Slow Cooker Apple Crisp (Gluten Free)
Slow Cooker Apple Crisp is perfect for the holidays, made with sweet and tart apples topped with crumbly, buttery oats and slow cooked with cinnamon and brown sugar. Serve warm and top with vanilla ice cream!
I love apple desserts because they’re always a crowd favorite, and perfect for fall and winter holidays! For a quick version of this, check out these Cinnamon Baked Apple Slices. Or one of my most popular recipes, Homemade Apple Pie Filling!
Slow Cooker Apple Crisp is one of my all-time favorite dessert recipes to make for Thanksgiving and Christmas because it frees up oven space, and it’s just as good as apple pie without needing to make pie crust. Plus it only requires a few simple ingredients that I already have in my pantry!
This is also perfect for holiday potlucks, because the slow cooker will keep it warm while you’re waiting for dessert. Serve with a scoop of ice cream for presentation. Plus you can use a slow cooker liner, and have almost no dishes when you’re done!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Apples. For cooking, I usually go with crisp apples like Granny Smith. They’re firm enough to stand up to cooking, and the tartness of the apple balances the added sugar so the apple crisp isn’t overly sweet.
You can also use other apple varieties like Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Jonathan, Fuji, or Golden Delicious apples to make apple crisp. Make sure you use fresh apples for the best flavor.
Old Fashioned Oats. You can use any oats that you have, but rolled oats will keep some of their texture, which is preferred for an apple crisp topping.
Make sure whatever oats you’re using are certified gluten free.
Gluten Free Flour. I use all-purpose 1:1 gluten free flour for gluten free apple crisp topping. There’s not a lot of gluten free flour in this recipe, so nobody will even notice!
You can use regular all-purpose flour if you’re not gluten free.
Lemon Juice. Lemon juice adds some tartness that balances the sweetness from the sugar and apples for a really nice flavor.
You can add an additional tablespoon lemon juice if you think you need it to keep the apples from browning.
Sugar. A combination of white granulated sugar for sweetness, and light brown sugar for a deeper flavor is perfect.
You can also use all granulated sugar or all brown sugar, if that’s what you have. I always have white sugar in my pantry, so I’ve made it this way a few times.
Spices. I use cinnamon and nutmeg because I find that’s all you really need.
You can also add a small amount of allspice, ginger, or ground cardamom for something closer to apple pie spice.
Baking Powder. Baking powder helps with the texture of the crisp topping. It gives it a little bit of rise, which makes the topping more tender.
Vanilla. Vanilla adds flavor to the apple filling.
Butter. I use unsalted butter, so I can control the amount of salt later.
Butter adds flavor, and also helps the topping have a tender-crisp texture. Make sure it’s cold, so the topping doesn’t melt too quickly. Melted butter will cause it to spread out too thin.
You can use a pastry cutter to make it easier to blend the topping ingredients with the butter.
Salt. Salt balances the sweetness in desserts, so it tastes balanced and not overly-sweet.
How to Make Slow Cooker Apple Crisp
- Cut apples into slices. You can leave the peels on if you don’t mind the texture, but I usually peel them. Place them into the slow cooker.
- Add lemon juice, sugar, spices, and vanilla to the apple slices. Stir everything together.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together topping dry ingredients. Then cut the cold butter into the topping until well combined.
- Sprinkle the oat mixture onto the top of the apples evenly. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours. Then open the lid slightly and cook an additional 1 hour until the topping is golden brown. This lets the top get crispy!
Jacqui’s Tip! You can toss the apple slices with lemon juice as you finish slicing them to prevent them from browning. However, after they’re cooked, you won’t be able to tell if they browned while slicing or not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apple crisp is typically made with a crisp topping that uses a small amount of flour with oats, butter, brown sugar, and sometimes nuts. It’s crisp-tender, and very sweet.
Apple crumble uses a topping that’s made from more of a dough with mostly flour and butter, and doesn’t use oats or nuts. It’s more like cake than a crisp topping.
If your apple crisp is not crispy, make sure the butter is disbursed and the crisp topping looks wet before topping the apple mixture.
Also don’t forget to move the lid of the slow cooker for the last hour, which lets some of the moisture out of the slow cooker and allows it to get crispy.
Apple crisp can overcook and become mushy if you don’t watch your time or the heat setting on the slow cooker. Cook for 2 hours covered on high and 1 hour with the lid slightly open.
Storage
Refrigerate apple crisp after it’s completely cooled in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
Freeze apple crisp in an airtight container for 2-3 months. This is perfect for making ahead of time for the holidays!
Defrost in the refrigerator the night before, and bake to reheat for 20-30 minutes before serving.
More Apple Recipes
Cooking Tips
- Top with warm caramel sauce, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or whipped cream to serve.
- Mix a small amount of apple crisp with oatmeal for breakfast the next morning!
- Use a slow cooker liner to help make cleanup easier.
- Add some chopped walnuts or pecans to the crisp topping for an extra crunch.
- You can also use this recipe in a baking dish instead of the slow cooker. Just grease the baking dish, add apples, then topping, and bake uncovered for around 45 minutes at 350°F.
- Instead of apples, use fresh berries for a fruit crisp recipe!
- I use medium apples. If you have larger ones, you may need 1 less apple for this recipe.
If you loved this recipe, be sure to leave a 5 Star review below, and tag me with a photo of your finished recipe on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish!
Slow Cooker Apple Crisp (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
For the Apples
- 6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into slices
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Topping
- 1/2 cup rolled oats, certified gluten free
- 1/2 cup gluten free all-purpose flour, 1:1
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, double acting
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
Equipment
- 1 Slow Cooker
Instructions
- Place sliced apples in the slow cooker. Add lemon juice, cinnamon, white sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir until apples are evenly coated.
- In a separate mixing bowl add topping ingredients (oats, flour, baking powder, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt). Stir to combine all ingredients. Cut butter into flour mixture.
- Using a spoon or your hands, combine flour mixture and butter until ingredients look wet and crumbly. Sprinkle topping on top of apples evenly.
- Place lid on slow cooker and set on high for 2 hours.
- Open lid part way and cook for about an additional 1 hour . Serve warm and top with vanilla ice cream if desired.
Notes
- For this recipe you can use the following apples: Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Jonathan, Fuji, or Golden Delicious.
- Use a slow cooker liner to help make cleanup easier.
- Add some chopped walnuts or pecans to the crisp topping for an extra crunch.
- You can also use this recipe in a baking dish instead of the slow cooker. Just grease the baking dish, add apples, then topping, and bake uncovered for around 45 minutes at 350°F.
Nutrition
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How thin should I slice the apples? I made this once, it was so tasty! But I used honey crisps & sliced pretty thin. I think the apples were a little too done, not sure if it was because I used honey crisps or if I cut apple slices too thin, or could be my slow cooker runs a little hotter. I opted for the 2 hrs on high option, then turned on low partially removing lid for another hr.
I cut them to about 1-inch pieces, I usually go on the bigger side for slow cooker recipes. Honeycrisp apples should be fine for this type of recipe. I would try cutting them a little bigger, and try to keep the pieces about the same size (mostly), so they cook evenly. Hope that helps! 🙂
My family called this crockpot crack and we will be making another batch soon! Thank you!!
What size crock pot do you use?
I’m using a 6 quart, but this would work in a smaller one, too.