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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Oops says
Oh yeah… 1/2 a stick of butter does not equal half a cup of butter… :-/ My crisp didn’t crisp, but that was obviously just because I used half the amount of butter that I should have. It still tastes good. I just folded the failed topping into the baked apples for a gooey mess that is no less complementary to vanilla ice cream than if I had the ability to follow simple instructions. 🙂 Next time, I won’t be so easily defeated! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Leanne Pearson says
This was absolutely delicious! Simple to put together and makes your house smell amazing when it’s in the oven. Added a scoop of pralines and cream ice cream over the top while it’s still warm and it’s a beautiful dessert that everyone will enjoy.
Jane says
Oh my goodness, delicious. Drizzled with my nieces homemade goat 🐐 milk caramel. I made two batches of Apple 🍎 Crisp. I’m in trouble, now.
Rachael says
can i use regular sugar instead of brown sugar?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve not tested using granulated sugar, but I think it would be okay 🙂
Maria says
By far the best apple crisp! Wow! My mom and boyfriend said it was the best they’ve had. I will be making another one very soon! Thank you for this reciepe!
Kendall says
Can you use anything else if you don’t have lemon juice?
The Chunky Chef says
You can omit it 🙂
K.Upsjhaw says
Can i prepare completely and cook next day?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, I would bake it the night before, cool completely, cover and refrigerate. Once you’re ready to bake, I’d reheat it at 350 F degrees for about 25-30 minutes, until warmed through.
Tammie says
This recipe is awesome!! Needed to use up apples and found your recipe!! Now…..I will need to buy more apples!!! Delicious!!! Thanks for your sharing!!
Clair says
Can you use quick cook oats instead of old fashioned oats? Trying to use what I have. Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, you can 🙂 The topping might have slightly less texture, but will still be yummy.
Sarah says
Can I use salted instead of unsalted butter?
The Chunky Chef says
Sure can 🙂
Jeannette Caron says
This apple crisp recipe is the greatest, it’s so good. Have to make it again today. Thank You.
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Evonne says
So easy and delicious. Will definitely make again
Kathryn says
Delicious! I love when there is a lot of topping and the ratio with this recipe is fantastic. I made it in a 9×9. Used 5 gala and 1 Granny Smith apple. Perfect sweetness and texture. 👍
Lisa Scott says
Delicious! I had a smaller dish so I used 2/3 cup sugar/flour/oats and 1/3 cup margarine for the topping turned out great!!
Simi Sharma says
This is hands down the best apple crisp I have ever had. My family loves it and it will be passed down for generations to come!
Dawn says
Can I prepare all of this, stick it in the fridge and then pop it in the over after dinner? Will it be okay unbaked in the fridge for a couple of hours?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes that should be just fine 🙂
Vineeta says
How would you suggest storing & reheating the apple crisp? Thanks 🙂
Deynece says
I made this tonight and my family LOVED it!!!!! Do you recommend putting the remaining in the refrigerator overnight or keep it out and covered??
The Chunky Chef says
So glad you loved it! I would probably refrigerate it 🙂
Trish says
Thank you for this. I hate to cook. I CAN cook. I just don’t like to. This recipe was straight forward and easy to make. We are quarantining and whatnot so I had to make it. It’s perfect.
TK says
Amazing!!! Thanks for the recipe. The only thing I’d change is to add more spices in the apples, next time.
Nicole says
AND Thank you thank you thank you for the link to the carrot cake. I wanted carrot cake for Easter dinner…. and was going to try to find one. Now I can make it myself.
Nicole says
Using up things in the kitchen during quarantine …. we had apples that weren’t being eaten…. luckily I had al the ingredients. This was perfect! Thank you!
Diana says
Easy and delicious!!!. I was looking for a recipie with apples. I bought many for the quarantine. My family loved the dessert! Thank you.
Rebecca says
This is my go-to apple crisp recipe! It is truly SO good. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and OMG.
SarahLynn says
Made this on a whim because I had a big bag of apples that needed to be eaten soon, and MAN was it incredible! I used Granny Smith which I feared wouldn’t be good but it didn’t matter, still a fantastic end product!
Jennifer D’Amato says
I was looking for something yummy that had a short ingredient list while under quarantine. This recipe was perfect and was so incredibly delicious. Thank you for providing a little bit of sunshine during these difficult days. We loved it!