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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Mark says
Few slight adjustments but awesome recipe. Turned out fantastic
Barbara says
I usually always per cook my apples with cinnamon and etc. first. Then I put in baking dish with topping and bake. My apples never seem to get done very well if I don’t. Does it really matter if I do that with this recipe?
Amanda says
I’ve only made this recipe as written, so without testing it myself I can’t say for certain, but I’m pretty sure you could do that with this recipe 🙂
Lisa Abbruzzino says
This is my 5th time making this, my family loves it. I made the browned butter caramel sauce too and that made it heavenly !! Thank you
Doug says
Made this. Absolutely awesome recipe. Turned out great. Everyone loved it and wanted to know the recipe.
Fernanda says
I am making this recipe tonight. Can I premake it and pit it in the oven before serving?
Amanda says
I’ve not tested doing that personally, but I think it should be okay. Just be sure to cover it tightly so it doesn’t dry out.
Angela Barrass says
This is absolutely delicious! A big hit with all of the family! I’ll definitely be making this again! Thank you for sharing.
Rebecah C. says
Just made this today with my 10 year old grandson. Delicious! I had not baked in too long. I’ll be back for more recipes. Thank you!
LoriAnn says
This was the best apple crisp I have had. Loved the cinnamon taste in every bite. Will definitely be making this one again.
Brandy says
Thanx Amanda!! ♥️💯
Jamie says
Easy and tastes fabulous!!!
Cathy says
Simply delicious. This recipe is so good. I used one half Splenda for the sugar. I also used Splenda brown sugar & the taste was wonderful. It tasted like all noted ingredients were used & my family loved it. I don’t tell them when I make healthier ingredient choses so they are clueless.
Pira says
Love it. So good. Definitely going to make many more times. Thank you
Gladys says
Tried this but didn’t turn out. It turned out like paste and the flour and oats stayed dry . Maybe the apples weren’t juicy enough. Ambrosia.
Nickie says
This is the 2bd recipe I’ve tried for apple crisp & it is definitely the best. I doubt I’ll even try finding another.
Rosie Bruyneel says
Looks delicious will definitely make this Apple Crisp
Abigail says
Can u give me a specific measurement of apples needed? I’m gonna be using frozen chopped and peeled apples and I’m not sure how many ozs I should use, thanks!
Amanda says
The amount of apples will depend on the size and type of apples. I would estimate about 6 cups worth.
Nicola says
Excellent!
Lisa Perry says
Just made this recipe and it is delicious and easy
Josie says
So yummy, an old fashioned favourite in our home.
Easy to make,tastes great 😊
CarolynZ says
I didn’t peel the apples – It was just fine. Served with ice cream and it was wonderful.
Judy says
Splenda is very unhealthy. Better to just cut down on the real sugar.