Oatmeal Apple Cranberry Crisp

Updated: Nov 19th, 2020 · By Bethany Kramer
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Your guests will love the tart and sweet flavors of this delicious apple cranberry crisp! This super easy dessert is made with a wholesome oat topping, is naturally sweetened, and is vegan + gluten-free friendly.

A gray cast iron skillet with apple cranberry crisp in it with two scoops of vanilla ice cream on top.

When you get apple season, you get a fruit crisp at some point. Am I right?

But this isn’t your average fruit crisp. Because you won’t find just sweet apple slices hiding underneath that crumbly oat topping, but you’ll find tart baked cranberries that MAKE this recipe so so good.

If you’ve never had a fresh cranberry combo in an apple crisp, you will love it! It’s sweet, a little tart, and so completely mouthwatering. I truly love every bite along with the warm and crumbly oat flour crisp topping!

And even though this recipe is on the healthier side and happens to be vegan friendly, your guests will never know! It has the taste, texture, and indulgence we all crave in a dessert.

This crisp is perfect for pleasing a crowd for any meal! I can’t wait to enjoy it over the holidays.

Ingredients You Need

You’ll need just 7 simple ingredients to make this fruit crisp happen. Here’s everything you need:

Ingredients for apple cranberry crisp arranged on a brown wooden board.

apples: I used honey crisp apples but you can use a variety of different apples like fuji, pink lady, or granny smith!
fresh cranberries: you can also use frozen but I love using fresh!
coconut sugar: my favorite natural sweetener! You can swap for brown sugar if you don’t use coconut.
vanilla: flavor!
quick oats: they’re smaller than whole oats and great for crumble toppings! Replace with whole oats if needed.
oat flour: this is very finely ground up oats and is the “flour” ingredient for the topping. Make your own or buy at the store!
vegan butter: this is a great option for keeping things dairy-free and vegan. But you can swap with regular butter too!
cinnamon: a zing of flavor and spice!
lemon juice: for acidity and to keep the filling juicy and not dry.

How to Make This Apple Cranberry Crisp

  • First, peel the apples and thinly slice them (remove core). Toss cranberries, apples, and filling ingredients – add to baking dish.
  • Then use a fork and mix crumble topping ingredients together.
  • Use fork to help crumble oat topping on top of apples and cranberries evenly. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes.

A ceramic gray bowl with apple cranberry crisp with melted vanilla ice cream on a brown wooden board and a white napkin next to it.

Extra Recipe & Faqs

Other flours you can use: instead of oat flour you can swap for equal measurements of almond flour or regular all-purpose flour.

Make it gluten free: use gluten free oat flour and gluten free quick oats to make your recipe GF friendly.

What apples are best for apple crisp? When baking with apples you want to make sure the type of apples are firm and tart. I love using honey crisp, pink lady, braeburn, granny smith, and fuji! You can also use a blend of these different apples.

Butter options: if you don’t have vegan butter and want to keep the recipe plant-based/dairy-free friendly you can use melted coconut oil. You can also swap for regular butter. 

Baking vessels to use: I used an enameled cast iron skillet to bake this crisp in. You can also use a glass or ceramic baking dish.

How to Store Leftovers & Freeze

Store leftovers: keep your leftovers fresh by storing them in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in microwave when serving.

Freezing apple crisp: You can prepare the fruit crisp and not bake it, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap, cover with foil and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to bake, let crisp thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Then bake according to recipe card instructions.

A gray cast iron skillet with apple cranberry crisp in it with two scoops of vanilla ice cream on top.

This dessert is the perfect compliment to any family meal – but especially one around the holidays! We love this healthy version and think you and your family will too.

Serve it warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or dairy-free ice cream! Either way, it’ll be so so delicious. Enjoy, friends!

More Tasty Fruit Desserts

Oatmeal Apple Cranberry Crisp

Your guests will love the tart and sweet flavors of this delicious apple cranberry crisp! This super easy dessert is made with a wholesome oat topping, is naturally sweetened, and is vegan + gluten-free friendly.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Serves 8

Ingredients

Filling

  • 4-5 apples (see notes)
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar (see notes)
  • 2 Tablespoons oat flour
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Crisp Topping

Instructions

  • Prep apples: Preheat oven to 350F. Then peel apples and slice into 1/2-inch thick slices – discard apple core.
  • Assemble filling: Then in a bowl toss apples and cranberries with 2 tablespoons oat flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and cinnamon. Pour into baking vessel.
  • Prep crisp topping: add all of crisp topping ingredients into a bowl, use a fork to mix together. Then use fork to crumble the topping over apples and cranberries in baking dish.
  • Bake: then bake uncovered for 45 minutes – crisp should be golden brown on top and filling should be slightly bubbling. Remove and serve warm with ice cream!

Notes

Our favorite apples for crisps: when baking with apples you want to make sure the type of apples are firm and tart. I love using honey crisp, pink lady, braeburn, granny smith, and fuji! You can also use a blend of these different apples. 
Sugar substitutions: if you don’t have coconut sugar, you can swap for brown sugar. 
Butter substitutes: if you don’t have vegan butter and want to keep the recipe plant-based/dairy-free friendly you can use melted coconut oil. You can also swap for regular unsalted butter. 
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword apple cranberry crisp, cranberry crisp, oatmeal apple crisp
Freezer Friendly Yes
Author Bethany Kramer

Nutrition

Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 73.4g | Protein: 3.8g | Fat: 7.4g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 129.6mg | Fiber: 5.9g | Sugar: 50.5g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Vitamin C: 6mg

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