This paleo apple crisp is a healthy maple-sweetened fall treat that has an incredible crunchy walnut topping, a gooey sensation of warm sweet apples and it’s simple to make. It’s also vegan, gluten-free, grain-free and dairy-free.
This apple crisp has all the signature traits of fall and is perfect for Thanksgiving. You can serve it as a dessert or an amazing sweet breakfast treat. But if you find it’s too sweet for breakfast, you can try these Paleo Apple Muffins.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, I’ll be making my Paleo Vegan Pumpkin Pie because we love it more than a traditional pumpkin pie. And as usual, this gluten-free vegan Swedish Apple Pie will make an appearance.
It’s not to say that this paleo apple crisp should only be reserved for holidays. But rather it’s the perfect dessert for apple season!
Ingredients:
For the filling:
- Maple syrup
- Lemon juice
- Arrowroot starch/powder
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Salt
- 5 small to medium apples
For the topping:
- Blanched almond flour
- Coconut flour
- Ground cinnamon
- Refined coconut oil
- Maple syrup
- Salt
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
Toppings:
Paleo Vegan Vanilla Sauce or vanilla ice cream
How to make apple crisp:
- Mix filling ingredients and stir in apples until combined, place in an ungreased pan
- Mix flour and cinnamon in a bowl add coconut oil, maple syrup and salt. Mix until combined
- Pulse nuts until they’re in small pieces and add to the topping mixture
- Bake 40 to 50 minutes
- Let it cool
- Top with vanilla sauce and serve
Note: if you use unrefined coconut oil, the crisp will have a slight coconut taste to it.
Do I have to use coconut flour?
I’ve had a lot of questions about the small amount of coconut flour in certain recipes asking if it is truly needed, or not. And I want to say right off the bat, it is necessary!
Coconut flour absorbs liquid and even though this apple crisp recipe only calls for 1 tablespoon, it’s needed to get that extra crunch that you want in a crisp. Without it, it won’t be as nice and crispy as it should be.
If you like grain-free baking, I definitely recommend getting coconut flour as a staple. It’s not expensive and it lasts a long time because you usually only use small amounts at a time.
So go ahead and get the coconut flour because you can try out other recipes like this Paleo Pumpkin Cake or these Pumpkin Spice Cookies. Not to mention these Coconut Flour Cookies or these Coconut Flour Brownies.
Do I have to use nuts?
The walnuts set this crisp apart from any other. I actually added more chopped walnuts than flour and it makes this apple crisp nice and crunchy. Normally, I would say you could leave out the nuts if you want, but not this time.
Nuts are essential in this apple crisp. Walnuts work, as well!
Will it be sweet enough with just maple syrup?
It only has 7 tablespoons for the entire crisp which means you need the sweetest apples you can find rather than tart ones. And if you’d like even less sweetener and you can have oats, then this Healthy Apple Crisp only calls for 1 tablespoon of maple syrup for the whole recipe.
If you’d like it sweeter, rather than add more sweetener, try adding this Vanilla Sauce. It’s paleo and vegan and is perfect to top off your fall treats.
And for a sugar-free fruit dessert, try this great looking Keto Blackberry Cobbler!
Can I use butter?
When I made this, I actually meant to use butter and accidentally used coconut oil instead. It ended up great because it became a vegan + dairy-free crisp!
If you want to use butter, you should probably use a little more – perhaps 3.5 tablespoons instead of 3? But that’s just a guess. If you use butter and it works (or doesn’t!), let me know the amount and I’ll update the post.
Will this crisp stay crispy?
The only downside to the grain-free topping is it will get a little soft on the second day. It’s the same with all paleo and grain-free crisps and crumbles that I’ve tried. So, if you don’t think you can eat all of it on the first day, just halve the recipe.
It’s delicious the second and third day, just not as crisp! Refrigerating it also helps prevent it from being soggy.
If you’re more into berries than apples this year, try this Paleo Blueberry Crisp. It’s basically the same, but with blueberries, so you’ll already have what you need.
