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
I bravely made this recipe for a luncheon that I was invited to with a couple of health conscious friends. I’m currently on Weight Watchers, so I was looking for something that would be healthful, very low in sugar and a reasonable # of Smart Points. This was it.
I followed the recipe, measuring carefully, using very ripe organic Ginger Gold apples from our “Apple Hill” apple growing region. I baked it for 52 minutes. The apples seemed soft and the streusel was getting quite dark, so I hoped it was done.
As a precaution, thinking it might not be sweet enough for “company”, I also brought some Dryer’s slow churned vanilla ice cream (only 100 cal per 1/2 cup). Well it was a hit! We ate it at room temperature, with a bit of ice cream and it was delicious. It was sweet enough that I could see having it as a WW breakfast (minus the ice cream). I created the recipe in my WW app and it calculated as 3 SPs (or 7 SPs with 1/2 C of the light ice cream).
It looked just like your photo and I felt the streusel was exactly the right amount to cover the apples in an 8” X 8” square baking pan. I will make it again and try some of your other healthful recipes. Thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this apple crumble, Chris! That truly means the world to me that you’d make one of my recipes to bring to your luncheon and share with company. I don’t take that lightly at all — I’m so honored!
That’s the best kind of compliment if you’re already considering making it again and trying some of my other recipes as well. Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I can’t wait to hear what you decide to try next. 🙂
(And I don’t blame you one bit for thinking about having this for breakfast… I’ve done the same thing! 😉 )
Do you leave the peal on the apples?
Yes, I do! I’ll always include whether the apples should be peeled in the recipe, so if you don’t see that mentioned, then it means that I left the peels on. (I usually do because I’m lazy and like their texture! 😉 ) I can’t wait to hear what you think of this crumble if you try making it, Sophie!
Thanks for this recipe! I haven’t been on the wagon for that long so I am still missing my sweets. Although this definitely tastes like no sugar added crumble, when you compare it to the kind with all the sugar, it is still very good. I did think it looked a bit dry so I ended up pouring about 1/3 cup of water into the dish while it was in the oven and I’m glad I did. Maybe my apples were a bit dry or something (galas) but it definitely needed the water. That is the only change I made and I just ate some while it was still cooling and it was yummy. Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this apple crumble Alicia! That means a lot to me! 🙂 I haven’t tried it with Gala apples (I usually stick with Fuji’s!), but that was a smart idea to add water to the pan. I’m glad it turned out!
This is absolutely fabulous! I am trying to be health conscious but this is even better than my old go-to full of sugar and butter recipe! The apples are gooey and crunchy and the top is sooo satisfying! Honestly the best thing I have had in a long while 😀
And yes, I am makibgthis at midnight xD
That truly means the world to me, Micky! I’m so honored that you’d call this recipe better than your old go-to apple crumble. You just made my entire day!! 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know!
I’ve used 600g of apples and had to double the streusel so it could cover the apples like in the pictures. It seems to me that it is getting even harder to pick a recipe on the internet where you could really follow it thoroughly.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Camila! As mentioned in Step 4, the crumble topping does tend to clump a lot, so it must be broken up in order to completely cover the apples. I break it into really small pieces (no larger than my pinky fingernail!), which allows it to fully cover the top of the apples, as seen in these photos. If the topping isn’t broken up, then it won’t cover the apples in an even layer. 🙂 I hope you enjoyed this crumble’s flavor!
Amy;
Hi,I would like to make your apple crumble and I have all of the ingredients except the unsalted butter sticks.I know that margarine isn’t good to use or bake with but that is all that we have at home.
Can I use this margarine or wait until I go shopping to buy a stick of unsalted butter from the grocery store?
Have a nice weekend ok amy and I hope to hear from you soon.
Kim
Yes, your margarine should work Kim! Thank you so much for your patience with my response — I’ve been really sick and trying to stay in bed to recover. I’d love to hear what you think of this crumble if you decide to make it! 🙂
I set out to make this delightful recipe only to discover that we had no nutmeg! I substituted 1/2 tsp Ginger and 1/2 tsp Cardamom and hoped for the best! It turned out absolutely delicious! Just in case any other readers are stuck in a no Nutmeg situation 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed this apple crumble Jessica! Thank you for taking the time to let me know — that really means a lot! 🙂 I love your idea of using ginger and cardamom too! Thanks for sharing; I always love hearing what recipe tweaks work!
What a great recipe! It turned out wonderfully. Will definitely be my go-to apple crumble recipe. You wouldn’t really know it was healthier! Thank you!
I’m SO honored that you think this will be your new go-to apple crumble recipe — and that you didn’t think it tasted healthy! Those are the best compliments in the world. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know, Lesley! You just made my entire day! 🙂