Over spring break during my freshman year of college, my dad and I flew to Arizona to visit my aunt and spend a few days attending Major League Baseball’s Spring Training games. We stayed at her house in the Phoenix suburbs, a small one-story home with every room painted a different color (including her lavender bedroom and crimson office!) located less than an hour away from all of the stadiums.
My aunt loved company, and we quickly fell into a routine during our vacation. Each morning, we scheduled in time for exercise, which resulted in a hike up and over one of the local mountains on our first full day and a trip to her favorite gym on another. In the afternoons, Dad and I drove to watch baseball games while my aunt played with her dogs and took care of chores around the house.
Because my aunt knew about my healthy eating habits, she also spent a large portion of those afternoons cooking nutritious dinners for us to enjoy after returning from the stadiums. She prepared stuffed bell peppers one evening, full of brown rice and extra lean ground beef, and oven-baked buttermilk “fried” chicken another night, irresistibly seasoned and coated with crunchy cornflakes.
For dessert (because I definitely inherited my sweet tooth from both sides of my family!), she baked whole wheat chocolate chip cookies and an apple crumble. We saved the slightly more portable cookies as treats to take with us to the baseball games and on the airplane flight back home, but that crumble…
I ate two servings almost every night and snuck a forkful nearly every time I walked through the kitchen! With its cozy spices, perfectly tender fruit, and sweet streusel topping, it immediately became my kryptonite, and I basically hoarded the entire pan. Thank goodness she baked so many cookies — Dad didn’t seem to notice!
My aunt passed away a little over a year later after battling breast cancer for the fourth time, so every time I see or eat a slice of apple crisp, I think of her.
So eventually, after lots of testing, I finally perfected this recipe for The Ultimate Healthy Apple Crumble in honor of her. It’s simple to make and requires just a handful of common, everyday ingredients.
With its warm cinnamon flavors and irresistible oat streusel, I even think she would agree it tastes better than the original one she baked many years ago. At least… That’s what both of my parents told me after eating two servings each!
APPLE CRISP OR APPLE CRUMBLE?
Because people often tend to ask… “Apple crisp” and “apple crumble” are two different names for the same dessert! They consist of really tender, deliciously sweet apples covered with an oat streusel (or “crumble!”) topping. Not to be confused with an apple cobbler… Which has a biscuit-like topping instead.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY APPLE CRISP
So now with that out of the way… What exactly makes this healthy apple crumble absolutely irresistible?
The apples, for starters! Because the filling contains no added sugar, I always choose the sweeter varieties of firm red apples, and Fuji apples are my absolute favorite. Gala and Braeburn apples would work as well. If you prefer a tarter flavor, then you can substitute up to two cups of diced Granny Smiths for the equivalent amount of red apple, but I’d recommend against more than that since you aren’t adding any sweetener to the filling.
To help the fruit soften faster, you’ll chop the apples fairly finely, about the size of blueberries. I know it takes a little extra time and effort, but I promise it’s worth it! You’ll also mix them with some cinnamon, nutmeg, and cornstarch. The nutmeg adds a subtle yet irresistible depth to the spice flavors in this healthy apple crumble, and the cornstarch thickens the juices that the apples release while baking.
Tip: I highly recommend Saigon cinnamon! It tastes a bit stronger, sweeter, and richer compared to regular cinnamon. It’s basically the only kind I now use in my baking, and I usually buy it online here!
Is the oat streusel your favorite part too?? That sweet, crunchy, cinnamon-spiced topping… It gets me every time! I always save the slice with the most streusel for myself… And I often pick a few pieces off of the surrounding slices too. No healthy apple crisp is safe with my fork around!
This streusel is incredibly easy to make! You’ll combine old-fashioned rolled oats, whole wheat flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Then it’s time for my secret trick! Instead of traditional recipe instructions that often direct you to cut cold butter into the mixture… You’ll mix in melted butter! It’s so much simpler and takes less than ¼ of the time. Easy peasy!
Tip: If you prefer, I’ve included how to make this healthy apple crisp gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan in the Notes section of the recipe!
To sweeten the streusel for this healthy apple crumble, you’ll also mix in a touch of pure maple syrup. Make sure you use the real kind! Skip the pancake syrups and sugar-free syrups; those generally behave differently in baking recipes. The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup,” and it often comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this!).
Then after a trip to the oven…
Your entire kitchen will smell like fall! Cozy, comforting, cinnamon-spiced… And oh so delicious! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your ultimate healthy apple crisp!
The Ultimate Healthy Apple Crumble
Ingredients
FOR THE STREUSEL
- ¾ cup (75g) old-fashioned rolled oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ¼ cup (30g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this – and see Notes!)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp (30mL) pure maple syrup (room temperature)
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) unsalted butter, melted
FOR THE FILLING
- 6 cups (767g) diced red apple (see Notes!)
- 2 tbsp (16g) cornstarch
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat an 8”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the streusel topping, whisk together the oats, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour in the maple syrup and melted butter. Stir until fully incorporated.
