This is the best Vegan Apple Crisp ever! Packed with sweet and tender apples and baked with a buttery, crispy oat topping, it’s perfect for serving with dairy-free vanilla ice cream and a caramel drizzle in fall.
Going apple picking? 🍎 Use up those freshly picked apples in my Apple Upside Down Cake, in this Apple Fritter Bread, or in these Vegan Apple Muffins!
This is hands down the most incredible Vegan Apple Crisp. It’s an old-fashioned fall comfort food and such a crowd-pleasing dessert, just like the one grandma used to make. Along with my Vegan Apple Pie, it’s one of our family’s Thanksgiving staples.
I tested and retested this recipe until it was absolute perfection (don’t even get me started on the number of apples I went through). It took me a long time to discover the secrets to the best apple crisp with a golden, crispy oat topping, but the result was so worth it. I hope you love this dessert as much as I do!
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“This apple crisp transported me to another realm. It sounds dramatic but I would 100% recommend this recipe, especially with the caramel sauce!” – Ann
Why you’ll love this vegan apple crisp
- The best fall dessert – Warm, spiced apples with a buttery, golden oat crumble on top make this the coziest autumn treat.
- Easier than apple pie – Apple crisp has all the cozy flavors of apple pie but is so much easier to make.
- Crowd-pleasing – Everyone at Thanksgiving loves a warm scoop of apple crisp! Especially when I pair it with dairy-free ice cream and caramel sauce.
How to make vegan apple crisp
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Peel, core, and chop the apples into small pieces. Place them in a large bowl.
Chop the apples very small and thin
The smaller the pieces, the better, in my opinion. If you chop them too big, they will never get tender in the oven.
In a medium bowl, whisk the vegan butter and flour together. Slowly mix in the water, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until smooth.
Pour the flour mixture into the bowl with the apples and mix to combine. Dump the apples into a casserole dish.
To make the crisp topping, whisk the flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Work in the vegan butter with your fingers. Sprinkle the oat topping over the apples in the dish.
Bake the apple crisp until the top is golden brown, the apples are tender, and the edges are bubbling.
Scoop the warm apple crisp into bowls and top with a scoop of this Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream and a drizzle of my Vegan Caramel. Enjoy!
Serve with toppings
For the most amazing apple crisp, serve it hot from the oven with something sweet or cozy on top, like toasted walnuts or pecans, a dollop of vegan whipped cream, a pinch of cinnamon, a scoop of my easy No-Churn Dairy-Free Ice Cream, or a drizzle of my Salted Caramel Sauce.
The first time I tried it with vanilla ice cream and caramel, I knew there was no going back!
Frequently asked questions
I like Granny Smith apples best because they’re crisp, tart, and not too sweet. Honeycrisp apples are also great, but I’d recommend reducing the brown sugar a bit since they taste sweeter.
Sure! For gluten-free vegan apple crisp, use certified gluten-free rolled oats and substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour for the regular flour. I don’t recommend using almond flour or coconut flour.
I wouldn’t recommend this, actually. The brown sugar sweetens and adds moisture to the apple crisp, and maple syrup (or any other sweetener, really) wouldn’t quite work the same.
If you don’t want to make my easy Vegan Butter recipe, you could use an equal amount of coconut oil instead.
Sure! Just bake the crisp in a square 8-inch baking pan instead. Around the holidays, when I’m baking non-stop, I’ll sometimes divide the full batch into two smaller pans so I can bake one and store the other in the fridge for later.
Yes, you can make the apple crisp a few hours in advance. I’d suggest assembling it in the baking dish as normal and keeping it covered and in the fridge until you’re ready to bake.
You can’t beat hot apple crisp from the oven. It’s warm, gooey, and still crispy! Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 to 2 days, but the topping won’t be as crispy.
I haven’t tried freezing the leftover apple crisp, but it should keep for about 1 month. The apples will likely get quite mushy after freezing, though.
Vegan Apple Crisp
Ingredients
For the apple filling:
- 6 large apples (about 4 lbs), peeled, cored and chopped small
- 1/3 cup vegan butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup water
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the topping:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegan butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly spray a 9 X 13 casserole dish with oil.
For the apple filling
- Peel, core and chop the apples into thin, small pieces. This will help them get tender in the oven! Place the apples in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted vegan butter with the 3 tablespoons of flour, then add the water, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and mix until smooth.
- Pour the mixture over the apples and mix well to coat. Dump the apples into the casserole dish and spread evenly. Set aside and prepare the topping.
For the topping
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, baking powder and salt to combine.
- Using clean fingers or a pastry cutter, work the softened vegan butter or coconut oil into the flour mixture until well combined. Sprinkle evenly over the apples in the dish.
To bake
- Place in the center rack of the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the apples are tender. It should be bubbling, especially on the sides.
- Serve warm with a scoop of non-dairy vanilla ice cream and vegan caramel, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Granny Smith are by far my favorite apple to use in crispy, but you can use others if needed. Try to choose a crispy baking apple that is not too sweet, or adjust the added sugar.
