Make pie any time of the year with this quick and easy recipe for Apple Crisp Topping Without Oats! Perfect with or without a whole grain! Once again, I had a hankering for an old-fashioned apple crisp. And like the pies, this is about as old fashioned as it gets. I just love fruit and oats together — so good — but if you’re going to miss out on the oats, this is your topping. It’s perfect.

EASY, BUTTERY COGNAC APPLE CRISP WITHOUT OATS

I’m no oat-hater or anything, but simply prefer my apple crisp without oats.

I actually favour the taste of the streusel topping that’s made with a mix of shaved almonds and almond flour, which means that this recipe is also 100% gluten-free.

Unlike a traditional apple pie, this recipe doesn’t require a pie dough that’s rested overnight. So if you don’t have time to make the whole apple pie, apple crisp is the time-saving dessert hero.

Go team APPLE CRISP!

Best Apples to Use for an Apple Crisp Without Oats

Not all apples are created equal, so choosing the right one is important to nail this recipe.

Ideally, you’ll want to use an apple suitable for baking because these apple varieties will hold their shape and not turn to mush after baking.

Here are some good apple varieties for this recipe:

• Royal Galas (My personal favourite for baking)
• Braeburn
• Honey Crisp
• Golden Delicious
• Pink Lady
• Spy Apples

Here are some apple varieties that won’t work:

• Red Delicious
• McIntosh
• Rome
• Fuji

Use a Cast Iron Pan

I found that my 10″ (25cm) cast iron pan fits this recipe perfectly. Plus it looks great and is really easy to share at the table.

Ingredients For an Apple Crisp Without Oats

Let’s break down some of the key ingredients for this recipe:

Apples: As mentioned above, choosing the right apple is important. But you can also swap the apples for other fruit like pear, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry peach or strawberry.

Icing Sugar: Some recipes for apple crisp call for cornstarch but because icing sugar already contains cornstarch, it’s one less ingredient to add. You cannot substitute this sugar with normal sugar.

White Sugar: White sugar provides the best texture for the streusel topping but can also be replaced with brown sugar for a darker crisp.

Almonds: I also experimented with hazelnuts for this recipe but they didn’t soak up the butter as well as almonds. The best flour replacement was a mix of shaved almonds (to replace the texture of the oats) and ground almond flour. If you can’t find shaved almonds you can replace them with more almond flour. Almond flour cannot be replaced with other nuts.

Butter: Feel free to use vegan butter if you’d like to make this 100% plant-based. But real butter has the best flavour.

Egg Yolk: You can omit this if you’d like but it makes the streusel a little more rich and delicious.

Cognac: Cognac is amazing with apples but can be left out. You can also substitute the cognac for sherry, brandy or whiskey.

Spices: I really can’t imagine making apple crisp without cinnamon and nutmeg.

How to Make an Apple Crisp Without Oats

Here’s the quick recipe play by play:

1. Set the oven to 325°F/165°C.
2. Mix all ingredients together for the topping in a bowl. Mix with your hands until a nice dough is formed.
3. Mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl.
4. Peel the apples and cut into small cubes.
5. Toss the apples in the spices, icing sugar, lemon juice and cognac.
6. Add the coated apples to a cast iron pan or baking dish.
7. Add the streusel topping.
8. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until nicely browned on top.
9. Serve warm with whip cream, ice cream or on its own.

Tips to Nail this Recipe

• Use the right apples. Using the wrong apples will result in mushy apple sauce instead of soft and tender apple pieces.
• Use almond flour. Almond flour works really well in this recipe to absorb the butter and make a good gluten-free crumble.
• The apple crisp is best served the same day, but makes great left overs.

Healthy Apple Crisp Without Oats {No-Bake}

This healthy apple crumble tastes like a cross between apple crisp and sugar cookies, but it’s a no-bake option so no oven is required! It’s a great way to use up those apples and makes the perfect easy autumn treat that can be made in less than 30 minutes! {Vegan, paleo & gluten-free}.

Healthy Apple Desserts Recipe

No-Bake – The best part about this recipe is that no oven is required, so it’s perfect for those warmer temperatures as we transition from the Summer to Fall months. It’s also not your typical crisp or crumble since it’s made without oats.

