This vegan apple crisp is totally divine served warm with vegan cream or vegan vanilla ice cream. It’s deliciously flavorful and perfect for the holidays.
So first I made vegan apple cake and then I made vegan apple crisp. All in a bid to avoid making vegan apple pie!
Hahaha, no I joke, I will get to making a vegan apple pie one day (update: vegan apple pie is here!) and this vegan apple crisp is absolutely no slouch and isn’t second to anything.
In fact Jaye is already saying this is going on the Christmas menu.
For everyone celebrating Thanksgiving on the other side of the world, this is another perfect dessert idea. Along with our vegan pumpkin pie and vegan apple cake of course. Or why not all three?
Some vegan pineapple upside down cake wouldn’t go amiss either!
How To Make Vegan Apple Crisp
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
Peel and chop up a bunch of apples so that you end up with 8 cups of peeled, cubed apple (about 2.2lb/1kg). My apples were really small so I had to use a lot of apples (like 13 of them!).
This is really the most time consuming part of the whole dessert making process. And I think you know that peeling and chopping apples is really easy, so I hope you’re getting the idea that this is a super easy dessert, because it is.
Add the chopped apples to a mixing bowl with brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, lemon juice and vanilla and toss until well coated.
Then smooth down into a 9×13 baking dish (spray it with non-stick spray first).
Then you mix up your topping. You can use the same bowl as you used for your apples. See? Easy one-bowl recipe.
Add flour, rolled oats, brown sugar and cinnamon and mix together and then pour in some melted vegan butter and mix in.
Crumble The Topping
Then all you have to do is spread the topping over the apples. Use your fingers for this, crumbling the topping between your fingers so that it lands in little clumps and crumbles of topping and spreads over the whole top of the dish.
This will be totally divine once baked.
And then you bake it for 50 minutes. The topping will be golden and crispy and the apples will be baked to perfection!
When you take it out of the oven it will be bubbling up the sides, this is perfect.
The Best Apples For Vegan Apple Crisp
Granny Smith apples work great in this recipe. They have a lovely tart/sweet taste and are really firm so they hold up very well when baked and don’t just turn into total mush.
I like to cut the apples into cubes for this dessert because I find that also holds up best with baking.
I tried a version where I cut the apples into slices instead of cubes and they didn’t hold up as well, it was still totally delicious, but it was a little more mushy. I like being able to see some intact cubes of apple even once this apple crisp is baked and you get that with cubes.
Serving Suggestions
You definitely want to serve this hot with a scoop of vegan ice cream! The ice cream you see here is our vegan vanilla ice cream recipe. The only change I made to that recipe was to omit the vanilla powder because I didn’t have any on hand, so I used vanilla extract only.
It is the perfect pairing for this apple crisp. If you don’t want the hassle of making ice cream from scratch then use any store-bought variety, but I think vanilla is going to be the best flavor pairing for this.
The apple crisp is served hot, the ice cream is cold, it gets all melty and it’s pretty much heaven in your mouth.
Alternatively you can serve it with vegan whipped cream or vegan custard. Also completely divine with this.
What About Gluten-Free?
Yes my friends if you want to make this gluten-free you definitely can. A simple switch for a gluten-free all purpose flour blend works great.
Also make sure you use gluten-free rolled oats.
Storing and Freezing
Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat a slice at a time in the microwave, top it with vegan whipped cream or vegan ice cream and you’re good to go. Alternatively you can reheat the whole dessert in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes until heated through.
It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes until warmed through.
More Delicious Vegan Desserts
- Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
- Vegan Bread Pudding
- Vegan Cheesecake
- Vegan Apple Cake
- Vegan Apple Pie
- Vegan Pecan Pie
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Apple Crisp
Ingredients
For the Apple Filling:
- 8 cups Granny Smith Apples (2.2lb/1kg) Peeled and Cubed
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar (100g)
- ¼ cup All Purpose Flour (31g)
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Ground Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Topping:
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour (125g)
- 1 ½ cups Rolled Oats (150g)
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar (200g)
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¾ cup Vegan Butter (170g) measured then melted
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Peel and cube the apple and add to a mixing bowl with the brown sugar, all purpose flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, lemon juice and vanilla extract and toss together so that all the apple pieces are coated.
- Transfer the apple mix to a 9×13 dish sprayed with non-stick spray and smooth down.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Prepare the topping. Add the all purpose flour, rolled oats, brown sugar and cinnamon to the mixing bowl and mix together. Then add in the melted vegan butter and vanilla and stir in.
- Use your fingers to spread the topping over the apple layer, crumbling it with your fingers until it is evenly spread across the top.
- Place into the oven and bake for 50 minutes until the top is nicely golden brown and the apple mix is bubbling up the sides.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with vegan ice cream or vegan whipped cream.
Video
Notes
- Apples: The weight for the apples (2.2lb/1kg) is after peeling and coring and chopping into cubes.
- Gluten-free: Simply switch the all purpose flour for a gluten-free all purpose flour blend and make sure your rolled oats are gluten-free.
- Storing: Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat a slice at a time in the microwave, top it with vegan whipped cream or vegan ice cream and you’re good to go. Alternatively you can reheat the whole dessert in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes until heated through.
- Freezing: It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes until warmed through.
- Nutritional information does not include ice cream.
Jacque Schwartz says
Can you make this and freeze BEFORE cooking?
Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says
Hi Jacque. That shouldn’t be a problem. Finish assembling the apple crisp, cover with foil or assemble the crisp in an airtight container and freeze. When ready to enjoy, defrost before baking for the amount of time specified in the recipe. All the best!
Kristina says
This dish was perfect for a friends Christmas potluck. It was warm, delicious, sweet, tart, and the crumble held up very well. We served it with Oat Vanilla ice cream and will definitely be making it again!
Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says
Wow that’s great Kristina! Thank you so much for sharing your lovely review!
Valerie M Henry says
Delicious! I’m vegan and my daughter has Celiac disease so must be gluten free and this recipe checked all the boxes for a fabulous dessert! All the non- dietary restricted people LOVED this! Definitely a dessert staple from now on!
Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe Valerie! Thanks so much for your great review!
Hayley jenkins says
My topping seems to have melted down into a sugary blpb layer. Is this correct?
Pia says
Made for Thanksgiving dessert. The crunchy toppings are my favorite part of apple crisp and this one had a generous amount…the perfect ratio for toppings/fillings. Perfection. The nutmeg and cinnamon make it feel like the holidays. Added a scoop of cashew-milk ice cream.
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful! Thanks for the awesome review Pia!
Jen says
Loved this!!!! My family (non-vegans) went to town on this, going to make it for Thanksgiving dessert!
I paired this with Vanilla Cashew Milk ice cream! #HEAVEN
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful! Thanks for the great review Jen!