Gluten-Free Apple Crumble (Dairy-Free, Vegan, No Oats)

It’s Apple Season!

Fall means so many things – from the beautiful auburn leaves that fall on the ground, to cooler, crisper days, and to apple everything! Fresh apples are literally everywhere this time of year, so let’s take advantage of that!

Apple pie, apple crisp, apple cider… anything with apples goes during the fall! And of course… it’s also time for apple crumble!

Gluten-Free Apple Crumble (Without Oats!) to Enjoy This Fall

When my husband was diagnosed with celiac disease, I learned that even “safe” gluten-free desserts aren’t always so simple.

Many gluten-free crumbles lean on oats, and oats don’t agree with everyone despite them being naturally gluten-free (in fact, some Celiacs may react to oats in the same way that they react to gluten). So I made this gluten-free apple crumble without them.

Soft cinnamon apples bake under a golden, buttery topping made with just almond flour, tapioca starch, and coconut oil. It’s dairy-free, vegan, grain-free, and needs only 7 ingredients.

Baked in little individual ramekins and topped with a scoop of dairy-free ice cream, it’s the cozy fall dessert everyone at the table can dig into, no second-guessing required.

Why This Recipe Works:

• Simple Ingredients: The 7 ingredients required for this gluten-free apple crumble recipe are easily found at the local grocery stores. (In fact, you might already have most of them at home!)
• Easy to Make: Preparing this delicious apple crumble is uncomplicated, and even if this is your first time baking a crumble, you’ll be surprised at just how simple this dessert recipe is.
• Perfect Texture and Taste: With a juicy apple filling and a crunchy crumble topping, the contrast in texture in this grain-free apple crumble is just perfect! The acidity of the tart apples combined with the sweetness of cinnamon and sugar is amazing – your taste buds will thank you!
• Totally Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Grain-Free & Vegan: The best part is that this recipe is 100% gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free and vegan, which means that even those with Celiac disease or gluten or lactose intolerances (or those simply on a gluten-free diet or low carb diet) can enjoy it without worries.

Recipes Notes + Substitutions:

• Apples: I prefer using Granny Smith apples, but any other types of tart green apples will work (such as Ginger Gold, Pippin, Crispin, or Antonovka apples). If you don’t care for tart apples, feel free to use red apples too (such as honeycrisp, red delicious, gala, pink lady, etc).
• Cinnamon: Using ground cinnamon adds to the fall flavor of the apple crumble. Alternatively, you may also use pumpkin pie spice instead.
• Sugar: I used white sugar, but feel free to use cane sugar, light brown sugar, dark brown sugar or coconut sugar if you prefer. If you are diabetic or insulin-resistant, I highly recommend using granulated monkfruit sweetener (a 1:1 sugar substitute that is zero glycemic index and will not raise your blood sugar).
• Almond Flour: I like using blanched almond flour, but almond meal will work just as well (here’s how you can make your own homemade almond meal).
• Tapioca Starch: To keep this recipe grain-free, I’ve used tapioca starch (also known as tapioca flour). If you don’t have tapioca starch, you may use arrowroot starch too. Alternatively, you can also use a good-quality gluten-free flour blend.
• Coconut Oil: I like using refined coconut oil for my baking because it has a less pronounced coconut taste (as opposed to extra virgin coconut oil which has a stronger coconut flavor and smell). Allergic to coconut? Use chilled vegan butter instead. Alternatively, if you are not dairy-intolerant, you can go ahead and use normal melted butter or ghee instead.
• Vanilla Extract: I like adding a bit of vanilla extract to the crumble topping, but if you don’t have it on hand, or simply prefer not to use it, go ahead and leave it out instead.

Recipe FAQs: