This healthy Maple Apple Crisp is the perfect dessert to bake this fall. It’s made with two varieties of apples to amp up the juicy flavor and then topped with pecans (or walnuts) and rolled oats to really take it to the next level! To make it healthy, it is sweetened naturally with maple syrup, which means it’s made without refined sugar.

overhead tablescape with a crisp in a white ceramic dish, apples and a serving of the crisp on a black plate

I originally posted this apple crisp on September 30, 2016. I have updated it to share it with you today.

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Why We Love This Recipe for Maple Apple Crisp

This Maple Apple Crisp is one of my all-time favorite desserts. Along with my Gingerbread Cake and Maple Carrot Cake is in my top three sweet recipes on this entire site! I implore you to make it. Our healthy apple crisp recipe is sweet, comforting and nostalgic. And will fill the house with sweet spicy warmth and goodness as it bakes.

What Makes This Apple Crisp Healthier?

  • Unrefined Sweetener: Maple Syrup and Maple Sugar are unrefined. Meaning nothing is added to it, and the only thing that is taken away from it is water… it’s just reduced sap from a maple tree. Maple still retains its trace minerals and nutrients. Plus, it has anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidants, and it is lower glycemic than other sweeteners.
  • Less Added Sugar: Not only that, maple is sweeter than white sugar (cup for cup) so you end up needing less overall added sweetener. Additionally, maple adds flavor to our healthy apple crisp recipe (in addition to the sweetness) so you get more bang for your buck when you sweeten desserts with maple syrup.
  • High Fiber and Heart Healthy Fats: While many crumb toppings for apple crisp recipes are made with butter, flour and sugar only, our recipe for apple crips includes Rolled oats and chopped pecans and/or walnuts for a nutritious boost. They add fiber and heart-healthy fats. Not only that, we have also limited the butter in the crisp topping to only 4 tablespoons to limit the unhealthier animal-based saturated fats.

This crisp is the best I have ever had.  Just making it  for the first time this year.  Made about twenty last year and everybody loved them.  2d most common usage of the apples from our yard after only cider.  Thanks for the recipe.

~Maurie
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Key Ingredients for Healthy Apple Crisp with Maple Syrup

the ingredients on a wooden table with labels

Apples

In my recipe for apple crisp, I used Macintosh blended with another more firm variety such as Ginger Gold, Gala, and Honey Crisp. The reason you want to use a blend of apple varieties is that some break down and get saucy when cooked (Macintosh) and some hold their shape (Gala). When you use a blend, you’ll get a filling that’s juicy, and chunky, with a more interesting flavor profile.

You can play around with the ratio depending on your variety, but I would use at least ½ juicier apples to make sure you don’t end up with dry filling. Other varieties that break down and become juicy are Winesap, Newton Pippin, Jonagold, and Gravenstein. Read more about apple varieties in my guide to apples.

Maple Syrup

Maple syrup is the key to making this easy apple crisp have delicious caramelized fall flavor and the perfect sweetness, naturally! I’d recommend using pure maple syrup. Dark Robust will give the best maple flavor for baking. Amber rich is also a good choice if you cannot find dark. Save the Golden Delicate for another use. Check out my Maple Syrup Cookbook too!

Granulated Maple Sugar

Maple sugar is a specialty ingredient you can buy at health food stores, gourmet markets and online. If you do not have it you can use brown sugar instead.

Granulated maple sugar is made from heating maple syrup to the hard ball stage and then beating it while it cools. It is shelf stable and tastes like the pure essence of maple. Use it in place of white or brown sugar in baking recipes for an all-nautral alternative to sugar.

Spices

I used a heavy hand with the spice in this recipe because I wanted to make sure my house smelled 100% like fall while this crisp was baking. I used a blend of cinnamon and nutmeg for a perfectly classic taste, but you can also experiment with a little bit of allspice, ground ginger, or clove too.

Start with ¼ teaspoon. Or you can get a little more experimental and try cardamom or orange zest.

Additional Ingredients

  • All-purpose flour (sub whole-wheat pastry flour or white whole-wheat flour for more fiber)
  • Unsalted butter (sub coconut oil to make vegan)
  • Chopped pecans or walnuts
  • Rolled oats
  • Salt

How To Make This Healthy Apple Crisp Recipe

spraying the dish with cooking spray and tossing the apples with the filling ingredients

Step 1: Preheat and Prep Dish

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and coat a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

Step 2: Toss Apples with Seasoning

Toss the peeled, cored, and sliced apples with flour, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Then, transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish.

make the crisp topping and then the crisp before baking

Step 3: Make the Crisp Topping

Mix the remaining flour, butter, and sugar together in a medium bowl with your fingers until the butter is worked thoroughly into the flour and the mixture becomes crumbly. Add nuts, oats, and salt, and then work it into the crumbs. Top the apple mixture with the crumb mixture.

