If you love stress-free desserts that don’t skimp on indulgence, you’ll fall hard for this vegan apple crisp. The apples come out gooey, saucy, and tender while the topping is the perfect combination of crunchy, crispy, and chewy.
Best of all, this impressive crowd-pleaser is SO EASY TO MAKE. Bring this seasonal sensation and a pint of vanilla ice cream to the holiday potluck and get ready to rake in (leaf pun, anyone?) the compliments.
Table of Contents:
1. Ingredient notes
2. Step-by-step instructions
3. Tips for making this recipe
4. Frequently Asked Questions
5. Recipe card with notes
A deluxe dessert that anyone can make
Let’s be honest—there are countless fall desserts that look stunning in Pinterest photos, but are not easily achievable unless you are a pastry whiz (I’m looking at you, Bûche de Noël).
Which is why this recipe is so special. I designed it so that a novice baker can pull it off knock it out of the park with zero stress.
But it doesn’t taste like a novice-level baking project—it raises the bar with freshly-grated nutmeg, ginger, a touch of ground cloves and cardamom for pizzazz, and maple syrup for a rich, caramelly flavor.
I baked crisp after crisp until I found the Goldilocks of baking temperatures, one that gets the topping beautifully crisp without overcooking the apples. I tinkered with the streusel until it was rich, buttery, crunchy, and clung perfectly to the apples (shoutout to secret binding ingredient: flaxseed meal!).
And I’ll just casually mention that as this baby bakes, it fills your home with the cozy, spiced aroma of autumn that even the bougiest fall candle cannot replicate.
Ingredient notes
Apples
The best apple crisps are made with a combination of tart and sweet apples with crisp textures. This mixture prevents the crisp from being one-note and too sweet. Jump to the Tips section for specific apple variety recommendations.
Tip: Don’t skip tossing the apples with lemon juice! It has two key jobs: 1) preventing the apples from browning, and 2) adding a subtle tartness which balances the dessert’s sweetness.
Oats
Whole old-fashioned rolled oats give the crumble topping a crispy crunch when baked. But take care to steer clear of quick-cooking oats (don’t hold up well in the oven) and steel-cut oats (not the right texture).
Maple syrup
This version uses maple syrup in place of the brown sugar you’d find in traditional apple crisps, because it prevents the apple filling from drying out (yay for saucy apples!) and helps the crisp topping caramelize better in the oven.
Refined sugar-free alternative? Replace the cane sugar with coconut sugar. The texture may not be as crisp, but will still taste good.
Warm spices
Cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and cardamom add a beautiful warmth to the crisp, enhance the sweet flavor of the apples, and make this classic dessert a bit more sophisticated.
Tip: Freshly-grated nutmeg adds a nuanced depth of flavor that elevates this apple crisp, so grate your own (using a microplane), if you can!
Pecans
I’m something of a maverick when it comes to adding nuts to recipes (check out my Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole and Vegan Banana Muffins), so of course I tried adding pecans to the crumble topping—and sure enough, they’re downright delightful. You’ll toast them in vegan brown butter to bring out their nutty flavor and because the protein in the nuts helps the butter brown even better. Win-win!
Tip: Buy pre-chopped pecans—they cut down on prep work and they’re typically cheaper than whole pecans!
Substitute: Walnuts work well. Head to the FAQ section for nut-free suggestions.
Vegan butter
A grown-up apple crisp needs browned butter (butter simmered until it takes on a rich, dark brown color and a toasted, nutty flavor). Vegan butter doesn’t brown quite the same as dairy-based butter because it doesn’t contain milk proteins. Thankfully, the protein in pecans enhances the brown color and nutty flavor, helping it look and taste just like the real thing.
Brand recommendations: I love Violife salted butter, which contains some fava bean protein that aids in the browning process. I also like Miyoko’s vegan butter (which browns quickly because of the cashews) and Country Crock Plant Butter. Earth Balance buttery sticks are widely available and will work just fine, though they won’t change much in color.
Step-by-step instructions
Add the vegan butter to a stainless steel or light-colored saucepan or skillet. Heat over medium heat. Continue stirring until it’s melted, foamy, and bubbling.
Add the pecans and toast them with the butter for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl to stop cooking.
Peel the apples and cut them into ¼ to ½” thick slices (.6 to 1.25 cm).
Add them to a large bowl with the lemon juice, then toss to coat.
Stir the maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, flour, and pinch of sea salt into the bowl with the apples.
Make the topping: stir the flour, oats, salt, cane sugar, maple syrup, flaxseed meal, and cinnamon into the browned butter-pecan mixture. Stir it with a fork until it’s somewhat sticky and sandy.
Transfer the apple filling to the greased skillet or baking dish. Scatter the streusel crumb evenly on top.
