Easy Gluten Free Vegan Quinoa Apple Crumble
5 from 1 vote

gf apple crumble header

I actually created this easy apple crumble a couple of weeks ago and loved it, so I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to share! This is the kind of dessert I love making: simple ingredients, not too much prep work, no wrangling of pie crust or pastry dough. Even the baking process is relatively quick. Choose your favorite variety of seasonal, local apples, and sweeten them up with a little bit of sugar and a tasty, gluten free quinoa crumble crust.

I actually created this crumble to serve 2-3 people. For crumbles and bread puddings and such, I have a 23-oz CorningWare baking dish (about 3 cups) that works really for folks who live alone or with one other person. I love making desserts for crowd, but more often than not it’s just me or me and a neighbor/friend or two, so it doesn’t make sense to make 6-8 servings. That said, it’s very easy to double the recipe and use a larger (1 1/2 quart) baking dish instead, in which case it’ll easily serve 4-6.

For the crumble, you can use either quinoa flakes or rolled oats. I tried the recipe both ways, and enjoyed them both, though I thought the quinoa flakes had a wonderfully nutty flavor. That version is what’s pictured above!

gf apple crumble close up

5 from 1 vote

Easy Gluten Free Vegan Apple Crumble

Author - Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

  • 3 heaping cups apple cored, peeled, and chopped into
  • 1 tablespoon coconut sugar demerara sugar, or evaporated cane juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon arrowroot tapioca starch, or cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup quinoa flakes or gluten free rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup oat flour almond flour, GF all purpose flour, or whole wheat pastry flour
  • 3 tablespoons coconut sugar demerara sugar, or evaporated cane juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Pinch sea salt
  • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  • 2. Toss the apples, the 1 tablespoon sugar, the starch, the cinnamon, and the lemon juice together in a mixing bowl.
  • 3. Place the quinoa flakes or oats in a food processor fitted with the S blade, along with the flour, the 3 tablespoons of sugar, the cinnamon, and the sea salt. Pulse a few times (if you use oats, you want them to be a bit broken down). Drizzle in the coconut oil as you pulse a few times more, to form a crumbly topping. (If you need to add an extra tablespoon of coconut oil, feel free to do so.)
  • 4. Transfer the apples to a 23-oz baking dish, and sprinkle them with the topping. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and allow to bake 10 minutes more, or until top is crispy. Serve.
  • Makes 2-3 servings. Recipe can easily be doubled.

I shared some of this crisp with Valerie, who called it “eight kinds of delicious.” That’s all I needed to hear. I hope some of you might find a place for it on your holiday spreads, or that it might brighten your day at some point this winter.

gf apple crumble top

Tomorrow, a little weekend reading. But first, reader poll!

I’ve been looking for a chance to share informal reviews/product recommendations/recipes or items I’m loving on the blog — not full product reviews, but just informal mentions of stuff I’ve either been sent or have discovered on my own. Would you rather see me incorporate 5 of these into my weekly “weekend reading” roundup (so it’ll be 5 recipes, 5 reads, and 5 recommendations, or 5 finds, or something like that)? Or would you rather I keep weekend reading focused on words and food, and do a monthly round up for finds/likes, a la “10 things I’m loving this month?”

Would love to hear your preferences 🙂 Thanks, friends. See you soon.

xo

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Categories: Recipes, Fruit Desserts
Method: Oven
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free, Vegan
Recipe Features: Holidays

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    36 Comments
  1. This was AMAZING!!! My sister is coeliac and I was looking something to serve at a dinner party and I’m so glad I found this recipe. I added in rhubarb with half the amount of apples and it was sooo good – even the picky eaters of the group loved it! Thank you!! ☺️

  2. Made this delicious crumble last night! After my husband finished off his last spoonful he said with obvious approval… “THIS IS GREAT!!!” After hearing such enthusiastic praise, how could I refuse to serve him seconds! 🙂 Gena, please give yourself a pat on the back from us! We enjoy your recipes!!! <3

  3. I’m sure I’m too late for this to count, but I’d rather a separate post or incorporate nifty new stuff into other posts one at a time, but leave the weekend reading posts just the 10 items total.

  4. Hi Gena! Is this something that I can make the night before? Or best served warm right out of the oven?

    If I do not have coconut oil (I have IBS and coconut it acts as an irritant) can I use canola? I also have earth balance in pantry too.

