Healthy Oat Crumble Topping

Wow, I made an Healthy oatmeal crumble topping with whole grain oats, walnuts, and a light sweetness. This flaky oat crumble topping is decadent over the top of your favorite cake, ice cream or any other baked desserts! If you love the taste of crumble topping, then I have just the recipe for you! It tastes exactly like crumble topping but it has a subtle moist and chewy texture to it.

HEALTHY BREAKFAST APPLE CRUMBLE OATMEAL BOWL

These are healthy apple crumble oatmeal bowls with caramelized apples and pecan crumble on top. A comforting vegan breakfast!

Prep Time:5 MINS

Cook Time:25 MINS

Total Time:30 MINS

Serves: 2 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS

OATMEAL:

• 1 cup thick-cut Rolled oats, GF
• 4 cups Almond milk (You can use your fave plant-based milk!)
• 1/4 cup Agave syrup
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

APPLES:

• 2 medium Gala apples, cubed into medium chunks (skin on)
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp Extra virgin olive oil

CRUMBLE:

• 1 cup thick-cut Rolled oats, GF
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 Tbsp vegan butter, melted
• 2 tsps pure maple syrup

INSTRUCTIONS

TO MAKE THE APPLES + CRUMBLE:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease a medium skillet (10-inch) with melted vegan butter or olive oil.
• In a bowl, add together the chopped apples, cinnamon, salt, maple syrup, and olive oil, mixing until combined and apples are coated. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, add the oats, chopped pecans, melted butter, and maple syrup, mixing until wet and crumble can be pressed together.
• Add the apple mixture to the prepared skillet and top with crumble, evenly spreading everything out. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crumble is golden brown and crisp and apples are tender.

TO MAKE THE OATMEAL:

• Add oats, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until everything is combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low so that everything simmers for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Once done, oats should thicken and become swollen + fluffy and creamy with half the the liquid still remaining. Stir in the Agave and vanilla and let simmer for an additional 1-2 minutes before removing it from heat.
• To serve, portion oatmeal into serving bowl(s) and top with apple crumble, and a light drizzle of Agave or maple syrup, if desired.
• Bon Appetit!

TIPS & TRICKS

• STORAGE: Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Perfect for meal prep for the week!
• OVERNIGHT OPTION: Simply add all oatmeal ingredients to a bowl and mix together until combined. Tightly cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or at least 8 hours). Once ready to serve, make apple crumble topping separately and top overnight oats and enjoy.
• SWEETENER: Instead of Agave you can simply use Pure maple syrup to oatmeal as a sweetener.

“Everything” Crumble Topping

Peach crumble is great, but I needed a crumble topping that I could put on ANYTHING – and that’s how this healthy crumble topping came about. I call it my “everything” crumble topping recipe because to me it’s the sweet equivalent of an Everything But the Bagel seasoning. It literally goes on everything.

I use this healthy oatmeal crumble topping on oats, ice cream, apples and PB, smoothie bowls, fruit salads – you name it. If it’s sweet, it has some version of this cripsy, crunchy, healthy and protein-packed topping on it.

The star of this topping is my Garden of Life Raw Organic Vanilla Protein Powder. It’s so delicious, super easy on my stomach and perfect for this particular recipe because of the texture and taste. I’ll link to it if you want to check it out!

Why protein powder?

Protein powder is one of the most versatile and useful ingredients, especially when it comes to developing simple, healthier recipes. I love using vanilla protein for this healthy crumble topping because it truly is the glue that holds the recipe together. It provides not only protein, but if you use Garden of Life, it provides live probiotic enzymes, complete protein from 13 types of raw organic sprouts AND a delicious vanilla flavor.

I’ve also used protein before in my Puppy Chow and it provides sweetness and texture that makes a crunchy snack complete. For this recipe I rely heavily on protein powder to provide texture, crunch and sweetness, without sacrificing anything you love in an oatmeal crumble topping recipe.

What else you will need for this oatmeal crumble topping recipe

Even including the protein powder, the ingredient list for this healthy oatmeal crumble recipe is pretty simple:

• 1 scoop Garden of Life vanilla plant-based protein powder
• 2 tbsp rolled oats
• 3 tbsp flax meal
• Pinch of salt
• ¼ cup almond butter, the drizzly kind, well-stirred
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• ¼ cup sliced almonds, optional

How to make this crumble topping recipe

And after the ingredients list, you just mix, pour, bake and eat! Here’s how to make this healthy oatmeal crumble topping:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the protein powder, oats, flax meal and salt. Add the maple syrup and almond butter and continue to mix until a dry, crumbly mixture forms. Feel free to use your hands here!
3. Add the slivered almonds and toss the mixture again. You want all the pieces to be about the size of a pencil eraser or lentil.
4. Pour the mixture out onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread it out evenly and bake for 10-11 minutes, or until the mix is slightly golden and crisp.
5. Let cool, store in an airtight container and serve whenever!

Tips & tricks on how to make this your own

This crumble topping is super versatile (and pretty hard to mess up!) so here are a few suggestions if you want to make it your own!

• Use a chocolate flavored protein for that extra *something*
• Add in a tsp of vanilla extract if you want a little more depth of flavor!
• Switch up the nuts! Almonds are great, but the best ingredients for this crumble topping recipe are whatever you already have on hand.
• Add in some dried fruit at the end if you want more ~granola vibes~

There’s a lot you can do with this oatmeal crumble topping recipe, so if you have any riffs you like, please drop the deets in the comments!

