Gluten Free Apple Crumble (with almond flour)
Gluten free apple crumble is easier than pie but just as delicious! Made with almond flour and chopped nuts, this gluten free apple crisp is the perfect fall dessert! Naturally sweetened, this healthy apple crumble is vegan, gluten free, dairy free and paleo friendly!
If you love recipes like this almond flour apple crumble, you should try Gluten Free Blackberry Crumble or Air Fryer Pears.
Why you will love this recipe
- So easy to make – This gluten free apple crisp recipe is great for beginners. The most difficult part of this recipe is peeling and slicing the apples. The crumble topping comes together so easily.
- Perfect fall dessert – If you love apple based desserts you are going to love this almond flour apple crumble. The apples are perfectly seasoned with cinnamon and a touch of cloves! I promise your house will smell amazing as this is baking in the oven!
- Healthy dessert – Sweetened with coconut sugar and maple syrup this healthy paleo apple crumble is made with good for you ingredients that you can feel good about.
- Customizable – Instead of apples, you can also use frozen fruit (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, peaches or cherries) in place of the apples!
Ingredients
- Apples – be sure to use a baking apple so that they maintain their texture when cooking. My personal favorite is a fuji apple or pink lady apple for apple crumbles!
- Lemon juice – lemon juice helps ensure the apples won’t brown as you are peeling and slicing them. I think it also helps to elevate the sweetness from the apples.
- Coconut sugar – this is optional. Just a few tablespoons of coconut sugar can help boost the natural sweetness from the apples and make this more of a dessert.
- Arrowroot flour (or tapioca or cornstarch) – this helps to thicken the juice that cooks off the apples.
- Spices: Cinnamon and ground cloves – ground cinnamon adds the familiar flavor you are expecting when you make a dessert with apples. The ground cloves are my secret ingredient anytime I make an apple based dessert. They make the apples taste sweeter and give them a depth of flavor you cannot create with any other spices.
Crumble Topping
- Almond flour – you can use almond flour or almond meal, both will work great in this recipe since the topping tends to be a bit coarser. For a nut free version, use sunflower seed flour/meal (see notes below on how to make this yourself).
- Chopped nuts – you can use walnuts, pecans, slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds to add crunch to the crumble topping.
- Avocado oil – this is a very neutral tasting oil that will allow the other flavors to shine through. You could also use melted butter or ghee (not dairy free) but I always have avocado oil on hand. You could also use melted coconut oil or even olive oil in a pinch.
- Coconut sugar and maple syrup – the coconut sugar helps to add a caramelized flavor to the topping and the maple syrup adds a different kind of sweetness. If needed, you can use all coconut sugar but I wouldn’t recommend using all maple syrup as it will make the crumble too wet.
- Arrowroot flour (or tapioca or cornstarch) – this helps to create a soft texture with the crumble as sometimes almond flour toppings/baked goods are not quite soft enough when compared to regular flour. The arrowroot flour helps to create that texture from the gluten you are missing.
- Cinnamon and salt – cinnamon helps to enhance that same flavor profile in the apples and the salt elevates the sweetness in the crumble.
How to make gluten free apple crumble
To see the step by step process check out this story on how to make gluten free apple crumble.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Peel and slice the apples. Many people recommend using a mandoline to slice apples but I’ve personally had bad experiences with them in the past. Recently I got a mandoline with a safety slicer that is amazing and so easy to use, your fingers never get close to the blade and it’s so fast! If you are a collector of kitchen gadgets like me, I highly recommend this one! If you don’t have a mandoline, just try to slice the apples into thin, even slices.
Once the apples are peeled and sliced add them to a large bowl. Add the rest of the apple filling ingredients to the bowl and stir well making sure each apple slice is well coated.
Pour the apples into a large casserole dish. I like to spray mine with avocado oil or olive oil but this step is optional.
In the same bowl you mixed the apples in, add all the crumble ingredients and stir well until well combined.
Spoon or dump the crumble mixture over the apples and make sure there is an even layer over all the apples.
Bake in a 350F oven for 40-45 minutes until the crumble topping is golden and the apples are bubbling a bit on the edges.
Top tips
- Try to slice the apples the same thickness so they will cook evenly. To ensure that all the apples cook through and are soft and tender, try to slice the apples the same thickness. This is why I love the mandonline, as it easily slices everything the same thickness.
- Use baking apples to maintain their texture. Using baking apples helps to ensure they have texture and a bite to the apples even after cooking. If you don’t use baking apples, the apples can turn into mush (like applesauce) and the texture will be different. The end result will still be very tasty but not the same texture.
- Add lemon juice so the apples don’t brown as you are slicing them. Squeeze lemon juice over the lemons, then continue to stir them together as you slice more and more. The lemon juice helps to keep the apples from oxidizing and turning brown when exposed to air.
- Best served hot, warm or cold the day you make it. The crumble topping is the best the day you make it. It’s still delicious the next day but has the absolute best texture the day it’s made so if you are serving it to company/guests, make the apple crisp the day of.
