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.
Sally says
This recipe was delicious!! Definitely will be making it again!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks Sally! 🙂
Kaylene says
Made this and have frozen for Christmas dessert. My husband and I had a taste test before freezing and it is definitely without fault! So delicious.
Next time I make it I am going to see how I can swap a little of the sugar for something less refined and hope it still tastes just as great.
Jennifer O'Riley says
I have made this recipe twice now. The crumble topping always comes out really wet. So sprinkling it over the dish becomes impossible. Am I doing something wrong?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Jennifer, it is wet from the melted vegan butter, you break it up with your fingers to spread it around. 🙂
Phebe says
Hi! I was wondering if I could make this 3-4 hours in advance and keep it in the fridge and then bake it.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Phoebe, it would be better to bake it first and then reheat it right before serving. The reason being that fresh chopped apples can oxidize quite quickly so you want to bake them to avoid that. So bake it as usual and then let it cool, cover and store in the fridge. Then reheat at 350°F for 15-20 minutes until heated through. All the best! 🙂
Diane says
Could I use pumpkin puree or applesauce in place of vegan butter, and if so how much would you use?
Thank you
Alison Andrews says
Hi Diane, no, unfortunately I don’t think that would work well here at all.
Hannah says
Hi 🙂
I have a quick question, we only have Bramley cooking apples, is it okay to use them in this recipe?
X
Hannah
Alison Andrews says
Hi Hannah, those should work just fine! All the best! 🙂
Nicole says
Big hit for out Friendsgiving this year! Thank you for the recipe. I will definitely make it again.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks Nicole! 🙂
Anisha Wadhwani says
Really excited to try this! Any tips for making it ahead of time?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Anisha, if you want to make it ahead of time then bake it as usual, let it cool completely and then keep it overnight in the fridge. Reheat at 350°F in the oven for around 15-20 minutes until heated through. If you need to make it further in advance then bake it, let it cool completely and then freeze it, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat at 350°F for 15-20 minutes until heated through. All the best! 🙂
Maia says
Hi!
I have made this recipe 3 times now. Apple crisp is one of my top 5 favorite desserts, and I can honestly say this is the best recipe I have ever tried. The crisp turns out absolutely perfect: chewy and melt in your mouth. Absolutely beautiful. It has been a hit every time I have made it.
Thank you so much for sharing this awesome recipe! Wishing you a warm and happy holiday season.
Your friend,
Maia
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear that Maia! Thanks for the wonderful review and wishing you a wonderful holiday season too. 🙂
Karen says
Delish! And easy.
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much Karen! 🙂
Anne Wilson says
Delicious recipe, thanks.
Made it with apples from our mini apple tree and served with soya custard.
Alison Andrews says
Sounds lovely! Thanks for the wonderful review! 🙂
Kristi Chvatal says
Can I use frozen apples in this recipe? If so, what would I change for bake time? Would you thaw at all first? Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Kristi, I would probably thaw them first so that everything would remain the same with the bake time. All the best! 🙂
Samantha Bayliss says
This is the best Vegan pudding I have cooked so far, we really enjoyed it as a family. I will be cooking this again.
Thank You.
Alison Andrews says
Yay! That is wonderful to hear. Thanks so much for the great review. 🙂
Larissa says
Wow this recipe is incredible! I have never made apple crisp before (my mom is the crisp pro!) but I’m hanging on to this recipe
Thanks for another incredible vegan dessert recipe!!
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for the awesome rating. 🙂
KAY says
Could I put this recipe into a pie crust?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Kay, the recipe makes quite a large amount, so while I think you ‘could’ make it in a pie crust, it would likely make more than one pie. 🙂
Connie says
Just made this for Thanksgiving as my nephew is allergic to butter and milk. It was a HIT! He took the entire pan home with him. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks so much!
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing Connie! 🙂
Charlotte says
Best dessert I’ve made in a while! It was so easy to make yet so delicious.
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic! So happy to hear that Charlotte. Thanks for the wonderful review. 🙂