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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JB says
Simple but delicious. The first dessert gone during Thanksgiving. My daughter requested Apple Crisp on Thanksgiving Day and this one was just perfect with vanilla ice cream.
Bryan Esten says
Very close to recipe I used to use at prepared foods of a grocery store I worked at. I use probably 4x as much sugar in the apple mix, and add nutmeg and all spice to both apple mix and topping.
Mary says
This was easy and turned out wonderful. Will certainly use this recipe again
Angela says
This was delicious! As I follow a mostly keto diet – I replaced white sugar with monkfruit and brown suger with brown swerve. It was great!
Jennifer says
Delicious! I used Granny Smith green apples which I probably won’t do again as it tasted more tart than I like. The crumb topping is perfection.
Cheryl says
Great recipe, thank you.
I really didn’t feel like pie, but I wanted a fruit dessert.
This was easy to make came out delicious!
Ryan says
Can i use quick 3-minute oats instead of old fashion roller oats? I ran out of old fashion rolled.
The Chunky Chef says
It should turn out alright, just with a slightly different texture.
Dante Soignoli says
Will this still turn out well if i combine everything and wait until the next day to bake it?
The Chunky Chef says
Without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
charyl says
awesome and easy, love it. and so did everyone else!
Barbara Roberts says
Help!! I made the crisp but only used 1/2 stick of butter, not 1/2 cup. Topping is obviously dry and not crisp. I need it for tomorrow. I put it in refrigerator and will heat up after dinner tomorrow. Should I add some melted butter on top or some cubes of butter? Someone please help.
The Chunky Chef says
I would dot the top of the crisp with little pats of butter evenly over the top, about 1/4 cup’s worth, and hopefully that will help the topping.
Barbara Roberts says
Thank you so much! Your advice worked and it was delicious!
Lexi says
I feel like each time I make this part of my oats are not cooked but taste really dried out and not soft when chewing. How can I fix this? Is this a bakers error (I probably am the issue)?
The Chunky Chef says
I’d just make sure the oats are well incorporated into the topping, so they’re coated 🙂
Tracy says
Sorry to ask this if it has already been answered, but is it okay to make this the night before and serve it the next day? Have you ever done this, and if so, how did you reheat? Thank you! 🙂 Looking forward to trying this recipe. 😊
The Chunky Chef says
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.
AK says
Other than the prep time (15 minutes? More like 40 for me!), and I increased the cinnamon by about 300%, I followed this recipe to the letter and it was excellent! Thank you for posting! 🙂
Anuska Mondal says
can this be made from green apples? And would I need to adjust the recipe for that or would it be still the same.
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, it can 🙂
kerry says
I don’t understand how the apple filling isn’t runny without adding any flour to it before baking. I’m making this today for Thanksgiving and am worried it will be too runny. Has anyone added a bit of flour to the filling as you would do with apple pie? Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve never had an issue, otherwise I wouldn’t have shared it the way I did 🙂 But if you feel more comfortable adding a bit of flour to the apple mixture, you absolutely can.
Cat says
I’ve never had to add any flour to the filling. We’ve made this several times and am making two batches right now for Thanksgiving!! One for us and one to share with those who couldn’t be here today. Our family LOVES this dessert!
Alana says
This was so good, the best Apple crisp recipe i have tried so far. I will definitely make it again.
Gina says
Hi, Just stumbled on this recipe and I’m ready to give it a go. I do not have cream on hand but I do have eggnog. I’m willing to try but am curious if you have ever tried it yet. Thanks! Gina
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Gina, there’s no cream in this recipe?
Hayley says
I’m doubling the recipe — what size baking dish do you think would be best?
The Chunky Chef says
I would go with a 9×13″.
Cindy says
Using the 13×9 do you still cook the dish for the same time as the 8×8?
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 🙂
Jen says
Can this be made earlier in the day and reheated right before eating?
The Chunky Chef says
I would bake it, 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.
Gena says
I want to try this for Thanksgiving but I bought Instant Oats instead of Old Fashion, are they the same? will these work or do I need to go back to the store?
The Chunky Chef says
Several other readers have used quick cooking oats in this recipe, and didn’t mind the little change in texture.
Kasey says
I was looking for a simple apple dessert and came across this recipe. It’s currently baking and smells AMAZING!
I did have to make adjustments due to what I had in the house:
Almond Flour
Swerve Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar substitute
I also added nutmeg and vanilla extract to both the apples and the topping.
I can’t wait to try it!