What makes this gluten free apple crisp recipe the best is a combination of warm spices, brown sugar, big chunks of tender apples and extra crisp topping.
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How to prepare the apples for this apple crisp
This apple recipe calls for chopping your peeled and cored apples into chunks. That way, the apples in the filling remain chunky and don't turn into applesauce.
To ensure that no one bites into a crispy piece of apple, and that all the apple chunks are perfectly fork-tender, we begin by baking the filling alone in the baking dish. During this step the baking dish is covered with foil to capture the steam the apples give off, which helps them cook quickly but still gently (stirring once after 15 minutes, to make use of the liquid that forms on the bottom of the baking dish).
When the crisp topping is added, the apples are about halfway to being fork-tender. When you return the apple crisp to the oven without the foil cover, the crisp topping bakes and browns beautifully in just the time it takes for the apples to finish baking and make a delicious, caramel-style sauce.
If you'd prefer to slice the apples into 1/4-inch thick slices, you can follow the instructions for preparing the filling in our recipe for gluten free apple crumble.
How to make different gluten free fruit desserts
Gluten free apple crisp is one thing, but not all gluten free fruit dessert recipes follow the same rules. If you'd prefer to make a fruit dessert with berries, for example, you'd need a different recipe, like our master fruit crumble recipe, which can be made with any berry or combination of berries.
Not only do berries bake differently than apples and stone fruits, but their flavor profiles are different. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and even blackberries begin to break down as soon as you apply heat on the stovetop or in the oven.
Stone fruits, like peaches and nectarines, and to a lesser extent apricots and plums, are more fibrous than berries. Apples are much more fibrous than other fruits, so they must be baked longer and often differently (like this apple crisp recipe, where we parbake them first for 30 minutes without the crisp topping).
Although all the warm spices, like cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon, are perfect for apples and even stone fruits, berries are best with a touch of sugar and salt alone.
What's in the gluten free crisp topping?
A crisp is a crustless fruit-based dessert with a warm, brown sugar topping that “crisps” really well in the oven. We don't want the topping to hold its shape during baking.
If you see any large clumps of topping when it’s raw, break them up! That's why we don't refrigerate the topping unless the butter was too hot and the topping is really really loose.
In this topping recipe, you'll find the simplest ingredients. They are:
- Gluten free flour, for structure
- Granulated sugar for crispness and sweetness
- Light brown sugar for sweetness, caramelization, and aroma
- Butter, for fat, crispness, and flavor
- Oats, for texture (but they can be replaced if you can't have oats)
- Warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, for aroma and warmth
- A touch of salt, to brighten the flavors
Other easy gluten free apple desserts
I used to consider baking with apples to be something best reserved for the chill of fall weather, when apples are in season—especially here in my home state of New York. After all, I only buy summer fruits like fresh berries and watermelon when they're in season.
But apples are like bananas these days: always available in every grocery store, and always just as good as they'll ever be. In apple season, there are more varieties available, but you'll almost always find Granny Smith apples and they're ideal for using in this recipe, and these other easy gf apple desserts:
- Gluten Free Dutch Apple Pie
- Gluten Free Apple Cider Donuts
- Gluten Free Apple Fritters
- Miniature Handheld Gluten Free Apple Pies
How to make gluten free crisp without oats
It is possible to make a gluten free apple crisp without oats. When properly sourced, certified gluten free oats are gluten free. However, you may still need or want to avoid them. In this recipe, making a substitute for oats is quite simple:
To replace the ½ cup (50 g) of certified gluten free old-fashioned rolled oats in the gf apple crisp topping recipe here, please use one of the following:
- an equal amount, by weight, of quinoa flakes (buckwheat flakes would also work, but they’re not easily available in the U.S.); or
- ¼ cup (36 g) additional all purpose gluten free flour blend. Just use more of the gf flour blend you’re already using.
Ingredients and substitution suggestions
How to make gluten free dairy free apple crisp
The only dairy used in this recipe is the butter in the topping. Since we're melting the butter, and we want it to brown, I think nearly any butter substitute would work well here.
If you use Earth Balance buttery sticks or another margarine-type dairy free butter alternative, you may have to reduce the second baking time, so just watch it carefully for browning. If you're using vegan butter, like Melt brand or Miyoko's Kitchen brand, there shouldn't be any difference in baking.
How to make gluten free oat free apple crisp
In brief, if you can't have or would prefer to avoid even certified gluten free oats, try replacing them with 50 grams of quinoa flakes, or an additional ¼ cup (36 g) of your all purpose gluten free flour blend. For a more complete discussion of making gluten free apple crisp without oats, please see that heading above.
A personal apple-adjacent note
When I first published this post in 2011, my three children were 9, 7, and 6 years old. Each year, they would run down through the orchard, just like they did in this photo from 2011.
They're all teenagers and beyond now (the oldest is even in her early 20's). Sometimes, when the stars align, one or two of them will still agree to go apple picking with us, as a family.
Even if they're just in it for the crisps, pies, and muffins that I always bake for weeks afterward, I'll take it. I'm certain, when we were in the thick of those young ages, I didn't take it in enough. You never do, really.