Step 4: Bake

Transfer the crisp to the oven and bake it for 15 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 325ºF and continue baking until the apple mixture bubbling along the edges and the topping is golden. That should take about 60 to 65 minutes longer.

overhead tablescape with a crisp in a white ceramic dish

FAQs and Expert Tips

How can I bring out the maple flavor more?

Because maple is a natural ingredient, and its natural maple essence has limited flavoring potential, strong flavors can overwhelm it, so I used two of maple’s BFFs, butter and pecans, to bring the maple flavor back out. When they’re paired with maple, it tastes more mapley (so you can have your cinnamon and taste your maple too).

What dish should I make my apple crisp in?

I used my favorite 2 ½ quart casserole dish to make this, and it was heaping when I put the apples and crisp topping into it. But then when the apples are cooked down and get all bubbly and juicy, they fit perfectly.

What is the difference between apple crisp and apple crumble?

It’s all in the streusel (topping)! A crumble just doesn’t have oats.

How do you store leftovers?

You can keep the crisp covered with foil at room temperature up to 12 hours. The high sugar content will help preserve it. For longer storage cover the baking dish with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate. Do not transfer to a resealable container if possible as this will mess up the layer of filling and topping and can make the topping soggy.

Can you freeze apple crisp?

You can build the crisp and freeze it before baking. Add an additional 20 minutes at 350 degrees before reducing to 325. Check the crisp for doneness after 45 minutes at 325.

Make Ahead Instructions

I love this crisp best when it is still warm from the oven, but it can be made ahead. To do so you have two options:

  1. Follow the recipe as instructed to create the apple filling and the crisp topping. Keep both refrigerated for up to 1 day. Stir the apples well then assemble the crisp in the prepared baking dish. Bake as directed.
  2. Bake the crisp and let cool. Keep covered with foil and refrigerate up to 2 days. Place in the oven at 325 degrees, uncovered, and bake until warmed through and the topping is re-crisped, about 30 minutes. Let rest about 15 minutes before serving.
overhead of the crisp with red and yellow apples on a slate surface

Additional Apple Recipes and Desserts To Try

cranberry crumb apple pie overhead on a blue napkin

Maple Cranberry Apple Pie
the pie cooling on the chair

Maple Apple Pie {Double Crust & Deep Dish}
Apple cake slice with maple icing drizzling down the side

Apple Almond Cake
a ceramic dish of applesauce with a jar of honey and apples on a blue and white dish cloth

Simple Homemade Applesauce
Chewy Oatmeal cookies, with white chocolate chips, walnuts and chunks of dried apple rings added in for a fall twist! | Healthy Seasonal Recipes | Katie Webster

Apple Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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closeup of the apple crisp in a white ceramic dish

Maple Apple Crisp

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 15 reviews

  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
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Description

This Maple Apple Crisp with nut and oat crumble topping is the perfect dessert to bake this fall. It’s made with two varieties of apples and is sweetened naturally with maple syrup.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 6 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and sliced
  • 2 firm apples, such as Gala, peeled cored and sliced
  • 3 Tablespoons plus 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, divided
  • 2/3 cup pure maple syrup, dark or amber
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup granulated maple sugar or brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • pinch salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 2 ½ quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
  2. Toss apples, 3 tablespoons flour, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg in a large bowl. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish.
  3. Mix the remaining 1/3 cup flour, butter and sugar together in a medium bowl with fingers until the butter is worked into the flour and the mixture becomes crumbly. Add nuts, oats and salt and work into the crumbs. Top the apple mixture with the crumb mixture.
  4. Transfer to the oven and bake 15 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce oven temperature to 325ºF and continue baking until the apple mixture is bubbling along the edges and the topping is golden 60 to 65 minutes longer.

Notes

Prep Ahead Instructions

To prep this apple crisp in advance: Follow the recipe as instructed to create the apple filling and the crisp topping. Keep both refrigerated for up to 1 day. Stir the apples well then assemble the crisp in the prepared baking dish. Bake as directed.

  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/8 crisp
  • Calories: 342
  • Sugar: 38 g
  • Sodium: 21 mg
  • Fat: 11 g
  • Saturated Fat: 4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 63 g
  • Fiber: 10 g
  • Protein: 3 g

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