Best Healthy Apple Crumble Recipe (Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-free)

This healthy apple crumble recipe is filled with sweet apples, cherries and topped with a crunchy crumble topping.

It's naturally sweetened and deliciously flavored with a hint of warm spices and herbs.

This absolute must-make apple dessert is also gluten-free, dairy-free, Paleo, and vegan-friendly!

You know me by now. Most of my baked goods are easy to make, and this recipe is no exception.

Before starting on this healthier apple crumble, you must gather a few simple ingredients, but everything comes together quickly. 

It's the perfect way to make good use of sweet fall apples, like this instant pot apple butter recipe. 

It's also one of those healthy dessert recipes that's not too sweet or heavy, uses healthy fats, and has enough flavors to make it warm, utterly comforting, and amazingly delicious. 

And like my rhubarb muffins or yogurt almond flour coffee cake, this bake is healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast. That's when most of the leftover apple crumble disappears.

This recipe might even convert the feverishly loyal classic apple crumble lovers.

Let's make it!

Jump to:

• Recipe Highlights
• Ingredients For The Apple Filling
• Ingredients For The Crumble Topping
• How To Make This Easy Dessert
• Serving Suggestions
• Recipe FAQs
• More Healthy Apple Recipes To Try
• 📖 Recipe

Recipe Highlights

• This is much healthier than your classic apple crumble recipe but still has all the warm fall flavors of a sweet apple dessert.
• It's gluten-free and dairy-free, Paleo and vegan-friendly.
• I'm using dates (extra fiber) and coconut sugar to add that perfect amount of sweetness. But you can even opt to go sugar-free.
• Frozen cherries are a lovely match, complementing sweet, juicy apples.
• Warm spices like cinnamon and ginger and herbs like Rosemary make this healthy apple crumble recipe super special and the perfect fall dessert.

Ingredients For The Apple Filling

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Here are a few notes you might want to glance over before making this healthy apple crumble recipe.

Apples: I prefer a combination of apples that are crunchy and sweet, like Fuji, Honeycrisp apples, Gala, or Golden Delicious. They are juicy and naturally sweet. 

Peel them—yeah, it's a bit more work, but you'll get no tough surprises. Any leftovers can be used to make this apple-carrot salad.

Note: For this healthy apple crumble, avoid tart apples or granny smith apples.

Cashew milk: Hazelnut or almond milk are other great options. I imagine that any other plant milk will do, but I usually go for creamy nut milk.

Vanilla extract: You could swap this for maple extract.

Dates: It naturally adds sweetness, like in my healthy brownies. I usually go for large, pitted, soft Medjool dates.

Cherries: Use frozen pitted cherries. If in season, you could go for fresh ones.

Ingredients For The Crumble Topping

​See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Nuts: Usually, I go for a mix between pecans and walnuts. They're deliciously crunchy, and you'll get a nice mix of sweet, buttery, and earthy.

Coconut flakes: I love how they add a subtle and natural sweetness to the healthy crumble mix and become very crispy once baked. Any leftovers can be used to make kale and coconut chips. So good!

Coconut oil: If still solid, briefly melt the coconut oil in a small pan over the lowest heat setting.

Coconut sugar: It has a lovely caramel taste. I'm just adding enough to enhance the fruits' natural sweetness. Replace it with monk fruit sweetener to make it sugar-free.

Flours: I'm using a blanched almond flour and cassava flour combo—it's a no-oat crumble.

Note: The almond flavor will also naturally add sweetness. Make sure to use a super fine version. Cassava flour is starchy and added as a natural binding agent.

Spices and herbs: A small amount of cinnamon powder, freshly minced or grated ginger, and dried rosemary needles pair so well with the sweet flavors of apples and cherries. They add warmth to the fall flavors of this healthy apple dessert.

How To Make This Easy Dessert

See the full recipe with measurements in the recipe card.

Let's make this healthy apple crumble!

Step One (Picture 1 above) - Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples.

Step Two (Picture 2 above) - Arrange apple slices and pitted cherries in the baking dish. You do not need to defrost the cherries. Just briefly rinse them under running water.

Step Three (Picture 3 above) - Blend the dates, vanilla extract, and milk until you get a light brown paste.

Step Four (Picture 4 above) - Stir the date paste into the apples and cherries until everything is slightly coated. Set aside.

Step Five (Picture 5 above) - Place the chopped nuts, coconut flakes, cinnamon powder, rosemary, almond flour, cassava flour, and coconut sugar in a separate bowl.

Step Six (Picture 6 above) - Stir until well combined.

Step Seven (Picture 7 above) -Pour in the melted coconut oil and add the grated ginger. Stir until everything is barely coated.

Step Eight (Picture 8 above) - Divide an even layer of the topping over the apple mixture in the baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown, the apples are soft, and the fruit liquids are bubbling.

The fruit-to-crisp topping ratio is beautifully balanced, and everything comes out crunchy, with deliciously sweetened apples, cherries, and warm-flavored juices.

Serving Suggestions

• This easy, healthy apple crumble recipe is quite irresistible, but if you want to make it a real treat, serve it with a scoop of your favorite ice cream on top—highly recommended.
• I have somewhat of a weakness for a butter pecan flavor, or go for the dairy-free vanilla bean ice cream or your favorite scoop of vanilla ice cream. A little bit goes a long way.
• It's one of those crumble recipes that's healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast. In that case, top it with some (dairy-free) yogurt.
• A few spoons of warmed-up Rhubarb Compote on the side is always a winner.

Recipe FAQs

More Healthy Apple Recipes To Try

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If you have a sweet tooth but want to keep it healthy, then this healthy apple crumble is for you.

It's one of our favorite desserts, where leftovers often disappear for breakfast the next day. Enjoy!

📖 Recipe