Gluten Free Apple Crisp FAQs
If some parts are crispy and others are dry, you probably didn't mix the melted butter into the other crisp topping ingredients well enough. The butter is what helps it all crisp in the oven!
Your oven also may not have been hot enough, so the crisp bakes too gently to become, well, crispy! If you didn't finish the dish by baking it uncovered, the topping will be surrounded by steam and that will cause a soggy crisp.
When your crisp is done baking, the topping will be golden brown, the apples fork tender, and the filling gently bubbling.
If you'd like to skip that step, you can cook the apple filling first on the stovetop at medium-low heat. Start out with the pan covered for about 15 minutes, then uncovered for another 5 minutes or until the apples are fork tender. Then, pile the warm filling into the baking dish, cover with the prepared crisp topping, and follow the last 2 instructions in the recipe to finish the dish.
For the best results, you should only make the filling ahead of time either in the oven or on the stovetop. Cool it completely, then store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Then, proceed with the recipe as written from the start, ignoring the instructions to cook the apple filling until fork tender.
Leftovers of this crisp keep surprising well, although the topping will soften as it sits on top of the wet filling. Pile the leftovers into a sealed storage container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Warm it in a heat-safe dish in the toaster oven at 300°F until heated through.
Gluten Free Apple Crisp
Ingredients
For the crisp topping
- 1 ½ cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter)
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- ½ cup (50 g) certified gluten free old-fashioned rolled oats See Recipe Notes for substitute
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg optional
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar
- 12 tablespoons (168 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
For the apple filling
- 2 tablespoons (18 g) gum-free gluten free flour blend See Recipe Notes for substitute.
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
- 3 pounds (about 6 large apples) Granny Smith apples (or other tart and firm apple) peeled, cored and chopped into 3/4-inch cubes
- ¼ cup (2 fluid ounces) lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish and set it aside.
Prepare the crisp topping.
- In a medium-sized bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, oats, granulated sugar, cinnamon, optional nutmeg and salt, and mix to combine. Add the brown sugar, and mix again, working out any lumps.
- Add the melted butter, and mix to combine well. The mixture will be thick. Chill only briefly if at all loose or warm. Set the topping aside.
Prepare the apple filling.
- In a large bowl, place flour, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar, and toss to combine well, breaking up any lumps in the brown sugar. Add the apples, and toss to coat the apples completely.
- Transfer the filling to the prepared baking dish, add the 1/4 cup lukewarm water and vanilla extract, and stir to combine again. Spread the apple chunks into an even layer.
- Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet, cover the dish with aluminum foil, and place it in the oven to begin to soften the apples. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove and uncover the dish to stir the apples. Cover again, return to the oven, and continue to bake for another 15 minutes.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and place on a heatproof surface. Remove the foil, stir the apples and spread them again into an even layer.
- Scatter the crisp topping evenly on top, breaking up any larger clumps of topping, and press gently on top to help the topping adhere to the apples.
- Return the dish to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the topping is golden brown (about 25 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving warm, topped with the optional vanilla ice cream.
Notes
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Christeen McKenzie says
Hi Nicole, thanks so much for all of your effort in not only coming up with so many amazingly good recipes, but also for making them available to us in your cookbooks and online! You are absolutely generous and genius! 😇. I can’t have oats, but miss the texture in baking. I’ve started using lightly toasted thin almond slices and it provides that missing texture and crunch as well as visual appeal. I suppose you could try slivered almonds as well, but I prefer the thinly sliced to replace rolled oats. Thanks again, Nicole!
Lenora says
I freeze a GF/DF apple pie filling each fall with all our apples and this worked perfectly with this crisp!! The substitution of quinoa flakes was just perfect for our oatmeal intolerant grandson, thank you so much for these wonderful substitutions that allow us to make life just a bit sweeter for those we love:) He loved it!
Nicole Hunn says
You’re so welcome, Lenora. You’re baking up a storm! Lucky family. :)
Dorrie Berkowitz says
These look great! And many thanks for keeping the metric option. As a result of using your recipes (with great success, I might add), I have changed to weighing ingredients. You’re a magic woman!
Nicole Hunn says
Hahaha, Dorrie, that’s the kind of magic I need! Everyone should bake by weight. So glad you’ve had such success.
Carol hunt says
Can this be substituted for butter.. “I can’t believe it is not butter?” Cannot have all the fats. Thank you.
Nicole Hunn says
I don’t recommend the sort of butter that comes in a tub, no, Carol.
Joanne Gonsalves says
I cannot get this recipe to print. Clicking on “Print” takes me back to the top of the pages every time. I’ve printed many of your recipes and have your first 2 books on my Kindle. I don’t know why this one won’t print.
Nicole Hunn says
I’m not sure, Joanne. That sounds really frustrating. I’m using a new recipe card plugin, but it seems to be working. Please try clearing your browser’s cache or try a different browser (you may be looking at a cached version of the post, which is a republish from some years ago). Here’s a link to the printable recipe, too, for your convenience. Hope that helps!