This healthy apple crisp recipe with oatmeal has tender cinnamon-spiced apples underneath a golden oat topping made with almond flour, coconut sugar, chopped nuts, and coconut oil. The filling turns soft and jammy in the oven while the topping stays crumbly and crisp.
I love this kind of apple dessert because it still feels cozy and familiar without needing to make or roll a pie crust. The maple syrup brings extra flavor to the apples, while the oats and nuts give the topping plenty of texture.
If you’re in the mood for another apple dessert, try my Crispy Apple Turnovers. My Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake is another cozy fall dessert, while these Healthy Coconut Raspberry Bars are great when you want something fruity and chilled. For something fresh to serve alongside brunch, try my Fresh Fruit Salad.
The Cozy Apple Dessert I Make When I Don’t Want to Make Pie
Apple crisp gives you a lot of what I love about apple pie — warm fruit, cinnamon, and a golden topping — without making pastry.
The filling is simple: sliced apples, maple syrup, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and a little starch to thicken the juices.
Then comes my favorite part.
The topping combines old-fashioned oats with almond flour, coconut sugar, chopped walnuts or pecans, and solid coconut oil.
As it bakes, the apples soften underneath while the topping becomes toasted and crumbly.
Table of contents
Ingredients You Need
Let’s Make Apple Crisp with Oatmeal
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, mix the coconut sugar and almond flour.
- Add the rolled oats and chopped walnuts or pecans, then stir to combine.
- Add the solid coconut oil and work it into the mixture until crumbly and evenly combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the sliced apples, maple syrup, lemon juice, arrowroot powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt.
- Toss until the apples are evenly coated.
- Transfer the apple mixture to a baking dish and spread it into an even layer.
- Sprinkle the oat topping evenly over the apples.
- Bake until the apples are tender and bubbling and the topping is deeply golden and crisp, about 40 to 50 minutes.
- Let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving so the filling can settle slightly.
How to Get a Crisp Oat Topping
The texture starts with not melting the coconut oil.
You want to work softened solid coconut oil through the oats, almond flour, coconut sugar, and nuts until you have an uneven crumbly mixture.
That creates little pieces that can toast separately in the oven rather than turning the topping into one solid layer.
It also helps to spread the topping evenly without compacting it.
And don’t pull the crisp just because the apples look soft — wait until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling around the edges.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Slicing the apples very unevenly. Thick chunks and paper-thin slices won’t become tender at the same time. Aim for fairly consistent slices. King Arthur’s classic crisp uses apples sliced around 1/4-inch thick for even baking.
Melting the coconut oil. Your tested topping uses solid coconut oil. Melted oil will produce a different crumb structure.
Packing the topping down firmly. Scatter it loosely so more of the oat mixture is exposed to the heat.
Forgetting the thickener. Arrowroot or cornstarch helps turn the juices from the apples into a thicker filling instead of leaving liquid at the bottom.
Using very juicy apples and underbaking. Wait until you can see the filling bubbling.
Removing the crisp before the topping is golden. Color is an important doneness cue here.
Serving immediately from the oven. Give it the 10–15 minute rest from your tested method so the filling can settle.
What to Serve with Apple Crisp
Warm apple crisp and vanilla ice cream is still my favorite combination.
The cold ice cream starts melting into the warm cinnamon apples and gets into all the little spaces in the crunchy oat topping.
King Arthur also recommends serving its gluten-free apple crisp warm with either ice cream or whipped cream.
You can also serve it with vanilla ice cream, coconut ice cream, lightly whipped cream, plain Greek yogurt, vanilla yogurt, hot coffee, black tea, or a little extra chopped toasted walnut on top.
If you want to keep the dessert dairy-free, use coconut or another dairy-free ice cream.
FAQs
Yes. Leaving the peels on adds texture and saves prep time. Just make sure the apples are washed well.
Firm apples that hold their shape work best. Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, and Pink Lady are all good choices.
Yes. You can assemble it a few hours ahead and refrigerate it before baking.
Yes! Apple crisp is generally healthier because it skips the buttery pie crust and uses a simple oat topping instead. This healthy apple crisp goes even further by using maple syrup instead of refined sugar, almond flour instead of white flour, and coconut oil instead of butter — making it naturally gluten-free and refined-sugar-free.
This recipe is already naturally vegan! It uses coconut oil instead of butter and maple syrup instead of honey or refined sugar. Just make sure your oats are certified gluten-free if you have a gluten sensitivity.
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Healthy Apple Crisp with Oatmeal Topping
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Combine the coconut sugar and almond flour in a medium bowl.
- Stir in the rolled oats and chopped nuts.
- Work in the solid coconut oil until the topping is evenly crumbly. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples, maple syrup, lemon juice, arrowroot or cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Toss until the apples are evenly coated.
- Spread the apples evenly in the baking dish.
- Scatter the oat topping evenly over the apples.
- Bake for 40–50 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden and crisp.
- Rest for 10–15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Use a mix of sweet and tart apples for the best flavor.
- Cornstarch works in place of arrowroot powder.
- Keep the coconut oil soft but not melted so the topping stays crumbly.
- Walnuts and pecans both work well in the topping.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, coconut ice cream, or yogurt.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
