Gluten Free Apple Crisp with Blackberries

This easy, Gluten Free Apple Crisp recipe takes juicy apples and fresh blackberries and tucks them under a sweet, oat-strewn crust to make the ultimate fall dessert. Serve it plain, or with Greek yogurt!

Gluten Free Apple Crisp Recipe

Whether it’s the start or the end of apple season, there’s no wrong time to make a gluten free apple crisp. If you’re feeling extra, you can tuck in a few ripe blackberries into the filling for color and flavor, apples and blackberries being one of the best combinations going. But a just-apple crisp is utterly divine as well.

Crisps are one of the simplest desserts that you can make and one of the most welcome. You can dress them up or down with a scoop of ice cream or a spoonful of whipped cream, slip a bit of vanilla yogurt alongside, or happily serve them plain. The crisp, buttery oat topping is so crave-worthy that you might find yourself nibbling around the edges of the pan when no one’s looking.

This gluten free crisp falls squarely in the rustic, homey category, making it the perfect dessert to bridge the transition from summer into fall. Apples will be on the trees for a month or so still, so you’ve got plenty of time to whip this up. Did I mention you need 15 minutes or less to make this crisp? That’s another point in its favor. You can have the delicious scent of baked apples in your kitchen as soon as tonight. What are you waiting for?

Why You’ll Love This Gluten Free Apple Crisp

This gorgeous gluten free apple crisp with blackberries is easy to put together and isn’t overly sweet (meaning you’ll really taste the fruit). Here’s why you’ll love this gluten-free crumble:

• It’s big on fruit flavor. Fruit is the star of this show, and you can use any type of apple you like. We had a glut of Gravensteins this year so I baked a lot of pie and crisps using Gravenstein apples.
• It makes good use of seasonal produce. Got apples? Make crisp! We have two apple trees on our property and let me tell you that they keep me busy during late summer and early fall! Crisps are a superb way to highlight fresh fruit.
• Easy to adapt. I’ve outlined some variation ideas below, but the gist is that you can use the general method for making this crumble with whatever fruit you like. Try pears, summer stone fruit, blueberries, etc.
• Entirely gluten-free. All the ingredients needed to make this delectable gluten-free crisp are gluten-free so you won’t need to worry if you’re on a gluten-free diet.

Crisp vs. Crumble: What’s the Difference?

This one stumps me, too! I tend to use the words interchangeably, but a fruit crisp actually is different from a fruit crumble, if only by one or two ingredients. Both a crisp and a crumble have a layer of fruit topped by a buttery crust, but a crisp incorporates oats or nuts into the topping while a crumble is a simple combination of flour and butter. They’re both delicious, but I’ll admit I’m partial to the oaty goodness that’s in a crisp.

What You Need for Gluten Free Apple Crisp

Here’s what you’ll need to make this juicy, homey gluten free apple crisp (with blackberries). The full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the recipe card below.

FOR THE Topping

• Oat flour – Naturally gluten-free oat flour brings a touch of sweetness to the topping
• Almond flour – Use fine-ground almond flour
• Rolled oats – You’ll want old-fashioned rolled oats rather than instant oats for the topping
• Brown sugar – You can use light or dark brown sugar
• Coconut oil – Melted coconut oil holds the crumble topping together. You could also use unsalted, melted butter.

FOR THE FILLING

• Apples – Choose firm apples, like Gravensteins or Granny Smith
• Blackberries – Blackberries are an optional but recommended addition to this crumble!
• Brown sugar – For a hint of extra sweetness to the filling
• Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon brings a little warming spice; you could also use ginger
• Salt – I always use fine sea salt in my baking

Variations

A crisp is a very forgiving recipe and you can switch it up according to your tastes or what you have on hand. For example:

• Try different fruit – Go ahead and substitute (or add!) pears or stone fruit in the filling
• Omit the blackberries – You can make this as a plain apple crumble if you leave out the blackberries
• Throw in some nuts – Sliced almonds in the topping would be lovely
• Add coconut – Flaked or shredded coconut would also be amazing in this topping

How to Make Gluten Free Apple Crisp:

Make the Topping

1. Heat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350℉.
2. Make the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat and almond flour, oats, and brown sugar. Drizzle in the melted coconut oil and stir the mixture to moisten the dry ingredients. Place the topping in the fridge while you make the filling.

Make the Filling and Assemble

1. Mix together the fruit, sugar, cinnamon, and salt: In a large bowl, toss together the apples and blackberries. Gently fold in the sugar, cinnamon, and the pinch of salt.
2. Assemble the crumble: In a large baking pan (8×8 or 6×9), spread the fruit out in an even layer. Take the topping from the fridge and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the fruit.
3. Bake: Place the crumble in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the topping is lightly browned and crisp.
4. Remove and let cool: Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes before serving. The crisp is perfect served warm, at room temperature, or straight from the fridge.

Tips and Variation Ideas

Need subs? I’ve got you covered! Read on for substitution suggestions plus some variation options:

• For the oat flour – Try sorghum flour
• For the almond flour – Swap teff flour or tiger nut flour
• For the oats – If you can’t have oats, substitute a combination of sliced almond and coconut flakes, or quinoa flakes, for the rolled oats
• Use all-purpose or gluten-free flour: If you wish to use all-purpose flour or a 1:1 gluten-free flour substitute, you can use 2 cups flour for the oat and almond flour
• Make it refined sugar-free – Substitute coconut sugar or maple syrup for the brown sugar
• Make it a tad richer – I love coconut oil in this crisp, but you can absolutely swap in melted butter for a richer effect
• Change the fruit – As mentioned, you can use the crisp topping on a variety of fruit all year long, from cherries to rhubarb to peaches
• Adjust the amount of sweetener – You can reduce the amount of sugar in the filling to zero if you are using sweet apples, or drizzle in a little (say, a tablespoon) of honey or maple syrup. You can also reduce the amount of sugar in the topping if you wish, to ½ cup of brown sugar.

How to Store

Store your gluten free apple crisp with blackberries tightly covered with foil in the pan on the counter for up to 2 days, then place it in the fridge for up to 5 more days. You can transfer the crisp to an airtight container if that’s easier.

Serving Suggestions

I love to serve a healthy portion of gluten free crisp with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a soft pile of whipped cream. You can serve crisp with plain Greek yogurt for a tangy flavor contrast, or spoon over some plain or vanilla whole-fat yogurt.

More Gluten-Free Fruit Desserts

• Gluten-Free Fresh Strawberry Cake
• Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Bars
• Gluten Free Apple Pie