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.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
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.
NEVER MISS A CHUNKY CHEF RECIPE:
FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / PINTEREST / TWITTER
Cheri says
Replaced sugar with 🍁 maple syrup. Substituted butter for coconut oil, flour for almond flour. Pinch of celtic sea salt. Used about 9 cups of sliced apples 😋 was really delicious . The dry ingredients didn’t entirely spread over the entire top for covering. It really turned out great.
Eva Roldan says
Looks good cannot wait to eat
Sher says
We have a bunch of smaller sized apples. What would you say the measurement is of 6 apples?
The Chunky Chef says
Roughly 6 cups, according to Google.
Slavojka says
Delicious 😋
Asia J says
Very easy recipe to follow. Also very easy to double or cut in half. Smells delicious. Looks appealing. By far the best topping I’ve ever had!
BRIDGET says
This is the best ! I love that it’s so
easy. My family thinks I work so hard
to make this for them. (SHHH 🤫)
It’s a family favorite.
Leah Meyer says
So simple to make & so good.But I will use more apples next time.
Camille says
So good. Had it last night and for breakfast this morning! Paired with Tillamook caramel swirl ice cream, hot dang. I tweaked the recipe a little with a wee bit of ginger and some fresh grated nutmeg.
Judy Pearson says
Hi Amanda,
I can tell you are a real down home type of cook, just like me!!!! I am enjoying your many recipes!
Judy
Claudia says
Great recipe! It tasted very scrumptious.
Natasha says
Made as written first time then decreased brown sugar to 3/4 c and used half canola oil and half melted butter instead of cutting in cold butter. Much easier, and the topping gets a nice even and lasting crunch when set under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
Diane Torok says
Going to make the Spple crisp. I lost my recipe I had from my gram. It never called for lemon juice do I can’t wait to make it and try this
Judy snyder says
I made this and we loved it. Very easy to make
Bonnie Maynard says
Great recipe. I put pecans on the top. Excellent!!!!
steven says
I substituted Monk Fruit for the sugar and for the brown sugar I used Splenda brown sugar which is half brown sugar, half Splenda. I picked the apples from a neighbor’s tree that were tart but not sour.
Bstew says
Seems like this is for an 8×12 pan?Doesn’t fit on a 8×8.
The Chunky Chef says
The amount of diced apples you can get from 6 apples, so you may find that you need a bigger pan.
Nicole says
Excellent recipe. My 1st time making apple crisp with our own grown apple. Followed the recipe exactly & it’s delicious.
This recipe is a keeper.
Joan White says
Very easy and delicious 😋
Patricia Hauber says
We peeled the apples, halved the sugar and butter amounts and love the “chunkiness”!! Thank you
Jo Ann says
I’ve found that the Apple skins are rubbery and inedible when the apples aren’t peeled. I’m a peeler person. Other than that, great recipe.
The Chunky Chef says
Yes it’s a personal preference, which is why I mention that you can peel the apples or not 🙂