Low-Sugar Apple Crisp
This easy Low-Sugar Apple Crisp is so delicious that no one will ever guess it’s made without added sugar! And this recipe is also gluten-free and dairy-free!
PIN the Low-Sugar Apple Crisp recipe to try it later!
For this week’s Friday Favorites pick, I’m recommending this amazing Low-Sugar Apple Crisp as a healthy dessert option that will work as a treat for carb-conscious eaters, as well as anyone who’s vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free. And this is absolutely delicious, so you can serve it to anyone and feel confident that they’ll enjoy their dessert!
I’m not that much of a desserts eater and I’m also not gluten-free or dairy-free, but this Low-Sugar Apple Crisp was so good I found myself eating the leftovers for breakfast the day after we made it. And I guess that’s one good reason it’s low-in sugar; you have been warned!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- apples (I used a mixture of Granny Smith and Jonathan apples)
- Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), or sweetener of your choice
- ground cinnamon (affiliate link)
- rolled oats, be sure to use Gluten-Free Rolled Oats if needed. (affiliate link)
- Almond Flour (affiliate link)
- Coconut Oil (affiliate link)
- vanilla
- chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
How did we make the apple crisp lower in sugar?
Apples do have natural sugar, so this type of recipe can’t ever be sugar-free. But we made it lower in sugar by using Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) to add to the apples and in the crisp topping. You can also use classic Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), or use any sugar-free sweetener of your choice if you don’t have Monkfruit. (I also used to make this with a small amount of brown sugar combined with sweetener if you like the sound of that.)
How did we make the low-sugar apple crisp gluten-free?
This recipe uses Almond Flour (affiliate link) and Gluten-Free Rolled Oats (affiliate link) along with optional chopped nuts for the crisp topping.
How did we make the low-sugar apple crisp Dairy-Free?
We used Coconut Oil (affiliate link), for this delicious low-sugar apple crisp which it gave great flavor without using butter. Of course you can use butter if you prefer.
Is the low-sugar apple crisp low in carbs?
Apples have natural sugar and almond flour and gluten-free rolled oats both have some carbs. But this has about 20 net carbs per serving, which I hope is low enough for some of my readers to enjoy it occasionally (especially when it’s apple season!)
How to make Low-Sugar Apple Crisp:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Preheat oven to 400F/200C and spray a dish with oil or non-stick spray.
- Peel apples, toss with the sweetener, brown sugar (or more sweetener), and cinnamon, and put apples in the baking dish.
- (I used an apple slicer (affiliate link) which made it easy to cut slices of apples, peel each slice, and chop!)
- You can use a food processor to buzz the rolled oats if you’d like a finer crisp topping.
- Then put them in a bowl, add the almond meal or almond flour, sweetener, brown sugar (or more sweetener), and mix with a spoon. (Add a few chopped almonds or pecans if you’d like; we didn’t bother with that this time.)
- Melt the coconut oil if needed, then pour coconut oil and vanilla over the crisp ingredients and stir with a fork until it’s well combined.
- Spread crisp topping over the apples and bake 40-45 minutes, or until apples are cooked through and topping is lightly browned.
- Serve hot or cold, but I love this when it’s hot.
- And if you’re serving Low-Sugar Apple Crisp for a special meal, some whipped cream or non-dairy topping would be wonderful.
More Low-Sugar or Sugar-Free Desserts:
- Low-Carb No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake Dessert
- Sugar-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
- Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
- Sugar-Free Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Low-Carb Cheesecake with Cherry Topping
Low-Sugar Apple Crisp
Low-Sugar Apple Crisp is so delicious and this is a great idea for a Thanksgiving dessert that's vegan, gluten-free, and dairy free!
Ingredients
Ingredients for apple mixture:
- 6 medium-sized apples (about 5 cups sliced apples, I used a mixture of Granny Smith and Jonathan apples)
- 1/4 cup Golden Monkfruit Sweetener, or sweetener of your choice (see notes)
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Ingredients for crisp topping:
- 1/2 cup + 2 T rolled oats (Be sure to choose gluten-free rolled oats if needed.)
- 6 T almond meal or almond flour (see notes)
- 7 T Golden Monkfruit Sweetener, or sweetener of your choice (see notes)
- 2 T melted coconut oil (or olive oil, see notes)
- 3/4 tsp. vanilla
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Spray a baking dish with oil or non-stick spray. (I used an oval-shaped crockery dish that was 11 inches long and 8 inches wide at the widest point.)
- Peel apples, cut out cores, and cut in chunks. (I used an apple slicer (affiliate link) then peeled the slices and cut each one in chunks.)
- Put apple pieces in a bowl, sprinkle with your preferred sweetener, and cinnamon, then stir until all the apples are well coated with the sweetener and cinnamon. Put apples in baking dish.
- If desired, use a food processor to process the rolled oats until they're a finer grind. (This is optional.) Then put rolled oats into a bowl and mix almond meal or almond flour, sweetener, into the oats mixture. (If you're adding nuts, measure 1/3 cup walnuts or pecans, then chop coarsely with chef's knife and add to the mixture.)
- Pour the melted coconut oil and vanilla over the other crisp ingredients. Use a fork to blend the oil and vanilla into the oats mixture.
- Top apples with the crisp topping, spreading it out so the surface of apples is completely covered with the crumbly mixture.
- Bake 45-50 minutes, until the topping is slightly browned and apples are cooked through and slightly bubbling.
- Serve hot or cold, although I think it's really best hot. This will keep in the fridge for a few days, but it probably won't last that long.
Notes
I prefer Golden Monkfruit Sweetener for baking, but any sweetener you like the taste of will work.
