A healthy version of a classic fall dessert, this Paleo Maple Pecan Apple Crisp is the perfect warm and sweet comfort food on cozy nights. It’s grain free, gluten free, paleo, vegan, and soy free with simple whole ingredients and the fall flavors you crave.
It’s a rainy day home with the kids. No school today to observe the Jewish New Year, although we observe the holiday only by the way of food – Sweet Potato Noodle Kugel, lots of apples and honey, and then the above delicious creation!
They are begging me to take them to toys R us because we have a gift card and trashing the house as per any typical day.
What’s better – heading out to toys R us in the rain to engage in battle or not leaving the house at all until 3pm for gymnastics?
It all depends on what goes down in the next hour or so and also what’s on TV. Yes, I’m letting them watch TV. It could be worse, it’s just TV.
Back to the apple crisp.
I used to make non-paleo versions of apple crisp at least twice every fall.
In fact, the first thing Adam ever saw me cook was an apple crisp when we were dating for less than a month, and he was clearly impressed.
I can’t believe we were ever the couple hanging out in an apple orchard without kids. And if you happen to know us I’m sure you can’t believe it either.
So, apple crisp was my original claim to fame with my husband.
The pressure was on with this one. Dramatic, yes, but you all know how I feel about cooking heartbreak, so whenever I venture out of the sweet potato box there’s always that risk of getting hurt once again.
Am I joking? I wish!
When I said no leftovers I wasn’t kidding – the 5 of us devoured this thing in under 15 minutes.
After my middle one (the picky) had 2 servings I told her she just ate nuts and coconut. She was majorly confused and didn’t believe that was possible.
The topping has a taste more along the lines of granola than anything paleo, so the seeds were definitely planted for a future granola recipe! I’ve said before that I used to have a major cereal habit and granola was probably my favorite of all.
Ingredients Needed for Paleo Maple Pecan Apple Crisp
For the filling:
- Apples
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, & ginger
- Maple syrup (optional)
6 apples is the perfect amount for this Maple Pecan Apple Crisp. Make sure that you wash them well, then peel them, core them, and sliced into 1/4 inch thick pieces.
For the topping:
- Coconut oil
- Raw pecans
- Almond flour
- Maple syrup
- Coconut flakes
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, & allspice
- Sea Salt
What type of apples should I use?
There are lots of great apple varieties that are perfect for baking and since they’re in season right now, they’re even more flavorful than ever! I used Pink Lady apples but you could also use Jonagold, Honeycrisp, or Braeburn for a delicious apple crisp.
How to Make Paleo Maple Pecan Apple Crisp:
First, you’ll make the filling. Place the apple slices, spices, and maple syrup in a large bowl and toss everything together. Place everything in a baking dish, then set that aside and make the crisp topping.
The crisp topping is so easy – just place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse or process until a crumbly paste forms.
Crumble the topping over the apples and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until the the topping has browned and the apple filling is bubbling.
This Paleo Maple Pecan Apple Crisp has quickly become one of our favorite fall recipes. And that says a lot considering that it’s not even made with pumpkin!
In fact, I have a pumpkin sitting around that has my daughter questioning what I’ll make with it every day.
It’s so funny (and cool) that my kids see pumpkins and think about cooking with them. I don’t think I knew you could cook with a pumpkin until last year. Slight exaggeration, but not by much!
You’d better make this! It’s the weekend and there’s no excuse! Do it!
Sorry was that too pushy? I meant to lead by example. Always a challenge 🙂
Paleo Maple Pecan Apple Crisp {Vegan}
Paleo Maple Pecan Apple Crisp
Ingredients
The Apple Part:
- 6 med apples peeled, and sliced to 1/4 inch thickness. I used Pink Lady
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup optional
The "Crisp" Part (Topping)
- 6 Tbsp organic coconut oil solid, or grass fed butter, or ghee
- 1 cup raw pecans or use nuts of choice
- 3/4 cup blanched almond flour
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with the spices and maple syrup (if using), then transfer to a 9 or 10 inch pie dish or baking dish, set aside.
For the crisp topping, put all the ingredients in a food processor and process or pulse until the pecans are finely ground and a thick, crumbly paste is created - this won't take long.
