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This gluten-free apple tart has a thick crumb topping and can also be made with traditional all-purpose flour. Enjoy it with a cup of coffee for a sweet breakfast or a delicious Fall dessert.
This tart was the first autumnal thing I’ve baked this year. Before I made it, I had been rolling my eyes at the fall-themed desserts I’d been seeing for the past month on Pinterest and everywhere else.
It’s still summer, right? But after a bite of this tart, my opinion changed. Hand over the apples and apple pie spice!
The crust and topping use a mix of gluten-free flours but if you don’t have those on hand, you should be able to use any all-purpose gluten-free mix.
I obviously haven’t tried them all in this recipe but it should work as long as that flour blend is a 1:1 substitute for all-purpose flour.
The beauty of this crust and crumb topping are how flexible they are. They also work with regular all-purpose flour and white whole wheat if you don’t need this apple tart to be gluten-free.
When you mix the crumb topping together, you’ll probably think that it’s way too much. Like twice what you need. Then when you pile the crumb topping on top of the apples, you’ll probably think I’m daft and start swearing at me. But it bakes down so much! The crumb topping is nice and thick but not too much.
Some of the topping will fall off as you put it on, but it’s easy enough to put right back on. If you’re worried about making a mess, you could probably use a deep-dish pie pan. In that case, you’d probably want to roll the dough out with a rolling pin. I’ve also made this recipe using six 4.75″ mini tart pans. After the initial 10 minutes of baking at 425 °F, I only baked them for another 25 minutes at 350°F rather than the 40-45 that the full-sized tart requires.
I have to admit that I was slightly terrified before cutting that first piece. The crumb topping seemed so firm that it’d crack and make a mess but it slices wonderfully! I waited for the tart to cool completely, though. Cutting it while warm is probably not the best idea if you want it to stay in one piece.
I made this tart in late August and wasn’t quite in the mood for lots of autumnal spices yet but if you’d like, you could use 1 teaspoon (or more!) of apple pie spice in place of the cinnamon and nutmeg in the apple filling.
It does take some time to put this apple tart together but it’s so worth it. If you’re a little low on time, try my gluten-free apple crisp, which is a much quicker, thought not quite as elegant, alternative to this apple crumb tart!
Gluten-Free Apple Tart
Ingredients
For the Crust
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour* all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour can be used for a non-gluten-free version
For the Crumb Topping
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour* all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour can be used for a non-gluten-free version
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter cold
For the Apple Filling
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 4 medium about 1 3/4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into slightly less than 1/4" slices
For Serving
- powdered sugar or vanilla ice cream
- .
Instructions
- For the crust
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter at medium speed using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer until fluffy.
- Add the sugar, egg, vanilla and salt and beat for about 20 seconds. It'll appear curdled at this stage. Gradually add in the flour and beat until well combined.
- Take out a 9" or 10" tart pan with a removable bottom and pat the dough evenly up the sides and over the bottom of the tart pan.
- Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes while preparing the rest of the tart.
For the Crumb Topping
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt.
- Beat in the butter or use your hands or a pastry blender to incorporate it.
- Once well combined, place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill while preparing the apples.
- For the Apple Filling
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together everything except for the apples.
- Then stir in the apples and coat thoroughly in the liquid mixture.
- Take the crust and crumb topping out of the refrigerator.
- Place the apples (and all the juice that has accumulated at the bottom of the bowl) into to unbaked tart crust. Do not worry about placing them in neatly - they will cook down.
- Place the tart on a clean workspace away from the counter's edge. Top with the crumb topping. Note that it will be piled several inches above the rim of the tart pan.
- Place the tart on a baking sheet to catch any spills.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 450°F and then turn the heat down to 350 °F.
- Bake for another 40-45 minutes or until the topping is firm and the filling is bubbling.
- If you notice the topping is browning too quickly, cover it with foil and place the tart on the bottom rack of the oven.
- If not using a 9" or 10" tart pan, you'll need to adjust the baking time accordingly.
- Let cool completely. If you cut into the tart while it's still warm, it may be difficult to cut a clean piece.
- Dust with powdered sugar or top with ice cream.
- Cover and store at room temperature for up to 2 days and then refrigerate any leftovers.
