This healthy apple crisp is loaded with cinnamon apples and sweet crumbly topping. It’s free of refined sugar (and has just a touch of maple syrup, although you can sub honey), but you’d never know it. Serve with vanilla ice cream for pure bliss!
I’m a bit skeptical of “healthy” dessert recipes that call for fat-free everything, sugar-free everything. I try to cook and bake with mostly natural, whole ingredients and use as little refined sugar as possible.
So, this healthy apple crisp has all real, whole ingredients like oats, almond flour, nuts, cinnamon, coconut oil, and pure maple syrup (or honey), and it’s by far the best healthy dessert I’ve ever had. It’s free of refined sugar, so the only sweetener is just a tiny bit of maple syrup, plus the natural sweetness of the apples.
I used my favorite Granny Smith apples, which are awesome for baking since they’re relatively firm, so they hold up well during baking and don’t turn to mush. They’re also tart, which adds a nice contrast to the sweetness of the crumble topping and the ice cream.
This apple crisp just so happens to be gluten-free since I used almond flour, instead of wheat flour. Almond flour is frequently used in Paleo and gluten-free baking, and I love that it just tastes like almonds since it’s ground from whole blanched almonds. Plus, it adds some protein and healthy fats.
The almond flour was the only ingredient I didn’t already have in my dorm room, but fortunately it’s pretty inexpensive and it’s easy to find at the grocery store.
But back to the dessert. Did I mention this apple crisp is naturally vegan? That is, until you add that big scoop of ice cream on top, which I highly recommend.
There are lots of great, all-natural vanilla ice cream brands out there and I went with Turkey Hill’s Natural Vanilla Bean with just five ingredients (cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, vanilla bean). For any vegan or dairy-free friends, you could top this apple crisp with your favorite non-dairy ice cream.
Due to my grandpa’s extreme love for apple crisp, I’ve tested quite a few recipes over the years. His birthday falls either on or near Thanksgiving every year, so I always make one for his birthday/Thanksgiving and Christmas visits, plus any other times I see him throughout the year.
After lots of apple crisp recipe testing, I can honestly say this healthy apple crisp rivals every other apple crisp recipe that I’ve made.
I even made this dessert in my dorm and then invited a couple of friends over for dessert on two different nights and they all gave it an enthusiastic two-thumbs up.
I can’t wait to have my grandpa taste-test this apple crisp in just a few short weeks for Thanksgiving! Move over, apple pie. There’s a newcomer at the Thanksgiving dessert table– apple crisp with the BEST crumble topping. 🙂
If you try out this healthy apple crisp, feel free to let me know in a comment or take a picture and tag me @livbane on Instagram. Hope you enjoy!
Best-Ever Healthy Apple Crisp
Ingredients
For the Apples
- 6 medium or large granny smith apples (pink lady, honey crisp, and other crisp apples also work well)
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
For the Crumble Topping
- 1 cup old-fashioned or quick oats
- 1/2 cup almond flour or almond meal
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds, walnuts, or pecans
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or butter
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel apples and dice into cubes of approximately equal size. In a large bowl, toss with maple syrup, water, and cinnamon. Pour apples into greased 9x9 or 8x8 inch baking dish.
- In the same (now empty) bowl, add oats, almond flour, nuts, cinnamon, salt, coconut oil or butter, and maple syrup. Stir crumble topping together and pour into baking dish on top of apples.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes until apples are soft, covering pan loosely with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent from over-browning.
- Serve hot with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Things I Used: apple corer/slicer, organic cinnamon, and organic coconut oil (great value!)
Topping adapted from this recipe
Pin for later:
I can hardly wait to try it
Just a few short weeks away! 🙂
Your relationship with your grandpa is sooo cute. I love apple crisp and I loveeee your healthy version here. Totally pinning and making this week!
He’s my buddy 🙂 Thanks for pinning, Sarah, and you’ll have to let me know what you think when you try it!
My granddaughter knows my favorite dessert. I am looking forward to her baking this healthy version.
Can’t wait to see you & cook for you in a just a couple of weeks!