If your topping isn't thick, you can chill it for 5-10 mins in the fridge. Drop/dollop the topping all over the apples to fully cover (or as fully as possible) and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the apples are bubbling and the topping is brown and crisp. If the top browns too soon, you can cover with aluminum foil part of the way through.
Let sit for at least 30 minutes to cool down before serving warm. Serve with coconut vanilla ice cream if desired.
There will be no leftovers, I can assure you of that! If you're lucky enough to have some left you can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days (without the ice cream!) and reheat before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Shop Products and Ingredients:
Want More Paleo and Vegan Dessert Recipes? Try one of these!
Thick and Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies
Almond Butter and Jelly Cookie Bars
Lemon Almond Thumbprint Cookies with Cherry Chia Jam
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Hahahaha SO PUSHY. But I”m totally ok with it, in this case!
Haha, I totally thought of you with that 🙂
Yuuuuuum, I need this in my life. Pronto. I’m making it!!
Hope you like it 🙂
Looks amazing! I’m all about apples in the fall. I’m not in the pumpkin band wagon.
I’m kinda on both 🙂 definitely love fall baking!
My kids would think I am the best mom ever if I made that! It sounds amazing and we DO have apple picking on our list for this weekend!
Fun, any apple bake is always appreciated by my kids 🙂
Looks yummy! I still have apples from apple picking a few weeks ago. I’m picking up my 10 year old niece from school today and we will be spending the weekend together. I have all of the ingredients except the pecans. We’ll make a stop at WF’s and then proceed to bake!
Thanks, Michele! Happy weekend.
Thanks! Hope you guys like it and have a great weekend!
I’m pestering my family to go to an apple orchard sometime in the near future. Apple recipes for all!
I love baking with apples, amazing recipes and also memories 🙂
Anything that ends in crisp or crumble is a win in my book! Mmm, looks amazing.
Thanks, hope you try 🙂
Yay thank you!!! Quick question.. how much can you taste the coconut? My fiance is not a fan.
I didn’t taste it really and my kids didn’t notice. I think with the food processor it all gets mixed pretty well. You can probably omit and just add more pecans for a nuttier flavor.
This looks awesome! I did pin it, but I know it won’t happen this weekend! 🙂 Lol…I thought your note at the end of your post was cute.
Have a great Friday!
Thanks 🙂 good one to try and thanks for pinning!
Love me some apple crisp! I just happened to stop at an apple orchard today and purchased a few big bags of apples 🙂
Best season and I love the feeling of coming home with tons of apples and deciding what to make!
Hi Michele,
Your delicious recipe has been nominated as one of the “Top 100 Best Apple Recipes of 2014 for National Apple Month”. You and your readers can vote for it here: http://thefoodexplorer.com/fruit-2/100-delicious-apple-recipes-for-national-apple-month/ (position #48 – random order).
Happy National Apple Month! 🙂
Two thumbs up! I made it for my church small group and they loved it!
Awesome! So glad everyone liked it 🙂
Hey Lovely! This recipe is DELICIOUS! Mind if I share it with your picture and a link to your blog for a roundup of yummy paleo dessert options for thanksgiving?
Thanks! Of course you can share 🙂
Thanks for the Apple crisp recipe. Just made it for Thanksgiving and it was delishish. Will definitely make it again.
Awesome! So glad you liked it 🙂
My family of four polished this right off without any problems at all. The top started to get too dark at 43 minutes, so I draped some foil over the top. I baked mine for an hour and thought the apples were a little too done for my taste. DELISH though and next time I will bake for 45 minutes.
Awesome, glad you guys liked it 🙂
I have apples and want to make this now, but I’m in the midst of a Whole30, so I want to freeze it for later. Would you freeze this before or after baking?
By the way, you are my Whole30 HERO! I don’t feel like I’m missing out on a thing because of several of your recipes. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
So glad you enjoyed the Whole30 recipes! I’m not sure about freezing, I don’t think I’ve ever frozen anything with already cooked apples so I’m not sure how they would reheat. I’m thinking raw apples wouldn’t freeze so well, so if you do try it baking first would be my guess.
Easy to make, little added sugar and a big hit. This is a keeper. Thank you ?
Awesome, glad you liked it!
Hi. This recipe looks awesome but I can’t do the almond flour. Do you have any substitutions that would work instead?
