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In honor of National Pie Day, I celebrated with a healthier option. This apple crisp is vegan and gluten free and absolutely delicious. Packed with red skinned apples, this crisp is also easy to make. It’s perfect for a chilly winter evening. Add a cup of hot herbal tea to experience bliss!
Apple Crisp Without the Guilt
This yummy dessert comes from blogger friend Rebecca. I adapted her recipe slightly. Check out her blog Strength & Sunshine for lots of vegan and gluten free recipes. And see the original recipe for her apple crisp here.
Apple crisp, the vegan and gluten free version, uses simple ingredients such as red skinned apples, gluten free oats and flour, cinnamon and plant based butter. It comes together in minutes and the result is a hot, fragrant, good-for-you dessert.
For the best health benefits, leave the peeling on the apples.

Apple Crisp Recipe
I left the peeling on Gala apples and sliced them fairly thin after coring them. Next time I’ll slice the apples a bit thicker. Any apple is fine for the crisp, however red skinned apples have more health benefits.
Although oats are naturally gluten free, they are usually processed in facilities that also process wheat flour. If gluten free is desired, make sure the package of oats says “gluten free”. For this recipe I used oat flour. Use any gluten free or regular flour. And I only use plant based butter. More and more options are available at the grocery store for plant based products. I’m so happy about that! Find plant based butter in the refrigerator section, next to dairy products.

Apple Crisp Vegan & Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 4 large red skinned apples, sliced or apples of choice
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
For Crisp Topping
- 1 cup gluten free rolled oats
- 1/2 cup gluten free flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, organic, non GMO & sulphur free
- 1/2 stick plant based butter, cubed (1/2 stick = 4 tbsp)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
For Apple Filling
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- In a large bowl, combine apple slices, coconut sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Stir to coat. Place apples in a greased 2 quart glass baking dish.
For Crisp Topping
- In another bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, plant based butter and vanilla. Use hands to to incorporate butter into mixture.
- Sprinkle topping over sliced apples in baking dish.
- Baked uncovered in oven 40 - 50 minutes, or until crisp topping browns. Makes 4 - 6 servings. Serve warm topped with dairy free ice cream or whipped topping, if desired.


Enjoying Apple Crisp
The apple crisp tasted as great as it smelled while it baked. I love simple desserts like this for an occasional treat, especially during winter. As I stated above, next time I’ll slice my apples a bit thicker. And I’ll shorten the baking time by five minutes. I left my crisp in for 45 minutes and the topping got a little dark. It tasted wonderful though! And I will make this special treat again.
Do you have a favorite winter treat?

For National Pie Day Try These:
Order gluten free flour and oats below:
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