Healthy Baked Apple Dessert (Gluten-Free)
I love making a healthy baked apple dessert around this time of year! In-season, crisp and juicy apples, warm spices, filling oats and all natural ingredients come together to create the perfect anti-cancer, gluten-free apple dessert. You won’t even realize it’s not apple pie. It’s THAT GOOD.
Be Sure To Try My Healthy Sweet Potato Crisp Next!
Benefits of Eating Apples
Apples are in season (August through November), which means they have the highest concentration of polyphenols. The antioxidant Quercetin mostly derives from apples, which is the driver for your body absorbing zinc and other key vitamins and minerals. The reason I call this “anti-cancer” is because this dessert is full of polyphenols, nutrients your body needs to reduce oxidative stress, decrease inflammation, and restore the body to health. Every ingredient does just that!
Apples are high in fiber, low in calories, and contain a host of essential nutrients. Plus, they’re so easy to like because you can eat them plain, build a dessert around them, or enjoy them in savory dishes too. They’re truly one of the most versatile foods readily available to us. Eating an apple a day is truly so important, and right now is the time to enjoy them at their freshest!
create your own
Recipe Keeper
Real food for everyday life
Take your favorite family recipes and make a treasured keepsake that can be passed down through the family. No body will look at your Pinterest boards someday, but they will love pouring themselves over your Recipe Keeper as they reminisce about the meals you created.
Best Apples for Gluten-Free Apple Dessert
Did you know there are around 7,500 apple varieties throughout the world? It’s wild to think that we’ve each probably consumed only a fraction of these varieties in our lifetime. When it comes to making an apple dessert, really any apple will do; however, some are more dessert-friendly than others. I use Gala apples in my healthy baked apple dessert, but there are a few other options you could try!
- Gala- balanced sweetness
- Granny Smith- tart, cuts the sweetness
- Braeburn- sharp, sweet/tart
- Pink Lady- sweet/tart, very firm
- Honeycrisp- sweet, crisp, juicy
Pro Tip: Ensure your apples are firm or crisp; softer apples will likely turn to mush when baking. Mix a couple different varieties for a twist on taste!
Best Oats for a Healthy Baked Apple Dessert
I buy my oats from Azure Standard, but Amazon carries them too. They are organic, sprouted, and naturally gluten-free all of which is great for gut health.
sprouted oats available here
How To Make Gluten-Free Apple Dessert
Prepping this wholesome dessert that’s reminiscent of apple crisp or apple pie is actually easier than both! There’s less chopping and assembling. Here’s how to do it:
First, preheat your oven and while that’s heating up, cut six apples in half and remove the core. Next, in a large glass baking dish, arrange all 12 slices, flesh side up. Spoon a tablespoon of raisins into the center of each.
Now we’re going to add our spices, a drizzle of honey, and pour the water or juice into the bottom of the pan. This liquid is necessary to achieve the steam that will bake the apples in the oven.
Mix the crumble topping ingredients together and scoop about a tablespoon into each center. Cover the entire dish with foil or glass lid and bake for 30 minutes covered. Then, bake for an additional 20 minutes uncovered. The apple dessert will be ready when the apples are fork-tender.
How To Serve
With a serving of Greek yogurt, you could easily call this breakfast. Serve up an individual portion to each kid as a special treat in their lunchbox, or as a dessert for each family member or guest at Sunday dinner. Sweeten it up even more with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream. To keep this dessert low carb, skip the oatmeal topping, but it definitely adds a delicious element to the whole dish.
Don’t forget to check out these other yummy gluten-free apple recipes! Whether you are using up that bounty from the orchard, the farmer’s market, or the bag you picked up at the store, apples are the perfect go-to for healthy eating this time of year!
other recipes you may enjoy:
- Apple Muffin Recipe with Oats
- Ultimate Anti-Cancer Salad with Apples
- Simple Boiled Apples
- Instant Pot Veggie Applesauce
Healthy Baked Apple Dessert (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 6 organic apples I used Gala
- 1 cup organic raisins
- cinnamon
- honey
- 1/2 cup juice or water any kind of juice
Optional Oatmeal Topping
- 1 cup organic quick oats
- 1/4 cup date sugar or coconut sugar
- 4 Tbsp melted coconut oil or butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Cut 6 apples in half and remove the core.
- In a 9X13 glass baking dish, arrange all 12 apple halves.
- Spoon raisins into each center, about 1 Tbsp each.
- Sprinkle the apples with cinnamon, and drizzle with honey.
- Pour juice into the bottom of the pan.
- Optional: If adding the topping, mix the topping ingredients, then scoop individual portions (about 1 Tbsp) onto the tops of each apple.
- Cover with foil or a glass lid, and bake covered for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and continue baking uncovered for 20 minutes, or until apples are fork-tender.
- Serve apples warm with yogurt, whipped cream, or ice cream.
Post Disclaimer
This page contains affiliate links. When you purchase through them, you help support Homemaker on a Budget. Thank you for being part of this community!