    Thanks!
    Jen

    • Jen,

      You can totally make it the night before and reheat. And canola oil or earth balance are both fine!

      Enjoy 🙂

  5. Mmmm this sounds SO GOOD! I can’t wait to try it out =)
    I love apples… this sounds like a perfect fall food. I’m not sure I’ve ever had quinoa flakes, I’ll have to track some down.

  6. This crumble sounds just wonderful, and even wholesome enough for breakfast (I’m thinking morning after Thanksgiving here). As for the reviews, I say throw them in with the weekend reading posts.

  7. Thanks for sharing. Apple Crisp as I call it has always been my favorite dessert because I could never make a pie crust. I will definitely make this Apple Crumble before Thanksgiving and again for Thanksgiving and probably for Christmans. 🙂

  8. Gena –
    Thank you so much for this gluten-free and nut-free dessert!! I’m going to serve it as one of my thanksgiving desserts, with some coconut bliss “ice cream”! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
    Lisa

  9. This looks so delicious! This was a good reminder that I’ve been meaning to give quinoa flakes a try. Thanks for sharing!

  10. I love the look of this recipe! Great picture, AND great ingredients. Quick, easy, and gluten-free so my husband can enjoy it too 🙂

    Thanks for sharing!

  11. oo, please keep them separate, Gena!! I don’t always have time for Weekend Reading, but i would ALWAYS make time for a monthly “Ten Things” from you! I trust your recommendation instincts, Gena and I would LOVE to know what you are into lately!

  12. Wow, that looks delicious. I say you do whatever is easier for you. Adding it to the weekly reading might not be a bad idea…

  13. That looks delicious; I might have to try it. I think because of all my food sensitivities, I’ve definitely OD’d on quinoa – I eat it as flakes with hemp protein and chia, but only for texture. Me and the taste of quinoa are in a fight. Oats, on the other hand? I will probably be rewarded with a huge vat of oats if I get to heaven. Om nom nom.

  14. It’s been too long since I’ve made a crumble! Going to pick up extra apples at the farmers’ market tomorrow for this 🙂
    I don’t really mind r.e. the things you’re loving.

  15. I LOVE making quinoa crumbles. It’s such a healthy alternative to typical crumble toppings. Apple and pear are my two favorites. I also love adding coconut oil instead of a vegan butter substitute. I find that the coconut oil lends a great flavor that you don’t normally get. Yum! I’m ready to start baking now 🙂

    And I like the idea of doing a monthly post about the things you’re loving!

  16. I vote for a separate posts! The more posts, the merrier. That also creates a sort of conceptual distinction between the two categories, which makes intuitive sense to me (but I might be in the minority.)

  17. Just a quick question about the recipe – you have two different measurements of sugar listed twice (1 tbsp and 3 tbsp). Which one is it? 🙂
    I would also love to see a “10 things I’m loving lately” post – whether that be a new snack (store-bought or homemade), kitchen gadget, or even something unrelated to food would be cool!

    • Sarah,

      Gena has two different places for the sugar, so that is why it is listed twice. If you read the step-by-step details, you will see. 🙂

    • Sarah, the first tablespoon is for the filling, the next 3 are for the topping 🙂 Hope this is helpful.

  18. I think in the weekly reading round up would be awesome! Love this crumble recipe, I cook for preschool children and am always looking for new ideas that aren’t terribly high in sugar.

  19. Monthly round up! I love the weekend reading list and it’s chock-a-locked as is 😉

  20. I think a monthly roundup of your favorite things would be great. The weekend reading is awesome how it is–I like the reads & food focus. I’d do a favorite things myself, but I don’t think I try enough new products/things out to make it interesting, so not really in the cards for me right now.

    Lovely crumble!

  21. would rice flour work as well? instead of almond/wheat flour? that sounds so delicious!

    and I wouldn’t mind if you would add your recommendations to the weekly reading 🙂

  22. My vote is for a separate post for things you’re loving. You fit so much great info into the weekend reading that I agree with Heather that it might get a little lost.
    I’m loving these easy vegan holiday recipes. I’ve got a few more family members that have gone vegan this year and on this, their first fully vegan holiday season, I want to have winning recipes to share!

  23. i think it would be cool to have the products in your weekly reading…but either way would be great – can’t wait to read more about your recommendations!

  24. I enjoy Angela’s “things I’m loving lately” posts on Oh She Glows so I think it could work here. I would be interested in reading your reviews and think they may get lost or overlooked in the Weekend Reading posts.