Notes
- 2 cups (320 grams) white rice flour
- 2/3 cup (128 grams) potato starch
- 1/3 cup (40 grams) tapioca flour / starch
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
Before my gluten free days, when my body obeyed instructions, I could make wonderful pie crusts. But my stomach has rebelled. I am a frustrated baker now who must eat gluten free. I am going to use your baking mix for a different recipe, and we will see!
GF pie crusts are difficult. :/ This upside down apple honey cake is one of my favorite recipes and uses this mix. It may even be more delicious than the all-purpose flour version!
Hi! I used your gluten free flour recipe for the tart. But I didn’t blind bake it. Should I have done that? I can’t say we didn’t like it, since it’s mostly gone! But it wasn’t what I expected. Also, I alway weigh gluten free ingredients, so it wasn’t that either. Thanks for your quick reply!
Hmm! Then I’m not really sure. I was thinking that maybe you had used a different mix. And no, no need to blind bake it if you follow the recipe. :) If you use another crust, you might need to do that. I’m happy you still enjoyed it! I wish I knew what could have caused the cakey-ness.
Hi. I made this tonight and it looked beautiful. However, I thought the crust was much too cakey. I like flakey crust or a shortbread- like crust. Do you have any suggestions for a crust is more like either of those? My tart pan is 9″. Thank you!
Hi there! The crust shouldn’t be cakey but rather shortbread-like. What kind of flour did you use? I’ve made and like this recipe, which yields a flaky tart crust for a 9″ pan. However, I blind-baked it. I can’t say for sure how it’d work to put the tart filling on top of the unbaked crust and then baking it. I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it out. Thanks for your comment!
I just made this. I found the amount of sugar required for each element to be way too much so I halved it in most places. It was still too much! The crumble is way too sweet the base doesn’t need sugar at all. Next time I make this I will use two to three tablespoons of sugar in the crumble overall.
I’m sorry you found it too sweet! Do you live outside of the US, by any chance? I’d say this tart is about as sweet as most American tart recipes but when you compare it to a European recipe, it’s definitely sweeter. If you want to reduce the sugar in the topping from 3/4 cup to 2-3 tablespoons I recommend finding a different recipe as removing that much of any ingredient will have likely have a big impact on the crumble’s structure. I hope you could still enjoy it!
Fantastic recipe, thank you for sharing it. It is now a regular at our house we love it so much (only slightly addicted you could say). I did add raspberries to the filling, and coconut and almonds to the crumble to make it more to our tastes. I am in love with the base, your flour mix is the best….I have made it with a regular gluten free mix and now twice with yours and yours wins every time. Thanks for a new addiction!!
I love your changes! I’ll have to try it with raspberries and some coconut. It sounds delicious! And I’m so happy that you like the gluten-free flour mix. I’ve used it in so many recipes and it always seems to work well. Thanks so much for your feedback. :)
I don’t have a tart pan but will be using an aluminum pie pan instead. How long would you suggest I bake it for?
I haven’t tried it but I’m pretty sure an aluminum pie pan would be much too small (at least if they’re the size of the ones I’m familiar with). Do you have a deep dish pie pan? If you don’t and try it out in an aluminum pan, I honestly have no idea of how long it’d take as I’ve never tried. I’d be afraid that the apples would be piled so high that they’d take a really long time to cook and the topping would get too brown.
I have a jar of pre-made apple pie filling. What recommendations do you have, changes to the recipe, for using it instead of starting with fresh apples?
I’m afraid that won’t really work here. The apple filling in this tart isn’t as nearly as juicy as an apple pie. If you want, you could follow the directions on the can for how to use the filling. I’m guessing you should pre-bake the tart crust (maybe 10 minutes at 450°F but this is just a guess!) and then use your filling and the topping.
Im with you on the fall baking lately! Im still loving salads and salsas, but Im pretty dang sure your tart could change my mind as well. It looks amazing. perfect cross between an apple pie and a crisp :) My man’s favorite dessert is apple pie so Im gonna have to try this one out pretty quick.
Thanks, Julie! I hope you and your husband will enjoy the tart. I’m definitely more of an apple crisp person so this tart was perfect for me. And we haven’t had any good summer fruit here for a while so I’m finally ready for fall baking! I think I have about 12 pounds of apple sitting in the kitchen waiting to be used. ;)
I love that piled high crumble top!! So yummy!
Thanks, Katrina! It’s definitely my favorite part.
This looks so delicious! Love that it’s GF!
Thanks, Medha! :)