This scrumptious vegan apple crisp is loaded with cinnamon, ginger, and dried cranberries. The oatmeal topping is made with a blend of pecans, walnuts, almond butter, and coconut sugar, giving it a pleasant and nutty crunch!
Jump to:
This plant-based dessert is where it’s at! Apple crisp is a classic! And it’s way easier to make than an apple pie. It’s an all-time American classic. Numerous recipes exist, and most home cooks have their favorite version. A classic apple crisp recipe is made with brown sugar, white flour, and butter, which doesn’t work well if you’re vegan.
I have created the best vegan apple crisp that is just as delicious as the classic!
This recipe was a big hit in my house! Confession time…we all ended up eating the leftovers for breakfast! If you like this recipe, you may also like my sugar-free applesauce.
💗 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This recipe is vegan and low in sugar. All of the sweet flavors that give this apple crisp its flavor naturally occur from the apples and coconut sugar.
- Make it a gluten-free apple crisp by using gluten-free oats to ensure that there isn’t any cross-contamination.
- The nutty crisp topping is made without oil or butter, reducing the overall calories.
- It’s a healthy spin on an American classic!
🥣 Ingredients and Notes
Apple Mixture
Granny Smith Apples: Use a tart apple like Granny Smith’s. They hold their texture and shape well when baked, and the tart flavor compliments the other sweet elements.
Dried Cranberries: Most dried cranberries have a lot of added sugar. However, you can find sugar-free versions in health food stores such as Whole Foods. I keep these Sugar Free Cranberries stocked in my pantry.
Spices: Ground ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla extract infuse the apples with warm spices.
Water: The apples need additional moisture and liquid. Use water or apple cider if it’s in season.
Arrowroot Powder: Instead of using flour, the arrowroot powder helps to hold all the ingredients in the filling together and creates a thick, syrupy consistency when combined with the juices of the apples after baked.
Coconut Sugar: This refined sugar-free option gives the apple crisp the perfect balance of sweetness. You can always use brown sugar if you prefer.
Crumble Topping
Rolled Oats: Be sure to use rolled oats, not quick or steel-cut oats.
Nuts: Chopped raw pecans and raw walnuts give the crumble a nice crunch and a roasted nutty flavor.
Spices: A touch of ground cinnamon and kosher salt bring out the flavors of the other ingredients. A touch of salt to taste balances the flavors.
Almond Butter: The almond butter binds the crumble topping ingredients together without the need for vegan butter or coconut oil.
📖 Variations and Substitutions
- If you don’t have arrowroot powder, you can use cornstarch instead.
- Substitute the coconut sugar with maple syrup, which is a natural refined sugar-free sweetener.
- Or use date syrup, date sugar, or whole dates as your sweetener for a more natural approach.
- Use almond flour instead of rolled oats for a keto-friendly, low-carb version, and monk fruit sweetener instead of coconut sugar.
- Use sliced pears instead of apples for a sugar-free pear crisp.
- Make this a blueberry crisp by adding 6 cups of blueberries and the zest and juice of 1 lemon.
🍴Tools and Equipment
You’ll need a Food Processor to mix the oat and nut topping easily. Check out my Essential Kitchen Tools for more of my can’t live without tools. Use either a round 9-inch baking dish or a rectangular 9×9-inch square baking dish. An apple corer will make coring and slicing your apples a breeze!
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Vegan Apple Crisp
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Slice, core, and peel six apples.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the sliced apples with the cranberries (optional), cinnamon, ginger, monk fruit sweetener, vanilla, arrowroot powder, and water.
- Combine the oats, ground flax, pecans, walnuts, brown monk fruit sweetener, almond butter, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until a crumbly paste is made.
- Spray your baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the apple mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle oat crumble evenly over the top.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown and the apples release their juices and soften. Serve warm.
💭 Expert Tips
- Cut the apples into thin slices. It takes time for apples to release their moisture, so the thinner the slices, the less time to cook, and the more quickly the apples will soften and make a nice caramel sauce with their juices.
- It’s up to you whether you’d like to peel the apples. There are a lot of excellent nutrients in the peel, and the peel softens when cooking. Plus, it saves time to skip the peeling step.
- The sugar-free cranberries in this recipe are optional. I’ve had many readers ask where they can find sugar-free cranberries. I buy the brand Honestly Cranberry on Amazon and have seen it in Whole Foods.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Crisps, crumbles, and cobblers are all types of baked fruit desserts but differ in their ingredients and preparation methods. A crisp typically consists of baked fruit topped with a crispy streusel-like topping. A crumble is similar to a crisp, but the topping is coarser and crumblier because it contains more butter and less flour than a crisp topping. Conversely, a cobbler has a biscuit-like topping that is dropped in spoonfuls on top of the fruit filling, giving it a more rustic appearance.