Instead, it consists of layers of a delicious nutty almond and coconut flour crumb mixture. It’s basically a stove top apple crisp without oatmeal, but you don’t even miss the oats! If you’re looking for some other equally tasty no-bake apple desserts, check out these apple No-Bake Apple Pie Cups, Nut-Free Apple Oat Energy Bites, or Apple Nachos!

Nutritious – this recipe is packed full of healthy fats from the ground almonds and is also lower in carbs than your typical apple crumble. Additionally, this dessert is free of refined sugar since it’s sweetened with maple syrup and is a source of fibre and protein. It’s always a bonus when you can eat a treat and get a dose of nutrients too!

Delicious – You’ll hardly even notice that this crumble isn’t baked. It’s THAT good! The crumbly texture of the almond and coconut flour mixture on the top and bottom of the crumble resembles the flavour of sugar cookies. Paired with the warm and cozy melt-in-your mouth apple cinnamon mixture, it’s a match made in heaven.

Apple Crumble Without Oats Ingredients

Apples – I recommend using a mixture of sweet and tart apples for the purpose of this recipe. See notes below for specific apple suggestions.

Almond Flour – use blanched almond flour for the crumble mixture. I used the almond flour from Bob’s Red Mill – it’s my favourite type of almond flour to use for gluten-free dessert recipes.

Maple syrup – use 100% pure maple syrup for best results. You can also sub in honey if desired.

Can a different sweetener be substituted for the maple syrup?

Yes, you can also use another liquid sweetener such as honey, brown rice syrup or agave nectar instead of the maple syrup.

Can a different nut flour or grain free flour be substituted for the almond flour?

Yes, you can use another nut flour, such as hazelnut or cashew flour as a substitute for the almond flour. Other grain free flours probably wouldn’t work as well since you want the flour to have the right consistency to form a crumbly texture like that of a nut flour.

Healthy Apple Crumble Instructions

Peel and thinly slice apples. Place apple slices in a pan with the rest of the filling ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until tender, about 10-12 minutes.

While apples are cooking, prepare the no-bake crumb topping. To do so, combine almond flour, coconut flour and salt together in a small bowl and mix with a fork, breaking up any clumps. Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla and mix until well combined.

Using a fork or spatula, press a little over half of the crumble mix into an 8-inch square pan. Evenly distribute the apples over top. Take the rest of the topping and sprinkle it evenly on top of the apple mixture.

Place in the refrigerator and chill for about 1-2 hours. Serve cold, at room temperature or warm.

Apple Crisp without Oats Recipe Tips

• For the purpose of this recipe, I recommend slicing the apple as thinly as possible (see below for instructions). It’s also helpful to cut them into slices roughly the same size so that they cook evenly in the pan.
• When pressing the crumble mixture into the bottom of the pan, wet the back of a fork or spatula before pressing down to prevent the mixture from sticking to the fork.
• Once prepared, store the crumble in the fridge for at least an hour to allow it to firm up, making it easier to cut before serving.

Recipe For Apple Crisp without Oats FAQs

What is the difference between apple crisp and apple crumble?

An apple crisp is typically a baked fruit dessert topped with a crunchy layer of ingredients. The topping generally includes a mixture of oats, butter, sugar, nuts, flour and spices such as cinnamon. It’s baked until the topping is crisp and golden.

Similar to an apple crisp, an apple crumble is a baked fruit dessert with a layer of topping. However, unlike an apple crisp, the topping generally does not include oats or nuts.

This apple dessert is unique in the sense that it doesn’t require baking and the crumble topping doesn’t consist of oats. It’s basically a cross between a crisp and a crumble except no oven is required!

What apples are best for apple crumble?

For recipes of this nature, it generally works well if you use a combination of sweet and tart apples to diversify the flavours and textures of the dish.

Some apples that are on the sweeter side include Gala, Honeycrisp, Ambrosia and Golden Delicious, while apples that tend to be more on the tart side include Granny Smith, Cortland and MacIntosh.

I tend to use Gala quite a bit since it’s my favourite type of apple due to it’s sweet flavour and melt-in-your-mouth texture. It pairs especially well with the Granny Smith Apple.

That being said, you can use your favourite type of apple or whatever apples you have on hand. I’ve used a variety of different apples for this recipe and it turned out equally tasty each time!