Bake until the juices are bubbling around the sides, the apples are fork tender, and the topping is golden brown.
Rest for 20 to 45 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Tips for making this recipe
Use a variety of sweet and tart apples
❌DON’T❌ use soft apples with mealy flesh like Gala, McIntosh, or Red Delicious apples, which will get soggy in the oven.
🍎DO🍏 use a mixture of tart and sweet apples with crisp textures. Here are some great pairing options:
- Honeycrisp with Granny Smith
- Pink Lady with Golden Delicious
- Braeburn with Jonagold
For more, check out this Food Network article on the best apples for baking.
To peel or not to peel?
TLDR: It’s a matter of personal preference. I peel the apples because I prefer the texture of peeled apples in the finished product and, to me, it’s worth the additional 5ish minutes spent peeling them.
But if you don’t mind the chewy, slightly toothsome texture of baked unpeeled apples, skip the peeling!
Don’t skimp on the salt!
The perfect scoop of apple crisp is sweet and salty—you need the salt to balance the sweet! The good news is, you can taste both the apple filling and the crisp topping before baking them and adjust both as necessary (more maple syrup or sugar if not sweet enough, more salt if too sweet).
Brown the butter in a lighter color pan
I like to brown vegan butter in a stainless steel or enameled cast iron saucepan or skillet. A lighter pan doesn’t necessarily affect the flavor of the butter or the end result, but it allows you to much more easily see how the browning is coming along.
How to slice the apples
After lots of testing, we found that slicing the apples to ¼” to ½” in thickness (.6 to 1.25cm) produced the best texture when baked. Slices thinner than ¼” ended up overcooked and soggy, but anything thicker than ½” felt cumbersome to eat.
Keep an eye on the crisp topping
If the apples are still not tender (i.e., if they meet resistance when poked with a fork or knife) after 35 minutes of baking but the topping is getting browned, loosely cover the pan with foil. This helps the apples cook and prevents the top from burning.
Let it rest
I know, you want to dig right in as soon as it’s out of the oven—but letting it cool and firm up is critical! It needs a minimum of 20 minutes, although I found 45 minutes to be the magic number for firm apples and mess-free scoops
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Replace the flour in the apple filling with 1 ½ tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch.
2. Replace the all-purpose flour in the crisp topping with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that contains xanthan gum in the ingredients. We typically use King Arthur’s Gluten-Free Measure-for-Measure Flour or Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (affiliate links).
3. Use certified gluten-free rolled oats.
While we enjoyed this gluten-free version, it doesn’t deliver the same exact crisp topping texture, so if you can tolerate gluten, I recommend making the original version.
You can bake the apple crumble in any other oven-safe 2-quart or 2L baking pan instead. Check it after 35 minutes – if the topping isn’t golden brown or the apples aren’t cooked, continue baking for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Cover the pan with foil if the topping is browning but the apples aren’t yet tender.
Use whatever you have access to. Most vegan butters are salted, and this recipe was tested with salted butter.
So if you’re using unsalted vegan butter, I’d add more sea salt to the crisp topping (an extra 1/4 teaspoon, then taste it and adjust).
Refined coconut oil works if you don’t have access to vegan butter, but it won’t have the same buttery taste. Again, add more salt as noted above.
You can even use olive oil if you prefer, but you’ll want to use an olive oil that isn’t too strong in flavor. Again, add a bit more salt.
Omit the pecans from the topping and add (1) an extra ¼ cup (25g) of oats plus (2) ¼ cup (20g) of unsweetened shredded coconut. Or skip the coconut and add an extra ¼ to ½ cup (25 to 50g) of oats.
If you want to reduce the sugar, use 1 or 2 tablespoons less of maple syrup in the apple filling. And use 1 or 2 tablespoons less cane sugar in the topping. You’ll also want to use slightly less salt to avoid a too-salty dessert.
If your apples are very sweet, you can also dial back on the maple syrup in the apple filling.
Kind of! The streusel topping can be mixed together 2 to 3 days before baking. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge to keep it moist and fresh.
Apples brown very quickly, so I don’t recommend slicing or baking them ahead of time.
You can store the leftovers (covered) in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, place the baking dish back in the oven at 325ºF / 165°C for 15 to 20 minutes or until warmed through.
You can freeze the baked and cooled apple crisp for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating and serving. To reheat, bake covered at 350°F / 175°C for 20 minutes, or until heated through.
More fantastic fall sweet treats
If you love this Vegan Apple Crisp, please give it a rating and review below! And of course, tag me with your remakes on Instagram!
