This Cranberry Apple Crisp is the perfect easy dessert recipe for the holidays. Made with fresh tart cranberries, crisp sweet apples, and covered with a crunchy oat crumble that’s naturally sweetened and spiced with cinnamon. It’s vegan, healthy, gluten-free, and so delicious!
Are you still wondering what to do with all those leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving? I get it. They can sometimes feel like a “once a year” thing. But, cranberries ain’t just for cranberry sauce. They make one fine dessert crisp.
This recipe for Cranberry Apple Crisp is absolutely divine and easily my new favorite crisp. The cranberries get all soft and juicy, the apples bake up so warm and tender, and the topping is crumbly, crisp, and delicious!
Oh, and it doesn’t end with dessert. It’s the perfect indulgent holiday breakfast as well. And, just for fun, be sure and top it with some of my coconut Vegan Whipped Cream. Trust me on this one. OK, I’m sure I’ve convinced you. Let’s get to cooking!
Table of Contents
⏲ Baking Time
Baking time will be around 35-45 minutes because every appliance is different. You want the filling to be tender, hot, and bubbly.
🥘 Ingredients For Cranberry Apple Crisp
You’ll need:
- Cranberries: Fresh is best, but frozen works.
- Apples: Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Gala are my favorite. The sweetness is a great compliment to the tartness of the cranberries.
- Orange Juice: I prefer to squeeze it directly from the orange. It adds a nice citrusy sweetness.
- Maple Syrup
- For the Crumble: An oat and maple syrup-sweetened streusel topping with a base of rolled oats for a hearty crunch. A mix of almond meal and all-purpose gluten-free flour hold everything together. Walnuts add a healthy crunch, and applesauce replaces the oil and prevents the topping from becoming too dry yet still giving you a crisp topping.
🔪 How To Make Cranberry Apple Crisp
A deliciously simple and healthy Cranberry Apple Crisp recipe made from scratch but comes together rather quickly.
First things first, start by preheating your oven to 350˚F.
- Fruit Filling: Peel, core, and chop the apples. Combine the apples, cranberries, orange juice, and maple syrup. Mix well and pour into a 9×13 baking dish (affiliate link).
- Make The Crumble Topping: Combine the oats, almond flour, gluten-free flour, walnuts, cinnamon, salt, applesauce, maple syrup, and mix until everything is well combined. Then, evenly spread the mixture on top of the cranberries and apples.
- Bake: Now, it goes in the oven and bakes until it’s bubbly and golden brown! The aroma is quite intoxicating.
That’s it! A delicious, easy, and healthy vegan Cranberry Apple Crisp.
Serving Suggestions
This Cranberry Apple Crisp can be served cold, at room temperature, but it’s best, HOT and bubbling, right out of the oven! I love topping it with a hearty dollop of homemade coconut Vegan Whipped Cream.
It’s also a healthy and delicious breakfast option or afternoon snack.
💭 Pro Tips And FAQ
Can this be made in advance?
Yes! Prepare and bake the crisp as directed, let it cool completely, then cover it and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to enjoy. To reheat, cover loosely with foil so the crumble top doesn’t burn, and place in a preheated oven at 350˚F for 15 minutes or until it warms through.
How do I store leftovers?
You can store leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Can I freeze it?
Yes! Bake the cranberry apple crisp according to recipe instructions and allow to cool completely. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
What apples are best for a fruit crisp?
Honeycrisp apples are my favorite. But, you’ll want to use apples that are firm and sweet to offset the tartness of the cranberries. Soft apples will break down into apple sauce when you cook them. Some of my other preferences are Pink Lady, Granny Smith (more tart), Braeburn, and Jonagold.
More Cranberry and Apple Recipes
You’re going to love this Vegan Cranberry Apple Crisp. It’s tart, naturally sweetened, fruity, healthy, gluten-free, and the perfect holiday dessert or breakfast.
Be sure and subscribe to Shane & Simple so you never have to miss a recipe. And, if you try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment with a star rating. I would be eternally grateful because it helps more than you know! Blessings.
