Simple Fruit Crumble

Warm fruit, cinnamon, oats, and raisins come together for a naturally sweet treat that tastes like dessert without needing butter, oil, or added sugar. Simple enough for breakfast, sweet enough for dessert!

Warm, sweet, and comforting—proof that dessert can be simple, whole-food, and still ʻono! 🍎🌱

Serves 1–2

Ingredients

• 1 large apple, diced

• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce

• ⅓ cup rolled oats

• 1 Tbsp raisins

• ½ tsp cinnamon, or to taste

  
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Toss the diced apple with a spoonful of applesauce and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

3. Place the apples in a small oven-safe baking dish.

4. Mix the remaining applesauce with the oats and raisins.

5. Spoon the oat mixture evenly over the apples.

6. Bake for about 20–25 minutes, until the apples are tender and the top is lightly browned. Enjoy warm!

   
   

Make It Your Own

Make it local: Swap the apple for 1–1½ cups of fresh mango for a naturally sweet tropical crumble. Mango cooks faster than apple, so bake just until warm and the oat topping is lightly browned.

Change the fruit: Try pears, peaches, berries, or a combination of whatever fruit is ripe and available.

Add more spice: Try nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, or pumpkin pie spice along with the cinnamon.

Make it tropical: Add diced banana, pineapple, or papaya after baking for a little extra Hawai'ian flavor.

Want more crunch? Sprinkle a small amount of chopped walnuts or pecans on top. Remember, nuts are nutritious but calorie- and fat-dense, so a little goes a long way.

Make it breakfast: Double the oats and enjoy it warm as an easy fruit-and-oat breakfast.

DDD Tip: Fruit can be dessert! Let cinnamon, ripe fruit, and a little creativity do the sweetening.

🌱 Why This Dessert Works

Dessert doesn't have to mean refined sugar, white flour, butter, and oil. Here, the sweetness comes primarily from whole fruit, while apples and oats provide fiber that helps slow digestion and keeps the meal more satisfying.

Apples contain soluble fiber, including pectin, which feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Oats bring additional soluble fiber, including beta-glucan, which is especially well known for helping lower LDL cholesterol and supporting cardiovascular health—important because diabetes and heart disease often travel together.

Because whole fruit contains water, fiber, and nutrients along with its natural sugars, it is very different from getting sweetness from candy, pastries, or sugary drinks. This crumble is a simple example of one of our favorite Ditch Da Diabetes lessons: instead of giving up dessert, change what dessert is made from. 🍎🌱