This healthy apple crisp dessert salad starts with sweet, crisp apples, a creamy cinnamon coating, and easy, stovetop crisp topping. Made with wholesome ingredients, it’s a feel-good bowl you can enjoy any time of day. Breakfast? Yep. Snack? Absolutely. Dessert? Always 😉 It can be made dairy-free, gluten-free, and is refined sugar-free!
The best healthy Dessert Salad
This recipe comes together with three simple parts: crisp apples, creamy yogurt, and a quick stovetop crisp topping. It’s fast, it’s wholesome, and it feels like fall in a bowl (but is just as delicious in the middle of summer). If you love apple crisp and want a healthier snack or treat idea, this is the perfect recipe for you!
Be sure to try my Snickers Apple Salad, too!
Why You’ll Love This Apple Crisp dessert Salad
- Simple ingredients you likely already have at home
- No refined sugar: this is naturally sweetened with maple syrup
- Gluten-free + dairy-free options
- Ready in under 20 minutes
- Tastes like dessert but great as a healthy snack or indulgent breakfast 😉
Recipe video
Ingredients You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full instructions/ingredients! This recipe is incredibly flexible, but here’s the basic structure:
- Fresh apples: use your favorite variety!
- Yogurt: Greek or coconut yogurt (I like unsweetened vanilla)
- Oats: i use certified gluten-free, but use your favorite!
- Coconut oil
- Pecans: this is optional, but adds flavor and crunch and pairs great with apples! You can use any other kind of nuts as well.
- Maple syrup
- Cinnamon, vanilla extract, sea salt
How to Make the Apple Crisp dessert Salad
Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full instructions/ingredients!
Step 1: Cook the Stovetop Granola
Thn a large pan over low-medium heat, melt the coconut oil with the honey. Once melted, add the rolled oats, ground cinnamon, chopped pecans, and salt. Stir everything together and spread the mixture out as flat as you can. Let it cook over low heat for 4 minutes or so before stirring again and laying it flat. Doing this repetitively will help the oats cook faster and ensure they stay crunchy! Be sure not to let the mixture sit without stirring for more than 3-4 minutes or it will burn!
Cook the granola on the stove for about 10 minutes or until the oats are golden. Remove the granola from heat and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before stirring
Step 2: Assemble the apple salad
Dice the apples and add to a jar or bowl. Add the yogurt and cinnamon and toss well to evenly coat all of the apples. Top with the crisp topping and toss again. Enjoy straight away! You can store leftovers in the fridge, however i’d store the crisp topping separately, in an air-tight container.
Tips for the Best Texture + Flavor
- Use a crisp apple variety like Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Fuji.
- Go full-fat yogurt for extra creaminess.
- Make a double batch of crisp topping—it stores well and tastes amazing on everything. Just store in an air-tight container.
Variations to Try
- Dairy-free: Use coconut or almond milk yogurt.
- High-protein version: Mix protein powder into the yogurt.
- Add a drizzle of almond butter or a few white chocolate chips.
How to Store
This recipe is best fresh, but the components store easily:
- Yogurt: 4–5 days in the fridge
- Stovetop granola: Up to 2 weeks in an airtight jar
- Apples: Best sliced fresh to keep them crisp
If you want to meal prep, store each part separately and assemble just before eating for maximum crunch.
More healthy recipes to try
- Snickers apple salad
- Caramel apple frozen S’mores
- Healthy baked apple crumble cheesecake
- Caramel pecan cookie skillet
- Gluten-free apple crisp
- 2 ingredient Rolo’s
- Strawberry cheesecake yogurt parfait
- Chocolate covered strawberry cups
If you try this and love, it’d mean the world to me if you left a star rating & review below! Tag me in your creations on Instagram @danisheatlthyeats – I love to see them!
Apple Crisp Dessert Salad
Ingredients
- 1-2 Apples, chopped
- 1/2-3/4 cup thick greek yogurt or coconut yogurt (vanilla, unsweetened is best)
- 1-2 tbsp maple syrup, honey, or sweetener of choice *if your yogurt is unsweetened.
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
stovetop crisp topping
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
- In a large pan over low-medium heat, melt the coconut oil with the honey. Once melted, add the rolled oats, ground cinnamon, chopped pecans, and salt.
- Stir everything together and spread the mixture out as flat as you can. Let it cook over low heat for 4 minutes or so before stirring again and laying it flat. Doing this repetitively will help the oats cook faster and ensure they stay crunchy! Be sure not to let the mixture sit without stirring for more than 3-4 minutes or it will burn!
- Cook the granola on the stove for about 10 minutes or until the oats are golden. Remove the granola from heat and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before stirring
- Dice the apples and add to a jar or bowl. Add the yogurt and cinnamon and toss well to evenly coat all of the apples. Top with the crisp topping and toss again.
- Enjoy straight away! You can store leftovers in the fridge, however i'd store the crisp topping seperately, in an air-tight container.
