This easy apple crisp is made the old fashioned way like Grandma used to make, and is perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce!
A true classic Fall dessert, this easy apple crisp recipe is reminiscent of generations past. Pop this apple crisp in the oven and wait for the delicious smell to waft through your house!
Do you have a classic Fall dessert that you just LOVE? I have several, but one of them is definitely this apple crisp recipe! Growing up, my Mom had two classic desserts that she made… one was her famous Carrot Cake, and the other was a mouthwatering apple crisp.
This isn’t her exact recipe, but it’s one that I’ve tweaked and been working on for a while, and I’ve finally gotten it just right! While I do love pumpkin, apple is actually my favorite Fall flavor. Mostly because of this crisp lol.
Some apple crisp recipes don’t use oats, which is totally fine if that’s your thing, but I LOVE the crispy oat topping, so I made sure to add a good amount of it.
What apples do I use for this easy apple crisp
Simply put, you can use any apples that you like! My personal favorite for this recipe is the golden delicious variety, but Granny Smith or Fuji are some other great varieties.
To peel, or not to peel
It’s 100% up to you! I’ve made this recipe both ways, and I like them both equally. Generally, when I make this easy apple crisp, I’m making it for my family, and my kids wouldn’t eat it with the skins on, so I peel them more often than not. I’m sure this goes without saying, but if you choose to leave the skins on, be sure to wash the apples thoroughly 🙂
That right there is my FAVORITE way to enjoy hot apple crisp… with a cold scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, and drizzled with my luscious browned butter salted caramel sauce! If you’ve never tried it that way… you totally need to!
Looking for other recipes that use that caramel sauce?
- Caramel Apple Pie Bars
- Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream
- Vanilla Chai Cheesecake Bars
- Butterfinger Toffee Cookies
I invite you all to join me in making my favorite Fall dessert… this easy apple crisp. Once you have it in the oven, you’ll LOVE the smell that fills your house!
Shop the recipe
- 8″ baking dish – I love the clean white look, plus it bakes beautifully!
- Vegetable peeler – You probably already have one, but in case you don’t, this one is my personal favorite!
- Pastry Cutter – I love that this is sturdy and the blades don’t bend nearly as easily as some other brands!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Spiced apples
- 6 golden delicious apples peeled and chopped (other varieties can be used, can also be sliced)
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Crisp topping
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup old fashioned oats quick oats can be used, but it may have a slightly different texture
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter diced into small cubes
Instructions
Prepare
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Butter an 8×8 baking dish, or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Make spiced apples
- In a mixing bowl, add chopped apples, granulated sugar, 3/4 tsp of the cinnamon and lemon juice. Stir to combine, then transfer to prepared baking dish.
Make topping
- In a separate mixing bowl, add topping ingredients (brown sugar, oats, flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, salt, and diced cold butter).
- Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the oat mixture, using a slight downward twisting motion, until mixture resembled pea-sized crumbs. Alternatively, you can use two forks or even your hands to cut butter into the mixture.
Bake
- Spread topping over apples in baking dish, and gently pat to even it out. Bake 40-50 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.
Serve
- Serve warm and enjoy! We love to top ours with some vanilla bean ice cream, or whipped cream.
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Chef Tips
- The amount of chopped apples would be about 6-7 cups.
- Note that all ovens bake differently, so yours may take a little less or a little more time to bake.
- I don’t have an issue with my crisp being watery (due to the water content in the apples), but if a little juice at the bottom is something you want to avoid, you can try adding a little all purpose flour to the apple mixture.
Make-Ahead Directions:
- Bake as directed. After the crisp cools, cover and refrigerate until the next day. When you’re ready to reheat, set it out at room temp for 20 minutes or so, then bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, or until hot throughout.
- I haven’t tested assembling this ahead of time (although I’m pretty sure other readers have done this successfully – you’d have to check the other comments).
- I haven’t tested freezing this recipe, although many other readers have frozen it successfully.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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Susan Hockridge says
I made this the other night and it is one of the best apples crisps I’ve ever had. So good that I’m making it again right now!
Linda says
Excellent, recipe is so simple and almost full proof, thank you.
Linda
Scott Michael Britton says
Love this recipe!
janmaus says
This is pretty much the recipe that I’ve used for years–Apple Crisp is the perfect desert when unexpected company shows up because it’s fast and uses ingredients I typically have in my kitchen. My major difference is less sugar in the topping–about half. Some folks have complained about the finished dish being dry–maybe the apples weren’t really fresh and ready to render a lot of moisture, but a work around would be to create a bit of syrup with water and the called for sugar. When I was growing up, my mom just poured some cream over the servings. I tend to use either vanilla ice cream or a bit of whipped cream as I almost always have heavy cream in my fridge.
Kathy West says
I love this recipe I used honey crisp apples & added raisins to the apples it was delicious
Denise says
Very good and easy! I used all honey crisp apples ( organic) and all of the ingredients were organic too.
Kathy Miles says
I have made this soooo many times. I made it for a company dinner at Christmas and was asked for the recipe. This is so delicious. I use half Grannies and half Honeycrisp. Thank you!
Andy C says
Made it this evening and it is FANTASTIC! Just the way apple crisp should be. I left mine in the oven an additional 15 min as I like really soft apple. But very pleased!
Doreen Chance says
Absolutely delicious! I cooked it an extra 10 minutes..probably the dish I used…it is probably the best apple crisp I have ever made in my 50 years plus, of making them
thank you for great recipe!
Edna Jenkins says
We absolutely love this recipe. I made it with half honey crisp and green apples which made it sweet and tangy delight.
Kris says
I’m not sure why but this recipe was not the greatest. Very dry, and no crisp! Very sad 🙁
Lena says
That happened to me before. I realized I was using too much flour. Maybe try weighing the flour? Also might try using the highest oven rack towards the end of your cooking (5-7minutes) to really crisp the topping.
Barb says
Made this with gluten free flour & gluten free oats still very delicious will make again
Cheryl says
I love this recipe. I make it over and over again.. the best one that I have found. Thank you.
Reed ON says
Has anyone tried preparing apples and topping separately, refrigerating, and then baking the next day?
Thanks for a quick respsonse.
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested that, but I feel like the apples would oxidize and be brown by the next day.
AshleyC says
Can you store prepped apples in a lemon/water mixture to keep fresh? If yes, any idea on ratio?
The Chunky Chef says
You could try it, although they may soak up the liquid and you may end up with a more liquid-y apple part of the crisp. Not sure on the ratio, as I haven’t tested it.
Pauline says
This was so good! I just adjusted both sugar amounts to use less.
Cathy says
It was delicious, with a generous number of apples under the crust. We especially liked it that way.
Trish H. says
The recipe was simple and delicious. I appreciate how easy it was to adjust the serving size. I made one crisp for a dinner party for eight last night and another for dessert tonight for my family of three. It is so convenient to have the math done for me.
Wendy says
So delicious ! Just like my mom used to make but I added a bit of lemon zest and was just what I needed for some over ripe apples.
Shane says
Very easy to make. My wife said no more apple pie when she can have me make this!! My dad, who can’t eat much, will eat this by himself.
Alia says
Hey Amanda!
Please don’t call yourself the chunky chef…sounds negative and you are beautiful!!
anne marie faes says
I think its a great name, got my attention to this recipe. Made me think the recipe was going to be thick, delicious, heavy and satisfying which is exactly what I wanted. It was before I saw a picture. Not sure where you are getting a negative vibe with the chefs chosen name. What’s wrong with chunky?