This was literally amazing, great recipe! Good ingredients, so simple, and SO DELICIOUS! I will make again. 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this apple crisp, Caitlin! I made a triple batch for my family on Thanksgiving and it was a hit!
Hi Liv,
Ok, I love apple crisp and apple pie. I used to have either made for me for Christmas. But someone felt I didn’t need them anymore and need to pay attention to my waistline. With that said, this is much lighter than what she normally makes. My question is do you know the calories per serving.
Thanks
Lamar
Hi, Lamar!
So sorry for the delayed response. I just updated the recipe with nutrition info after a few people asked about it. Hope it helps!
So, does the maple syrup go in the apple mixture OR the crumble topping mixture? The recipe calls for it in each.
Hi Vicki! There’s a small amount of maple syrup in both the apple mixture and the crumble topping.
I made this apple crisp tonight. Absolutely delicious! ???? I used honey instead of maple syrup. Topped with a bit of coconut milk, amazing! Could hardly believe it was guilt free ???? Thanks for sharing!
So glad to hear you enjoyed this apple crisp, Kayla! It’s one of my favorite healthy desserts!
Unbelievably good! I have been trying healthy apple crisp recipes, but the apples are often too chewy. This one aced it! Best Ever! My go to recipe from now on! Try a scoop of plain greek yogurt on it! Yum!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this apple crisp, Mary Beth!! Thanks for reporting back!
Any idea how many calories per serving? How how big is a serving?
Hi, Smith! Just updated the recipe with nutrition info after a few people asked about it. Hope that helps!
This apple crisp is so delicious i jusy made it. Thank-you for the recipe.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it, Kal!
Hi I live in England and love the ingredients in your crumble but have not idea how to measure a cup
Can anyone help? We use ounces or kilos in our recipes and all our cups vary in size
Thanks
Gennie
1 cup is 128 grams or 4.5 oz.
it depends on what you are measuring! For example – 1 cup of plain flour is 128g, but 1 cup caster sugar is 200g. Just google each item to translate, where necessary. Example – 1 cup butter to grams, 1 cup flour to grams etc.
Sounds so great and I have all the ingredients! We are making ice cream tomorrow and thought this would go well with it. I have a question – we have to travel… does it stay good overnight or should I make it tomorrow (fresh). Would LOVE to make it ahead of time – ha – but mushy crumble could be pretty weird. Thanks!
Hi, Kris! I’ve eaten the leftovers after being refrigerated & then microwaved and they still taste great! One thing is that the apples may be a bit drier, but it’s still delish. So, if that would make life easier, I’d say go for it!
I left out the nuts for a nut free apple crisp and my husband loved it! We have been looking for a healthier option for apple crisp and are so excited to have found one!
I’m going to try this as breakfast with my family! Apple crisp sounds healthy enough to be breakfast….right?!? Seriously can’t go wrong! This sounds yummy! (Any leftovers can be dessert with ice cream of course ;-))
Ooh, your lucky family! hope you all love this apple crisp as much as I do!
can I use honey instead of maple syrup?
Hi Alina! Yes, you can substitute honey for the maple syrup!
I made this apple crisp (with pecans) for my husband and kids today. We all loved it! I’m sharing the link with friends that I know look for healthier versions of desserts that are still delicious. Thanks for this!
I’m so glad you loved this apple crisp, Lucia! I make it all of the time and actually made it last week for my brother’s birthday- so yummy!
How do you think it would go if I subbed flax meal for almond flour? Trying to use up what’s already in my pantry!
Hi Marissa,
I totally get that! Unfortunately, I don’t think subbing flax meal would work well because it has a strong flax taste, unlike almond flour, which has a mild, slightly nutty taste. I’d sub a different type of flour, if you have it!
Hey- Can I use brown sugar instead of maple syrup ? If so what would you recommend for the conversion? 1/4 cut more brown sugar? And will it change the consistency since it’s not a liquid?
Hi Jessie,
I don’t think that would work in this recipe, since you’re right that the maple syrup adds moisture to the crumbly topping. I’d suggest using honey or maple syrup in this recipe!
