This sugar-free crumble has a deliciously crunchy topping, with naturally sweet fruit beneath. A no-sugar crumble topping is super easy to make. It complements all types of fruit crumble, although I think sugar-free apple and cinnamon crumble is probably the best!
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What you'll love about the recipe
- There's no added sugar in the recipe. The topping is naturally sweetened with ground cinnamon. Optionally, you can add a small amount of sweetener to the topping
- Wholegrain oats, fruit and cinnamon make this a very healthy, low-sugar dessert. If you're cutting down on sugar, adding fibre and spices such as cinnamon give even greater benefits
- Crunchy and delicious, sugar free crumble is a popular family favourite. This type of crumble topping made with oats is also sometimes known as a sugar free crisp
- Gluten-free (use certified GF oats)
Ingredients
Oats. I've used all oats for this sugar-free crumble topping. If you prefer, you can use half flour and half oats.
If you want a gluten free crumble, make sure you use certified oats which have been processed separately from other grains
Butter or you could also use a vegan alternative. As you'll be melting the butter for this super easy recipe, you won't even need to remember to take the butter out of the fridge;)
Cinnamon. I use ground cinnamon in both the sugar-free crumble topping and the fruit base. Cinnamon is a naturally sweet spice, and it's great for when you're craving something sweet but don't want to eat sugar.
Research suggests that cinnamon also has a beneficial effect on your blood sugar levels.
You could also include other sweet spices such as allspice or cardamom, but use less of these as they are much stronger flavoured.
You could also include some vanilla which complements fruits such as rhubarb and strawberries.
Fruit. You'll need about 500g of fruit to make a crumble for 5 people.
Of course some fruits are naturally sweeter than others. The pictures show a sugar free apple crumble, and I find that apples are plenty sweet enough by themselves.
If you are using a tart fruit such as rhubarb or blackcurrants, you might want to include a sweeter fruit such as strawberries or apples as well to add natural sweetness.
You could also add some sultanas or dates for extra sweetness.
Bear in mind that some fruits such as berries are much lower in natural sugars which will reduce both the total sugar content and carb content of the crumble. A blueberry crumble will be much lower in carbs and natural sugars than an apple crumble.
Optional sweetener. Depending on your taste and the fruit you are using, you may want to add some sweetener. Here are some suggestions:
- Honey: add a tablespoonful to the melted butter before stirring in the oats. If you are using a tart fruit such as rhubarb, you could also drizzle a tablespoonful over the fruit
- Maple syrup - use in the same way as honey
- Date syrup gives a lovely rich caramel flavour, rather like brown sugar. Use in the same way as honey
- Unsweetened apple sauce. Add a couple of tablespoons of applesauce to the crumble topping for extra natural sweetness
- Stevia or xylitol - add a tablespoon of these powdered sweeteners to the melted butter
- You could also use a less processed type of sugar such as coconut sugar or molasses
How to make sugar free crumble
This recipe is super quick and easy as there's no rubbing in required.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 fan).
Heat the butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat until melted. Stir in the ground cinnamon and optional sweetener.
Add the oats and stir well until all the oats are coated in melted butter and starting to clump together.
Prepare the fruit base for the crumble, washing, peeling or chopping as appropriate. Add spices to the fruit as desired. I used ground cinnamon with the apples in the picture.
Add the fruit to an oven proof baking dish and top with the crumble mixture.
Bake for 30 minutes. Push a knife down into the crumble to check that the fruit is cooked though. If necessary, cook for an extra 5-10 minutes.
Recipe tips
- Some fruits such as berries will produce quite a lot of juice as they cook down. I like to thicken the juices with either ground almonds or cornflour. See this berry crumble recipe for details.
- If you'd like a slightly less crunchy crumble topping, replace up to half of the oats with flour.
Serving
Serve your sugar-free crumble either hot, cold or warm, it's delicious either way. You can store leftover crumble in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You might like to add some healthy homemade custard - simply replace the spoonful of sugar in the custard recipe with an alternative sweetener.
Frequently asked questions
If you want to make an apple crumble without sugar, there are plenty of alternatives. Honey, maple syrup and date syrup can all be used. Or use a powdered sweetener such as xylitol. You can even use fruit to sweeten a crumble, either by adding additional sweet fruits such as strawberries or sultanas, or by adding some applesauce to the crumble topping.
Date syrup is a good replacement for brown sugar as it has a rich, satisfying caramel flavour. Because it's less processed than refined sugar, it contains more nutrients. However, remember to use date syrup in small quantities as it's still a form of sugar.
Other healthy crumble recipes
You can also use this sugar free crumble topping to make these other healthy crumble recipes.
Other sugar free recipes
The dessert and cake recipes on Cinnamon and Kale are all low in added sugar and refined sugar. The recipes below are sweetened simply with fruit.
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Recipe
Sugar Free Crumble
Ingredients
- 150 g porridge oats GF certified if required
- 50 g butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 500 g fruit eg apples, rhubarb, berries, pears etc
Optional
- 1 tablespoon sweetener, see notes below
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 fan)
- Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat. Stir in the ground cinnamon and optional sweetener if using.50 g butter, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon sweetener, see notes below
- Add the oats to the melted butter and stir until mixed and clumps start to form.150 g porridge oats
- Wash, prepare and cut your fruit into bite-sized pieces. Add to an oven proof baking dish.500 g fruit
- Add the sugar free crumble topping, and spread over the fruit base.
- Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven until golden and crunchy. Pierce the crumble with a sharp knife to ensure that the fruit is cooked through. If necessary, pop the crumble back in the oven for an extra 5-10 minutes.
Notes
- You can replace up to half of the oats with flour if preferred for a less crunchy topping.
- Depending on your taste and the fruit you are using, you may want to add some sweetener. You can use a liquid sweetener such as honey, maple syrup, date syrup or unsweetened apple sauce. Add a tablespoonful to the melted butter. Alternatively, use a powdered sweetener such as stevia or xylitol.
- If you are making the crumble with soft fruit such as berries, peaches or plums, you'll find that quite a lot of juice runs out of the fruit as it cooks. It's nice to thicken the juices into a syrup. Either stir a tablespoon of cornflour or ground almonds into the fruit before adding the topping.
- If you want to reduce the natural sugars in the recipe, use a lower sugar fruit such as berries.
David Johnson says
How much olive oil if substituting for the butter?
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi, you can substitute the butter with 50ml of olive oil.
Eva says
I like the idea of melting the butter instead of rubbing it in👍 It may sound weird lol but I sometimes use a good quality olive oil in crumble 😋
Wendy Faulkner says
Yes, it's so easy isn't it, I'm not sure I'll go back to rubbing in! Good idea re the olive oil - I sometimes use it to make a dairy free crumble, and also to make pastry.