, 1/3 cup old fashioned oats, and optional chopped nuts. Then use a pastry blender or fork to mix in the vanilla extract, water, and softened butter.Storing Fruit Crisp
Store baked crisp on the counter, covered with foil, at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. Avoid using plastic wrap, which traps moisture, making the topping soggy. To keep longer than 2 days, store it in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to one week. When you are ready to enjoy your crisp, bring it out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 20-30 minutes. For optimal reheating, place it in a 300°F oven for about 20 minutes, or until heated through. You may need to cover with foil if the topping starts to get too brown. To freeze, bake and allow to cool completely. Then, wrap the cooled crisp tightly in plastic wrap, cover in foil, and freeze for up to three months. To reheat frozen crisp, thaw either on the counter, or in the fridge overnight and then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through. Individual servings of fruit crisp may also be reheated in the microwave, but the topping will become soft. For best results, use an oven or toaster oven for reheating. Recipe adapted from The How Can It Be Gluten Free CookbookNutrition
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