Other crisps and crumbles:
- Besides the Blueberry Crisp, I mentioned above, I also have this Cranberry Apple Crisp that is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It’s gluten-free with a vegan option and is super easy to make.
- Apple Cheesecake Crisp is a little more decadent with the cheesecake layer, but it’s so good. It’s oat-based, gluten-free and 100% whole grain.
- This Blueberry Peach Crumble is ripe for the season. It’s gluten-free and whole grain and can be made with any fruit you like.
- These Grain-free Mini Ginger Peach Crisps are great for individual desserts when you don’t need to make a whole pan.
- This 100 Whole Grain Raspberry Crumble is perfect for the end of summer gatherings.
If you’re saving recipes for Thanksgiving, then I have a list of 180 Thanksgiving Recipes that are healthy! I’m quite positive there is something for everyone!
Pictures were updated August 2021. Here’s an old one for the people who are wondering if this is indeed the recipe you made in the past. :)
Paleo Apple Crisp (vegan, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 6-10 servings
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60ml) maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch/powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 5 1/2 cups chopped and peeled apples (this was about 5 small to medium apples, 774 grams with the core and 630 grams of apples, post coring)
- 3/4 cup (75 grams) blanched almond flour
- 1 tablespoons (8 grams) coconut flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) refined coconut oil1, room temperature (not melted)
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- slightly less than 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (110 grams) chopped pecans or walnuts (about 1/4" in size)
- paleo vegan vanilla sauce
For the filling:
For the topping:
To serve:
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and get out an 8"x8" (20cmx20cm) pan.
- Mix the maple syrup, lemon juice, arrowroot powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl.
- Peel the apples, core and cut into 1/3" pieces. Place the apples in the maple syrup mixture and stir until the apples are well coated in the mixture. Place in the ungreased pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the almond flour, coconut flour and cinnamon. Then add the coconut oil, maple syrup and salt and mix until combined.
- Pulse the pecans or walnuts in a food processor a few times until they're in small pieces (about 1/8" in size). You can also chop them by hand but the food processor takes a lot less time. Stir the nuts into the topping mixture.
- Drop walnut-sized pieces of topping over the apples. Gently press down any nuts that are sticking out so that they don't burn.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the topping is brown and crisp and the apples are bubbling. The topping will crisp up much slower than a traditional crisp, but don't worry as it will crisp up towards the very end of the baking time. Cover the crisp with foil if the topping starts to brown too early.
- Let cool for 10 minutes and serve. If not serving immediately, once cool, loosely cover with a piece of plastic wrap (so the topping doesn't go soft). If storing overnight, properly cover the crisp with plastic wrap. Do note that the topping gets soft on the second day.
Notes
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83 comments on “Paleo Apple Crisp (with a nutty crisp topping!)” — Add one!
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Hi. Thank you for an awesome recipe!!! This is my second time to make it. I baked the apples and the topping separate. I wanted to keep the topping from getting soggy. It turned out great this way. I made the topping into little mound shaped cookies. I microwave the apple filling and crumble the topping over it. I discovered that the topping is an excellent cookie all by itself. I love this recipe and am adding it to me recipe book. It is wonderful. I eat grain free because it causes symptoms like inflammation, brain fog and intestinal issues. I feel better. I plan to review and try more of your recipes. Hippocrates said: “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be the food.” It is so true. Thanks for your contribution to this lifestyle. <3
Hello! I’m sorry for just now seeing your comment. It was in spam for some reason and I haven’t really been diligent with checking it lately (or more like since March 😕). I’m so glad that you liked the recipe! That’s a great idea to bake them separately. You’re welcome for the recipes and thank you for your very kind comment. Sorry again that my reply was so slow!
Thank for working so hard to keep us healthy during this challenging time.
keep the recipes coming.
You’re welcome! I hope you find some recipes to try out and that you’ll enjoy them. :) Thanks for your comment and stay safe!
