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This Gluten Free Apple Crumble is the perfect autumnal dessert, using seasonal apples and a 3-ingredient crumble topping. The tart apples are mixed with cinnamon and brown sugar, loaded with an easy gluten free crumble topping – with or without oats.
Nothing Beats A Classic Gluten Free Crumble Recipe
- Why choose this recipe? This apple crumble is the perfect crowd pleaser and no-one would know it’s gluten free. You may have noticed gluten free flour always produces a more crumbly bake. Which is why it makes the absolute BEST gluten free apple crumble topping!
- Works With Any Apple! I prefer using Bramley apples (cooking apples) for a tart flavour, but any apple will work for this crumble. It’s the perfect budget dessert recipe for windfall apples, which many households give away for free in autumn.
- Effortless Recipe: There’s no need to add the extra steps of pre-cooking the filling, as the apples will go deliciously soft when baking the crumble. Making it the perfect, easy throw-together dessert for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
- Crumble Fan? Once you’ve tried this recipe, check out my gluten free pear crumble, apple and strawberry crumble or my pear and chocolate crumble.
Table of Contents
- Nothing Beats A Classic Gluten Free Crumble Recipe
- Don’t just take my word for it…
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- How to Make Gluten Free Apple Crumble
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Gluten Free Apple Crumble Recipe Recipe
- Storing and Freezing Instructions
- Crumble Topping Variations
- More Gluten Free Crumble Recipes
- You Might Also Like…
Don’t just take my word for it…
Sharon left ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and said: “I’ve just made an apple and damson gluten free crumble. It was divine. Always have my crumble with vanilla ice cream. Yum xx“
Marilyn also left a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and said: “Absolutely delicious crumble Sarah, easy recipe and your right about using the dark brown sugar. “
Ingredients and Substitutions
There’s a printable recipe card below for these gluten free apple crumble recipe, with the full quantities. But here are the main ingredients and ideas for any swaps:
- Cooking Apples: I’d always recommend using cooking apples (Bramley apples) for the best crumble possible. If you can’t find these, Granny Smith apples work well.
- Dark Brown Sugar: For the filling, to add a lovely toffee-like flavour.
- Cinnamon
- Gluten Free Self-Raising Flour: If you only have plain gluten free flour simply add 1.5 tsp gluten free baking powder and mix well to make your own self rising flour.
- Unsalted Butter: For dairy free / vegan, swap for a hard vegan butter substitute.
- Caster Sugar: In the US you’ll need superfine or baker’s sugar.
- Oats: If you’re making a gluten free crumble topping with oats, always ensure you use certified gluten free oats. You can omit the oats if you don’t want to use them at all.
How to Make Gluten Free Apple Crumble
There’s a printable recipe card below with the method. But here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this gluten free apple crumble recipe is to make.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQs about this easy apple crumble recipe. If you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!
You can easily make this recipe dairy free and vegan. Simply swap the butter for a hard, vegan margarine. Then you’ll have a gluten and dairy free apple crumble. And as there are no eggs in the recipe, it’ll be a gluten free vegan apple crumble recipe.
In the UK and Australia we tend to make crumble, but in the US, apple crisp is far more popular. The two desserts are fairly interchangeable – an apple crisp tends to include oats, while the crumble doesn’t. I’ve also noticed most crumble topping recipes use cold butter, while a lot of apple crisp toppings use melted butter.
Of course – the oats are a completely optional addition to this apple crumble recipe. To make it without you can just omit them from the recipe and it will still be absolutely delicious! If you want a change of texture, you could always add some finely chopped nuts or gluten free granola too.
Have you tried this recipe?
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Gluten Free Apple Crumble Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 2-3 large cooking apples, (approx 750g, Bramley or Granny Smith)
- 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
For the crumble:
- 150 g gluten free self-raising flour
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 75 g caster sugar
- 50 g gluten free oats, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180'C / Fan 160C / Gas Mark 4.
- Peel and core the apples then cut into 1-2cm chunks. You want enough to cover the base of a 20cm pie dish in a thick layer with no gaps, so you may need 2 or 3 apples depending on their size.
- Place the apple chunks in the pie dish and then add the sugar and cinnamon and stir (you can do this in a bowl then pour into the dish if easier – it's a bit less messy!). Set aside.
- Make the crumble by adding the butter, sugar and flour into a large mixing bowl. Use your fingers to rub the mix together until it forms a breadcrumb consistency.
- If using oats, add to the crumble topping and stir them through to distribute evenly. Pour the crumble over the fruit, making sure the fruit is all covered.
- Place in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until the crumble is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling underneath. You want the fruit to be soft but with a little bite. Remove from the oven and serve hot with custard or ice-cream.
Video
Notes
- No Self-Raising Flour? If you only have plain (or all purpose) gluten free flour, simply add 1.5 tsp of gluten free baking powder to the flour and mix well before adding to the crumble.
- Variations: I have lots of ideas for variations below this recipe card, from adding oats and granola, to chopped nuts or even different spices. To make this recipe dairy free/vegan, swap the butter for a vegan alternative.
- Storing and Freezing: Any leftover apple crumble can be kept in the fridge or frozen. Reheating is best done in the oven, as it can go a bit soft in the microwave. Leftovers in the fridge will keep for 2-3 days.
- Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for step-by-step photos to guide you through how this gluten free crumble recipe should look at each stage.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating an and a little review to say how much you love this Gluten Free Apple Crumble! It really helps support my website – and I’d love to know how you serve yours! xx
Nutrition
Storing and Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Got leftovers? You can keep any gluten free apple crumble leftovers in the fridge for a couple of days, and enjoy them cold or reheated.
TO FREEZE: Freeze the cooked apple crumble in portions – then you can simply defrost and reheat in the oven before eating. Or freeze the uncooked apple crumble in foil trays to bake from frozen.
Crumble Topping Variations
For some variations on this gluten free apple crumble recipe you can try:
- Crumble with Oats: I have added gluten free oats as an option for this crumble topping. They add a lovely texture – as does adding a handful of gluten free granola.
- Nutty Topping: Adding some chopped nuts can add a nice texture to your gluten free crumble. Try some chopped hazelnuts, walnuts or pecans, or some flaked almonds.
- Spiced Crumble: Add some ground cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg or some even a dash of ground ginger to your crumble topping for a subtle, warm spice.
More Gluten Free Crumble Recipes
If you like this gluten free apple crumble recipe, then make sure you check out these other gluten free desserts too…
- For a variation on this apple crumble try my gluten free pear crumble next! The filling is lightly spiced and the brown sugar gives it a lovely caramelised taste.
- My Rhubarb and Pear Crumble is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy, making use of seasonal rhubarb during the summer months.
- If you love this apple crumble but want a berry twist, try my Apple and Strawberry Crumble – it’s got an amazing pecan topping too.
- This Pear and Chocolate Crumble is a bit special, with melting dark chocolate in the pear filling and crunchy walnuts in the topping.
- I added some amaretto to my Plum Crumble recipe for something a bit different – sweet plums with the fragrant taste of marzipan make this extra special.
- And if course don’t forget if you’ve been out foraging for blackberries to try my gluten free blackberry and apple crumble – it’s the perfect autumn dessert!
You Might Also Like…
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Hi, I’ve just made an apple and damson gluten free crumble. It was divine. Always have my crumble with vanilla ice cream. Yum xx
Absolutely delicious crumble Sarah, easy recipe and your right about using the dark brown sugar. Apple pie next and if my pastry is successful those turnovers will be next they look so tempting x