There's no need to miss out with this dairy free apple crumble. Crumble without butter is every bit as delicious as the original, with a crisp biscuity topping, and soft apples underneath.
What you'll love about the recipe
- A quick and easy dairy-free dessert
- Wholegrain oats, wholemeal flour and olive oil make this a healthy pudding
- A great family favourite, popular with both adults and children
- You can make the topping ahead and bake it later. Also freezes well.
- Dairy free apple crumble is also vegan
Of course, you could also add this dairy-free crumble topping to other recipes such as this healthy rhubarb crumble, or peach and raspberry crumble.
Ingredients
Apples. It's best to use cooking apples to make a good apple crumble. In the UK Bramleys are generally available. They cook down easily to a soft fluffy texture.
If you can only get dessert apples, I'd suggest pre-cooking them on the stove first otherwise they may remain hard.
Cinnamon. I like to add a little cinnamon to both the topping and the apples, but if you don't like cinnamon, you can omit it or use another spice. Nutmeg, allspice and cloves also go well with apple. (Use half the amount as they are stronger than cinnamon.) Or use ground mixed spice.
Oats. I like to include oats in a crumble topping as they give it a lovely texture. Porridge, rolled or old fashioned oats are all suitable. Jumbo oats will give a very chunky texture, instant oats will be much finer.
Wholemeal plain flour. I prefer to use wholemeal flour in this dairy free crumble as it gives a lovely nutty flavour and texture. It's a little bit like crumbled digestive biscuits.
Of course you can use white flour if you prefer. If you've only got self raising flour, you can use that too. Just omit the baking powder.
Baking powder. A small amount of baking powder slightly lightens the crumble topping, but it's not essential.
Olive oil. Instead of using butter which you'd find in a conventional recipe, this dairy free apple crumble is made with olive oil. As well as being dairy free and vegan, it's also lower in saturated fat.
Olive oil is rich in polyphenols which have proven health benefits. And although you might associate olive oil with savoury recipes, it makes fantastic crumble, pastry and scones. It's also really simple to use as it mixes into flour very easily.
Sugar. You'll need just a couple of tablespoons of sugar to sweeten the topping. You can use white or brown sugar. I find the apples are sweet enough without adding sugar.
Optional ingredients
You can add 50 g of raisins or sultanas if you'd like a little extra sweetness. Or use this topping to make an apple and mincemeat crumble, or blackberry and apple crumble.
How to make dairy free apple crumble
Make the crumble topping first. I prefer to use a food processor.
Add the oats, flour, baking powder, sugar, half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and olive oil to the bowl of the food processor and blitz briefly until mixed.
You can also make the mixture in a bowl with a spoon - you'll have a slightly chunkier topping as the oats will be bigger.
Then prepare your apples. Peel, and cut the flesh away from the core. Cut into slices about 3 mm thick which will cook through evenly.
Pile the apples into your baking dish and sprinkle with a teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
Top with the dairy free crumble mixture and roughly spread over the apples.
Bake at 160 degrees (140 fan) in a preheated oven for 35 - 40 minutes. The topping should be golden, and the apples easily pierced with the point of a knife.
Serving and storage
You can serve this dairy free apple crumble warm or cold. It's delicious with this dairy free custard.
It'll keep in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. You can also freeze dairy free crumble. Or prep the crumble topping ahead of time and bake it later in the day.
Another way to save time is to make additional crumble topping for freezing. That way, you can make a dairy free crumble in just minutes!
Expert tips
If you are using dessert apples, it's best to cook them on the stove for a few minutes before you make the crumble. Otherwise they tend to remain a little too crunchy and spoil the texture.
Prepare them as per the recipe, and add to a pan with a couple of tablespoons of water. Cover and simmer for about 8-10 minutes until they are starting to soften. Then add to the baking dish and cover with the topping.
Frequently asked questions
Although you can use vegan butter (which is of course diary free), I like to use olive oil to make crumbles and crisps. It adds a lovely texture and is a much healthier option.
Yes, if you prefer, you could substitute coconut oil to make a dairy free apple crumble. Just rub the coconut oil into the flour and oats as you would butter (or use a food processor). Remember, if you use extra virgin coconut oil, you'll end up with quite a strong coconut flavour. If you do not want the flavour of coconut, use non extra virgin oil.
If it's properly cooked, your crumble topping should naturally crisp up. With this olive oil and oat topping, it's important not to have the oven temperature too high as it will burn too quickly. So take your time, and if necessary turn the crumble partway through cooking to ensure it browns evenly.
Other dairy free recipes
As well as dairy free custard, you can also make dairy free porridge which is even creamier than regular oatmeal. Or try some of the delicious dairy free baking recipes below.
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Recipe
Dairy Free Apple Crumble
Equipment
- oven proof baking dish approx 20 cm x 15 cm. Or use individual oven proof dishes
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg cooking apples
- 100 g porridge oats
- 50 g wholemeal plain flour
- 50 ml olive oil
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon sugar
Optional
- 50 g sultanas or raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (140 fan).
- Add the oats, flour, baking powder, sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and olive oil to the bowl of a food processor and briefly blitz to mix. Or add the ingredients to a bowl and stir together.100 g porridge oats, 50 g wholemeal plain flour, 50 ml olive oil, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 2 tablespoon sugar
- Peel the apples and cut the flesh from the core. Cut into slices approximately 3 mm thick.1.2 kg cooking apples
- Add the apple to the baking dish and sprinkle over 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Add the dried fruit if using.50 g sultanas or raisins
- Cover the fruit with the crumble mixture.
- Bake for 35 minutes until golden. Check that the fruit is cooked through with the point of a knife.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is for guidance only
Eleanor says
Love this crumbly topping. Thanks for the recipe!
Wendy says
You are very welcome, thank you.