How to slice apples

As noted above in the recipe tips, I recommend slicing the apples as thinly as possible for this dish.

To thinly slice an apple, remove the stem and cut in half from the stem, top to bottom. Cut each apple half in half again so that you have four sections to work with. Using a sharp knife, slice the apple as thinly as you can. For this recipe, I try to slice them about a quarter of an inch thick.

How to store healthy apple desserts

You can store this dish in the fridge in the pan tightly wrapped with saran wrap or in an airtight container for up to a week.

Can you freeze this recipe?

Yes! You can freeze this crumble in a freezer-friendly air-tight container for up to three months.

To defrost: Take the crumble out of the freezer 24 hours before serving to allow it to thaw.

How do you keep apple crumble from getting soggy?

For this particular crumble, it helps to store it in the fridge since it allows the crumble and apple filling to solidify slightly, thus preventing it from getting soggy.

Why is my apple crisp not crispy?

This apple crisp is a no-bake version that uses almond and coconut flour instead of oats so it has a softer texture than your typical apple crisp that uses oats and is baked. If you prefer a crisp that has a more crispy texture made with oats and nuts, try out my Peach Crumble!

Serving suggestions

This dessert is unique in the sense that you can serve it cold, at room temperature or warm. It tastes delicious as is or, of course, topped with some whipped cream, coconut whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

Apple Crisp

Apple Crisp, also known as Apple Crumble, is a deliciously light and healthy dessert option!

Warm, baked spiced apples nestled with crispy oats, apple pie spice and brown sugar…and it’s even better topped with vanilla ice cream!

This is a perfect Fall dessert recipe your friends and family will love and your house will smell amazing!

This simple apple crisp recipe is easy to make and your house will smell absolutely wonderful!

It’s the perfect Fall dessert- when apples are in season and when the temperature drops just a bit, but it’s really good anytime of year!

You’ll love this recipe

The hardest part of this recipe is coring the apples…dog-gone-it…go buy an apple corer at the grocery store…you won’t regret it!

• All-natural – apples, oats, butter, flour, honey, lemon, spices – that’s it!
• Your house will smell amazing!!! When Fall rolls around, THIS is exactly what you need! 
• Not too rich or too fattening – your waistline will appreciate the healthy ingredients!

This easy apple recipe was in my Grandmother’s vintage recipes, so there’s no preservatives or additives! It’s the real deal!

Here’s what you’ll need:

I usually make this apple crisp recipe in the Fall, when apples are in season. I use Honeycrisp apples, but you can use Gala, Fuji or Granny Smith apples.

I do not recommend Red Delicious apples because their texture is more grainy and they turn to mush.

Ingredients – apples, oats, brown sugar, flour, butter, honey, apple pie spice and lemon.

Seasonings – You can use straight cinnamon instead of apple pie spice, but I like the Apple Pie spice because it contains cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice–three key spices to any apple dish!

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Do not forget to get a lemon! Lemon juice will keep the cup apples from turning brown. 

Here’s how to make it:

This easy apple dessert has two parts: the filling and the oat topping. You’ll definitely want to invest in an apple coring tool and a good, sharp paring knife.

Peel and core apples; cut apples and drizzle lemon juice over them

Make oat topping

Place apples in baking dish; sprinkle oat topping over apples and bake!

What kind of apples do I use?

Use Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala or Fuji apples. Each of these varieties holds up well when baked- they stay slightly firm. 

Red Delicious apples are not ideal for this recipe simply because they don’t hold up well under heat and turn to mush.

Yield

This makes about 8 cups of Apple Crisp. If you serve in ½ cup portions, you’ll get about 16 servings from this recipe. 

Making it for a crowd?

If you’re making this for a large group (say 20 or more), double the recipe and bake it in a big aluminum pan.

How to make it gluten-free:

If you want to make this yummy dessert gluten-free, use a certified gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour.

While oats typically do not contain wheat, there is a strong possibility for cross contamination across oat and wheat fields.

They produce a line of gluten-free baking ingredients including GF all-purpose flour and oats.

Storage and reheating

Store apple crisp in the fridge covered for up to 3-days.

To reheat, place in microwavable bowl for 1-2 minutes, or reheat in a 300ºF oven (cover dish with foil) until it is warm throughout.