Healthy Apple Crisp

An easy apple crisp recipe that uses lower sugar compared to the traditional recipe, making this fall classic a new healthy favorite. Use gluten free oats as needed! Nut-free and vegan-friendly.

Why You’ll Love It

• Easy to make – just make the apple filling and oat crumble topping then bake!
• Lightened up but lots of flavor – we’re making a healthier version by using less sugar than traditional apple crisp. You truthfully don’t need a lot anyway, as long as you use sweeter apples.
• Dietary friendly – this recipe is easy to make gluten-free using certified gluten-free oats, and vegan friendly using plant based butter. It’s nut-free too!
• The perfect fall dessert that doubles as breakfast leftovers – I love enjoying this apple crisp with some yogurt the next morning.

Best Apples for Baked Apple Crisp

I like to use different types of apples for baking this crisp recipe. Here I opted for Granny Smith apples, which will add some tartness to the recipe, along with Honeycrisp apples, which as we all know are deliciously sweet and crunchy. Both varieties hold up well when baking apple recipes.

What You Need for this Recipe

Let’s break down what we need to make this healthy apple crisp

Apple Mixture

• fresh apples – Here I used a mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp, or you could try Jonagold or Cosmic Crisp.
• lemon juice – helps keep the apples from turning brown while you cut them and also cuts the sweetness a bit. 
• brown sugar – or coconut sugar if looking for a refined sugar free option.
• tapioca flour – feel free to sub cornstarch, which will help thicken the juices that release as the apples bake. You can probably get away without it if you don’t have either of these. You’ll just end up with a much juicier filling.
• ground cinnamon – because what would an apple crisp be without the addition of cinnamon?! 
• vanilla extract – for a hint of floral sweetness.

Topping Ingredients

• rolled oats – using old-fashioned oats will give the oat topping the best texture (compared to quick oats). Note: this recipe does not work with steel cut oats.
• flour – this oat topping is fairly forgiving, meaning you can use a variety of whole grain flours to suit your needs. I used gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose baking flour, but you can also use whole wheat pastry flour, whole wheat white flour, or a mix of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour.
• brown sugar – to add sweetness to the topping.
• cinnamon – adds warm and big burst of flavor. You can’t do apple crisp without it. If you really like spice, feel free to add in a pinch of ginger and all spice for a little special flavor.
• salt – enhances flavor
• butter – feel free to use a plant based / vegan butter or conventional. Coconut oil can be used in its place, but the topping won’t brown as much and also have a more distinct coconut flavor.

Recommended Tools

• glass mixing bowls
• measuring cups
• 9×9 casserole dish

Recipe Step-by-Step

Let’s go over the steps to make this easy apple crisp. The most time consuming part of this recipe is cutting the apples, but hopefully you have an extra set of hands to help! If not, enjoy the process and relish in the baked deliciousness once it’s done.

Step 2 – Make the oat topping

Next you’ll make the apple crisp topping which is just rolled oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon (+ spices, if using), salt and melted butter. Mix all the crumble ingredients together in a medium bowl until fully combined. Now layer on the oat crumble onto the apples in your baking dish.

Step 3 – Bake it! 

Now all that’s left to do is bake until you get tender apples and a nice crispy topping – about 40 minutes at 350ºF.

More Apple Recipes to Try

• Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
• Cinnamon Swirl Apple Bread
• Healthier Apple Pie
• Apple Cinnamon Muffins

If you make this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and comment below! It helps others learn about the recipe too! Xx Ashley

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