Any other nut flour/meal would work, if you can’t do nuts you can try ground flaxseed.
Hey there! I’m in the same boat with the almond allergy… I have some coconut flour in the pantry. Do you think that could work??
Hey there! I thInk I posted this comment in the wrong place last time ? so here it is again! Lol!… I’m in the same boat with the almond allergy… I have some coconut flour in the pantry. Do you think that could work??
Unfortunately it would be too dry and crumbly in this recipe if the same amount is used. I think cassava flour could work a bit better but I’m not sure of the amount, go a bit under in measurement if you try it!
Did you ever try it with the Casava flour?
I have the same nut allergy
Made this last night for breakfast this morning. I baked it in my countertop oven and the crisp topping started to burn after 20 minutes so I shut off the convection setting and lowered the oven temp to 350°F. I should have thought about covering it. I used Gala apples and left the peel on. It still tastes great with the burnt crisp topping!
This was delicious. I have a wonderful apple tree in my yard. I’ll be making several of these for freezing. The flavors are delightful. Most recipes seem to count on cinnamon and the apple for all the flavor. Not this one. The ginger and nutmeg give it another level of flavor that makes you want more. Definitely comfort food. I love that it has only 2T maple syrup. Perfect!
I’m sure that it will freeze well. I frequently freeze all kinds of fruit crisps. They thaw nicely. Also, I didn’t peel the apples, I rarely do for most any recipe. I baked it at 350* in my toaster oven and I agree, 45 min. Would be the longest for my taste.
Big hit for our dessert after dinner out party. Everyone loved it and we used apples from our tree. Plan to make it a few more times this fall.
I made this and the topping was delicious. I didn’t add the optional maple syrup to the Gala and Honeycrisp apples. The Galas needed some zing and the Honeycrisps were better. My husband thought the optional maple syrup would have helped. I was wondering if 2 tbsp of lemon juice would have given it more zing. I would love your thoughts.
I like a little lemon along with the maple when trying to make the apple flavor more pronounced. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Could these be made in individual ramekins? Do you know how that would effect the cooking time?
So glad you posted this as I have a bunch of apples from apple picking and no idea what to do with them! Perfect solution. 😀 Keep doing delicious!
Holy cow! Delicious. I made it tonight. I should definitely have company when I make this so I don’t eat it all!
Great recipe! Loved it! (I doubled the amount of crisp and that was even better).
Just made this. Wonderful! Love all the spices, the pecans. Yum. I did not have pure maple syrup so used a sugar free version that I had on hand.. Next time I will invest in the good stuff to see if it makes a difference. Love it. Definitely going in my favotites.
This recipe is awesome. It’s a great and healthy version of an old favorite.
Really good !!!
Surprisingly tasty with good texture. Mine came out a bit dry so next time I will add 1/4 cup of water over the apple mix before you put the crumble on then the apples will be more moist and/or covered it with foil.
Absolutely delicious. Followed it to the letter. Used Macintosh apples and they’re my faves.
This is an absolute go-to for me. Thank you!
Great reviews from the family! I made it with the following substitutions: coconut sugar instead of maple, oat flour instead of almond, 2 Tablespoons of ghee and 4 Tablespoons of coconut oil for the crumble. I also added a Tablespoon of ghee to the apples. Delish! I have requests to make it again.
Hi Michele, this looks amazing and healthy. I love your recipes and been following you since like 5 years or so. I’m doing this apple crisp, just have a question, can I use muffin tray? To make them by piece and if so is the same time on the oven? Thanks a lot!
This was delicious!
Not sure if I’m posting in the right spot. Made your apple crisp last night. My oven must run hot. Next time I will set mine at 350 F. But in spite of the topping being a little too brown, it was awesome! Took some to my Mom at the nursing home. She said it was kind of rich! She complains about everything. ha ha That was the best she could come up with. Rarely, if ever, has anything positive to say. I think the problem is her diet, but she refuses to eat what I eat. She wants her treats. She’s 88. They feed them all kinds of bad food in a nursing home. Heavily highly processed foods. This is by far the best Paleo dessert I have made yet. My husband is having some now while I’m at work. We’ll see what he says. He loves his sweets. He knows if I eat it, that it’s not bad for him.