Gluten-Free Baked Stuffed Apples (with dairy-free and vegan options!)

Name: Gluten-Free Baked Stuffed Apples
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Ingredients: 3 large apples (honey crisp or granny smith work well); 1/2 cup brown sugar (use vegan if necessary); 1/4 cup gluten-free flour blend; 1/4 cup gluten-free certified oats (use purity protocol oats if possible); 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 cup unsalted butter (cold, cubed into tiny pieces (use vegan butter if necessary)); 1/2 cup water

These easy gluten-free baked stuffed apples are just what you need when you're looking for a sweet treat. They taste just like apple crisp!

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A photo of baked apple topped with ice cream and gluten-free streusel on a plate.

Craving an apple pie but don’t want to go through all the effort? These easy baked stuffed apples are just what you need!

They’re simple to throw together and perfectly portioned for parties and entertaining! Just serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a sweet treat.

Some people like to hollow out a whole apple and stuff with streusel, but I like to slice my apples in half instead. The gluten-free streusel to apple ratio is higher, which is obviously always a good idea in my book!

Here’s What You’ll Need

Ingredients: crisp apples, brown sugar, gluten-free flour blend, gluten-free certified oats, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, salt, butter (or vegan butter)

Equipment:

Baking dish
Whisk
Apple Corer
Ice cream scoop

An overhead shot of ingredients labeled to make gluten-free baked stuffed apples.

Why I love this recipe

This recipe is so easy to make and perfect for when you have some extra apples laying around. In fact, you can easily cut this recipe in half or double it, depending on how many apples you have!

Baked apples are a great Fall dessert that is reminiscent of apple pie, without all the fuss of rolling out the pie dough!

What makes this recipe gluten-free?

This recipe is made gluten-free by using a gluten-free flour blend and gluten-free certified oats.

These easy swaps make this recipe gluten-free! Of course, if you aren’t gluten-free, feel free to make this recipe with regular oats and all-purpose flour using the same measurements!

An overhead photo of baked apple with gluten-free streusel.

A note about oats

Oats are a hot topic in the gluten-free community. Oats are often cross-contaminated in the fields with wheat, so ensure your oats are gluten-free certified or even better yet, purity protocol oats.

Purity protocol oats are the best options since they require the strictest form of testing to eliminate cross-contamination as much as possible.

Purity protocol oats are typically grown in fields that have not grown gluten for a specified amount of years. Each manufacturer’s protocol is different – so be sure to check with suppliers and manufacturers to see what their rules and policies are.

Also, keep in mind that some people who have celiac disease are not able to tolerate oats even if they are certified gluten-free. You can always omit the oats in this recipe and use more gluten-free flour or even use chopped nuts in place of the oats!

Vegan and Dairy-Free Options

Butter – To make this recipe dairy-free and vegan, use a vegan butter substitute in this recipe. I have used Earth Balance buttery spread in this recipe with great success. You can use coconut oil or shortening as well, but it won’t have the butter flavor in the crisp topping so I don’t recommend it as much.
Brown sugar – Brown sugar is typically made from refined sugar with the addition of molasses. Refined sugar is sometimes not vegan because it can be processed with bone char. Be sure to check your brown sugar sources to confirm it is vegan if necessary!

How to make baked stuffed apples

Whisk together gluten-free streusel ingredients: gluten-free flour, gluten-free certified oats, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and salt.

An overhead photo of a bowl with brown sugar, gluten-free oats, gluten-free flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

An overhead photo of a bowl of gluten-free streusel mixed together.

Then, add in the butter and mix together until combined. It’s okay if you still have some clumps of butter.

A bowl of gluten-free streusel ingredients with chunks of butter in it.

A bowl of gluten-free streusel mixed together.

Core and slice your apples in half and place them in a baking dish, cut side up. Spoon the gluten-free streusel into the apple halves. Add 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the baking dish. Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes, until tender.

An overhead photo of apple halves stuffed with gluten-free streusel.

A photo of a baked apple stuffed with gluten-free streusel.

FAQs

Are oats gluten-free?

Oats do not contain gluten, however, they are frequently cross-contamination with gluten in the growing, milling, sorting and packaging processes. Therefore, you should always purchase gluten-free certified oats. Purity protocol oats are the best option as they are typically grown in fields that have not grown gluten for a specified amount of years.

I can’t tolerate oats, can I leave them out?

Yes, if you can’t tolerate oats you can substitute them with additional gluten-free flour or even some nuts or oat-free granola.

What gluten-free flour blend can I use?

I’ve successfully used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Flour Blend, and Namaste Gluten-Free Flour Blend. Use any gluten-free flour that is meant to be substituted cup-for-cup with all-purpose flour.

Can I double this recipe?

You sure can! Just double the ingredients and use a 9×13″ baking dish to store all of your apples for baking. Similarly, you can cut this recipe in half if you want less servings.

Is the water necessary to add?

The water helps so that the apples stay really moist and don’t dry out. They also help the apple soften. You can leave the water out if you’d like, just know your apples will be a little firmer.

A photo of an apple stuffed with gluten-free streusel and topped with a scoop of ice cream.

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