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Vegan Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Apple filling
- 3 pounds (1.3 kg) of apples (about 8 medium apples or 6 jumbo apples) (see Note 1)
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup (80g) pure maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract (not imitation extract)
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (or ¼ teaspoon pre-ground nutmeg)
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (see Note 2 for GF)
- Pinch of sea salt
Crisp topping
- 1 stick or 8 tablespoons (112g) vegan butter, sliced into thick pats (see Note 3)
- ½ cup (60g) chopped pecans (or walnuts) (see Note 4)
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (110g) all-purpose flour (see Note 5)
- 1 cup (100g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- A heaping ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (80g) organic cane sugar
- ¼ cup (80g) pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For Serving
- vanilla ice cream or whipped topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF/190ºC. Arrange a rack in the top third of the oven (the crisp will brown better here). Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 12-inch cast iron skillet or 2-quart (2 L) baking dish with oil, cooking spray, or vegan butter.
- Toast the butter and pecans. Set a medium bowl aside, big enough to fit the crisp topping. Add the sliced butter to a stainless steel, enameled cast iron, or other light-colored saucepan or skillet (don’t use a dark pan or nonstick). Turn a burner to medium heat and heat the butter. Stir occasionally with a silicone spatula.a. Once melted, foamy, and at a bubble (it should take ~ 3 minutes), cook for another 1 minute, stirring frequently (standing back as needed, as it might sputter). b. Now add the chopped pecans and stir frequently for another 2 minutes. c. Take the pan off the heat and pour into the medium bowl to stop cooking. Set aside to cool a bit while you prep everything else.
- Peel the apples, then slice into wedges or slices ¼” to ½” thick (.6 to 1.25 cm), cutting around the core (see Note 6). Add apples to a large bowl and cover with the lemon juice. Toss with a spatula or your hands to ensure well-coated (so they don’t brown).
- Prepare the apple filling. Mix the apple mixture with the remaining filling ingredients: maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom if using, flour, and pinch of salt. Mix until well combined. Transfer to the greased skillet or pan, using a silicone spatula to get any residual liquid out of the bowl. Spread the apples out as evenly as possible.
- Make the crisp topping. Once the butter-pecan mixture has cooled off a bit, add the remaining topping ingredients: flour, oats, salt, cane sugar, maple syrup, flaxseed meal, and cinnamon. Mix together with a fork or your hands until it’s a somewhat sticky, slightly sandy mix.
- Use your hands to scatter the crumb topping evenly on top of the apple mixture (I like to vary the size of the clumps). Transfer the pan to the oven and bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the juices on the sides are bubbling, the crisp is golden on top, and the apples are tender when pierced with a fork or knife.
- Let rest for at least 20 minutes, ideally 45 minutes, so the apples can set up more.
Notes
- I recommend using a mix of tart and sweet apples with a crisp texture. I used half Honeycrisp apples and half Granny Smith. Check out the Tips section for more apple variety suggestions.
- Gluten-free version: use (1) replace the flour in the apple filling with 1 ½ TBSP arrowroot powder or cornstarch; (2) use gluten-free all-purpose flour in the topping (use a blend that contains xanthan gum); (3) use certified gluten-free rolled oats.
- If using unsalted vegan butter, I recommend adding an extra ¼ teaspoon sea salt to the crisp topping. Taste it, add more as needed.
- Nut allergy? Omit the pecans from the topping and add (1) an extra ¼ cup (25g) of oats plus (2) ¼ cup (20g) of unsweetened shredded coconut. Or skip the coconut and add an extra ¼ to ½ cup (25 to 50g) of oats.
- This is the same as 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons flour. If not using a measuring scale, remember to spoon and level your flour to properly measure it.
- If you don’t mind the chewy, slightly toothsome texture of unpeeled baked apples, you can skip the peeling. Once peeled and sliced, you should end up with ~ 9 cups or 1kg of sliced apples.
I am bringing this to my tomorrow’s 55+ cooperative’s Tuesday morning coffee gathering. It’s my birthday today, so it’s my turn to share a treat with friends there. I just popped it in the oven and it smells wonderful. I know this will be a big hit! There is no other recipe creator from whom I assume I will always love the recipe — because I always DO love Nisha’s recipes! Much thanks to Nisha and Team!
Happy belated birthday from all of us at RPL, Rose! And thank you so much for the wonderful review. We hope everyone loved it :)
OMG – one of the best recipes EVER! This recipe is incredible and I’ve frozen and eaten weeks later and still so flavorful and apple still tasty and even crunchy. Thanks for the suggestions on storage and modifications. Definitely one of my go to treats!
Thank you for your lovely comment, Linda! It makes us happy to know that you love the apple crisp and found the storage instructions helpful!
What can be used instead of maple syrup
Hi Kimberly, you can replace it with brown sugar (or try 2 to 3 tablespoons of agave nectar). Enjoy!
One of the best apple crisps. The topping stays crunchy and is delicious
Your review made our day, Evelyn! Thanks for the wonderful review!