This gluten-free almond apple crumble is oh-so-fabulously delicious with tender apples and a crisp crumbly topping. Enjoy it all by yourself or share it with a friend!
I cannot...CANNOT...wait to make this again!
This almond apple crumble is just as delicious as it looks...if not more!
And this recipe turned my husband, who is all about chocolate desserts, into an apple crumble convert....I consider that a major accomplishment!
You've got tender apples capped with a mildly sweet, crisp crumbly almond topping, and when served with a scoop of fresh whipped cream, you have got a taste of bliss in every spoonful!
This recipe is a gluten-free and low-sugar adaptation of a delicious apple crumble my friend Sonia had made for me a few times. I totally loved her crumble and I was determined to make my version just as good!
The Apples
Part of what makes this recipe so amazing is stewing the apples before baking.
Of course, you could easily just dump raw sliced apples in a dish, add the topping and bake. Easy peasy done.
However, as I learned from Sonia's recipe, pre-cooking, or stewing the apples partially before baking yields a much nicer apple texture in the dish.
I also do not add any sugar or sweetener to the apples. Depending on how sweet or tart you like your crumble, I find it all boils down to what sort of apples you use. I used Gala apples, which are sweeter than the traditional Granny Smiths, and found them to be perfect as they were. The choice is up to you what apples you use, and if you like a sweeter dessert, feel free to add some sweetener of choice to your apples.
The Crumble
In Sonia's recipe, her crumble topping was a simple combination of flour, butter, and sugar, which I loved because of its simplicity. I loved the fine texture of the topping compared to more traditional ones that used oats which I always found either too clumpy or chewy.
Trying to convert Sonia's crumble to gluten-free wasn't as straightforward as I had hoped and it took a few experiments. However, I finally found the perfect combination using almond flour, brown rice flour, melted butter, coconut sugar, and sliced almonds.
Only a teaspoon of coconut sugar is all there is in this recipe to add just the right amount of sweetness, and the almond slices provide a nice crisp without running into the clumpy/chewy oats issues.
Dishing on the Dish
Since this recipe serves only one or two, I decided to use an oven-safe glass food storage container which ended up being an unexpectedly fabulous idea!
Besides the fact that I had no other small oven-safe dish to make this small portion, using this food container meant that I could bake the apple crumble and save it for later by popping the lid on!
Using a container with a lid also means it's portable and you pack this delicious almond apple crumble in your lunch or take it on a picnic! You can even warm these up before popping on the lid so your crumble is warm when you devour it.
Brilliant, right??
Making this smaller portion also came from the fact that my family is not really into baked apples desserts. My boys are all about chocolate...go figure, right? I couldn't keep making a big dish of this every time I was testing the recipe. So I decided to make a much smaller version, only to realize that it's the PERFECT size.
Top this with a scoopful of fresh homemade whipped cream and you have got HEAVEN in every spoonful. As I mentioned above, it was so good that it even won over my non-apple-crumble-eating husband! His apprehensive "I'll just try a little bit" comment turned into an enthusiastic "Can I have half?" 😉
You can easily adjust the recipe up if you want to feed a crowd (using the slider in the recipe card below)! Bake it up in a big dish or make several of these small ones so everyone has their very own! It's so crazy good that no one may want to share!
~ Lisa.
Almond Apple Crumble
Ingredients
- 1 large apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 2 tbs water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Topping:
- 2 tbs (30g) butter, melted
- 4 tbs almond flour
- 2 ½ tbs brown rice flour
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
- Pinch cinnamon
- Pinch sea salt
- 2-3 tbs sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350 deg F (180C).
Topping:
- Combine almond flour, brown rice flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.
- Pour in melted butter and mix.
- Stir in sliced almonds.
Apples:
- Combine sliced apples, water, and lemon juice in a small pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Cook until apples are softened, but not completely cooked, and liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Transfer apples to baking dish.
- Top stewed apples with almond crumble.
- Place baking dish on a larger pan for easier handling and bake for 25 minutes.
- Let cool slightly. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream or ice cream!
Notes
- I used Gala apples which are sweeter than Granny Smith apples, but feel free to use whatever apples you like. You can even combine different varieties.
- I do not add sugar/sweetener to the apples while stewing them, but if you prefer a sweeter crumble, add according to your taste.
- You can substitute the brown rice flour with more almond flour for a flourless, low-carb version of this recipe.
Nutrition
You might also like:
- Creamy Cheesecake Squares
- Strawberry Cloud Crepe Cake
- Simple Unsweetened Applesauce
Leena
Just my kind of recipe...low in sugar and gluten free.Win, win! Wondering if I can experiment with other fruits(strawberries, peaches, etc)? Would you suggest pre-cooking these fruits too?
Hey Leena! I would definitely encourage you to experiment with other fruits, but if you use berries, I would either pre-cook them for much less time, or skip pre-cooking them altogether as the heat from the oven would be enough to soften them. Let me know how your experiments go!
Leena
Thanks for replying Lisa! Will try and let you know.
Lucia McKinney
I am having a slow energy day and was in need of a comfort sweet treat to make myself-baking is so cathartic. I LOVE this recipe as I have a really intense grain allergy this is a game changer thank you Lisa for creating this and sharing it I am so happy I found it right at the moment I needed it. Wishing you the best.
Hey Lucia! I am so happy that this recipe worked out for you, not only in meeting your allergy requirement but in you liking it! Thanks for your comment and I wish you the best as well!
Colleen
Finally a gluten free apple crumble that sounds delicious. I love that there's hardly any sugar, and also that it's a smaller portion. Great tip about pre-cooking the apples, too. Thanks for sharing, Lisa!
Thanks, Colleen! I'm overwhelmed by recipes where you have to add a lot of sugar to the apples AND the topping when it's really not necessary! I was so excited to have this recipe work out as well as it did.
Denise@urbnspice
I love any type of apple dessert and your gluten free almond apple crumble looks delish, Lisa! It is so cool that you converted your chocolate loving husband. I would go for a comfort food dessert like apple crumble any day! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thanks, Denise! Yes, I considered it quite an accomplishment when he asked to share half after he thought he would have "just a little bit" to be nice!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
Any kind of crumble is a favourite of mine! Almond apple is a terrific flavour combination. I love that you can make it low-carb too!
Thanks, Katherine! Yes, I'm quite pleased about people on low-carb diets being able to enjoy this crumble!
Kristen
I love a good apple dish this time of year, this looks delish!
Thanks, Kristen! Apples and fall definitely go together!