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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Laura says
This was soooo easy and turned put Perfect!
I baked for 60-65 minutes .
Next time I’m making a double batch of the crumbles and pouring half on the bottom of the baking dish and the other half onto. When I made it there was so much I even mixed some of in the apple chunks.
Cold butter, I used room temp..butter was firm and not mushy
MJ says
Is this 300 calories per serving or for the entire thing?
The Chunky Chef says
It’s per serving, however keep in mind it’s estimated and automatically calculated, so I can’t speak to how accurate it is. If full nutrition information is important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer, or that you seek a nutritionist/dietitian for exact nutritional information.
Kendra says
Not sure what went wrong but my apples turned to mush. Basically apple sauce. I’m guessing it was either the type of apples or it was cooked too long. I think I’d start by cooking it less time next time
Agnis says
Ugh. Tried this recipe but I didn’t have apples so I used salmon and it turned out terrible.
7/10
The Chunky Chef says
I’m sincerely hoping this is satire.
Heather says
Delicious!! I added a pinch of nutmeg to both the apples and topping.🤤
Lynn says
Just like mom used to make. I added pecans and cranberries for my personal choice, this is perfect the way it is.
Felicia Gray says
Comes out beautifully every time. I like to make extra toppings cause I love it!
Susan Moretz says
Scrumdillyicious
Julie says
Absolutely delicious and easy to make! Instead of all purpose flour I used gluten free 1:1 baking flour. Came out beautifully, thank you!
Sue Scott says
How many cups of sliced apples do you use? Apple sizes vary so much. Thanks for the recipe!
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, they definitely do vary, which is why I mention in the “chef tips” section that you’ll need approximately 6-7 cups.
Happyfour says
This recipe makes your house smell so, so good. And the best part…… these taste as good as they smell. I did add just a touch of almond extract that I made homemade from cherry pits to the apples (oh yummmy). This recipe is a keeper, fit perfect in my 8×8 pan and my apples were good sized. Thank you for sharing your recipes. It’s a labor of love! I also make your Sloppy Joe’s and they are literally the best ever!
Judy Z says
I lost a recipe my Mom gave me and this is very much the same. I use either Mackintosh or Cortland when available.
Love this. Thank you! I have not tried anything other than ice cream with it. Delish! 🙏🏼💕
Colette says
This is a super delicious recipe that is absolutely delectable. 10/10 Highly Reccomend.
Ken Palmeri says
took me about 30 minutes to prep the ingredients. Baked and served with Villena ice cream and it was a fantastic.
Jenny says
How could I add caramels to this? Just add to top before baking?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested it, but I think that would be delicious 🙂
Michele says
You can chop caramels…I use kitchen scissors…and place all over the top before baking….alternatively you can drizzle caramel sauce as soon as it comes out of the oven…both ways taste amazing!!!
Connie wells says
Hi, Amanda my name is Connie Wells , I’m sure you hear this a lot but you and your recipes are amazing. I’m wanting to make your Apple Crisp for my work but would like to double it and bake it in a 9 by 11 pan. My question is would I still bake it 40-50 minutes or would increase the bake time. Thank you
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Connie, thank you so much for your kind words! It may not all fit in a 9×11, so if you have a 9×13, that might work better 🙂 I can’t speak to the exact baking time, as I haven’t specifically tested it, but I would add about 10 minutes and test the apples for fork tenderness, then go from there.
Karen Kvool says
It was hard to find the actual recipe because of all the ads and extra information and other things.
The Chunky Chef says
Well the ads are how I can offset the very large expense of running a website and offering my nearly 1,000 recipes for free. Glad you found the comment section though. My recipes are written for all skill and comfort levels, so there is additional information added to the posts above the recipes. However, if you don’t need any extra info, or are in a hurry, I’ve provided a “jump to recipe” button at the very top of every single post, and it takes you right to the recipe.
Ilona says
Delicious delicious very delicious🙏🏼
Angie says
Delicious! Definitely plan on making again (and again!).
Virginia Lovejoy says
Thanks for sharing
Lynn says
I need to double recipe . Any tips
The Chunky Chef says
Double all the ingredients, and use a 9×13″ baking dish. I can’t speak to the exact baking time, but I would add about 10 minutes and test the apples for fork tenderness, then go from there.