This easy recipe for Gluten Free Apple Dessert is layered with a crumbly streusel crust, sweet apple filling, and topped with more tasty streusel. If you’re a fan of apples, you have to try this yummy fall dessert!
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While the proverb, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” may be true, this apple treat will have your friends and family coming back for more. A cross between apple crisp and Dutch apple pie, this gluten free dessert includes both a tasty crust and a sweet topping.
Why this Recipe Works
- Using apple juice in the filling gives the dessert a second level of apple flavor.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves give the dish a warm spiced flavor that pairs well with the apples.
- The streusel topping adds a layer of sweet, buttery crunch.
What are the Best Apples to Use?
You’ll want to select a good baking apple like Braeburn, Gala, Golden Delicious, or Granny Smith. These varieties all have a firm texture and good apple flavor. I like to use Granny Smith because their natural tartness prevents this dessert from being overly sweet.
While the Red Delicious and Fuji can be good choices for eating, they don’t work well for baking. The Red Delicious becomes mushy and overly sweet, and the Fuji are too firm and don’t break down enough in the 60 minutes needed to bake this dessert.
(This post contains affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.)Like many fruit crisps and crumble recipes, this recipe uses oats. As someone with Celiac disease, I’m always careful when a recipe calls for oats. Although many folks with gluten-intolerance can enjoy regular oats without any problem, I use certified gluten free oats for this dessert recipe.
Are Oats Gluten Free?
Pure oats are gluten free, but most packaged oats have the potential of cross-contamination. If the oats are processed in a facility that also processes wheat, barley, and rye, it’s possible the oats are no longer free of gluten. For more information see, The Oat-Conundrum: Are Oats Gluten-Free?
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Gluten free flour blend - I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour to make this apple recipe. If you don’t have a problem with gluten, you can use all-purpose flour.
- Oats - Old-fashioned rolled oats (certified gluten free). I like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats. If you don’t need certified gluten free oats, you can substitute regular rolled oats. I don’t recommend quick oats for this recipe.
- Nuts - Chopped pecans are what I use. If you don’t have pecans, you can substitute chopped almonds or walnuts.
- Butter - Unsalted butter is my preference so I can control the amount of salt in the recipe. For dairy free use a non-dairy butter like Earth Balance.
- Apple juice - I use apple juice that’s 100% juice. If you use unsweetened apple juice, you’ll want to increase the sugar in the filling to ½ cup.
- Apples - Granny Smith apples are my choice for this dessert. Any good baking apple will also work.
How to Make Gluten Free Apple Dessert
- Peel and dice the apples and melt the butter.
- Stir together the flour, brown sugar, oats, pecans, spices and salt.
- Add the butter and stir until completely combined.
- Set aside 1 & ½ cups of the mixture and press the remaining mixture into the bottom of a 9x9-inch baking pan. Bake at 350-degrees for 10 minutes.
- Place the apples in a mixing bowl and drizzle with the lemon juice and vanilla.
- In a large saucepan, whisk together the apple juice, sugar, and flour until combined. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened.
- Remove from the heat, add to the apples, and stir to combine.
- Pour the apple filling into the baked crust and sprinkle with the reserved topping mixture. Bake for 60 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before serving.
Step By Step Instructions
(For ingredient amounts see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
Peel and dice the apples and melt the butter. Preheat your oven to 350° F. Set aside a 9x9-inch baking pan.
Make the Crust
Place the flour, brown sugar, oats, pecans, spices, and salt in a medium bowl and stir together until combined.
Add the melted butter to the mixture and stir until completely incorporated.
Remove 1 & ½ cups of the mixture and set aside for the topping.
Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of a 9x9-inch baking pan.
Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.
Make the Apple Filling
Place the peeled and diced apples in a large mixing bowl and drizzle with the lemon juice and vanilla extract.
In a large saucepan, whisk together the apple juice, sugar, and flour until the sugar and flour are dissolved. Bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
Remove from heat, add to the apples, and stir to combine.
Pour the filling into the baked crust and sprinkle with the reserved topping mixture.
Bake for 60-65 minutes until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
More Gluten Free Apple Recipes
- Easy Gluten Free Apple Cake
- Simple Gluten Free Apple Muffins
- Apple Walnut Crumb Cake
- Baked Gluten Free Apple Fritters
Gluten Free Flour Blend
Make sure to use a good quality all-purpose gluten free flour blend when making this dessert. I use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 which contains xanthan gum.
Xanthan gum helps to hold baked goods together. In traditional baking, gluten in all-purpose flour acts as the binding agent for the baked good. Gluten free baking requires a replacement for the binding agent and that’s where xanthan gum comes in.
Your results may vary depending on the gluten free flour you use. I haven’t tried using almond flour or coconut flour with this recipe.
Remember to use the “spoon and level” method when measuring your gluten free flour. Simply use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and then use the back of a table knife to level off the top. Using the measuring cup to scoop the flour directly from the canister or bag can give you more flour than needed in the recipe.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
- When making this dessert for someone with Celiac disease, be sure to use certified gluten free oats.
- Use a good baking apple with a firm texture and good flavor. I like to use Granny Smith apples for this recipe.
- Allow the dessert to cool completely before slicing and serving. The apple filling will set up as it cools.
Yes. You can swap out the butter in the crust/topping with a non-dairy butter like Earth Balance buttery sticks.
No. You can leave the dessert uncovered when you're baking the crust and after you add the filling and topping.
Allow the dessert to cool completely before covering with plastic wrap. Store the wrapped dessert at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If you like your dessert warm, place a serving on a microwave-safe plate and heat at 30 second intervals to the temperature of your liking. Use caution when microwaving the dessert as the filling can become quite hot.
Love the flavor of apples? Give this apple dessert a try. The delicious apple filling, layered between a tasty crust and sweet topping, is hard to resist. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to take it to the next level. Happy Baking!
More Gluten Free Recipes with Fruit to Try
- Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Rhubarb Crumble
- Easy Blueberry Muffins
- Strawberry Bread Recipe
- Easy Blueberry Crisp
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Recipe
Gluten Free Apple Dessert
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend
- 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup rolled oats (certified gluten free)
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling:
- 1 ½ cups apple juice
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons gluten free flour blend
- 6 cups baking apples, peeled and diced
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Peel and dice apples and melt butter.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set aside a 9"x9" baking pan.
For the Crust:
- In a medium bowl, stir together the gluten free flour blend, brown sugar, gluten free oats, pecans, spices, and salt until combined.
- Add the melted butter and stir until completely combined.
- Set aside 1 & ½ cups of the mixture for the topping.
- Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of a 9"x9" pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
For the Filling:
- Place the peeled and diced apples in a large mixing bowl.
- Drizzle the lemon juice and vanilla extract over the apples.
- In a large saucepan, whisk together the apple juice, sugar, and flour until the sugar and flour are dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until thickened, 1-2 minutes.
- Add to the apples and stir to combine.
- Pour the filling into the crust.
- Sprinkle the reserved mixture over the top of the filling.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes until the filling is bubbly.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- When making this dessert for someone with Celiac disease, be sure to use certified gluten free oats.
- Use a good baking apple with a firm texture and good flavor. I like to use Granny Smith apples for this recipe.
- Allow the dessert to cool completely before slicing and serving. The apple filling will set up as it cools.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information provided is an estimate and will vary based on products and brands you use. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the ingredients you are using with your preferred nutrition calculator.
This post was originally published in 2019. It was republished in 2022 with updated images, additional text, and FAQs.
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