I think I may try this recipe out for an upcoming friendsmas! Although it would slightly cancel out the healthiness of this recipe, what are your thoughts on adding some toffee to the crumble on top? I’m thinking of adding this for some added crunch (though I’m biased because I have a slight toffee obsession).
That sounds delicious, and I’m a big believer in everything in moderation! I’d recommend maybe sprinkling toffee bits on in the last 15 minutes of cooking!
Thank you, Liv! I’ll give this a try!
This turned out wonderful! I only had to grab some apples and reup on some raw maple syrup to make it. I used walnuts cuz I didn’t have sliced almonds, but this turned out perfect!! I didn’t melt the cocount oil though because it pretty much was melting in my hands. Thank you so much for sharing such a great recipe. Cheers*~
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Samantha!
Can I use 2tbs applesauce instead of butter? Trying to make it a little more Weight Watchers friendly!
I haven’t tried applesauce, but it’s worth a shot! Feel free to report back if you try it!
The applesauce worked out really well! It might be slightly less crispy but still so good! I will definitely be making this again… thank you!
Wonderful, I’m so happy to hear the applesauce worked as a substitute! Thanks for reporting back, Catina!
So easy and so good! Made this last night with a mix of apples from my local farmers market. Needless to say, there are no leftovers as of this morning.
I’m so glad you love this apple crisp, Julia!!
Have you ever tried this in the slow cooker? I LOVE this recipe, have made it probably 4 times. just wondering if it would work in the crock pot as well- maybe 2 hrs on high or 4 on low? Thanks for such a great recipe!!
I’m so glad you love this recipe! I haven’t tried it in the slow cooker, but I don’t think the topping would get crispy at all in the slow-cooker, so I’d stick with the oven, personally.
This is my favorite healthy apple crisp recipe! Since it’s peach season, I thought I’d try it with peaches, and it was just as good as it is with apples!!:)
I’m so glad to hear that, Jennifer! Peach crisp sounds incredible!
Delicious! Just made it and I’m eating it while I’m typing. I usually slice instead of dicing the apples, and I like them diced! I thought it might be too much cinnamon, but it wasn’t. I’ve been into healthy eating for a while, so I appreciate that it isn’t sickly sweet like most desserts. I followed the recipe exactly but instead of ice cream, I drizzled a paleo – Vanilla bean/cashew/lemon/maple syrup sauce over the top of it. Yum!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this apple crisp! It’s one of my favorites and I agree, I love that it’s not tooth-achingly sweet!
I made a slightly larger amount so I added more of each ingredient as necessary, used whole wheat flour because I didn’t have almond flour and added raw honey and pure vanilla extract to both the apples and the topping and it was delicious! This will be my new go to! Apple crisp without the guilt!
Thanks for sharing your adaptations, Tara!!
Thanks for this recipe! My dad was recently hospitalized and enjoyed the hospital’s apple crisp, so now that he’s home, I’m excited to make this for him! It’s a bonus that it’s healthy too! My question is, how would you recommend storing it? Would it be best in the fridge, or out in a cool, dry area? Thanks again!
Hi Jessica, I typically store my leftover apple crisp in the fridge since I’m a bit cautious in general with food storage! Hope your dad loves this– so glad to hear he’s home now!
Omg….so easy and delicious!! Served w French Vanilla ice cream…to die for…and no guilt
So glad to hear you enjoyed this apple crisp, Michelle!!
Could coconut flour be subbed for almond flour?
Hi Ashlyn, I haven’t tried it, but since coconut flour absorbs so much liquid and has a different taste/texture, I wouldn’t personally recommend subbing it in this recipe 🙂
This recipe looks great. Do you think it would work with honey crisp apples?
Hi Cari! Honeycrisp apples would be perfect 🙂 Any crisp apples are great for baking because they hold their shape well and don’t turn to mush!
Would love to try this but the hubby is allergic to all nuts. What type of flour would you recommend subbing the almond flour for?
Thank you!!
Hi Angelica! I haven’t tried any other types of flour but regular whole-wheat or white flour may work…although your safest bet may be looking for a recipe with one of those flours! So sorry- I wish I had a good alternative healthy apple crisp recipe to recommend!
