A Vegan Apple Crisp Dessert - A Crunchy and Sweet Oatmeal Topping
Full of juicy apples and topped off with loads of crispy, oatmeal topping this dessert will please all your guests - not just the vegans. This is an easy vegan Apple Crisp recipe that requires no dough for rolling out.

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What type of apples to use? I prefer using Granny Smith, Fuji, Honeycrisp or a combination of the three. Almanac has a good article you may want to browse to determine what type of apple you would like to use.
This is a simple vegan dessert recipe and requires no dough to make or roll out. The crisp is best served warm - just place a large serving spoon in the dessert and your guests can scoop out their own portions.
If your crowd is anything like mine, you have vegans and gluten-free people. This recipe may easily be made gluten-free. Just replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour.

Tips for Making the Apple Crisp Recipe
- Macerate the apples before baking the pie so you don't have a goopy mess. Macerating is simply tossing the fruit in sugar and allowing to rest for about an hour. This draws out some of the excess juices. Your apples will still be plenty juicy in the dessert.
- This recipe uses vegan butter. My preference is the Miyoko's brand as I find their products still perform like a traditional dairy butter.
📋 Recipe

Vegan Apple Crisp
Equipment
- 9" Pie Pan
- Bowls, measuring cups and spoons
- Colander or mesh sieve
Ingredients
Macerate Apples
- 3 lbs Apples, cored and peeled Granny Smith, Fuji or Honey Crisp
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
Filling
- ½ Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
Crisp Topping
- ½ Cup Vegan Butter, softened and cut into ½" pieces (Miyoko's is a great brand)
- 3 Ounces Walnuts, chopped (optional)
- ½ Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
Instructions
Macerate Apples
- Note - macerating apples means tossing them with sugar and letting them sit before baking. This draws out excess moisture from the apples which is then drained. This process helps control the moisture level and results in firmer pie slices.
- Peel, core and slice apples into ¼" slices.3 lbs Apples, cored and peeled
- Sprinkle granulated sugar over the apples and toss to coat.½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and set aside for one hour.
Apple Filling
- Preheat oven to 350℃ (180℃)
- Pour macerated apples into a colander or sieve and discard excess juices.
- Sprinkle cornstarch, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg over the apples and toss to coat evenly.½ Cup Light Brown Sugar, 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch, ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- Optional - add walnuts to the bowl and toss3 Ounces Walnuts, chopped
- Pour apple filling into pie tin.
Crisp Topping
- Place vegan butter, brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl.½ Cup Vegan Butter, softened and cut into ½" pieces, ½ Cup Light Brown Sugar, 1 Cup All Purpose Flour, 1 Cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal, ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- Using your hands or a pastry cutter, work the dry ingredients into the butter until coarse.
- Pour crisp topping over the apples. Lightly press with your hands.
Bake and Serve
- Bake for 35 minutes.
- Cool for at least ½ hour before serving.
Jean R says
Made this for my vegan buddies and they enjoyed it! Thanks for the butter substitute suggestion.