This is the best vegan apple crumble recipe because it is a delightful contrast of textures—a soft and tender caramel apple filling nestled beneath a layer of crispy, golden-brown grated dough. As you take a bite, you will experience the satisfying crunch of this crumble topping, followed by sweet cinnamon apples. It is best served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

A black skillet from above with diced apples in caramel sauce, crumble topping and 2 scoops of yellow ice cream. 2 small whie bowls is filled with the apple crumble hence there is a part missing in the skillet.

Do you like crisps and crumbles? We have plenty of delicious vegan dessert recipes like vegan caramel apple crisp pie, vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp, vegan blueberry crisp, vegan plum crumble, and vegan lemon blueberry crumble pie.

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What to expect?
Ingredients
Instructions
Cooking tips
Variations
Equipment
Storing tips
More fruity vegan dessert recipes
Vegan Caramel Apple Crumble

What to expect?

Our apple crisp pie inspired this recipe, where we used coconut sugar to create a heavenly dark caramel apple filling. Imagine tender apple slices coated in a smooth caramel sauce with a hint of cinnamon—a true slice of dessert heaven.

But that’s not all. Let’s talk about the crumble topping. Forget the usual crumbling technique. Have you ever tried grating the dough? I remember my mom’s grated chocolate shortbread crumble bars with a sweet and tangy cottage cheese filling—simply divine.

The grated dough topping takes the texture of this vegan apple crumble to a whole new level. When you grate the dough using a large-hole cheese grater, it transforms into delicate, fine shreds that create a light and airy texture. These grated dough pieces bake perfectly, forming a delectable crust that beautifully complements the juicy apple filling.

2 small white bowls with diced apples in caramel sauce, crumble topping and a scoop of yellow ice cream. A black skillet is in the background with the remaining crumbles.

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Ingredients

Crumble

Buckwheat flour
Rice flour
Tapioca starch → tapioca starch substitutes
Cane sugar
Dairy-free butter

Caramel apple filling

Apples
Cinnamon – No apple recipe is complete without cinnamon.
Molasses – I used just a dollop to deepen the caramel flavor.
Coconut sugar – You can use white sugar, brown sugar, or cane sugar, but coconut sugar adds a dark caramel flavor.
Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
Cornstarch + water

🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Instructions

Making a caramel apple filling

Wash, peel, core, and slice the apples. For a fast finish, I use my handy, easy-to-use apple corer that also cuts the apple into 8. Then I diced them evenly.

Use a large saucepan or a cast-iron skillet and pre-heat it over medium heat.
Add the diced apples, lemon juice, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and molasses. Stir until combined. Cook it over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Mix cornstarch with water in a small bowl (called slurry) when the apples are cooked but not mushy.
Add the slurry to the cooked apples and mix vigorously. Try to pull the apple slices to the side, so the slurry is added to the liquid part. It will thicken within a minute!

A black skillet from above with diced apples in caramel sauce.

Making the best crumble topping

Measure up all ingredients: buckwheat flour, rice flour (white or brown), tapioca starch, vegan butter (cold, not room temperature), cold water, and cane sugar.
Take your food processor and add all the above ingredients. Mix and pulse until you get the dough together.

Open food processor from above with the ingredients of vegan gluten-free pie crust, different white and brown powders and yellow cubes of butter

Shape the dough as a brick and wrap it tight in a plastic wrap.

Hands are holding a dough shaped like a brick wrapped in plastic wrap.

Place it in the freezer (quick freeze compartment) for 15-30 minutes. A long, thin shape freezes faster than a ball.
When the time is up, grate the dough on the caramel apple slices with a large hole cheese grater.

A hand is holding a large hole cheese grater and a frozen dough and about to grate it on top of a black cast iron skillet full of caramel apple slices.

Gently spread it with your fingers, but don’t pat it down.

Black cast-iron skillet with grated crumbles.

Baking the apple crumble

Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit (ca. 177 °C). Place the apple crumble in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes. It is ready when the crumble is crunchy and light brown. Serve it with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream or two. Absolutely delicious!

A black skillet from above full of crumble topping and 2 scoops of yellow ice cream.

Cooking tips

How to thicken the apple filling? – Don’t add the starch directly to the apple filling. You will get lumps if you do so! The best way is to mix the starch with a bit of water separately and add it to the caramel sauce as a so-called slurry.
Don’t overbake it – If you leave the apple crumble in the oven for too long, and the crumble topping gets too dark, it will not be crunchy but hard to bite on. We use rice flour and buckwheat flour, which only turns light golden brown, which is enough.
Sliced apple or chopped apple? – As you prefer, we turn sliced apples into juicy caramel apple filling in our vegan apple crisp pie recipe.
Can you freeze the dough overnight? – You can prepare the crumble dough in advance. If you want to leave it in the freezer overnight or longer, thaw it on the kitchen counter before grating. Otherwise, it will be too hard to grate.

Variations

Nutty: Add a handful of chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans to the apple filling for an extra crunch and a delightful nutty flavor.
Spiced: Enhance the warming flavors of cinnamon by incorporating additional spices such as nutmeg, cloves, or ginger. Add a bit to the dough as well.
Stone fruits: I love mixing apples with pears, peaches, or plums.
Berries: For a fruity twist, mix in a handful of fresh or frozen berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries, with the diced apples. I also love it with raisins and dried cranberries.

Small white bowl with diced apples in caramel sauce, crumble topping and a scoop of yellow ice cream. A black skillet is in the background with the remaining crumbles.

Equipment

I prefer using a glass pie dish or a ceramic pie dish if I use an uncooked filling. If I need to pre-cook the filling, I like using our cast-iron skillet from UnoCasa.

Storing tips

Make sure to let this vegan apple crumble cool completely. Don’t store it in the cast-iron skillet. Transfer it to an airtight container before placing it in the fridge. It will stay fresh and delicious for up to four days in the refrigerator.

If you want to keep it even longer, you can freeze it for up to three months. To make things easier, use airtight containers for individual servings. Wrapping small portions in aluminum foil or finding space for a whole baking dish can be tricky, so individual containers are a great choice.

When you’re ready to enjoy it again, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. I don’t usually reheat it. Just serve it at room temperature.

Caramel Apple Crumble (Vegan)

What to expect?