Happy to say I replaced the almond flour with regular all-purpose flour cuz that’s what I had at home- delicious! Isn’t as crispy as I want it to be, but I love the walnuts in the crisp so much! And it isn’t overly sweet! Gonna eat this with breakfast tomorrow, thanks so much!
I want to try this because it sounds and looks so good! My question is if I omit the nuts (family allergies) will the topping turn out ok or should I substitute something in its place?
You can omit the chopped nuts or substitute a different type of nuts! If you omit the almond flour, you’ll need to add something in its place.
Hi! I totally made this for breakfast at my husband’s request! It was great! Thanks for the great recipe! Also, I just used ground up oats instead of flour because I can’t handle regular flour, it was like a granola topped baked apple!
Hi Angelica, Can’t wait to try this recipe as it sounds simple and healthy. Do you think it will come out nice if I sub the Old fashion oats for steel cut oats?
Hi Melissa, I would strongly advise against substituting steel cut oats, as they won’t cook or soften enough in the oven with this limited amount of liquid 🙂
Omigod!!!!!🤤🤤🤤🤤Sooooo yummy!! I did substitute the Granny Smith apples with honeycrisp and cooked it much longer as we like the apples mushy and crunchy topping.
I have never been able to find a recipe that tastes just apple crisp but without all the butter and sugar. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe, this is definitely becoming a household favourite 😁.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!! Honeycrisp apples are amazing in apple crisp!!
Just made this last night and served it for dinner dessert, warm with vanilla ice cream, and we all enjoyed it. For breakfast, I poured a little heavy cream over it for a delicious healthy treat. It was not too sweet.
My apples were very large, so I only used 4 (a mix of 3 different types), and they weighed a little over 2 pounds after they were peeled and cored. I used a bigger dish to bake, so I doubled the topping. I used honey for the maple syrup and pecans were my nut of choice. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
So glad to hear you enjoyed this apple crisp, Pam! Thanks for reporting back and sharing your adaptations 🙂
can you substitute the maple syrup for mongfruit? Diet sugar?
Hi, Karen! I haven’t tried either one, unfortunately!
I have made this recipe countless times and I’ve passed it on to others. Thank you so much for sharing this. I love that there is no sugar. I eat it for breakfast with plain yogurt as a topping.
So glad to hear it, Gina!!
I made this for the first time this weekend and it is amazing! I found it by googling “healthy apple crisp” and landed here and am so glad I did. We mixed up the apples used (Granny Smith not available). It was easy, and I love that it has no added sugar. It reheats nicely and is perfect with a scoop of vanilla. I am looking forward to checking out more of your recipes.
any chance this can be prepped and put in the pan the day before baking?
Hi Sharon, I haven’t tried it yet, but I believe that would work!
Can you advise of the weight/measurement of the apples?
Can’t rate on taste as I haven’t made it yet! But I don’t want it to lower your average so I’m rating based on ingredients 🙂
Looking forward to trying this!
Hi Jolene! I use medium (or even large) apples in this recipe, and I’ll update the recipe to reflect that. Right around 2 or 2 1/2 pounds of apples if you weigh them. Fortunately, there’s (almost) no such thing as too many apples! 😀
Great recipe. Very healthy and delicious. I liked that it’s not too sweet but a good blend of flavors. And straightforward — even a guy can follow this one. Twenty minutes and into the oven, even when peeling the apples by hand. Thank you. Helped to turn an ordinary dinner into a memorable one.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this apple crisp recipe, Buck!! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
Our family has recently turned gluten, dairy and sugar free. Have been searching for healthy dessert options and came across your recipe. I tweaked it by adding coconut sugar and monk fruit sweetener in both the apples and toppings. It’s SO delicious! My family loved it! Thank you for such a fabulous recipe that I will make over and over again!
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed this apple crisp, Brigette!!
I made this yesterday and it was wonderfully delicious! I’ll definitely be making it again. Thanks
This recipe is effing incredible. Full flavour, texture. Better than most butter laden crisps I’ve had. Looking forward to further exploring your recipes.