Healthy Apple Cranberry Crisp Made with Monk Fruit

This healthy apple cranberry crisp is filled with delicious tart cranberries, sweet apples, and no added sugar thanks to my secret ingredient. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

I decided to eek out one last delicious recipe using the fall flavors – apples and cranberries – all which I’ve love dearly.

I created this gluten-free apple cranberry crisp recipe with no sugar. You might be wondering how in the world I was able to pull that off. Cranberries are tart and require a lot of sugar if you’re baking them in a dessert.

My secret is that I used monk fruit sweetener by ZenSweet. ZenSweet’s monk fruit sweetener measures cup for cup with regular sugar, and it tastes legit.

If your recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, you can simple swap it for 1 cup of ZenSweet’s monk fruit sweetener.

If it calls for 1 cup of brown sugar, swap it for 1 cup of ZenSweet monk fruit sweetener + 1 teaspoon of molasses.

I’ll walk you through, step-by-step, how to make this delicious, cozy and healthy-ish fall dessert.

Step #1: Gather Your Ingredients

For the filling, you’ll need:

• 4 red apples, cut into bite-sized pieces (approximately 6 cups of cut-up apples)
• 3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 cup ZenSweet monk fruit sweetener
• 3 tbsp gluten-free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend. You could also swap for almond flour or other flour of choice. Results may vary.)

For the topping, you’ll need:

• 1 1/2 cups of gluten-free quick cook oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Quick Cook Oats)
• 1/2 cup gluten-free flour (see above)
• 1/2 cup ZenSweet monk fruit sweetener
• 1/2 tsp molasses (optional)
• 1/2 cup melted butter (I used vegan butter by Earth Balance to keep this dish dairy free and vegan)
• 1/4 cup crushed pecans (optional)

Step #2: Create the Filling

In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients and mix well, then add mixture to a 9×13″ Pyrex baking dish and set aside.

Step #3: Create Topping

Combine all the topping ingredients in a large bowl, mixing everything together well.

Evenly spread the mixture on top of the filling and place in a 350º F preheated oven.

Bake crisp for 50-55 minutes until the top is lightly browned and the filling is bubbling. Allow it to rest a few minutes before serving. It can be served warm or cold.

Easy and Delicious

As you can see, making this healthy apple cranberry crisp with monk fruit is easier than you think, and the fact that it contains no added sugar is extra sweet in my book!

A few more ideas:

Flour Swaps: If you’re avoiding all grains, use almond or cassava flour instead of a gluten-free flour blend. Your results may vary in taste, but you’ll still rock a delicious apple cranberry crisp at the end of the day.

Butter Swaps: If you don’t mind dairy, you can use regular butter. I buy Earth Balance buttery sticks that measure 1/2 cup each, making measuring vegan butter a breeze. I microwave it on low for about a minute to get gently melted, but not scorched, melted butter.

Oat Swaps: I love using oats, and you can safely eat oats on a gluten-free diet. Just make sure they’re labeled “gluten free” somewhere on the package. (Read more about the perils of regular oats in this article.) If you don’t eat or can’t tolerate oats, you can use quinoa flakes. You can also use rolled oats vs. quick cook oats.

Sugar Swaps: If you want to use real sugar for this recipe, vs. ZenSweet monk fruit sweetener, follow these instructions:

• For the filling, use 1 cup of granulated sugar in place of ZenSweet
• For the topping, use 1/2 packed brown sugar and omit ZenSweet sugar and molasses.

Working with Monk Fruit

Research shows that monk fruit sweeteners do not raise blood sugar levels in humans, and it’s why many people with diabetes use it as a prefered sugar substitute. It’s also very popular in keto baking.

Monk fruit comes from a small, green gourd that looks like a melon. It’s grown in Southeast Asia and the monk fruit sweetener we use today comes from the fruit’s extract.

It’s often blended with other ingredients, as in the case of ZenSweet’s monk fruit sweetener, to balance the sweetness as monk fruit is 150-200 times sweeter than sugar. It contains no calories, carbohydrates, sodium, or fat.

ZenSweet is a blend of erythritol, soluble prebiotic fiber, and monk fruit. 

If you’re baking sugar free, check out my Monk Fruit Sweetened Chocolate Chip Cookies. These are delicious, moist cookies made with almond flour and, you guessed it, ZenSweet monk fruit.

More monk fruit recipes to come… I love this sugar substitute!