- To prepare the filling, toss the apples with the cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl until completely coated.
- Transfer the filling to the prepared pan, and gently press down with a spatula. Sprinkle evenly with the topping. (The topping tends to clump a lot, so break it up into really small pieces, about the size of miniature chocolate chips, to ensure it covers the apples.) Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until the apples are fork tender. Cool completely to room temperature; then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving to allow the juices to fully thicken.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Apple Pie
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Crumble
♡ Healthy Blueberry Apple Crumble
♡ Healthy Cranberry Apple Crumble
♡ Healthy Slow Cooker Gingerbread Apple Crumble
♡ Healthy Slow Cooker Apple Pie Filling
♡ Healthy Apple Pie Snickerdoodles
♡ Healthy Apple Pie Scones
♡ Healthy Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
♡ Healthy Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies
Loved it, served it with cream and peanut butter ice cream.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this apple crumble, Santie! Thank you for taking the time to let me know and rate the recipe too. It truly means a lot!
Hi
I have 2 small trees of very tart cooking apples and would like to try this recipe. So I am going to need something to sweeten it up. If you have the time can you make some suggestions please?
Thank you
Lyn
We really appreciate your interest in this recipe, Lyn! We would suggest adding a tablespoon or two of maple syrup or coconut sugar to the filling. Otherwise, everything should remain the same! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this crumble!
I’m not sure why the cornstarch needed to be added when there was no liquid added to the filling. I found this to be quite dry and would either eliminate the cornstarch next time or add a bit of water.
It means a lot that you tried our recipe, Elin! That sounds disappointing and not like how this apple crumble is supposed to turn out, so we’d love to work with you to figure out what happened. In order to do so, I have some questions for you!
Did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section?
What variety of apples did you use? How fresh/juicy were they?
Approximately what size were your diced apples? (For example, ¼” chunks, ½” chunks, ¾” chunks, etc!)
Did you happen to scoop the cornstarch from its container with a measuring spoon, by any chance?
How long did you bake your crumble?
Could you see juice bubbling around the edges of the pan at any point during the baking process? (I’m assuming not, based on your description, but I wanted to be thorough and double check! 😉 )
When you served the crumble, were the apples tender, or were they still crisp and somewhat firm?
How was the flavor? Was that okay, and it was just the texture that seemed off?
I know I just asked a lot of questions, but we’ll have a much better idea of what happened once we know your answers to all of them! 🙂
Would this recipe still work if the oats were substituted for more oat flour?
We really appreciate your interest in our recipe, Kezia! We haven’t tried doing that, so we’re not personally sure and don’t want to lead you astray. If you decide to try experimenting on your own and end up substituting oat flour for the oats, we’d absolutely love to hear how it turns out! 🙂
Just made this yesterday. And having it for breakfast today. I used ripened green apples, halved all the ingredients but followed everything to a T. Baked for 60 min. Although I could not cut it nicely into squares (like in your pics), I think it tastes heavenly!!!
I’m so happy you like this apple crumble, Zanariah! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. It means a lot — and “heavenly” is the best praise there is! 🙂 I appreciate you sharing your modifications as well. I always love hearing what tweaks work out!
I’m happy to share how I make those the square slices too! I use a sharp knife to make the cuts. Immediately after, I trace the knife back through the cuts and gently wiggle it back and forth the whole way (just a hair — less than 2mm!) to try to get the apples to fall on one side of the cut or the other. My goal is to try to avoid too many “stragglers” that would make the edges look more jagged. 😉 Then to lift the slice out, I’ll either use a wide rectangular spatula (like you’d use to flip pancakes!) or two forks side-by-side that span the entire bottom width of the slice.
I hope that makes sense! 🙂
Looks great … I dont eat corn…would arrowroot substitute work and if so, how much? Thanks!
I really appreciate your interest in our recipe Gisele! We don’t have any experience with arrowroot starch in crumble recipes, so I’m not personally sure and don’t want to lead you astray. I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try this apple crumble! 🙂
Would you substitute flour then? I read that you need to double flour per each tablespoon of cornstarch. Any ideas?
We haven’t tried using flour in place of the cornstarch in this recipe, but you’re welcome to try! That 2:1 ratio of flour to cornstarch is usually a good starting point. We’ve had another reader substitute 4 tablespoons of tapioca starch in place of the cornstarch with decent success, so perhaps that would be another alternative to consider, if tapioca is something you’re able to have!
We’re excited to hear how your crumble turns out if you do end up making it!
I used a scale to weigh the apples and used exact measurements. I increased the topping by 50%.
This turned out pretty bland. It needs more butter and salt. I used sweet apples and it was sweet enough. More butter and salt would have detracted from the health factor, but without these additions, the pleasure was also diminished. I would make a regular apple crisp next time.
Thank you for the recipe though. It tasted okay but I guess I wanted more of a dessert, and this tasted like breakfast apple oatmeal with a small amount of sugar.