I have made this recipe time-and-time again. Instead of maple syrup I use monk fruit from Lankanto (not liquid) or coconut sugar. Maple syrup is way to sweet for me. I also added some pears and it was yummy. All my customers who I cook for love it and ask me to make this every month for them.
Oh, yay! I’m so glad to hear that. And great to know that pears work well! I love that your customers ask for it every month. Thanks for your feedback (and sorry for my slow reply!).
I made this. It was delicious. I used finely chopped pecans. I also used Granny Smith apples and I added a tablespoon of agave syrup because the apples were tart. It turned out great. And was still wonderful 2 days later after being refrigerated. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it and that it was still good 2 days later! A bit extra sweetener when using Granny Smith is definitely a good idea. :) Thanks for your feedback!
I started making this recipe when I was pregnant with my now 2.5 year old son. I used to make one of these bad boys every week (admittedly sometimes twice a week) it’s such a good one. I like adding toasted coconut and salted sunflower seeds to the topping. I’ve also used molasses for half the maple syrup in the topping and it’s delicious! Last Thanksgiving I added a half cup of whole cranberries to the filling and it was a hit.
Oooh, those are some interesting additions and subs! I’ll definitely have to try the molasses thing. And cranberries! Totally trying that. :) Thanks for your feedback! I’m really glad you’ve been enjoying it all these years.
Glad we stumbled upon this! It’s a keeper and easily modified for different fruits. While searching for a rhubarb apple crisp without a lot of sweeteners or flour we came upon this one. Modified is using about 4 cups of rhubarb and about 2 cups of apples. For the flour, we used flour made from coconut milk and almond milk pulp. Incredibly tasty. It was hard to wait for it to cool enough to try : )
Wow! I’m glad that it came out well with your homemade flours. I know that sometimes they don’t work out so well. Thanks for sharing your rhubarb apple version! It sounds delicious.
I made this today. I didnt have maple syrup so I used Date Syrup instead and I used 1/2 grass fed butter and 1/2 coconut oil. I also added some rhubarb to it. Family loved it. I will make it again. Thank you.
You’re welcome! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it and that your subs worked out well. :) Thanks for your comment!
Used just the topping recipe- it was great! I didn’t have almond flour so I used 3/4 cup of roasted unsalted almonds and made almond meal. Followed the rest of the recipe as written. For a quick dessert I used my own canned apple pie filling with this topping. Even hubby liked it and he’s sort of fussy about desserts.
I’m so very sorry for just now seeing your feedback! I’m really glad to hear that even your fussy husband enjoyed the topping. :) Great to know that almond meal works! Thanks for the tip.
Making this for the family this weekend! Thanks for the great recipe!
I hope you’ll enjoy it! :)
Quarter cup of maple syrup is 55 + grams of sugar. will look into options for reducing that but it looks like an interesting recipe
I’d rather have those 55 grams of sugar from maple syrup rather than white sugar, though. ;) Good luck with finding a way to reduce that! Would love to hear how it comes out.
I don’t consume sugar (unless it’s in the form of whole fruits and vegetables), so as a workaround for maple syrup I add stevia and/or monkfruit to taste along with a few drops of pure (not imitation) maple extract. It adds a lovely maple twist to this — and many other — recipes, without the sugar + calories.
I also reduce the fat + calorie content by using a scant 1 tbsp of coconut oil and omitting the coconut flour, and subbing at *least* half of the almond flour with organic spelt, farro, buckwheat, or oat flour (my preference is actually 35g almond flour plus 40g of oat + spelt flour (50/50 blend). I also halve the amount of nuts. There’s definitely enough fat in the nuts and coconut oil to keep the topping from becoming too dry.
Erin, thank you so much for this sharing this recipe! Even though I’m not at all fond of desserts and baked goods in general, I absolutely love this and have made it many (and I do mean MANY 😂) times.
Hi Izzy! I’m so terribly sorry for just now seeing your comment. It was in spam for some odd reason and with this past disastrous year, I haven’t been diligent with checking it (as it’s about 99.9% spam). :/ Thanks for sharing your lower sugar / fat / calorie version! I’m really glad that you found a way to make it work for you. And it’s nice that you love it despite not liking baked goods in general. I wish I were like that. 😂 Thanks for your super helpful comment and sorry again for the slow reply!
