The Best Vegan Apple Crumble

This is definitely the best vegan apple crumble. A million times better than the classic version, and it’s naturally gluten-free and dairy-free!

Oh… hello fall season! I’m super excited to start the baking season all over again, and the first recipe that jumped in mind was this delicious vegan apple crumble.

I’ve been making this crumble for YEARS, and the family still can’t get enough!

This recipe has been tested, improved and approved exhaustively, to bring you the BEST apple crisp you’ll ever make.

I’m a massive apple fan, and right now the farmer’s market is PACKED with the most delicious varieties out there.

From the tart Granny Smith to the sweet Honeycrisp, there’s a different apple for every day of the year, and even more *there are actually more than 7000 apple varieties in the world*.

And as much as I love biting into a juicy apple, this crumble, served warm with some ice cream on top, is definitely my favourite way to make the most of apple season.

This vegan crumble features a nutritious crisp topping of toasted hazelnut and almond flour and a deliciously warm spiced apple and cranberry filling.

It’s my kind of dessert. FULL of flavour, with a perfectly balanced combination of sweet, tart, crunchy and spice flavours.

Plus, the dairy-free crumble topping with almond flour and added nuts, turns it into an energy-packed treat to easily fuel you up during the cold season!

Here are a few reasons why you should love this dessert:

• vegan
• gluten-free
• only 2 steps required
• ready in less than 40 minutes
• made with simple ingredients

All You Need Is Simple Ingredients

This is the easiest crumble recipe you can possibly make, and requires less than 10 ingredients:

• apples
• cranberries
• coconut oil 
• demerara sugar
• almond flour
• hazelnuts
• a few favourite spices (I use a combination of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg).

Traditional crumble recipes call for tons of sugar, flour and butter, but this apple crumble has a reduced amount of sugar and no flour or butter in sight.

I like to use dark or light demerara sugar, but you can also use regular brown sugar if you like.

Avoid white sugar and caster sugar, as I find they’re both overly sweet and they don’t add the subtle but lovely caramel note as the other mentioned sugars.

For the crumble topping:

I use a combination of almond flour, toasted chopped hazelnuts, a pinch of sea salt, demerara sugar and coconut oil, and the result is totally amazing!

For the apple filling:

 You can use your favourite apples, as long as you choose the ones with a firm and crisp texture.

I usually go for a mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp (or Braeburn) apples when making this delicious crumble. They have a firm texture and a nice mix of tart and sweet flavour, which goes very well with sweet cranberries.

Step-by-step recipe

Ok, I’ve said it before, but allow me to say it again, this recipe is SO EASY.

And requires the minimum amount of tools, in fact, one bowl and an ovenproof dish is all you need.

First thing, peel, core and slice the apples and place them in a large bowl (you can do this in advance and drizzle a little lemon juice on top to avoid them browning).

Then add cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger powder, and mix everything together.

Distribute the mixture evenly into a medium baking dish.

For the crumble topping, place about 1/2 cup of almond flour, toasted chopped hazelnuts, melted coconut oil (or vegan butter), sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of sea salt, in the same bowl you used for mixing the topping.

Mix everything together until the mixture you have resembles breadcrumbs. If it’s a little too wet, add some extra almond flour.

Distribute the crumble mixture evenly over the apple filling. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake at 180C for 30 minutes.

Note: For a super crunchy texture some pastry chefs suggest to preheat the oven to 200 C, then place the crumble in the oven and reduce to 180 C.

After 30 minutes, your kitchen will smell amazing, and your apple crisp should be nicely golden and crunchy on top, and deliciously soft on the inside.

It’s time to take it out from the oven and allow it to cool slightly.

Then, serve your crumble with some vanilla ice cream and enjoy every bit of it.

Tips and tricks

1. – You can easily make a large cake-sized version as featured here, or mini individual portions for a more sophisticated dessert.
2. -This crumble freezes super well. After baking it, store in freezer-friendly containers for up to 1 month. 
3. -If you don’t like cranberries, substitute with chopped dried figs, or chopped pear.
4. -If you can’t have hazelnuts or almonds, substitute with walnuts, cashew nuts, pecans or pistachios. 

This apple crumble tastes incredible, is loaded with flavour, made with simple ingredients, and it’s just way better than the classic version.

Plus, it’s totally allergy-friendly (peanut-free, egg-free, dairy-free & gluten-free), so it would make a great dessert for the upcoming Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner parties.

If you’re looking for a heart-warming dessert to make all season long, look no further.

This is the ultimate apple dessert you should be baking until spring!

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Please let me know how you liked it! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thepetitecook! Looking at your pictures always makes me smile *and super hungry*!

Print Recipe

5 from 6 votes

The BEST Vegan Apple Crumble

This is definitely the BEST vegan apple crumble. A million times better than the classic version, and it's naturally gluten-free and dairy-free!

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: English

Keyword: apple, apple crisp, apple dessert, british, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan

Servings: 6

Author: The Petite Cook

Ingredients

Filling:

• 2 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 2 Honeycrisp apples peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp dried cranberries softened, chopped
• 1 tsp demerara sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder

Topping:

• 115 gr hazelnuts toasted and roughly chopped
• 120 gr almond flour
• 1 tbsp rice flour optional
• 4 tbsp demerara sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 4 tbsp coconut butter melted

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C.
• In a large bowl, mix sliced apples, cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger powder. Distribute the mixture evenly in a medium baking dish.
• In the bowl previously used, mix together chopped hazelnuts, almond flour, rice flour, demerara sugar, cinnamon, salt and coconut butter. If the mixture looks too wet add in 1 tbsp of rice flour.
• Distribute the topping mixture evenly all over the apple filling.
• Place the apple crisp in the oven, and bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until the apple filling is soft and the topping is crunchy and golden-brown. If the top browns too quickly, cover with foil and continue to bake. 
• Once ready, remove the apple crumble from the oven and allow to cool before serving.

Notes

Crumble variations: 

• You can choose any apple variety, as long as it has a firm and crisp texture, and a slightly tart flavour. I like to use a combination of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples
• You may use only hazelnuts or substitute half the amount with almond flakes, pecan nuts, walnuts or pistachio.

How to store it: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Did you try this recipe? Tag @thepetitecook or use the hashtag #thepetitecook - Looking at your pictures makes my day!

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Originally published in December 2014, updated with new words in post, new photos and more helpful info.