It means a lot that you tried our recipe, Catherine! That sounds disappointing and not like how this crumble is supposed to taste, so we’d love to work with you to figure out why that was. In order to do so, we have some questions for you! 🙂
Was the texture of both the filling and topping okay, and it was just the flavor that was off?
Would you mind elaborating a bit more about what you mean by bland? (We understand you think more butter and salt would make it better, and it’d also be helpful to know more about the specific flavors you felt were lacking!)
Was the topping sweet enough?
Were you satisfied with the amount of spices and the spice flavor?
What about the amount of apple flavor? (It sounds like the answer is yes, but we just wanted to double check! 😉 )
Did you make any modifications or substitutions to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section? (Other than increasing the topping by 50%!)
Did you use a scale for everything else too — the flour, oats, butter, and pure maple syrup?
Did you happen to use sugar-free maple syrup, by any chance?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but we’ll have a much better idea of how to fix that issue once we know your answers to all of them!
If you’re expecting this to taste as good as regular crisp you’ll be disappointed. THIS IS A HEALTHIER alternative. I very much enjoyed this recipe, and will make again in the future! I’ve been trying to eat healthier so this was a nice treat.
My choice of apples was honey crisp.
I did substitute butter with plant based butter as I’m watching my cholesterol.
The only things I would do differently next time is I think add to a bigger casserole dish so the crisp will be thinner. I also will double up on the streusel.. Maybe even add crushed pecans for a protein 😊
But yeah again I enjoyed this. I’ll use this recipe to eat as meals once in awhile
I’m glad you liked this apple crisp, Mindy! That’s the best kind of compliment there is, if you already think you’ll make it again. Thank you for taking the time to let me know and rate the recipe too — it truly means a lot! ♡
I always enjoy hearing what recipe tweaks work out, so I’d love to know how your bigger casserole dish experiment goes, if that’s not too much trouble! Crushed pecans sound fun too. My family absolutely loves pecans, so I have a feeling they’d go nuts over that streusel addition! (No pun intended! 😉 )
How could I incorporate vanilla protein powder into this? Am I crazy lol? TIA
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Kaitlin! Many brands and types protein powders behave differently in baking recipes, so I can’t predict the results of incorporating them into my recipes that don’t explicitly call for protein powder. However, I have a Protein Powder FAQ page that might be helpful! I also have a selection of recipes that already use protein powder here. Perhaps those would be of interest?
If you do end up making this apple crumble, whether as written or experimenting with incorporating protein powder, I’d love to hear how it turns out and what you think of it! 🙂
I replaced half of the flour with diesel vanilla ice cream protein powder and it was 🤌
That’s fantastic!! I’m so excited it worked out! Thank you for taking the time to report back and share your experience. It means a lot, Kaitlin! ♡
Hi,
Just stopping by to say thank you for this recipe! I discovered it when my son was a toddler a few years ago and it has been my to go recipe for anything sweet that has crumble or for granola. I haven’t bought granola from shops in 2 years since making it the first time.
Sometimes for the granola I am replacing the flour with buckwheat flour and adding nuts and cacao nibs and raisins to keep the gluten low
Thank you for creating this!
Oh my goodness — I’m incredibly honored, Nico!! It means so much that you and your loved ones have been enjoying this recipe for the past few years. That’s such a huge compliment that it’s become your go to recipe and that you haven’t bought granola from shops since then. Wow! Thank you for taking the time to rate this recipe and let me know. You’re so sweet to do that!! ♡ I really appreciate you sharing your modifications too. I always love hearing what recipe tweaks work out, and yours sound so fun!
Hi, my husband took our son apple picking so yep we got lots of apples and I need to use them. I am going to try this recipe and I am going to substitute vanilla protein powder for the flour and the cornstarch. I’ll let you know if it turns out. We are trying to get more protein in so this is how we are doing it because we don’t eat a lot of meat.
We’re honored that you’re planning to try our recipe, Shiela! Making a warm dessert like this crumble is one of my favorite ways to use up a lot of apples!
We’ll be anxious to hear how it turns out! In our experience, protein powder can behave in a wide variety of ways in baking, and sometimes that is dependent on the brand, too. Amy put together a great resource with protein powder tips and FAQ if you’re interested in using it more in your baking!
We also have a lot of high protein recipes and recipes that were formulated specifically for using protein powder as an ingredient here.
I can’t wait to hear about your crumble and we’d love to hear if you decide to try any of our other recipes too! 😉
Thanks, I will check out your other high protein recipes. The crumble turned out amazing! We use premier protein powder in our baking. My husband started using my premade protein drinks to make pancakes a few years ago. Although the kid loved them, premade are quite expensive…so I bought the powder and it has been great in everything so far.
That’s amazing, Shiela! I’m so happy to hear that it worked out in this recipe and you all enjoyed it! We actually use the same brand of protein in our house and I love the idea of adding it to pancakes! Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know, it really means a lot! 🙂