The Paleo Vegan Apple Crisp was fantastic. I followed the recipe exactly, using Cornstarch. I love fining good Paleo recipes – especially desserts and this is definitely one of them. Thank you for a delicious and easy recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy that you enjoyed it. :) I have loads more paleo dessert recipes here if you’re interested. Thanks for your comment!
Love it! I want it all!
My family and I are embarking on a much healthier eating lifestyle, but we all have a sweet tooth, so I’m planning to make this as our Friday night splurge. Can I prep thus and bake it when we’re ready to eat it, or will it warm up nicely once baked? Also, can I substitute vanilla extract for the bean? Vanilla beans here are very pricey IMO AT $17 for one bean…I really want to use the vanilla sauce, but at that price I might as well use SO Delicious dairy free vanilla ice cream.
Hi Melissa! Sorry for my slow reply. We have a newborn at home and I’m a little slow when it comes to blog stuff. You can definitely use vanilla extract instead of the bean! I’ve never prepared it ahead of time and then baked it nor have I reheated it so I honestly can’t say for sure. My guess would be to prepare it, refrigerate it, let it come to room temp, and then bake. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
I made this today for a church gathering. Everyone loved it! And many asked for the recipe. Every recipe of yours I have tried has been wonderful. Thanks!!!
Shana
I’m super happy to hear that everyone loved it and that you’ve had success with my recipes! That certainly gives me motivation to keep going. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Perfect! My husband’s grandmother has a recipe, but it calls for brown sugar and flour. This is the best substitute. We both liked it and the cream sauce was a great touch. Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the crisp. :) Thanks for your comment!
This is seriously delicious!! I added a little coconut sugar to the topping because I like it very sweet and it was a huge hit!!!! Had a whole group of people over tonight and everyone loved it! Will be making it again! Thank you <3
More sugar certainly couldn’t have hurt. ;) So happy that everyone loved it! Thanks a ton for your feedback. :)
Erin, I tried this recipe today because I had a few apples left after freezing apples. My husband is on a gluten-free, sugar free plan, so I found this recipe online.
We both loved it! I used unblanched Almond flour instead of blanched. It is delicious, full of flavor, and crisps up nicely. I didn’t use the topping, but I will another time. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
How do you freeze apples?! That sounds interesting. I’m so happy that you and your husband enjoyed the crisp! Thanks for your comment. :)
Could I use all coconut flour instead of almond flour? Thanks!
Coconut flour is unfortunately not interchangeable with any other flour as it absorbs so much more liquid. Sorry about that! And sorry for my slow reply. I just got back from a vacation where I didn’t have any reception.
No problem! That’s good to know about coconut flour! We have begun using it in other recipes and have enjoyed the flavor, but I wasn’t sure if it was interchangeable or not. Thanks for getting back to me! :)
That’s great that you enjoy the flavor! I actually don’t like it that much (the taste or texture) unless it’s combined with almond flour or another type of flour. Then it’s all good. :)
Would a nut-free granola be an ok topping to make this nut free, also?!
I’ve never tried using granola as a topping so I have no idea! I’m sorry about that. I do have a nut-free paleo strawberry rhubarb crisp that has a great topping that you could use. :)
My mom and I made this today for dessert for my birthday and oh my goodness I shared it with my family, everyone loved it!
I’m so happy that everyone enjoyed it! I hope you had a great birthday. :) Thanks for your comment!
Apple crisp is one of my favorite desserts – I’ve got to try out that vegan vanilla sauce!
I hope you’ll enjoy it! :)
This is delicious but I would love nutritional info on it, such as sugar and fat counts. Personally, I am worried it’s a bit too high sugar to be truly called “paleo.”
I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :) I’m happy you enjoyed it!
I love blueberries all year long – but I really love apples in the fall so either way is a win in my book! Looks scrumptious!