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Cranberry Apple Crisp
- Prep Time: 10 mins.
- Cook Time: 35 mins.
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Sweets
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan, Dessert, Holiday, Gluten-Free
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Cranberry Apple Crisp is the perfect easy dessert recipe for the holidays. Made with fresh tart cranberries, crisp sweet apples, and covered with a crunchy oat crumble that’s naturally sweetened and spiced with cinnamon. It’s vegan, healthy, gluten-free, and so delicious!
Ingredients
Cranberry Apple Filling
- (2) 12-ounce bags of fresh cranberries
- 3 large Honeycrisp apples peeled, cored, and chopped
- Juice from 2 oranges or ⅓ cup of pure orange juice
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
Crumble Topping
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup oat flour or all-purpose gluten-free baking flour (if not gluten-free, may use whole wheat flour)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350˚F.
- Peel, core, and chop the apples. Combine the apples, cranberries, orange juice, and maple syrup in a large mixing bowl. Mix well and pour into a 9×13 baking dish (affiliate link).
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the Crumble Topping ingredients and stir until everything is well combined. Then, evenly spread the mixture on top of the cranberries and apples.
- Bake, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes until the apples are tender, the filling is bubbling, and the crumble is golden brown.
- Remove and serve as is or top with homemade vegan whipped cream.
Notes
Serve as is or top with vegan whipped cream. This also makes a great breakfast dish.
Can this be made in advance? Yes! Prepare and bake the crisp as directed, let it cool completely, then cover it and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to enjoy. To reheat, cover loosely with foil so the crumble top doesn’t burn, and place in a preheated oven at 350˚F for 15 minutes or until it warms through.
How do I store leftovers? You can store leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Can I freeze it? Yes! Bake the crisp according to recipe instructions and allow to cool completely. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
What apples are best for a fruit crisp? Honeycrisp apples are my favorite. But, you’ll want to use apples that are firm and sweet to offset the tartness of the cranberries. Soft apples will break down into apple sauce when you cook them. Some of my other preferences are Pink Lady, Granny Smith (more tart), Braeburn, and Jonagold.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 510
- Sugar: 80.6 g
- Sodium: 66.9 mg
- Fat: 6.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 108.4 g
- Fiber: 8.4 g
- Protein: 5.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: cranberry apple crisp, cran apple crisp, apple cranberry crisp, apple cranberry dessert, holiday, vegan dessert recipes
Just made this today. It’s definitely tart, maybe my Honeycrisps weren’t sweet enough. Even with the whipped cream, I’ll need to drizzle a little maple syrup to lower the pucker factor. Love your idea about adding chopped dates, I’ll try that next time. Also, mine took between an hour and 15 minutes to and hour and a half to bake. Ovens sure vary. Thank you for another good oil free recipe!
★★★★
Is there a substitute for almond flour?
You could leave it out and use an equal amount of your preference.
Can you suggest a substitute for the oats? I can’t tolerate grains, legumes or gluten. Many thanks!! I love your recipes and have tried many with great success!
Hi, Dawn! I would try subbing in a variety of nuts and mixing them with some almond flour and maple syrup. It should crust up nicely.
Shane, what do you use so the substance you put in the pan doesn’t stick?
Do you use parchment paper?
★★★★★
You can use parchment paper. But, I use a regular baking dish without anything and it works fine. I’m a big fan of stoneware.
I only have all purpose flour on hand. Will that work for the topping?
Yes, absolutely!
I made this today. It was really good. I used frozen cranberries. I think next time I’ll use more apples.
★★★★★
Yes, cranberries are tart little things:) You could also add a bit more maple syrup as well or chop up a few dates.
Can I use frozen cranberries?
Absolutely!
★★★★★
I just made this today and we all loved it! Super delicious hot or cold.
★★★★★
Do the apples have to been peeled?
Not at all.
I made this and I loved it! I would like to make this for a friend; however, she’s allergic to cranberries. Would tart cherries work as a substitute for the cranberries?
★★★★★
Absolutely! Really, you could sup any fruit.