How to store this recipe

There’s definitely a right way and wrong way to store this, and I want to make sure you maximize on the crunch from your crumble topping recipe! I suggest storing this in an airtight container at room temperature (think your pantry or cupboard).

Putting it in your fridge runs the risk of increasing the moisture level in the crumble and decreasing the crunch. Store it at room-temp to be on the safe side and it should last for 7 days!

Jam crumble with oats

This jam crumble with oats is the ultimate answer to healthy snacks for kids!  Made into bars with a thick oaty base, a sweet jam filling and a light crumble topping, they are irresistibly tasty and easy to grab on the go. No dairy, no refined sugar, no hidden nasties like you find in store bought bars. They’re so nutritious you can eat them for breakfast. Your kids will love them and, even better…you can throw everything together in under 15 minutes! So try baking these and enjoy.

Summary

Prep: 10 mins
Cooking: 25 mins
Ages: Toddlers to Teens
Difficulty: Easy peasy
Makes: 12 bars

Oats are amongst the most nutrient dense foods you can eat.  They are loaded with slow release carbs (you’ll be full for longer) and packed with fibre.  They’re one of the only grains that contains proteins and fats, and their nutritional profile includes iron, zinc, magnesium and Vitamin B1.

We’ve made our bars with almond nuts, but if you need a nut free version (for example if you are serving these to a lot of children who may have nut allergies) we recommend replacing the nuts with sunflower seeds and the almond butter with sunflower seed butter.

Sunflower seeds, contain the natural fats needed to replace butter, and still turn out a moist and delicious snack. If you choose to use almonds, you’ll be giving yourself a boost of antioxidants, Vitamin E and magnesium.

You can make these oat crumble bars by using any jam you prefer. We also recommend out homemade raspberry and chia seed jam which is totally refined sugar free. The chia seeds will also make these snack bars a nutritional powerhouse.

They would also be yummy with strawberry, apricot, blackberry or fig jam…or you could use our homemade apple sauce for a healthy version of apple crumble.

Ingredients

• 1 cup strawberry jam (or our homemade raspberry chia seed jam)
• ¾ cup almonds (100 grams)
• 2 ½ cups oats (220 grams)
• 1 cup oat flour (90 grams)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 large dates (about 80 grams)
• ½ cup virgin coconut oil
• ¼ cup maple syrup (60ml)
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Spread almonds out over a baking tray and roast for 10 minutes.  This step is optional if you’re pressed for time.
3. Soak the dates in a small cup of boiling water for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
4. Line an 8 or 9 inch pan with baking paper.
5. In a food processor add the oats, almonds, salt and oat flour. Blend until a flour like consistency is achieved. Dump everything into a large mixing bowl.
6. Put the coconut oil, maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract and dates into the food processor and blend until they form a smooth brown paste.
7. Pour the liquid mixture over the oat mixture and stir to combine. It should be moist, with no dry bits. If it seems to dry, add water a teaspoon at a time until it’s all slightly moist.
8. Put ¾ of the mixture into the pan. Spread it out evenly along the base, and pack it down with the back of a spoon. Poke holes all in the dough using a fork and bake in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before spreading jam evenly over the surface of the baked base.
10. Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the top of the jam, and bake for a further 15 minutes. The top should be golden.
11. Allow the bars to cool completely before lifting the slab out the pan with the baking paper and cutting into squares.

healthy apple crisp

•  Total Time: 50 minutes
•  Yield: 6 servings 1x

This healthy apple crisp tastes like fall in a bowl! It’s made with layers of sweet apples topped with crunchy cinnamon oats. This recipe uses maple syrup and a cinnamon oat topping to create a lighter version of a classic dessert.

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INGREDIENT

SCALE1X2X3X

• 4 cups honeycrisp apples sliced about ¼” thick ((about 2 – 3 large apples or 4 – 5 small apples, peeled or unpeeled))
• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE TOPPING:

• ¼ cup coconut oil (melted and cooled)
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8” x 8” baking dish. 
2. In a medium bowl, toss the apples in the maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the coconut oil, 2 tablespoons syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the oats and stir well, stirring until the oats absorb all of the syrup and coconut oil.
4. Pour the apples into the bottom of your greased baking dish. Spread them into an even and flat layer as much as possible. 
5. Sprinkle the topping in an even layer over the apples so that it is covering the apples. 
6. Bake the crisp in the preheated oven for 40 – 45 minutes, until the oats turn golden brown and the apples are tender. Check your crisp around 30 – 35 minutes, and if it’s browning too quickly, lightly add foil over the top of your baking dish. 
7. Remove the crisp from the oven and let it cool for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.
8. Optionally, top each serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of maple syrup.

NOTES

• Apples: honeycrisp apples are recommended but any sweet apple will be tasty in this recipe (like Fuji, Gala or Golden Delicious apples). You can leave your apples unpeeled or peel them. If you leave them unpeeled you will be able to taste the texture of the peel (I personally prefer this). 
• Oats: old fashioned rolled oats work best but you can also use quick cook rolled oats 
• Baking dish: instead of an 8″ x 8″ dish you can use a 9″ x 9″ or a standard 9″ pie plate if need be

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Category: Dessert

NUTRITION

• Calories: 241
• Sugar: 23.9
• Sodium: 107
• Fat: 10.1
• Saturated Fat: 8.1
• Carbohydrates: 37.9
• Fiber: 3.3
• Protein: 1.9