This healthy apple crisp is warm, cozy, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup and honey instead of refined sugar. Made with tender baked apples, hearty oats, and warm cinnamon, it’s the kind of simple fall dessert that feels indulgent without going overboard.
It’s gluten free adaptable, family-friendly, and perfect for apple season.
Why You’ll Love This Healthy Apple Crisp
- No refined sugar
- Naturally sweetened with maple syrup and honey
- Made with simple pantry ingredients
- Easy 8×8 size (perfect for small gatherings or weeknights)
- Cozy enough for Thanksgiving, simple enough for Tuesday 😉
This isn’t a “diet dessert.” It’s just a wholesome apple crisp made with real ingredients.
Is This Apple Crisp Sugar Free?
So glad you asked! Let’s clarify this right away.
This recipe does not contain refined white or brown sugar. Instead, it’s sweetened naturally with maple syrup and honey.
It still contains natural sugars from those ingredients and the apples themselves. So while it’s free from refined sugar, it’s not a zero-sugar or keto recipe.
Honest, cozy, and balanced. That’s the goal.
Apple Season Just Hits Different
Fall means cooler weather, oversized sweaters, and orchard trips that somehow end with way more apples than you planned on buying.
Apples are one of the most versatile fruits in my kitchen. We use them in:
- Apple Slab Pie
- Air Fryer Apple Crisp
- Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal
- And we also know how to freeze apples to enjoy them year round.
And of course, this healthy apple crisp stays on repeat all fall long.
Ingredients
- apples - If the peeling seems like a chore, check out my favorite apple peeler and give it a try.
- lemon juice
- real maple syrup - we're using this instead of the usual brown sugar
- no added sugar apple juice
- cinnamon and allspice
- salt
For the crisp topping
- old-fashioned oats - if you want to make this a gluten-free apple crisp, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
- almond flour
- almonds - for a little crunch and texture
- honey
- unsalted butter
Best Apples for Apple Crisp
Choose firm apples that hold their shape when baked:
- Pink Lady
- Honeycrisp
- Jonagold
- Braeburn
Avoid softer apples like McIntosh unless you want a softer, more applesauce-style filling.
If you have frozen apples from earlier in the season, they work beautifully here too. Just thaw and drain excess liquid first.
How to Make Healthy Apple Crisp
- Step 1: Prep the apples. Toss sliced apples with lemon juice in a large bowl.
- Step 2: Add flavor. Stir in maple syrup, apple juice, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.
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- Step 3: Make the topping. In a separate bowl, combine oats, almond flour, sliced almonds, honey, and melted butter. Stir until coated.
- Step 4: Assemble. Spread apples evenly in the baking dish. Sprinkle topping evenly over the top.
- Step 5: Bake. Bake for 30 minutes. If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent with foil. Continue baking another 15–20 minutes until bubbly.
Cool 5–10 minutes before serving.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.
Can You Make Apple Crisp Ahead?
Yes! Here's how:
- Assemble and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking
- Bake fully, cool, and refrigerate for 3–4 days
- Freeze baked apple crisp for up to 2 months
To reheat: Warm in a 300°F oven until heated through. This helps keep the topping crisp.
How to Store Leftovers
Store covered in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
For best texture, reheat in the oven instead of the microwave.
Healthy Apple Crisp vs Traditional Apple Crisp
Traditional apple crisp typically uses:
- Brown sugar
- White sugar
- White flour
This version swaps those for:
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Almond flour
The result is still sweet and cozy, it's just made with more wholesome ingredients. Both are delicious!
What to Serve With Apple Crisp
- Vanilla ice cream
- Homemade whipped cream
- Salted caramel drizzle
- Or honestly? Just a spoon. 🥄
FAQS
Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, Jonagold and Braeburn apples all work well.
I actually don't recommend using tart apples like Granny Smith apples in this recipe as they're - well - too tart! This means we'd usually add more sugar to balance the tartness. And since we're trying to keep this low sugar...well, you get the idea!
The main difference is the ingredients in the topping. An apple crumble doesn't have oats in the topping.
You don't have to peel them if you don't want to! The texture will be slightly different but truthfully, the peels contain nutrition and fiber!
Other apple dessert recipes you’ll love:
Recipe
Healthy Apple Crisp
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Ingredients
- 6 large apples cored, peeled, and sliced* see below for variety recommendations
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed if you can swing it!
- ⅓ cup real maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons 100% apple juice sugar free
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Topping Ingredients:
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ⅓ cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup almonds sliced
- ⅓ cup honey
- 3 Tablespoon unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8” x 8” baking dish and set aside.
- Place apples in a large bowl and toss the apple slices with lemon juice. Add maple syrup, apple juice, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Toss to combine and set aside.
- Combine oats, flour, almonds, honey and melted butter in a separate bowl and stir until oats are thoroughly coated and all ingredients are well combined. Set aside.
- Pour apple mixture into prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Spread the topping evenly across the top in a uniform layer, as well.
- Place into pre-heated oven and bake for 30 minutes. If the top layer is nicely browned, cover dish loosely with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. Continue baking for another 15-20 minutes or until the apple crisp is nice and bubbling. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
Serve warm with some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. Calories and other nutritional values vary depending on which brands were used.
Erin says
Thanks for sharing at the Fabulous Friday Linky Party! Can’t wait to see what you share this week