Vegan Apple Cranberry Crisp with an oat crumble topping. This healthy cranberry apple crisp recipe is made with apples, fresh cranberries, rolled oats, oat flour and warming spices like cinnamon and ginger. It’s an easy gluten-free, vegan recipe perfect for the holidays or a seasonal winter dessert!

Fruit crisps may be one of the easiest last minute dessert that always taste delicious. I mean, you really can’t go wrong with warm fruit topped with sweet, “buttery” oatmeal clusters. This fruit crisp is a healthier seasonal spin on a traditional apple crisp with the addition of tart red cranberries. It’s incredibly easy to prepare and perfect for a crowd. Plus, it’s gluten-free, nut-free and vegan, making it suitable for most dietary preference.

This crisp begins with a mix of thinly sliced apples and fresh or frozen cranberries that get coasted in a mixture of  maple syrup, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla and sea salt. A touch of organic oat flour helps thicken the filling. Now for the best part! The oatmeal topping is made gluten-fee and dairy-free by using oat flour, rolled oats, and vegan butter. This gets mixed with brown sugar or coconut sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon and salt. Once baked the crumble turns into a cookie-like clusters, making this apple cranberry crisp truly incredible.

This apple cranberry crisp has much less sugar that your traditional apple crisp, making it a healthier and lighter dessert option. But I will say, it also makes a delicious breakfast or snack! Pair it with a drizzle of almond butter or a scoop of yogurt for sweet, yet balanced meal.

Ingredients in this Healthy apple cranberry crisp

These healthy apple cranberry crisp is perfectly sweet, gluten free and easily dairy free & vegan for a treat everyone will love. Here’s everything you need to make it:

• Apples — when cooked long enough, the apples turn into a sweet, gooey pie-like filling. Because of the natural sugars, we’re able to reduce the sugar in the recipe while still keeping a sweet flavor. It’s best choose apples that holds their shape, yet still soften when cooked. I prefer Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, and Braeburn apples.
• Cranberries — fresh or frozen cranberries add tartness that offsets the sweetness of the apples and maple syrup. They also add a festive bust of color. If you can’t find cranberries, another berry will work or simply replace the with two more cups of thinly sliced apples.
• Maple syrup — this natural sweetener balances out the tartness of the cranberries and adds a lovely flavor to the filling.
• Lemon juice — a touch of lemon juice for a brightness and a little extra moisture.
• Cinnamon + Ginger — these warming spices lend beautifully to the apples and cranberries.
• Oat flour — using oat flour to thicken the filling and in the oatmeal topping, streamlines the recipe while also keeping it gluten-free. Most gluten-free flour blends 1:1 in this recipe if you’re don’t have oat flour. Not gluten-free? All-purpose flour, whole wheat flour or spelt flour will work as good substitutes.
• Rolled oats — this style of oats works best in this recipe to create oatmeal cookie-like clusters. I don’t recommend steel cut oats and quick oats a will make for a much different texture.
• Coconut sugar or brown sugar — both add a slightly caramel-molasses flavor! Just note, brown sugar will give you a slightly better “crumble” but either will work wonderfully.
• Vegan butter or coconut oil — there are so many great plant-based butters on the market now made without carrageenan, soy, canola or palm oil. This will give you a “buttery” taste while staying dairy-free and vegan. You can substitute an equal amount of dairy butter or coconut oil if you prefer.

Tips for making this apple crisp

• Slice the apples thin — the thinner the better, in my opinion. We’re talking 1/8 of an inch or thinner! This allows to the apples to completely soften while cooking. It also allows the apples to release their juices to create a soft gooey, pie-like texture.
• Pack together the crumble — use your hands to really pack together the crumble topping before sprinkling it over the fruit. This ensure you get thick clusters of oatmeal crumble after the crisp bakes.
• Bake until soft and bubbling — patience is key here! Then crisp is done when the cranberries have popped and you can see the fruit filling bubbling through the top of the crumble layer. The bake time will vary depending on how thick you slice your apples and the depth of your baking dish. The deeper the dish, the longer the crisp needs in the over. If you’re short on time, bake the crisp in a large dish so filling  is spread out more.
• Let sit before serving — the hardest part! While you can get away with serving immediately, waiting at least 10 minutes, allows the liquid from the fruit filling to set a bit. If  you’re serving in bowls or don’t care if the filling is a little runny then by all means, serving immediately.

Nourished by Nutrition Facts:

CranberrIes

These ruby red gems make their appearance during the fall and winter months. However, you may be able to find frozen cranberries year round. Since fresh cranberries taste quite tart, it’s best to cook them a sweetener like maple syrup or juice like fresh squeezed orange juice. This can help balance out the tartness.

Cranberries are a rich source of several vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin C. Since vitamin C helps support a healthy immune system, try adding cranberries into your diet especially during the winter months when you may need that extra immune support. In addition to the vitamins and minerals, cranberries are also packed with proanthocyanidins (PACs), a type of antioxidant. Studies show it’s this specific active ingredient that supports urinary tract health.

More Fruit Dessert Recipes:

• • Almond Butter Apple Crisp
  • Healthy Sautéed Caramel Apple Slices
  • Apple Crumble Bars
  • Mixed Berry Crumble Bars
  • Grain-Free Lemon Bars

If you make this healthy apple cranberry crisp be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe below. I’d love to hear from you, and it encourages others to make the recipe too.

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