This vegan gluten-free apple pie recipe has caramel kissed apples tucked into a vegan gluten-free almond tart crust with cinnamon-spiced breadcrumb crisp topping. Add an extra drizzle of vegan caramel on top with a scoop of ice cream!

This post is sponsored by Little Northern Bakehouse, a long-term partner of Snixy Kitchen

For the holidays this year, I’ll be bringing this vegan gluten-free apple crisp tart topped with cinnamon breadcrumbs and caramel for dessert. I’ll also be bringing loads of mixed-media 3D preschooler art as gifts.

Dessert is a guaranteed home run. The gift part could go either way for you – you might get an instrument made of rocks taped between two jar lids or a homemade kite. You might also get the construction paper “chipmunk” I fished out of the curbside school recycling bin yesterday when a lip quiver threatened a full meltdown because she had to sleep with it last night. She did. And again tonight. She’s all cozied up a piece of construction paper in bed right now. 

Meanwhile, I’m cozied up with a slice of this vegan gluten-free caramel apple tart with cinnamon breadcrumbs. And a scoop of vanilla ice cream. My nightly mom reward.

Vegan Gluten-Free Apple Pie with Breadcrumbs

There’s four main components that take this vegan gluten-free apple tart from plain apple pie to spectacular gluten-free apple dessert:

• Vegan Gluten-Free Tart Crust that’s crumbly and nutty like a shortbread cookie. 
• Granny Smith Apples sliced paper thin so they’ll bake up super soft without over-baking the crust.
• Vegan Caramel Sauce that tastes rich and sweet as the buttery creamy counterpart. You’ll want to put this on everything.
• Cinnamon-Spiced Breadcrumbs that bake up crispy atop the warm cooked apples.

Gluten-Free Apple Pie in a Tart Crust

Melding these ingredients together, the result is a classic apple pie mashed up with an apple crisp – all nestled into a tart pan. A spiced caramel apple filling gets baked into a gluten-free vegan almond flour tart crust then topped with cinnamon-spiced breadcrumbs. Then an extra drizzle of caramel for good measure

This gluten-free apple tart gives classic apple pie a run for its money with new texture and flavor profiles that are the perfect pairing for a sweet warm apple pie filling.

Cinnamon-kissed maple breadcrumbs bake up extra crisp and the nutty tender tart crust crumbles like buttery shortbread.

Breadcrumb Crisp – Gluten-Free Brown Betty Style

Using breadcrumbs for apple crisp is actually nothing new – the idea comes from the classic American dessert called Brown Betty, where spiced apples are topped with sweetened breadcrumbs and baked – similar to a cobbler or crisp. Only way easier! And way easier to make gluten-free and vegan too!

Just whirl fresh bread slices of Little Northern Bakehouse’s gluten-free & vegan bread in a food processor (or roughly chop/tear them up), then toss with coconut oil, sugar, and spice. Sprinkle them on top of your tart and they’ll crisp up as it bakes. 

Not all gluten-free loaves are vegan, but many of Little Northern Bakehouse’s are and they’re perfect for turning into a breadcrumb crisp topping! Their loaves have enough chewy texture that they don’t turn to cardboard crumbles when tossed in the food processor. They’re also packed with nutrients and made with ingredients I can trust. For this crisp, I recommend their millet & chia loaf because of it’s smooth texture and neutral flavor profile.

You’ll need just two slices of Little Northern Bakehouse’s gluten-free bread for the crisp on top of this tart, so plan ahead and use the rest of the loaf for pumpkin bread pudding, quick stovetop berry crisps, or vegan gluten-free stuffing. 

How to Make Vegan Fruit Tart Crust

Most tart crusts are traditionally made with cold butter, similar to shortbread. To make a vegan fruit tart crust, replace the butter with firm but room temperature coconut oil and add a bit of ice water to bring it all together (a tip from my girl Alanna of The Bojon Gourmet). Using flavorful gluten-free flours like almond and sorghum keep the crust interesting in its own right and a hint of cinnamon makes it taste like a holiday cookie.

Vegan tart crusts are more prone to sticking to your pan, even a non-stick tart pan, because it doesn’t have the butter to help lift it away from the pan. To prevent that, brush a THICK layer of coconut oil in the crevices and bottom of the tart pan – the coconut oil for brushing should be soft like mayonnaise, but not melted. Then pop the tart pan in the freezer to harden up the coconut oil while you prepare the crust. This will ensure there’s a well-greased barrier between the crust and the pan!

More Gluten-Free Apple Dessert Recipes

• Gluten-Free German Apple Cake
• Gluten-Free Apple Pound Cake from Salted Plains
• Tart Cherry Apple Oven Pancake from Heartbeet Kitchen
• Apple Tart Tatine from The Bojon Gourmet
• Cinnamon Sugar Apple Fries with Coconut Custard from The Kitchen McCabe

Disclosure: Special thanks to Little Northern Bakehouse for sponsoring this post! Find more Little Northern Bakehouse inspiration on Facebook  or Instagram. And thanks to you for supporting the brands that keep Snixy Kitchen cooking!