You can buy almond meal, almond flour, or coconut oil at Amazon.com if you don't find it in your store. (affiliate links)
This recipe was adapted from recipes in Olive Oil Baking and The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 347Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 28.2gFiber: 8gSugar: 23gProtein: 7g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Of course a dessert with apples can’t ever be sugar-free or super low in carbs. But with about 20 net carbs per serving, this Low-Sugar Apple Crisp is a pretty carb-conscious dessert for something with fruit. And the use of Monkfruit Sweetener and coconut oil (or another preferred oil) would make this version of apple crisp a pretty good choice for the original South Beach Diet Phase 2 or 3. The recipe is also gluten-free and dairy-free.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Dessert Recipes to find more recipes like this one! Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Danica's Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for apple crisp without added sugar was first posted in 2009. It was last updated with more information in 2023.
34 Comments on “Low-Sugar Apple Crisp”
Can this be frozen?
I haven’t ever had enough leftovers to freeze, but I can’t think of any reason why it won’t freeze well in a container with a tight lid.
This was so easy to make and a real treat when you want something sweet. My whole family loved it served warm with a scoop of sugar free ice cream. It’s a keeper!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
If you look after the recipe itself, I give two links (where it says “Nutritional Information”) for suggestions of two ways to get that information. I’m not able to provide nutritional information for the recipes for several reasons, including the additional time it takes, the difficulty in doing it accurately, and the sheer number of recipes on my site.
I have over 2000 recipes here and spend 6-8 hours most days working on the blog. I just can’t edit over 2,000 recipes to add that info, and I know once I do it on one recipe people will expect to see it on every recipe.
I’m a guy, who loves to cook, want to try this recipe but what unit is “T”?
2 T melted coconut oil .
T = tablespoon
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
I haven't seen almond flour at Costco. The cheapest place I know to buy it (and it's not super cheap there either) is at Honeyville and that's somewhere I can drive to so I'm not sure how their shipping charges are. I do know a few other people who are not in Utah who also order it there though, so I'm guessing it might be the best deal on it you can get.
First of all I love this Blog, Thank you so much for all your great recipes.
As a South Beach Dieter, I am a big fan of the almond flour–which is key to many of your recipes. Only problem is, it is very expensive! Does anyone have suggestions for a cheaper product? Does Costco supply it in bulk? Any alternatives?
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I'm not sure if it was meant to be that way or if I messed it up somehow, but the topping ended up a little on the dry side for me. Still yummy though. I'm thinking of having it for breakfast tomorrow, possibly adding a bit of milk before microwaving it.
I don't know if pears cook more or less quickly than apples, but if you watch it, I can't think of why it wouldn't work.
Hi Kalyn, could you use pears in this recipe?
Kieran, I love that idea of using a little blackstrap molasses for a bit more brown-sugar flavor! Brilliant!
It's apple season, so I made this delicious apple crisp for dessert tonight. Marvelous! The only modification I made: I added a teaspoon of blackstrap molasses for just a touch of brown sugar flavour. You're right: this won't be lasting long in the fridge, because there's hardly any left already!
Ces, glad they liked it. I think the variations are endless!
Thanks for the step by step procedure. I have tried preparing this and my family loved it. But I suggest some variations to surprise your kids. I have tried frying the apple first before serving it.
Kyrielle, I'm not that knowledgeable about gluten-free baking, but there are some gluten-free baking mixes you can buy. My friend Karina is an expert on gluten-free baking and also has nut allergies, so you might like her blog: Karina's Kitchen.
*wistful* It looks tasty. Any idea what else might substitute for the almond flour? Nuts are out for me…but DS can't have wheat/gluten flours yet….
I put vanilla extract in everything. I don’t know why. I don’t know if it makes it taste any better. I just like vanilla.
anyway thanks for share
yum yum yum! looks amazing.
Olive oil for the topping – that's brilliant! Each time I read your recipes, I think to myself that I need to start using almond flour. This looks like the perfect dessert (or breakfast).
This looks great! I'll have to give it a try 🙂
xo
Shannon, it definitely didn't lastlong around here!
Joanne, I liked this so much it's inspired me to try apple pie with an almond flour crust!
What a great idea! I love apple-y desserts and I bet the almond flour added a great flavor to it.
Oh that looks fantastic!! We are big apple crisp eaters at my house so that is something that would certainly be enjoyed, and gobbled up ASAP 🙂
Not sure why, but I'm not getting some of the comments in my e-mail so they're not getting published in a timely manner. Sorry about that. (Toni, I was not ignoring you, just found your comment. Actually it's the potential for getting too brown that I worried about with the nuts, should have made that more clear.)
Lydia, the best almond flour comes from Utah, so let me know if you want me to send you some.
Cara, I think either almond meal or almond flour will work in this, but there is a difference.
That a great idea. Thanks.
Sounds great, I love using almond meal in baking!
All apple crisps are irresistible! I haven't tried almond flour yet, but on your recommendation I'm going to buy some and take it for a spin.
Maria, thanks.
Ronelle, I agree. (Not that I actually feel guilty if I eat the more sugar-laden types, but you can certainly eat more of this type!)
Winnie, I love the idea of using olive oil instead of butter.
Nida, sorry you didn't like it. Did you use a food processor to grind up the oats? I do know that oatmeal is pretty commonly used in the topping for apple crisp, but maybe you have never had that type?
I adore apple crisp, and this version looks great. I don't think I'd eliminate the nuts, 'cause I love them. I'd just use portion control!
This looks very intriguing Kalyn…I was inspired by Elana's book to start using almond flour much more, as well, and I've been experimenting with olive oil in baked goods lately too!
Delicious…and no guilt!
ronelle
Apple crisp is my favorite fall dessert. I will have to try your version.