Description
Healthy Apple Crisp is a cozy, warm baked dessert with tender cinnamon-nutmeg apples sweetened with maple syrup and topped with a crunchy almond-coconut crumble that’s naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
Ingredients
- Apple filling: 5 large apples, peeled and sliced (about 2 lb / 900 g)
- Apple filling: 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Apple filling: 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- Apple filling: 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Apple filling: 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Apple filling: 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Crisp topping: 1/2 cup chopped almonds
- Crisp topping: 1 cup blanched almond flour (or 1 cup rolled oats for an oatmeal-style topping)
- Crisp topping: 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- Crisp topping: 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- Crisp topping: 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9×9-inch baking dish.
- Make the filling: In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice, maple syrup, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg until evenly coated and the cornstarch is fully blended in.
- Make the topping: In a separate bowl, mix chopped almonds, almond flour (or oats), shredded coconut, coconut sugar, and melted coconut oil until sandy and crumbly, and it clumps when pressed.
- First bake: Spread apple mixture evenly in the baking dish. Bake 20 minutes, until apples start to soften and release juices.
- Add topping: Remove from oven and sprinkle topping evenly over the apples.
- Second bake: Bake 10 minutes more, or until topping is golden and crisp.
- Rest and serve: Let sit 5 minutes to settle, then scoop and serve warm.
Notes
- Best apples: use a mix of tart and sweet (e.g., Granny Smith + Honeycrisp or Gala) for great texture and balanced flavor.
- Peeling gives the smoothest filling, but you can leave skins on for a more rustic texture.
- Cornstarch thickens the juices so the filling turns glossy instead of watery.
- Pre-baking the apples helps them soften and starts thickening the juices so the topping can brown without overcooking the fruit.
- Nut-free option: replace almond flour with 1 cup rolled oats or oat flour, and swap chopped almonds for extra oats.
- Storage: refrigerate airtight up to 1 week; freeze baked and cooled crisp up to 6 months.
- Reheat for best crunch: oven at 350°F (180°C) for 10–15 minutes. Microwave is quicker (30–60 seconds) but softens the topping.
- Make-ahead: prep apple filling in the dish and refrigerate up to 2 days; keep topping separate, then bake apples first and add topping to finish.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (1/12 pan)
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 20 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
