My Paleo Apple Crisp is the crowd-pleasing dessert you’ll want to bring to every holiday gathering. It’s comforting, deliciously sweet and crumbly, but somehow gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free – aka the RGE way.

I love creating, and recreating, recipes this way, showing you that all it takes is a few simple swaps to make these better-for-you versions, really proving you totally can have your cake and eat it too. Just make sure you leave room for dessert!

THE BEST PALEO APPLE CRISP

This Paleo Apple Crisp is one of my go-to desserts around the holidays, or whenever we have a surplus of apples, and a favorite from the “Sweets” section of my New York Times Best Selling Cookbook, Rachael’s Good Eats.

Back when I first made this, Bridger is even quoted to have said this was the best apple crisp he’s ever had. I’ll take it!

Maybe it’s the insanely delicious crumble topping?

I’ll have to ask him, but either way, I’m telling you, the crumble topping recipe is EVERYTHING. Full of healthy fats, fiber and protein from the nuts + seeds, it’s crunchy and just so full of flavor, you’ll want to eat it solo with a spoon!

A COZY, CRUMBLY CRISP

Ok, I have to take a second to talk about the cozy, warm, yummy filling.

Made with mainly apples, of course, plus some seasonal antioxidant-packed spices like ground cinnamon and nutmeg, the combo of this + the crumble topping, and some dairy-free coconut-milk vanilla ice cream scooped on top, is dessert perfection.

You probably already know apples are high in fiber and vitamin C, but they also contain pectin, a soluble fiber that can help promote gut health. Not that you’ll need to further impress everyone you make this for, but that’s definitely a fun fact you can keep in your back pocket to really wow ‘em.

Because, who wouldn’t love a dessert that tastes unbelievably good, but is basically good for you too?!

Anyways, I hope you love this Paleo Apple Crisp as much as Bridge & I do. Can’t wait to hear what you think!

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:

For the Filling:

• Apples (any variety)
• Maple syrup
• Coconut oil, melted
• Arrowroot starch
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Ground cinnamon
• Vanilla extract
• Ground nutmeg

For the Crumble Topping:

• Almond flour
• Raw pecans
• Unsweetened coconut flakes
• Raw pumpkin seeds
• Ground flaxseeds
• Coconut oil, melted
• Maple syrup
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground nutmeg
• Ground ginger
• Pinch of sea salt
• Coconut-milk vanilla-flavored ice cream, for serving (optional)

HOW TO MAKE MY PALEO APPLE CRISP

Filling:

In a large bowl, toss together all the filling ingredients. Transfer the mixture to an 8×8-inch baking dish, or spoon it into individual ramekins, and set aside.

Crumble Topping:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until crumbly. Top the apples with the mixture in a thick, even layer.

Bake for 40 minutes. Top the baking dish with foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes.

To Serve:

Serve hot. Option to top with vanilla-flavored coconut-milk ice cream (or any ice cream you prefer). Enjoy!

RECIPE SUBSTITUTIONS & QUESTIONS

Feel free to use any variety, or combo of varieties, of apples for this Apple Crisp. For the rest of the filling, though I recommend sticking to the recipe as-is and haven’t tested any of these substitutes, you could try swapping in avocado oil for melted coconut oil, tapioca starch (or possibly cornstarch) for arrowroot starch, and honey for maple syrup.

For the Crumble Topping, depending on dietary preferences, instead of the almond flour, you could sub a gluten-free flour blend, all-purpose, or oat flour. Again, you could also sub honey for maple syrup here too.

Optional but highly recommended to serve with your favorite vanilla ice cream (dairy-free or regular).

Another idea is to either make extra or a solo batch of the topping and try using it as a topper for your yogurt in the morning, or as a topping for ice cream on its own. Let me know if you come up with any other fun ideas to use the topping for, too!

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN APPLE CRISP AND APPLE CRUMBLE?

The main difference between apple crisp and apple crumble is in the topping. In apple crisp, the topping typically includes oats.

The dish can definitely still be considered a “crisp” even if it doesn’t contain oats, since the defining characteristic of an apple crisp is the baked apples with a crumbly topping. And in the case of my Paleo Apple Crisp, to achieve that same crispy texture, we used other ingredients instead of the oats like nuts and seeds.

WHAT KIND OF FRUITS CAN YOU EAT ON A PALEO DIET?

There are a ton of different fruits you can eat on a paleo diet! To clarify what paleo style eating is, means that it needs to be grain-free, refined sugar-free and exclude inflammatory ingredients like dairy and gluten. So, really any fruit is fair game, like berries, bananas, apples, peaches, oranges, melons, and of course pears.

HERE ARE MORE HEALTHY, DELICIOUS DESSERTS YOU’LL LOVE:

Pumpkin Twix Bars   

Peppermint Patties

Dirty Chai Chia Pudding

20-Minute Paleo Pear Crisps

Tahini Chocolate Chunk Cookies

What I used to make this recipe: