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.
NEVER MISS A CHUNKY CHEF RECIPE:
FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / PINTEREST / TWITTER
Brittany says
If I make this a day in advance from eating it does it keep well and reheat nicely?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, it reheats well 🙂
Ariana says
Easy to make and the topping STAYED crisp even after refrigeration! Happy family from happy eats!
Sarah L says
Soo delicious and easy to make. I had to make another one because the first one was eaten as soon as I took it out of the oven!
Dianne says
I used apple pie spice instead of the cinnamon as I was out of that. This is a wonderful crisp and the recipe is a keeper.
Barb Mannion says
This is THE best Apple Crisp I have ever made or eaten!! Not difficult to make at all and the flavors are amazing. Haven’t made the sauce yet with it, but served with vanilla ice cream on warm crisp from the oven and it was heavenly! I used the food processor to pulse the topping and cut in the butter. It worked so well! Thanks for this wonderful recipe!!
Tameka White says
Hello! What sauce can you make for this apple crisp?
The Chunky Chef says
This is the one I link to in the body of the post 🙂 https://www.thechunkychef.com/browned-butter-salted-caramel-sauce/
Diane says
This was a fun and easy recipe to follow. Turned out amazing. Thanks
Leanna says
Delicious, just a little rich/sweet for us.
Susan R Riley says
This is excellent. Easy, fast and super yummy!!
Not to sweet, a perfect fall treat.
Carol Bucar says
This was easy and delicious!
Shari says
Best Apple Crisp Ever! I replaced the white sugar with pure maple syrup and I added vanilla too! I used Macintosh Apples!!
Gin says
Can I freeze this apple crisp?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve never frozen it myself, but I know many other readers have done so successfully.
sandra mercier says
Approximately how many cups do six apples make?
The Chunky Chef says
Approximately 6-7 cups, depending on the size of the apples.
Beth says
I have tried many apple crisp recipes over the years. This is by far the best I have ever had. The end result is always an empty dish!
bob says
i don’t bake (older guy), but i was craving an apple crisp, so i tried this.. delicious..
Dean says
Tasted really good even tho I messed up the crumble part (first tome baking something)
Will make it again and get it right
Linda Burkhead says
I have made this recipe several times and it’s the best apple crisp i have ever made or ate
Nadia says
Awesome recipe memories of my mother-in-law the she use to make !I used your recipe 🥰
Sylvia says
My neighbors who have some apple trees on their property gave me some apples ( I believe they were wine something apples), so I decided to make some apple crisp, like I remember when I was a child, your recipe was awesome! I shared half of the apple crisp with the neighbors, and they loved it! I will be preparing this recipe again.
Could I use this recipe to make a peach crisp? I love peaches!
The Chunky Chef says
So glad everyone enjoyed it! Yes, it would work well with peaches too 🙂
Rachel Sepesy says
Great recipe!
Vers Kanak says
I just made this apple crisp. It has been out of oven for 10 minutes. It looks great and I sure hope it tastes as good as it looks (and smells). I am taking this dessert to share with some friends tomorrow. Should I refrigerate the crisp after it totally cools off or should I leave at room temperature? Can I reheat it before serving tomorrow?
The Chunky Chef says
I would cover it after it cools and refrigerate until tomorrow. 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 🙂
Stacey says
Hands down the best apple crisp ever!
Lauren H. says
Loved it! I am dairy and gluten free. Worked great substituting a plant based butter and GF flour.