- If you don’t like very sweet desserts, feel free to cut back on the sugar both in the filling and the topping. You could probably cut them both in half if needed.
- For gluten free, try a gluten free flour and make sure to use gluten free certified rolled oats.
This recipe is sooooo good. I use peaches instead of apples. Still amazing!
Hi Mary. Peaches sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review! I’m glad you loved the recipe!
delicious! made it with king arthur’s gf flour blend and it was perfect. 🙂 thank you!
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the crisp!
I don’t often write reviews, however, this recipe is a 5-star keeper! I made both the apple crisp and the caramel sauce yesterday – a cold day here in Nebraska! The house smelled amazing while the crisp was baking and the caramel sauce turned out perfectly (and so easy)! My sweet mom and my hubby (non-vegans) were the first to taste and all I could hear were yummy sounds as they devoured every last bite and scraped their bowls. They both added vanilla ice cream to theirs, while I enjoyed a heaping bowlful with the caramel sauce only. OH. MY.GOODNESS. Absolutely the best apple crisp I’ve ever eaten. Thank you so much for the recipe! I will definitely be making this again and again. UPDATE:
My hubby had another big helping before bed last night. I may or may not have eaten some for breakfast this morning! Thanks again!!
Hi Lori. I hope you are keeping warm over in Nebraska! Thank you for taking the time to write a review for my apple crisp recipe. I’m glad that you all loved it!
Hi Nora, I just out the apple crisp in the oven and am wondering if I should have it covered with the top of the casserole dish?
No, uncovered is best so the topping can get crunchy. 🙂 Thanks!
Hi there can u leave out the baking powder?
Sure, if needed it should be fine.
I made this with my son when he was visiting me and it was delicious. I have gotten some pretty sweet apples from the farmers market and so we didn’t use any sweeteners on the apple filling part of the recipe and it worked great!
What does the lemon juice do?
It adds a little brightness to the flavor. It could be left out if needed.
Love this recipe! I made it earlier this year and am remaking it for Thanksgiving. My Dad who claims to hate vegan desserts loves it, and your family will too.
That’s so great to hear!
Can you use old sort of soft/mealy apples for this recipe, or do they need to be fresh and crunchy? I’m trying to figure out what to do with my apples that are still edible but aren’t a great texture to eat plain anymore. Thanks.
It will be much better with fresh and crispy apples, but I’m sure it would be a decent way to use up some older apples. 🙂
Nora,
could I make this work without using vegan butter or oils? thanks
You might be able to sub applesauce for the vegan butter in the crisp topping, but I haven’t tried it. It may end up rather soft instead of crunchy.
Nora, I tried today for first time on my Diwali celebration, my all friends & family love it, thanks for sharing vegan apple crisp recipe.
You’re so welcome! Thanks for the comment!
Simple and delicious, used a mix of pears and apples! I was wondering, what temp would you recommend for reheating the next day and for how long? I was hoping to make this a day ahead for Thanksgiving.
Thank you, I’m so happy you enjoyed it. I’d probably reheat in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 350 until warm.
Can u sub all purpose flower? For almond or coconut or will it be a game changer
I haven’t tried it, but it might work here!
Omg this was so so so amazing!!! I went apple picking yesterday and had no idea what to do with so many apples, but man was this fantastic!
That’s so great!
AAAAAmazing! We went apple picking yesterday and we had a family BBQ today. I made this with Empire and McIntosh apples and it was a huge hit. I love your recipes and they always go over well. This one is a winner and has already been requested for the next get together. Thank you Nora for sharing!
You’re welcome!
You are so right to say that this is the ‘best vegan apple crisp ever!’ That was my husband’s exact words. I made it gluten free and high altitude friendly (I live at 7,200 ft) and it was perfect!
That’s so great!
This was so very good! I had to use two pears with it, because I only had four apples. I loved it and I will make it many times more, thank you for sharing this recipe.
That sounds great, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
What can I use in place of vegan butter?
Coconut oil works pretty well.
great post! Thanks a lot for sharing this healthy and yummy recipe!
Such an amazing recipe, have made this like 5 times now and it’s always amazing though I do reduce the sugar a bit sometimes.
I’m so glad to hear it’s amazing!
Is a whole cup of sugar really necessary? I’m trying to cut down on sugar.
You can cut in half, it just won’t be as sweet but it won’t ruin the recipe. You could also substitute coconut sugar or another alternative you like, and use less of it as well.
Can I make this the day before I serve? If so, how should I store it?
Yes, I think that should be fine. You can cover it and store it in the refrigerator overnight. It would be best to pop it in the oven again until it’s warm if possible.
Hi – I read you can leave out for 1-2 days at room temperature. Have you ever done this?
I usually leave the leftover out for a few days, but the topping will lose it’s crispness.
Delicious and easy. I added 1/2tsp nutmeg to the apples too.
I have made this many times now. Super easy, super delicious. I throw in random blueberries for a little color if I have them on hand.
OMG!! You just keep cranking out amazing recipes! Thank you so much.