Small Serving Apple Crisp (GF, Vegan)
This Small Serving Apple Crisp is the perfect guiltless indulgence for when you don’t need an entire pan of apple crisp in the kitchen! It’s gluten free, refined sugar free, and vegan.
I never really know what to say when people ask me what my favorite dessert is, or what my favorite thing I’ve ever made is. I have over 250 recipes on Bakerita.com, and that’s not included all the desserts I made pre-Bakerita or the recipes that never made it up for whatever reason. There’s so many choices, and my answer changes way too frequently.
But, one dessert is always my kryptonite: apple crisp. I can never resist it. Something about the warm, baked, bubbling apples and that crunchy crumble topping does me in every time. Add a scoop of ice cream on top and I’m a goner. The way the cold ice cream melts down into the crevices of the crisp, adding a light extra sweetness and creaminess is totally irresistible.
If it’s on the menu, it’s definitely what I order. However, apple crisp tends to be full of lots of sugar and butter and other delicious-making things, and when I want to devour an entire pan of the stuff, it’s usually not the most healthful option. But, apples are healthy – so why can’t an apple crisp be healthy too?
When I was having a craving for some apple crisp a few weeks ago, I decided to healthify my favorite dessert. I took out the refined sugars, gluten, dairy, and made sure it was vegan (as long as you use maple syrup instead of honey). The result? As delectable as the original!
The apples are prepared simply with just a bit of sweetener – your choice of honey or maple syrup. I used the already-sweet honey crisp apples, but if you use an apple that’s a bit more tart you may want to add a bit more than I used. All depends on your preference.
For the crumble topping, I used a mix of almond flour and oats with just a bit more sweetener, a little salt, and a little coconut oil. It’s super simple, and turns out crispy and crumbly, just the way I like it. You could also throw in some chopped nuts if you want a bit more crunch! The serving is pretty small, and is perfect to share between two or three people – or one if you’re feeling hungry :)
I topped mine with coconut milk ice cream, and I’m so glad to now have a recipe that will let me devour my favorite dessert guilt free with built in portion control. Enjoy!!
PrintSmall Serving Paleo Apple Crisp
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
Description
This Small Serving Apple Crisp is the perfect guiltless indulgence for when you don’t need an entire pan of apple crisp in the kitchen! It’s gluten free, refined sugar free, and vegan.
Ingredients
For the apples
- 2 apples (sliced thin)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
For the crust
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup old-fashioned oats
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil (solid)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a small glass casserole dish or two ramekins.
- Add the almond flour, oats, honey or maple syrup, and salt to a bowl and whisk until combined. Add the coconut oil and use your fingers or a fork to work it in until coarse crumbs form and the mixture holds together when pressed.
- Combine sliced apples and honey or maple syrup in a bowl, tossing to coat completely. Place in the prepared dish or ramekins. Top with the crumble topping.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is lightly golden brown and the apples have cooked down. Tent with foil to prevent the topping from oven browning if necessary. Serve immediately.
Notes
*Use maple syrup to keep vegan
Nutrition
- Calories: 276
- Sugar: 18
- Sodium: 147
- Fat: 17
- Saturated Fat: 9
- Carbohydrates: 29
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 3
Oooh, I adore this, Rachel! Sweet, small, & simple. Love! <3
Heyya.lovely recipe.. :)
Heyya.lovely recipe.. :)
Small servings are crazy dangerous around me :) I tend to read them as ‘single serving’, oops! This crisp looks delicious and I’m so excited that it’s vegan! Pinning :)
Thanks so much, Medha! When it comes to apple crisp, I definitely see “one serving” too, haha!
So happy that you actually made one of my favorite desserts healthy! I love how this has only a few simple ingredients and it looks just as delicious as the original version.
Rachel, this apple crisp is adorable and I love the healthy updates to an old favorite!
Mmm that apple crisp looks incredible! And I’m totally loving that it’s vegan – how awesome!! :)
I love apple crisps (or any fresh fruit crisps), and this is a perfect guilt-free treat to share! I’m sure it’s wonderfully delicious, especially that crumbly oat topping.
I am a huge fan of apple crisp but haven’t been able to have it for awhile since it contains oars (which btw aren’t paleo-compliant :() and oats hurt my stomach. I’m going to live vicariously through you on this one!
ACK, that was supposed to say “oats” not “oars”!
Had to go through a maze to get this recipe, but it was worth it. Thank you for your recipes.
Thanks, Sandy! Sorry it was hard to find, but I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe :)
This looks so delicious!!
– Camilla
I can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving! Do you think coconut flour or rice flour would work instead of almond flour?
Hi Olga. I wouldn’t recommend using coconut flour because it is much more absorbent than almond flour is. I don’t use rice flour in my baking so I’m not sure exactly how it would perform – I would recommend rice flour over coconut flour, but I can’t make any guarantees since I haven’t tried it. Enjoy!
I wish I would have read the comments first! I used coconut flour thinking I’d kick the ‘healthy’ up another notch…and it turned out SO sandy and dry! I’ve just started experimenting with it, and did not realize how absorbant it is! Now I know lol. I love the recipe though, and I will giving it another try WITHOUT substitutions. Your blog is so awesome, glad I stumbled upon it!
Hi Shelby – sorry that happened! With coconut flour, it’s always best to follow recipes that use it specifically because it performs differently than every other flour. Hope you love it after you give it another go :) thanks so much for your kind words!
Love that this is a a small serving since I can’t control myself with apple crisp. Can’t wait to try it!
Oats are a grain and not Paleo–try slivered almonds for that texture!
Rachel- I am SO looking forward to try making this very soon! – but had 1 question: Do you think it is okay to substitute honey/maple syrup with Raw Agave?? Since the glycemic index of agave is much lower than honey/maple syrup, I prefer using that. Let me know what you think!
Hi Tina! You definitely could. I don’t love the flavor of agave so I don’t use it much, but I know it does tend to substitute well for both honey and maple syrup. Enjoy!
Just made this for the first time and we LOVED it! This was the best crisp topping we’ve ever found. I need gluten free, however my husband does not, so I am constantly trying new recipes so as to satisfy both. When he declares a dish “the best”, I know my search is over. Thank you so much for a recipe that not only works for both of us, be we are in agreement that it’s the best we’ve tried.
Your comment made me so happy to read, Stephanie! I’m so glad you found a crisp you can both enjoy :) thanks so much for sharing your feedback with me!
I made this apple crisp but I replaced the almond flour with wheat flour since I didn’t have any. The crisp only took around 10-15 mins to bake and it was already golden brown. The apple crisp came out amazing and tasty, it only took me a short while to make as well! I was so happy with the outcome and this is one of the easiest yet tastiest recipe I have ever found. Definitely making more in the future! Thanks a lot for this recipe XD
So thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Cassandra! Thanks so much for your feedback.
This was just as good, if not better, than an original apple crisp recipe! And I don’t feel guilty eating it!
So glad you’re loving it, Erin! Thanks so much for the feedback.
I have used your recipe so many times and every single time my husband says “This is the best you’ve ever made.” Apparently he likes it better each time. It is my favorite and has been my go-to recipe since I discovered it a few years ago. Thank you!
I love that so much!! Thanks for the feedback, Stephanie :)