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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Vivian says
Just pulled my dish out of the oven, my house smells amazing! Just waiting for it to cool down so the kids and I can dig in. Will definitely be using this recipe again!!
shari says
it was like my grandmother made ittt was wonderful
Matt Rock says
Super good. I only had brown sugar oatmeal in little packets and it worked just fine. Awesome recipe. Two and a half thumbs up with a wink.
Mandy says
This was perfect. The crumble worked well for those giant pieces that everyone loves, I mixed with my hands to ensure those larger crumble bits. Thank you, I’ll use your recipe again.
Linda says
This is the second time I’m making this. So good, and so easy. My husband loves it. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Eddie Mae says
This recipe is so delicious! It reminds my family of the apple crisp we got in school, 50yrs ago.
Percy says
Delicious! Followed the recipe, except I used 3 Honey Crisp and 3 Granny Smith apples. Topped with homemade salted caramel sauce. Dished with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. My family loved it! Thanks!
Denise says
Just trying your recipe… it’s in the oven, as I type this. I love oats in the topping! Your recipe is perfect for my tastes.
I recently saw someone bake their apple crisp in a Pyrex bowl, so I’m trying it now. We’ll see how it comes out. I’ll be sure to let you know.
Thanks so much!!!
Luxan says
It was AMAZING! The crumble was too sweet for my taste so I would reduce the sugar by a fourth but other than that the entire tray was over in 2 hours!
Kelvin says
Fantastic recipe. This was my first ever apple crumble and did it with my 9 year old daughter.
Both of us loved it as did our guests and remainder of family. A real winner especially the crumble part. Thank you.
Jan Stevens says
REALLY, the best!
Margaret says
I love this recipe and have made it many times now. I vary the fruit and have made it with rhubarb and with mango – equally delicious.
Judy Tanzman says
Can I use Quick Rolled Oats for your Apple Crisp recipe? I don’t have old fashioned oats.
Thank you.
Amanda says
Yes, it might change the texture a bit, but should work well.
C.G. says
I like to increase my ratio of rolled oats to flour, but otherwise it’s a perfect recipe. I have to increase my baking time by 10 minutes, perhaps because I have a toaster oven.
Barbara says
Baked the apple crumble. Absolutely delicious! Thank you…
Amy says
This was delicious!
Lisa. E green says
I love to put a little nutmeg in my apple crisp. I make apple crisp when I’ve been yearning for an apple pie, but just don’t have the time. So apple crisp it is and you don’t have to have all that worry with getting the crust just right. Apple crisp is the next best thing and I even make a Carmel glaze with sweetened condensed milk and whipping cream that is Devine! Your family will love that you took the extra step to make a homemade Carmel sauce.
Joann fuhs says
Can you put this in a slow pot cooker
Amanda says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So 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!
Kristi says
It tasted good, but next time I will double the fruit and cut the topping in half. The ratio of crisp to fruit was overwhelming.
Cathlee Rabender says
I just made this today. It’s a very easy and tasty apple crisp. I did double the fruit just because I like extra apples and next time will make half of the crumb topping. It turned out to be way to much and overwhelmed the apples. It’s still a keeper..:) Thanks for the recipe!
Heather says
I just made this and it was a hit! Hubby and kids loved it! Thanks, Amanda!