There’s nothing like a warm, golden brown gluten free apple crisp with oats to welcome the cozy season! This apple crisp recipe combines tart Granny Smith apples with sweet Honey Crisp apples for the best apple filling. It is sweetened with brown sugar but if you’d like to use maple syrup or coconut sugar, that works really well too! Add a splash of lemon juice and a delicious filling is on its way.
Then we make a thick, crisp topping from certified gluten-free oats, oat flour, gluten-free all purpose flour, and melted butter (or vegan butter) and, classic apple flavors of brown sugar and warm spices of cinnamon. I like eating it as is, but if you want to take it over the top, finish it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and homemade caramel sauce! It’s the ultimate gluten-free apple crisp experience that’s sure to satisfy all apple pie cravings!
I grew up with apple trees right outside our front door. Fall was already my favorite season because my birthday is in September, and in Minnesota, that is when temperatures (usually) start to get chilly. I loved apple harvest time and have many fond memories of eating apple crisp all throughout my childhood. So once I perfected the best apple crumble, I knew I needed to share this easy apple crisp recipe with you.
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Table of Contents
What Are The Best Apples To Use For Gluten Free Apple Crisp?
The best apples for a gluten-free apple crisp are those that hold their shape and offer a balance of sweetness and tartness. Here are five top choices:
- Green Granny Smith Apples – These apples are famously tart and firm, making them ideal for baking. They add a delicious tang to the crisp, balancing the sweetness of the crumble topping.
- Honeycrisp Apples – These juicy and sweet apples
have a sturdy texture making Honeycrisps a great choice for apple crisp. They add a natural sweetness and a perfect crispness to the apple filling. - Golden Delicious Apples – Milder than other varieties, Golden Delicious apples provide a subtle sweetness that complements spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. They also soften a bit more, creating a nice contrast with firmer apples like Granny Smith.
- Braeburn Apples – These sweet-tart apples hold up well under heat, adding both structure and depth to the crisp.
- Cortland Apples – Known for their crisp flesh and resistance to browning, Cortland apples are fantastic for baking. Their lack of oxidation means they retain fresh flavors without any off-taste from browning, though they’re best used quickly as their flavor fades with storage.
Using a mix—such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Cortland—gives a balanced blend of sweet, tart, and juicy flavors for the ultimate gluten-free apple crisp.
Why You’ll Love this Gluten Free Apple Crisp With Oats
One of my favorite things about gluten-free apple crisp is that most of the ingredients are pantry staples, which means I can make it on fairly short notice.
The combination of simple ingredients along with fresh apples means I can whip up a delicious apple dessert in no time. The most time-consuming part of this apple recipes is prepping the apples, but I have a tool for that listed in the equipment that seems like a hack, so make sure to check that out.
Equipment for Making Apple Crisp With Oats Easy
The most time consuming part of making apple crips of any kind, regular or gluten free, dairy free is always the prepping of the apples. What if I told you there was a tool that makes it not only easier but kind of fun too?
Well let me introduce you to an Apple Peeler Corer! It peels, corers and slices the apples all at the same time. My kids love using it to make apple spirals and I also use it, without the corer/ spiral attachment, to peel potatoes for Thanksgiving.
But if you don’t have one of these tools yet and can’t wait for Amazon to bring you one, a simple Vegetable Peeler works well too. Once you’ve peeled the apples, you can use a Apple Cutter and Divider if you have one of those as well.
The other item you will need for this recipe is a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Ingredients For This Classic Fall Dessert
For the Apple Filling:
- 8 cups Apples
- (A mixture of apples listed above: peeled, cored, and sliced. See the equipment list for a tool that makes this step a breeze.)
- 2 tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 3 tbsp. Brown Sugar (or Maple Syrup, or Coconut Sugar)
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch (for thickening)
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg (optional)
For the Oat Topping:
- 1 cup Gluten-Free Oat Flour
- 1 cup Gluten-Free Rolled Oats*
- 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (King Arthur Measure for Measure)
- 1 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Melted Butter (1 stick) (or Vegan Butter for Dairy-Free)
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Instructions:
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F and grab a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Prepare the Apples: In a large bowl (or right in the 9×13 pan), toss the sliced apples with lemon juice.
- Mix the Filling Ingredients: In a small bowl mix up the filling ingredients and stir into the apple slices. Once fully coated, spread the apple mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish.
- Make the Oat Topping: In a medium bowl, mix the oats, gluten-free flour, oat flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Wet into Dry: Add the vanilla into the melted butter, then pour it into the dry ingredients till combined.
- Assemble: Sprinkle the oat topping evenly over the apples in the baking dish.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the topping is golden brown and crispy.
- Cool and Serve: Let the apple crisp cool for a few minutes before serving. It’s perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of caramel sauce!
Storage:
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave.
Notes:
- You can easily half this recipe and bake in an 8 x 8 baking dish instead.
- If you’d like, you can make your own oat flour very easily with this recipe How to Make Oat Flour.
- If you don’t have oat flour on hand or don’t want to make it, just increase the gluten free flour blend to 1 1/8 cup and omit the oat flour.
Enjoy your gluten-free apple crisp!
Infographic of How to Make Gluten Free Apple Crisp with Oats
What to Serve Gluten Free Apple Crisp With:
Some of our favorite desserts for fall are fruit crisps, and this gluten free apple crisp is our top favorite.
If you’d like to try out a version that has a oat free streusel topping, try out my Easy Gluten-Free Apple Crisp Without Oats: Streusel Crumble.
Serve with a scoop of ice cream on top and drizzle just a bit of homemade caramel sauce over it and you have the perfect dessert! If you need a vegan version of homemade caramel sauce, I’ve got you covered! Check out my Homemade Vegan Caramel Sauce Recipe.
And if you’d like more cozy, warm comforting fall food, try my Easy Homemade Chai Tea Latte Recipe, Apple Cider Chai Tea Latte: Easy Homemade Recipe or Gluten Free Pumpkin Bars Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting.
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Gluten Free Apple Crisp with Oats
Equipment
- 9 x13 Baking Dish
- Large Bowl
- Medium Bowl
Ingredients
For the Apple Filling:
- 8 cups Apples A mixture of apples listed above: peeled, cored, and sliced. See the equipment list for a tool that makes this step a breeze.
- 2 tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 3 tbsp. Brown Sugar or Maple Syrup, or Coconut Sugar
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch for thickening
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg optional
For the Oat Topping:
- 1 cup Gluten-Free Oat Flour (may omit for 1 1/4 cup total gluten free blend)
- 1 cup Gluten-Free Rolled Oats*
- 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour I use King Arthur Measure for Measure
- 1 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Melted Butter (1 stick) or Vegan Butter for Dairy-Free
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl (or right in the 9×13 pan), toss the sliced apples with lemon juice.
- In a small bowl mix up the filling ingredients and stir into the apple slices. Once fully coated, spread the apple mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, mix the oats, gluten-free flour, oat flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the vanilla into the melted butter, then pour it into the dry ingredients till combined.
- Crumble the oat topping evenly over the apples in the baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the topping is golden brown and crispy.
- Let the apple crisp cool for a few minutes before serving. It’s perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of caramel sauce!
Notes
Storage:
-
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave.
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