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.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
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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Debbie says
Divine for the tastebuds!
Kristine Hays says
Can I use salted butter and leave out the added salt?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested it, but I’m sure that would be okay.
Danielle says
If I made this with blackberries do I need to add any cornstarch to the berries?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only developed and tested this recipe as written, so I can’t say for sure.
Liv says
I made this and it turned out perfectly! Peeling and chopping the apples was pretty time-consuming but it was definitely worth it.
Kam says
I picked up pre peeled and chopped apples from walmart
Hope Pereira says
Wonderful recipe! Eady, delicious…perfect with vanilla ice cream!
Bharti says
I tried this out and it tasted amazing. My daughter loved it. Thanks..
Georgeanna K Franks says
I made this tonight but I substituted 1 can of apple lie filing and omitted the additional mix for the apples. It was delicious. Most would have liked it better with 2 cans of filing but I only had one and I prefer more of the crisp anyway. Will definitely make this again.
Ann says
Delicious recipe. I will make it again my family loved it!
Sydney says
This recipe is fantastic! I just wanted a classic apple crisp and that is exactly what I got. I doubled the recipe and sliced the apples instead of dicing. I made in a 9″x13″ hoping for some leftovers for myself…I didn’t get any leftovers. This was such a hit! I’ll be making this again SOON!
Carol S says
Wow! Yummy! Easy too. Thanks.
Libby says
This was my first time making apple crisp and I was nervous because my mom makes AMAZING apple crisp from scratch and this turned out waaaaay better! I used Fuji apples and I could literally eat this every day of my life it’s sooo good.
Jane boner says
I used the crisp/crumble but used rhubarb instead of apples . Also made double recipe and froze crisp in a baggy then used what I needed.
Bakingbread says
Hi,
Very late, but I found this recipe and it looks amazing!! Am planning to make for Mother’s Day this year, but I am wondering if you can refrigerate leftovers after baking? If so, how long would it last?
Thanks ! Xx
The Chunky Chef says
You can refrigerate after baking, although the topping may be a bit soggier. I would say it should last 2-3 days 🙂
Erika says
This is the best apple crisp I’ve ever had and I MADE IIT! I made a smaller two apple version but the ratios were absolutely perfect. I will be making this weekly, thanks again!
Renee says
Made a double batch for work and it was a hit!!! So much so, it was gone by the time I went to try it. LOL Very easy to make! Thank you for sharing!
Jan says
I’ve never had, much less made an apple crisp before, but this was sooo good i’m not even going to try another recipe! Even the leftovers were incredible! I find myself craving this and looking for reasons to make it! Company coming tomorrow! I’ll just have to double the recipe!
Ana says
Simply delicious!
Natasha says
I’m super slow to get this posted, but better late than never I guess. I made this Christmas Eve for an impromptu visit received from in-laws. I had been looking for the perfect Apple Crisp recipe that was similar to the one my mother made when I was growing up (I think she used my paternal grandmother’s recipe). The ingredients and process seemed like it closely matched what I could remember when I was a child watching with big eyes in the kitchen. Let me tell you, this is exactly the apple crisp I remember growing up. The ideal mixture of tart and sweet, perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, super easy to make, and out of this world! I did add about a tablespoon and a half more butter to the topping mixture (I love butter – besides making it easier to fully combine the dry ingredients, the fat content adds a lot of flavor and bit more crispiness to the final texture I think). Either way, phenomenal!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!
Michelle says
Omg delicious I put some strawberry licqure in it
Lisa says
Excellent, that’s all I can say!!