This Apple Crisp is filled with chunks of apples and a caramelized cinnamon sauce and grain free topping, this Paleo Apple Crisp is easy to prepare and made in a cast iron skillet! This Crisp is Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan and Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal.
There are so many reasons to love this recipe. For starters it takes less then 25 minutes to make, unlike traditional crisps, which often require a bake time of up to 45 minutes.
Secondly the chunks of apple are cooked until tender in a delicious cinnamon sauce, which gives them an amazing caramelization. I find that apple crisps can often be quite dry, but this one is super saucy and moist.
A few months ago I was forced to banish my cast iron skillet to the back of my kitchen cupboard after it started to develop patches of rust. I came across this video on Facebook which does an amazing job of explaining how to clean and season a skillet. After giving my skillet a bit of love, the rust is gone and I am completely obsessed and using it to cook absolutely everything, from breakfast to side dishes to dinner.
Which brings me to my third point, I love that you can cook this entire recipe in a skillet because it gives the crisp a wonderful rustic feel.
This Paleo Apple Crisp is the perfect dessert for this time of year because it’s packed with the flavours of fall. It’s also a great way to use up any extra apples you might have as they seem to be in abundance in grocery stores and farmers markets this month.
Because of the wonderful caramelized cinnamon sauce, the crisp is fantastic on its own, but if you want to fancy it up then you can top it with coconut whip or luscious lemon cream.
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Easy Skillet Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 5 apples
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey or maple syrup if vegan
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
Crisp Topping
- 2/3 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/4 tbsp honey or maple syrup if vegan
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/3 cup almond flour
- 2/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 2/3 cup walnuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Peel and core the apples and cut them into small chunks. Place them in a bowl and top with the lemon juice to stop them browning.
- Place a 7 inch in diameter cast iron skillet on the stove on medium-high heat. Add the coconut oil, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg to the skillet and cook for approximately 2 minutes until hot then add in the apple pieces and stir to coat them in the sauce.
- Cook the apples for approximately 8 minutes until they are soft.
- While the apples are cooking, in a bowl stir together all of the ingredients for the topping. Spoon the mixture evenly over the apples. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until the topping is golden in colour.
- Serve the crisp topped with coconut whip or lemon cream
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a comment below and let us know how it was!
I must have done something wrong because my topping is too oily. I tried substituting the flour with quick oats. I suspect I should have increased the oats, or decreased the oil. ย Any advice on how to fixit now?
I’m so sorry to hear that! I would recommend adding more shredded coconut to absorb the oil.
Do you think I could make this with fresh peaches and pecans? ย Any suggestions?
That’s how it’s made in her excellent cookbook!
My family enjoyed this recipe so, so much that Iโm a little embarrassed to admit…it didnโt actually make it to Thanksgiving. ย Lol!! ย We mowed through it the day before. ย Confirmation that this recipe is an awesome keeper!!
haha love it!
This was PHENOMENAL! I made it for Thanksgiving and there weren’t even crumbs left. ๐ The only thing I would say is that you really have to double the topping in order to get a good layer on top of the apples. The flavors were incredible and I’m going to make it again today for a dinner party! ๐
Yea!! Your comment made my day! I’m so happy to hear that it was a hit and worthy of making again! I’ve updated the recipe and increased the amount of topping ๐
Is it possible to use regular baking flour instead of the almond flour? It’s what I have in the cupboard and want to use up first! Thanks!
Normally baking flour can’t be substituted for almond flour but because there is so little required in this recipe it actually can be swapped ๐
I made this last night with apples and pears. We loved it, especially my 4 year old. Added a touch of arrowroot to the fruit and I used fourth and heart Madagascar vanilla ghee in place of the coconut oil. Next time I will increase the topping as well. Canโt wait to make it again after Apple picking!
The addition of pears to the filling sounds so good! Love that idea!! I’m so happy to hear the recipe was a hit!
Loved it. My husband doesnโt like shredded coconut so I added more nuts and it was delicious and so easy to make. I can eat oats could I use oats instead of shredded coconut?
I’m so happy you liked it! Yes you could definitely use oats in place of coconut in this recipe.
We have nut allergies. Can I substitute coconut floor for the almond flour and leave out the shredded coconut in the topping?
I would recommend increasing the amount of shredded coconut to 2/3 cup and using 1/3 cup coconut flour. Let me know how it goes!
What is lemon cream
Apologies Pat, I forgot to include a link to it! This is Lemon Cream – its exactly like whipped cream but its dairy free and made with cauliflower (but you would never know it!)
This was wonderful. Not very sweet at all (and I’m a sugar person!). I really liked this recipe.
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Emily! You can always adjust the honey depending on the sweetness of the apples you use.