Best Gluten-Free Apple Crisp (Tested 12 Times, No Gums)
A gluten-free apple crisp with a chilled oat and almond flour topping and a tart-sweet apple filling, made without xanthan gum or gum-based flour blends.
Ingredients
For the pan
- Butter or coconut oil, for greasing the pan
Apple filling
- 6 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced about 6–7 cups sliced
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 0.25 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 0.125 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- pinch salt
Crisp topping
- 1 cup certified gluten-free rolled oats
- 0.5 cup blanched almond flour
- 0.25 cup oat flour
- 0.5 cup light brown sugar
- 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 0.25 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 0.25 cup chopped pecans or walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 365°F (about 185°C).
- Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish with butter or coconut oil, making sure the bottom and sides are lightly coated to prevent sticking.
- Add the peeled, thinly sliced apples to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the lemon juice, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, cornstarch or arrowroot, and a pinch of salt to the apples.
- Toss until every apple slice is evenly coated and glossy; this macerates the apples and starts drawing out their juices.
- Spread the coated apple mixture evenly into the greased 8x8-inch baking dish, arranging it in an even layer rather than mounding it.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the gluten-free rolled oats, almond flour, oat flour, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the cold, cubed unsalted butter to the bowl and cut it into the dry ingredients using a fork, pastry cutter, or your fingertips until coarse crumbs form; do not mash into a paste.
- Stir in the chopped pecans or walnuts, if using, until evenly distributed through the crumb mixture.
- Place the bowl with the topping in the refrigerator to chill for 10–15 minutes while the oven finishes preheating; this helps keep the topping crisp as it bakes.
- Remove the chilled topping from the refrigerator and sprinkle it evenly over the apple filling without packing it down, leaving some craggy pieces and small gaps for the fruit juices to bubble through.
- Bake the apple crisp on the middle rack at 365°F for 38–42 minutes, or until the topping is deep golden brown and the edges of the filling are bubbling.
- Transfer the baking dish to a cooling rack and let the crisp cool for about 15 minutes so the juices can thicken and the topping sets while staying crisp.
- Serve the gluten-free apple crisp warm or at room temperature, plain or topped with vanilla ice cream, coconut whipped cream, or a drizzle of maple or caramel sauce.
- For short-term storage, let the crisp cool completely, then cover and keep at room temperature for up to 1 day, or refrigerate for 3–4 days; reheat in a 300°F oven or toaster oven until the topping re-crisps.
- To freeze, assemble the crisp but do not bake it, wrap the dish tightly in foil, and freeze; bake from frozen at 350°F for 55–60 minutes, tenting with foil if the topping browns too quickly.
Notes
For a dairy-free version, use cold vegan butter or solid coconut oil in place of the butter and be sure it is well chilled before cutting it into the topping. For a nut-free option, replace the almond flour with more oat flour or a safe gluten-free flour blend and use sunflower or pumpkin seeds instead of nuts. For a grain-free variation, substitute the oats with chopped nuts or shredded coconut for a different but still crisp topping. The crisp is best the day it is baked, but it can be stored at room temperature, covered, for 1 day, or refrigerated for 3–4 days; reheat in a 300°F oven or toaster oven to re-crisp the topping. The unbaked assembled crisp can be wrapped tightly and frozen, then baked from frozen at 350°F for 55–60 minutes, tenting with foil if needed. Leftovers are also good cold or served with yogurt for breakfast. You can vary the fruit by combining apples with pears, cranberries, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, rhubarb, plums, or figs, adjusting sweetness and spices to taste.