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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Kristi says
I can’t wait to try this with the 10 apples my tree produced this year 😂. Could you please give a weight or cup amount for the chopped apples for one recipe? Thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
I estimate about 6-7 cups 🙂
kaylee price says
amazing!! truly amazing! if i’m making extra, instead of putting in the oven to bake, can i put it in the freezer?
The Chunky Chef says
So glad you love it! I’ve not tested freezing this recipe, but I know several other readers have done so successfully 🙂
Jessica says
oh my my! this recipe was fabulous!!!! I had freshly picked apples from new england that I lugged home on the plane back to texas- yes I am crazy. This recipe was the perfect solution to put them to good use. I used a mix of 3 tart apples and 3 macintosh and didn’t change a thing. Served with vanilla bean ice cream. WOW. This will be my go to apple crisp recipe from here on out. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Ellen Johnson says
Great apple crisp!
Michele says
Thank you sharing this recipe. It is easier than the old recipe my grandmom used and tastier too.
Cheryl says
This has gotten so many rave reviews when I make it! Truly a keeper!
Leslie Paquette says
Thanks so much for an amazing dessert recipe!! I made a double batch for my MILs 70th birthday yesterday and almost the entire pan went and everyone told me how delicious it was. I served it with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. Yum!!
Leslie Paquette says
Oops forgot to hit the stars! Definitely 5/5!
Jill says
It’s bang on! 5 star in my books , I snuck one shake of all spice in it
DEEM V says
My family loved this. I added a splash of pumpkin spice. Yummy
Annette says
Amanda I make this recipe at least twice a week and its usually all gone the same night. And its so easy to make I actually know it by heart
Robin says
One of the Best I have every made.
Sharon Tracy says
Filling was great. Topping just didn’t turn out. Wasn’t crisp Family still enjoyed it but would make a different topping
Judith says
Likewise…topping was like powder…any other time I’ve made Apple Crisp, I added some water to the topping..will try this next time..other than that it was very good
Laurie Piatkowski says
I made it and I loved how easy the Recipe was, and with fall season just starting apples are everywhere. 🙂 Also made my apartment smell so good.
Emilia says
Sooo good! Thank you 🙂
Pudge says
Hi Amanda!!!! Awesome recipe! WE LOVED IT. I made this a few days ago and used Gravenstein apples as this is what I have growing in my garden! It was delicious! I found myself going back and forth to the kitchen (too many times) with a spoon! lol. YUM! I’m making it again tonight using a few extra apples and throwing in a couple of other types (i.e green apples) just to mix it up a bit. As you noted below…it’s all about the type of apple you use that makes it either sweet or tart. I used the amount of sugar your recipe called for the 1st time I made it, but will try using 1/2 c brown sugar this time, as my apples are sweet:) I’m hoping by doing this, I won’t wreck the crumble (ie. love it with a good crunch), we will see:) Thanks so much for the recipe! It didn’t last long in our house! hahaha, EASY, SIMPLE and VERY TASTEY!!!
Kelly Mattz says
I have not baked this yet…but I want to…is there something I could use instead of lemon juice…it is not something I keep on hand…thanks.
The Chunky Chef says
I would just omit it 🙂
Lisa Bower says
I used lime juice, worked well
Pat says
Oh my gosh, so yummy!
Great recipe. Thank you for sharing this and all of your hard work in this wonderful blog! I have enjoyed many recipes!!
And thank you to Sandy for showing us all how not to behave, it takes so little to be kind.
Ginger says
I made this after going apple picking with my family. My husband who loves apple pie and crisp etc absolutely loved it. I also (I love apples but not baked products as much) really loved it too. I am making it again today with tree apples my friend gave us. They are much more tart so we will see! It will definitely be the apples fault if my fam doesn’t like it. Thanks for recipe!
Sandy Hayes says
So, only positive ego stroking comments are allowed on this site?
The Chunky Chef says
Oh bless your heart… no, all constructive comments are allowed. Negative reviews are a fact of life, since we all don’t have the same tastes. Backhanded nasty comments about people being “chunkier”, however, aren’t helpful for anyone… except to make you feel better about whatever you have going on in your life that causes you to be rude to others for no reason 🙂 Have a wonderful day.
Sandy Hayes says
Way too much sugar-we will all be ‘chunkier’ eating this.
The Chunky Chef says
Sorry you didn’t find this recipe to be to your tastes. However it’s a dessert, so it will be sweet. Also, all apples have varying levels of sweetness, so you should feel free to adjust the recipe to be the way you like.