This Gluten-Free Caramel Apple Skillet Crisp combines tart Granny Smith apples with silky date caramel, gluten-free oats, and toasted pecans. It’s vegan and perfect served warm with ice cream.
This skillet crisp has everything you need.
Tender cinnamon-spiced apples coated in a creamy date caramel, topped with a crunchy oat and pecan crumble. A final drizzle of date caramel and a scoop of vanilla ice cream make this dessert irresistible.
Caramel Apple Skillet Crisp Ingredients
To keep this dessert naturally sweet and dairy-free, the recipe uses a date-based caramel made from Medjool dates, a little maple syrup, non-dairy milk, and vanilla. It provides a rich, caramel-like sauce without cream, butter, or refined sugar, and it’s naturally gluten-free when using certified gluten-free oats.
Ingredients
Major ingredients you’ll need:
- Medjool dates
- Almond or coconut milk (unsweetened)
- Maple syrup
- Granny Smith apples
- Lemon juice
- Arrowroot starch or cornstarch
- Coconut sugar
- Gluten-free oats
- Pecans (raw)
- Vegan butter or coconut oil
- Ground cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
Substitutions
Here are simple swaps to adapt the recipe to what you have on hand:
- If you don’t have arrowroot starch, cornstarch works fine.
- If vegan butter is unavailable, use coconut oil.
- Any unsweetened plant milk (oat, soy, cashew) can replace almond milk.
- Other apple varieties will work—just expect a different sweetness level than Granny Smith.
If you’re serving this at a holiday meal, it pairs beautifully with other gluten-free desserts and fruity crisps for variety.
For more fruit-based crisps, nectarine-peach or strawberry crisps make excellent seasonal alternatives.
More Gluten-Free Apple Desserts
Try these other gluten-free apple recipes for more dessert inspiration.
Gluten-Free Apple Pound Cake
Gluten-Free Apple Crumb Cake
Apple Cobbler with Oat Flour Biscuits
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Caramel Apple Skillet Crisp
Print
Pin
Rate
Save
Ingredients
Date Caramel
- 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted and halved
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup coconut or unsweetened almond milk
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Apple Filling
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter or coconut oil
- 5 Granny Smith apples (about 5 cups peeled and sliced)
- pinch salt
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch or cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Crisp Topping
- 1 cup gluten-free oats
- ¾ cups raw pecans, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter or coconut oil
Instructions
-
Place dates in a blender, cover with hot water and let sit 5 minutes. Drain and return dates to the blender. Add salt, non-dairy milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Blend until smooth and set aside.
-
Heat 2 tablespoons vegan butter or coconut oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-low heat. Add sliced apples and a pinch of salt. Cook 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice, cinnamon, arrowroot (or cornstarch), coconut sugar, and vanilla. Remove from heat.
-
Pour about 1 cup of the date caramel over the apples and stir to coat evenly.
-
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
-
In a medium bowl, combine oats, cinnamon, coconut sugar, chopped pecans, and salt.
-
Add small pieces of chilled vegan butter or coconut oil to the oat mixture and work them in with your fingers until the topping is moistened and crumbly. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples in the skillet.
-
Bake 35–45 minutes until the apples are bubbling and the topping is golden. Watch the pecans so they don’t burn. Serve warm with ice cream and an extra drizzle of date caramel if desired.
-
Store leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat portions in the microwave or oven before serving.