Eggless Honey-Nutmeg Apple Crumble Bars
Warm spiced apples, golden crumble, and a drizzle of honey — these bars hit every note you want from a fall-inspired bake. The filling layers thinly sliced apples with honey and nutmeg for a fragrant, lightly sweet center that bubbles up beautifully between a pressed oat crust and a scattered crumble top. Because the whole recipe relies on butter, oats, rice flour, and tapioca starch rather than any egg-based binder, it comes together naturally without any substitutions or workarounds. The tapioca starch does double duty here — lending structure to the crust and thickening the apple filling so the bars slice cleanly once cooled. Cold butter worked into the oat-and-flour mixture creates those irresistible clumpy, golden crumbs that make the topping so satisfying to bite into. Letting the bars cool completely is the one step worth being patient about — the filling sets up firm enough to hold its shape, making each bar easy to lift and serve. Whether you're baking for a crowd or just want something cozy on the counter all week, these deliver serious bakery energy with a straightforward ingredient list.
About FigFig is a food discovery app that helps you find foods and recipes that fit your dietary needs. Whether you have food allergies, intolerances, or follow a specific diet, Fig makes it easy to eat with confidence.
Learn more →Ingredients
9 servings
For the crust and crumble
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup rice flour
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into ½-inch cubes
For the apple filling
- 3 medium apples (about 1 ½ lb), peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch slices
- 3 tbsp honey
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two opposite sides to use as handles for lifting the bars out later.
- 2
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the rolled oats, rice flour, tapioca starch (the crust-and-crumble portion), granulated sugar, and fine sea salt until evenly combined. Add the cold butter cubes and work them in with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse, clumpy crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining — do not overwork it into a smooth dough.
Want the full recipe?
Create a Fig account for step-by-step instructions, access to our full recipe library, and more!