Vegan Gluten-Free Apple Crisp
Ahhhh, fall is in the air here in central New York. The temperatures are dropping, patches of color are appearing on trees, leaves pepper the ground, the clouds are more ominous. Unlike summer, where we generally have lots of sunlight, blue skies, and fluffy white clouds, we get what we call a ‘fall looking sky.’ A sky that while still sunny and bright blue, contains very dark clouds. The first apple totes are already hitting the store shelves, and so it’s time to make some apple recipes! When I am craving something sweet in the fall, one of my first go-tos is my vegan gluten-free apple crisp. It’s like a lazy apple pie, really. It comes together really fast, and there’s not a lot of clean-up, giving you plenty of time to enjoy the outdoors before winter comes and it gets really cold! This version also uses my homemade apple pie spice blend because really, does anyone ever have this on hand in their pantry?!? The blend contains only 3 ingredients, all of which you likely have, so you will never run out again.
Most recipes will recommend a crisp and tart variety that holds up well in baking, such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Golden Delicious. However, I think it really depends on your taste preferences!
You can either chop them into one-inch chunks, or slice them into 1/4″ slices. Personally, I prefer them sliced. If you are new to slicing apples, here is a great 40 second video that illustrates the technique.
No. If you prefer, you can leave the skins on. Most apple crisps call for peeled apples, and I have found that the skins become tough when left on the apples and baked. My recipe calls for peeled apples, but you can leave them on if you want!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter an 8×8 baking pan and set aside. While you are getting things ready, you will need a way to treat the apples to prevent them from browning. Most recipes I am familiar with call for lemon juice, but I usually don’t have any on hand. And I’m definitely not making a special trip out to the store to get some :). Luckily, there is another way to prevent them from browning using ingredients you already have on hand: water and Kosher salt. In a medium-sized bowl, measure out 4 cups of cold water and 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt to make a salt water solution. Mix until dissolved. As you slice your apples, add them to the salt water. Stir them periodically to make sure they are all covered. Let them soak for 10 minutes. While the apples are soaking, mix all of the topping ingredients, except the butter, together in a medium-sized bowl. Next, using two butter knives or a pastry cutter, cut butter into mixture. As you continue to cut in the butter, the oatmeal mixture chunks will decrease in size. To get it down to pea size chunks, you might have to use your hands to lightly crush it up further.
Step 2. Pour the salt water-apple mixture into a colander, and rinse the apples under cold water. Transfer the apples to a large bowl, add the flour and apple pie spice, and mix until thoroughly combined.
Step 3. Transfer the apple mixture to the prepared baking pan and evenly sprinkle the topping. Gently pat the topping to even it out.
Step 4. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve warm topped with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream or coconut whipped cream {vegan, gluten-free} and enjoy!
Celebrate Fall With These Recipes:
- Vegan Banana Cookies {Vegan, Gluten-Free}
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Pie Spiced Meringue Cookies {Gluten-Free}
Top With:
Pair With:
Recipe Video
Vegan Gluten-Free Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Filling
- 6 apples, cored, peeled, and sliced
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free flour I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1:1 baking flour
Topping
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 cup gluten-free quick oats
- 3/4 cup gluten-free flour I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1:1 baking flour
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup cold vegan butter I used Earth Balance with Olive Oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Butter an 8×8 baking pan and set aside.
- Fill a medium-sized bowl with 4 cups of cold water and 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt. Peel, core, and slice apples. Submerge in saltwater solution for 10 minutes. This prevents the apples from rapidly browning.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, mix together all of the topping ingredients except for the cold vegan butter. Using two butter knives or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the oatmeal mixture until pea-sized chunks are reached.
- Pour the water-apple mixture into a colander, and rinse the apples under cold water. Transfer the apples to a large bowl, add the flour and apple pie spice, and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Transfer the apple mixture to the prepared baking pan and evenly sprinkle the topping. Gently pat the topping to even it out.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.
- Serve warm topped with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream or coconut whipped cream, and enjoy!
Notes
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This looks amazing! I love a good apple crisp and so good that you could make it vegan and gluten free!
This Apple Crisp is so easy and we love the flavor! You don’t even know that it’s vegan when you eat it! Thanks for such an easy recipe!
Nothing better than apple crisp in the fall right?! My kids would LOVE this. I’ll have to try that vegan butter! What a great recipe to make vegan and gluten free! Thanks for the tips on how to do that.
The vanilla ice cream threw me off until I read that it was vegan. I can’t believe the Vegan Gluten-Free Apple Crisp looks so amazing. Who would have thought going vegan can still be delicious?!
This was superb, simple to make, really tasty and the very picture of Autumn loved it, thank you!