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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Karen says
Doubled into a 9×13” pan, this is exceptional ❣️
Beth says
Forgive me, you’ve probably answered this a million times but can this be frozen after making and then warmed up ?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t frozen this recipe myself, but I know several other readers have done so successfully and let me know in a comment.
Fancee P. Pearse says
in your old fashion apple crisp recipe you mentioned to put the cinnamon aside because it is divided per your instructions. I can’t find anything in the rest of the literature and information what you do with the extra divided cinnamon??
The Chunky Chef says
In step 3 of the recipe it mentions adding cinnamon to the topping 🙂
Katie says
Yummy! Made this tonight with 5 random apples that needed to be used up. The topping is perfect, had 2 servings with vanilla ice cream.
How would you store this? Fridge or on counter?
Thanks for the recipe
Vicki Moore says
Can I double and use 9×13 or use 2 8×8?
The Chunky Chef says
You can do either one, just depends on which baking dishes you have available 🙂
Kirsten says
This is super similar to the crisp topping my mom used to make when I was a kid. I’ve tried some real flops trying to recreate it, and am chuffed to find this. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Cheers!
Vicki a moore says
Can you use blueberries instead of apples? If so should I use fresh or canned?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve not tested it personally, but I think it would taste great! My preference would be fresh 🙂
uptight says
Hi, I just wanted to add one more to the pile of 5-star reviews of this recipe. I used 4 apples of various varieties that had been left around the house by the kids and needed to be used up immediately, and adjusted the recipe accordingly. Topped with vanilla ice cream, it was simply AMAZING! And equally amazing on its own. Will definitely be making this again!
Bliss says
This was the easiest recipe which delivered the most delicious dessert! All of the ingredients, besides the apples, I had on hand which also made me happy. I might try cutting down the sugar, just to make it a little healthier next time, but wow, so good! Thanks for sharing!
karch72 says
If you double the recipe, how long should it bake for?
The Chunky Chef says
I would check it around the 50 minute mark… may need a few minutes more, depending on your altitude and oven 🙂
debbie antu says
Made me miss my momma
Sarah L. says
Great recipe and easy to make.
Mary C says
We had several Fuji apples that were ready to use up, but we didn’t quite feel like snacking on them the rest of the week. So thankful that I found this recipe! Everyone loved it and my husband and I worked together on making it. So much fun. Thank you for this very user-friendly and tasty dessert recipe! It was a hit!
Bill Seeley says
This is a great and easy recipe for apple crisp. Everyone that’s tried it has loved it, definitely recommend.
Tonya says
Making this for a second time. It’s just the right amount of yummy topping we like! We like it heavy on the topping! Thanks!
Serena says
Simple & could not be more delicious. This will be my go-to apple crisp recipe from now on. Thanks!
Gloria Powell says
I have a big bag of Granny Smith apples. Can I use these instead.
The Chunky Chef says
Absolutely 🙂
Jenn says
This has been my go-to apple crisp recipe for several years. I modify it several different ways, but it’s always based on yours. Thanks so much!
Anne says
Made this for dessert for dinner last night and it is really good! Used Honeycrisp apples and it tastes amazing!
I know some folks like a like of “topping” on theirs, but for me, it was a bit much for an 8×8 pan (especially with apples piled high!). I WILL make this again, but I think I may cut the amount of oats and such down just a tad. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Janet MacPherson says
This is absolutely the best! I have made it twice now in the last two weeks.
Second time I used 1/2 apples and 1/2 pears (what I had in to use up). It too was delicious 😋
Jen says
I didn’t change a thing except the cook time because I used a softer variety apple. I need to use a bushel of apples, we’ve gone theough 18 so far with this recipe and another 12 tomorrow! DELICIOUS!