This gluten free apple crumble recipe is delicious! The pastry is not too sweet, allowing the apples and cinnamon to shine through. I’ve always loved a good crumble. It’s nothing fancy but it does the job. I love making it as it smells amazing while cooking and is super yummy when done. You can change the fruits/ciruits you use, so there’s no excuse not to have crumble in your life! 🙂
Gluten-Free Buttery Apple Crumble
Prep:30 mins
Cook:60 mins
Total:90 mins
Servings:8 servings
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 376 | Calories |
| 15g | Fat |
| 60g | Carbs |
| 3g | Protein |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)SAVE RECIPE
Is there anything better in the summer than spooning a pile of warm fruit crumble into a bowl and topping it with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream? Summer bliss.
Fruit crumbles are one of our favorite desserts to make in the summer (well, any time of year, really). Apple Crumble is how we hang onto summer as we start to make that slide into fall around late August.
This buttery-rich gluten-free apple crumble is a delicious, easy alternative to apple pie. It’s just as flavorful, but without the fuss of making gluten-free pie crust (because honestly, sometimes we just can’t be bothered.)
Serve with vanilla ice cream or dairy-free ice cream over top for an extra dreamy treat.
Paleo Apple Crumble – Gluten-Free
Easy, delicious and gluten-free, this Paleo Apple Crumble is the ultimate, fuss-free dessert. You’ll only need a few ingredients, a few minutes of easy prep work and around 45 minutes in the oven. It’s so tasty that you’d never guess it was grain-free, gluten-free, lactose-free and refined sugar-free.
What You Need for Gluten-Free Apple Crumble
- Cassava Flour: In the place of regular wheat flour, I use Cassava Flour. An all-purpose Gluten-Free flour blend would work as well, but cassava flour has the added benefit of being grain-free, making it a Paleo-friendly option.
- Maple Syrup or Honey: In the place of refined sugar, I use maple syrup or honey. In this recipe, you can substitute either for the other, or use a combination of the two. Measurements stay the same.
- Walnuts or Pecans: In the place of rolled oats, I use chopped and toasted walnuts. Feel free to substitute pecans or even slivered almonds if that’s preferred.
- Ghee: I replaced the butter with ghee, which is lactose-free and Paleo-friendly. I imagine coconut oil would work as well but it would likely impart some coconut flavour.
- Apples: I’ve made this Gluten-Free Apple Crumble with several different varieties of apples. Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Macintosh and a combination of the three. Most recently, I made it with Cosmic Crisp apples – bred from a cross between Honey Crisp and Enterprise apples. They’re juicy, sweet, bursting with flavour and, as their name implies, very crisp. Not only do they boast a great “shelf life”, but they also maintain their texture in baked desserts like this one.
Keep it Rustic
The beauty of this Gluten-Free Apple Crumble is just how forgiving it is. It’s great for any skill level and you don’t need to be a baker to make it delicious. Precise measurements are not as critical here as they are when making an apple pie. Feel free to make it as ‘rustic’ as you like. Have fun and get the kids involved.
Even if you do mess things up beyond repair, simply top the Paleo Apple Crumble with some scoops of your favourite vanilla ice cream (dairy-free or otherwise).
What is an Apple Crumble, Cobbler, or Crisp?
One thing I will confess to, is the confusion I have between crumbles, crisps and cobblers (not to mention Pandowdys, Bettys, Grunts and Slumps). After a deep dive into the dark web of baked desserts, I have emerged with only relative clarity. It seems they are all more or less the same but distinguished by their topping.
Cobblers have a dropped-biscuit or pie dough topping.
Crisps often contain a topping of sugar, butter, flour, nuts and oats. The oats are the ‘crisp’ part.
Crumbles, unlike crisps, rarely contain oats and instead rely on a streusel-like topping of butter, flour and sugar.
Since this Gluten-Free Apple Crumble is oat-free and grain-free, and indeed based on an authoritative crumble recipe, I feel fairly confident in titling it as such. Then again, what do I know?
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
Gluten & Dairy Free – without skimping on flavour.
Allergy Friendly – you can make this recipe nut free by a simple substitution.
Low Carb option– You can remove the sweeteners if you want to make this recipe low carb.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Apple – I have only tested this recipe with Granny Smith apples but I am sure other apple varieties would also work well. Use 6 small or 4 medium sized apples.
Cinnamon – I used a cinnamon stick but you could also use 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
Maple Syrup – I always use Canadian maple syrup. If you wanted to keep this recipe low carb, then simply substitute the maple syrup for water or more lemon juice.
Coconut Sugar – you could substitute with some stevia powder (I use the Natvia brand) or omit all together.
HOW TO MAKE
Step 1. Cook the apple mixture ingredients on simmer for approximately 20 minutes. You want the apples to be nice and tender.
Step 2. Mix the crumble ingredients in a bowl. You want to make sure that the ingredients are combined well.
Step 3. Bake the apple crumble. First drain the apples, then divide evenly among 4 ramekins and top with the crumble. Bake in a pre-heated oven on 170C | 340F for 20 minutes. Make sure you lightly mix the crumble mixture a few times during baking.
Step 4. Enjoy!!! Let cool for a few minutes before eating.
TIPS & FAQS
Can I make nut free?
You can make this apple crumble nut free by substituting the flaked almonds with more coconut.
I don’t have ramekins, can I still make this recipe?
You can use a baking dish instead of 4 ramekins.
Either a small-medium round or square baking dish will work well. Around 1 litre (35oz) in size will work well as the ramekins I used were 0.2 litre (7 oz) each.
If you are wondering where I bought my ramekins, I got them from Le Creuset, which is one of my favourite brands.
Can I use cinnamon powder?
If you don’t have cinnamon sticks on hand, you can substitute with 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder.
Can I make this recipe low carb?
You can remove the sweeteners to make this recipe low-carb. I would substitute the maple syrup with water or more lemon juice and you can omit the coconut sugar in the crumble mixture or add stevia powder.
What can I serve with this crumble?
You could add some whipped coconut cream or even some coconut ice cream on top. One scoop is all you need!!
How do I ensure that the crumble is crunchy?
It is super important while the apple crumble is baking in the oven that you lightly mix the crumble 2-3 times. This ensures that the crumble mixture is cooked well and crunchy, otherwise the top of the crumble will be well cooked (and brown) and the crumble underneath will stay soft.
You can place the ramekins on a baking tray/dish so that it is easier for you take the ramekins in and out of the oven.