I love that you used coconut flour in this. I have been looking for more recipes that use that so I need to give it a whirl. I also would love to try the berry version as well – I tend to love berries year ’round and often freeze them for winter months.
I think that apple crisps are so underrated! Warm apples with some vanilla ice cream and I’m set! ;)
Love apple crisp!! I guess my favorite would be peach though. This does look wonderful.
Thanks! And I know you love your peaches. ;) I actually had several peach recipes on the list for this summer but all the peaches we bought got moldy before they ripened or were rock hard. Such a bummer!
ERIN, will peaches work in this recipe? I need to use mine up.
Peaches are so much juicier than apples so I’m guessing the filling would be a lot more liquidy. I have no idea how much extra arrowroot you’d have to add to prevent that as I haven’t tried it! Good luck if you try it out. :)
Do it! I am all about the berries all year long! This looks pretty fabulous as well!
I still think berries and relevant and delicious! But this apple crisp ended up looking so delicious!
We’re in for a cold rainy weekend, according to the forecast, which means it’s perfect weather for a big fat bowl of that gorgeous apple crisp. I love the combination of apples and maple, and that almond flour topping sounds like an amazing alternative to the usual oatmeal version. Can’t wait to try it out!
PS: I still care about berries. Sorry, apples… you’re cool and all, but it’s Team Berry all the way over here. :)
I still care about berries, too! Although I suppose apples will do in a pinch. 😉
Best Looking Apple Crisp Ever and love that it’s paleo!!! Your photos are beautiful!
I love berries, but apples too! And I love how healthy this is, either with coconut oil or butter, both would be delicious!
Apple crispo is one of my favorite desserts! Can’t wait to try this one out!
I always learn something from your recipes and this one is no exception!
I love that this is Paleo!
Oh man, I LOVE how amazing this looks! The fact that it’s maple syrup sweetened is perfect :)
This sounds fantastic and that sauce!!
This is just fall in dessert form! Love baking with coconut flour. I always have it on hand.
I’d definitely eat either an apple OR a blueberry version!! But I think the apple would be my favorite. Love the look of your topping!
My favourite dessert growing up was my Mum’s apple crumble, but I have to admit this looks equally delicious. I’m 100% going to give it a try!
Looks like you’re going to be busy making my apple crisps and crumbles, it seems. ;) I hope you’ll enjoy this, too! Thanks for your comments today.
This recipe sounds great! However, I love my crisp to have oats – any suggestions to add these? Thank you.
Thanks! It sounds like what you want is a crumble. :) Here’s a great crumble that’s also gluten-free and is made in an 8″x8″! I hope that helps.
I love apple crisp in the fall! My family doesn’t like it, so I almost never get it. This looks wonderful!
Aww! That stinks. You can always make a single serving. :)
Glad you are back to blogging! Looking forward to the book!
Thanks a bunch, Patricia! I’m happy to be back, too. :)
Congrats on almost being done with the manuscript! Good for you! Can I celebrate for you by making about ten of these? Haha!
Thanks! And haha. Yeah! Go for it! Just make them on separate days so the topping doesn’t get soggy. ;)
This sounds wonderful, Erin! I missed your recipes so I was happy to see this one on FB. Went apple picking on the weekend so this is right on time! Thanks! :)
The book manuscript is due in a week?! Yay!! Good work! Can’t wait for this book to be published :)))
Thanks, Brigitte! I’m super excited to be almost finished. :) And I hope you’ll enjoy the crisp if you try it! I actually made this as a way to get rid of some of the 30 pounds of apples I have right now but it didn’t really help. I guess I’ll have to make some apple sauce. :)
Just made this today for snack time!!! So Gooood! I used sugar free syrup and I just added some whipped cream sweetened with vanilla stevia to the top! Perfect ! Thank you for the recipe!
Wow, that was quick! I’m so happy that you enjoyed it. :) And whipped cream sounds great on top! Thanks so much for the feedback. :)
YUM!!! I love crisp!!!
Me too! :)