When making a crisp, you want to choose apples that hold their shape well during baking and have a balance of sweet and tart flavors. Some of the best apple varieties for making a crisp include Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Jonagold, and Cortland. Or choose a combination of these apple varieties to balance sweetness and tartness in your crisp.
Wash the apples under cold water to remove any dirt or debris. Place the apple on a cutting board and use a sharp vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the apple. Start at the top of the apple and work your way down to the bottom, rotating the apple as you go. Once the apple is peeled, place it on the cutting board and slice it in half from top to bottom. Use a sharp paring knife to remove the core from each half of the apple. You can do this by making a circular cut around the core and then removing it with a twisting motion. Place each apple half flat side down on the cutting board and slice or chop as desired. You can also use an apple-corer to speed up the process.
🍽 How to Serve
Serve warm or at room temperature. Here are a few serving suggestions:
Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream: A classic serving method is with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. The warm, crispy topping and tender apples perfectly complement the cool, creamy ice cream.
Whipped Cream: Another option is to serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top. This adds a light, airy texture and a touch of sweetness to the dish.
Caramel Sauce: Drizzle vegan caramel sauce over the apple crisp for a decadent treat. This adds a rich, buttery flavor and a touch of sweetness that complements the flavors of the baked apples and crispy topping.
Side of Fruit: If you want to balance out the sweetness of the apple crisp, serve it with a side of fresh fruit, such as fresh raspberries. This adds a fresh, tart flavor that cuts through the richness of the dessert.
❄️ Storage and Reheating
Keep your vegan apple crisp covered and in the fridge. The topping of this crisp holds up well in the refrigerator. You don’t need to worry about getting a soggy top. It will keep for up to 5 days.
When you’re ready to reheat, place it in the oven at 350° F for 15 minutes or until warmed through.
You can also pop it in the microwave to reheat. Time will vary depending on how much you are reheating at a time. A small single serving needs no more than 30 seconds, while a whole apple crisp needs a bit more time.
🍎 More Low-Sugar Apple Recipes!
🎥 Video
⚖️ Serving Size
This apple crisp makes eight servings. Each serving is about ⅔ of a cup.
Recipe
Vegan Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 6 Granny Smith Apples cored and sliced
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup dried cranberries optional
- 2 tablespoon arrowroot powder or corn starch
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ginger
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
Crisp Topping
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¼ cup ground flax
- ¼ cup raw walnuts
- ¼ cup raw pecans
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup almond butter or other raw nut butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Slice, core, and peel six apples.
- Combine sliced apples with cranberries, cinnamon, ginger, coconut sugar, vanilla, arrowroot powder, and water. Toss to combine.
- Combine the rolled oats, ground flax, pecans, walnuts, coconut sugar, almond butter, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until a crumbly paste is made.
- Spray the 9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the apple mixture on the bottom, and sprinkle the oat crumble evenly over the top.
- Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until top browns and apples release their juices and soften. Serve warm.
Notes
-
- Cut the apples into thin slices. It takes time for the apples to release their moisture, so the thinner the slices, the less time to cook, and the more quickly the apples will soften and make a nice caramel sauce with their juices.
-
- It’s up to you whether you’d like to peel the apples. There are a lot of excellent nutrients in the peel, and the peel softens when cooking. Plus, it saves time to skip the peeling step.
-
- Honestly Cranberry is an excellent brand if you are looking for sugar-free cranberries.
- Keep in the refrigerator covered in an airtight container. It will last for up to 5 days when refrigerated. When ready to reheat, warm in a preheated oven at 350° F for up to 15 minutes or in the microwave.
- Be sure to use gluten-free rolled oats if you are gluten-free.
- If you don’t have arrowroot powder, use corn starch.
- Use almond flour instead of rolled oats for a keto-friendly, low-carb version.
- Substitute coconut sugar with maple syrup, which is also a natural and refined sugar-free sweetener. Or date syrup, date sugar, or whole dates as your sweetener.
April
Super delicious! Our family are participating in Veganuary and cut out all refined sugars and processed foods at the same time. I left out the cranberries because my son does not like cooked dried fruit (don’t ask). My kiddos were super excited to see this hit the table. We all loved it! Thank you.
Alison Corey
I’m so glad that your family enjoyed this recipe! Good for all of you for giving up refined sugar, and trying Veganuary! I hope you discover more delicious vegan recipes!
Adriana
How lovely your apple crisp looks and so easy to make too, need a bowl!
Beth
I could eat apple crisp morning, noon and night! I love the addition of cranberries! Yum!
Andrea
Awesome recipe. Really like that you use granny smith’s and that it’s gluten free and sugar free.
Nicole J.
I love apple crisps! They are the perfect fall recipe. Definitely going to try this out!
Jenny
This sounds amazing. I have an oat allergy though – do you think I could just use more nuts instead of the oats?
Alison Corey
You could use a gluten-free flour or a whole wheat flour.
Sara Welch
Such a great recipe for fall! Looking forward to enjoying this all season long; delish!