How to know when the apple crisp is done
There are two things I check on to know if the apple crisp is done.
- The topping is a golden brown but not burned
- The apples are bubbling at the edges (this indicates they are likely cooked through)
Topping ideas
- Ice cream – ice cream is the classic companion of an apple crumble. For dairy free, there are some great options now. Oat milk, cashew milk or coconut milk based ice creams are my favorite.
- Whipped cream – you can buy canned whipped cream or make your own coconut whipped cream to top the paleo apple crumble with.
- Vanilla cashew frosting – this frosting is sweetened with dates and has an almost caramel flavor. It would be incredible drizzled over the top.
- Simple drizzle of maple syrup – the extra drizzle of maple syrup can make this crumble even more delicious and a touch sweeter!
Common questions
What are the best apples for baking
The best apples to make gluten free apple crisp are referred to as baking apples. Baking apples are apples that when cooked, maintain their texture. Here are some great options:
- Fuji apples
- Pink lady apples
- Granny smith apples (more tart, not as sweet)
- Braeburn
- Jazz
- Honeycrisp
Can you make this gluten free apple crumble with almond meal
Almond flour is made with blanched almonds (the skins are removed) so it tends to be a finer consistency than almond meal which is made with almonds with the skin on.
How to make this nut free
Almond flour: Instead of almond flour, use sunflower seed flour. You an buy it online or make your own. To make your own, add roasted sunflower seeds to a high speed blender or food processor and process on high until they resemble flour (but don’t go too long or it will start to become sunbutter). Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer in a well sealed container.
Nuts: Instead of pecans or walnuts, use pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
Can you make this almond flour crumble with other fruit
Yes! You can easily swap out the apples for peeled pears, pitted cherries (fresh or frozen), blueberries, strawberries or peaches to make a whole different gluten free crumble.
Storing leftovers
- Fridge: This crumble is actually best the day it’s made but you may have leftovers! If so, you can store them in the fridge in a well sealed container for up to 3 days. Allow the crumble to cool completely on the counter before storing in the fridge. After 3 days the topping can get a little mushy. Reheat in the oven (350F for 10 minutes) to re-crisp the topping after being in the fridge.
- Freezer: The apples will lose some of their texture but the flavor should still be there but the crumble topping will be mushy once defrosted. If you don’t mind the crumble being mushy, you can freeze leftovers for up to 1 month. Be sure to defrost in the fridge and reheat in the oven for the best possible leftovers.
More apple recipes
- Air Fryer Baked Apples (2 ways)
- Paleo Apple Butter
- Sliced Apples (no added sugar)
- Apple Sweet Potato Hash
- Apple Brussel Sprouts Hash
Gluten Free Apple Crumble
$9.38 Recipe/$1.17 ServingIngredients
Cinnamon Sliced Apples
- 3 pounds apples - $2.99
- 1 medium lemon juiced - $0.33
- 2 tbsp. coconut sugar - $0.14
- 1 tbsp. arrowroot powder - $0.08
- 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon - $0.30
- 1/8 tsp. ground cloves - $0.02
Gluten Free Crumble
- 1.25 cups almond flour - $1.83
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped - $1.33
- 3 tbsp. coconut sugar - $0.21
- 2 tbsp. arrowroot powder - $0.16
- 3 tbsp. avocado oil - $1.06
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon - $0.30
- 2 tbsp maple syrup - $0.62
- 1/8 tsp sea salt - $0.01
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Peel and slice the apples to an even thickness and squeeze lemon juice over top. Stir well.
- Add the apples to a large bowl along with the rest of the cinnamon sliced apple ingredients listed. Stir well.
- Add the apples to a large casserole dish (you may decide to spray it with avocado oil first).
- Add all the gluten free crumble ingredients to the bowl and stir well.
- Spoon the crumble ingredients over the sliced apples and make sure the apples are covered evenly.
- Bake the apple crumble at 350F for 40-45 minutes.
- Once you take the apple crumble from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
Notes
- Try to slice the apples the same thickness so they will cook evenly. To ensure that all the apples cook through and are soft and tender, try to slice the apples the same thickness. This is why I love the mandonline, as it easily slices everything the same thickness.
- Use baking apples to maintain their texture. Using baking apples helps to ensure they have texture and a bite to the apples even after cooking. If you don’t use baking apples, the apples can turn into mush (like applesauce) and the texture will be different. The end result will still be very tasty but not the same texture.
- Add lemon juice so the apples don’t brown as you are slicing them. Squeeze lemon juice over the lemons, then continue to stir them together as you slice more and more. The lemon juice helps to keep the apples from oxidizing and turning brown when exposed to air.
- Best served hot, warm or cold the day you make it. The crumble topping is the best the day you make it. It’s still delicious the next day but has the absolute best texture the day it’s made so if you are serving it to company/guests, make the apple crisp the day of.
- The topping is a golden brown but not burned
- The apples are bubbling at the edges (this indicates they are likely cooked through)
- Fuji apples
- Pink lady apples
- Granny smith apples (more tart, not as sweet)
- Braeburn
- Jazz
- Honeycrisp
