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Apple crisp with vegan ice cream with a spoon in a blue bowl on a table.
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Vegan Apple Crisp

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 336kcal
Author: Nisha Vora

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: vegan vanilla ice cream or whipped topping (optional)

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. If using unsalted vegan butter, I recommend adding an extra ¼ teaspoon sea salt to the crisp topping. Taste it, add more as needed.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.