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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Net says
Doubled the recipe for a 13 x 9 pan. My family loved it! Best recipe I have found for apple crisp!
Fran says
We are loving this recipe! Went apple picking with the grandkids so we have LOTS of apples. Since we love apples, I used more than you suggest but kept the topping the same. Warm or cold it’s a terrific dessert! Thanks
Elizabeth says
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Can I double it and bake it in a 9×13?
The Chunky Chef says
Sure can 🙂
Sarah Sanchez says
This is a good quick recipe to grab and go breakfast.
Donna says
Truly the best apple crisp I’ve ever made! Used Fuji and granny..absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing!
Jayel says
This has become my favorite apple crisp recipe. Easy to put together and comes out perfectly. I make it enough that I no longer have to look at the recipe! Thank you!
Glenn Anderson says
I used a bbq to bake this recipe as we live off grid and it is still too warm to fire up the wood stove. Yum!
Jessica says
Excellent recipe!! My family loved it! I melted the butter and mixed it into the dry ingredients instead of putting pads of butter on top. Worked great 🙂
Tiffany says
When do I add the other 3/4 tsp of cinnamon and 3/4 tsp of lemon juice?
The Chunky Chef says
In step 2 🙂
Krista says
Just made this for our Thanksgiving dessert. It’s absolutely delicious, thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. I followed it exactly but added caramel sauce underneath the topping and halved the brown sugar. It is decadent.
Diane T says
Made this apple crisp….it is the receipe I’ve been searching for! Delicious…moist!! Already making again this morning…..
Kim says
Best I’ve ever had!! Nice crunchy and chewy top. I used becel instead of butter because thats what we use. Amazing
Marilyn Harris says
This was really good, thanks for sharing!
nancy e white says
if i only have salted butter can i use it and leave out the salt?
The Chunky Chef says
Sure thing 🙂
Deanna says
Absolutely love this! It’s always a huge hit in my house full of picky eaters. Super simple to make.
Linda says
Can I make this a day ahead and cook it the next day?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve not tested this recipe that way, so I can’t say for certain, but I believe many other readers have done this successfully. It may take a little longer to bake since the dish will be cold.
Bruce says
Great recipe but try more lemon juice on Granny Smith apples, no white sugar & less brown sugar – delicious & healthier.
Karen says
Excellent recipe………easy to make and turns out the way is it supposed to.. Company greatly enjoyed it as did I!
Pat says
I was looking at recipes for apple crisp. Usually just make it at apple season and my daughter’s birthday. I am 70 years old and remembered baking with my grandmother and aunts. I saw a Carrot cake recipe. I made Carrot cookies when I was in college from my Aunts recipe collection probably from the 1940s. I even made chocolate zucchini cake back in the 1970’s. Just wanted to say majority of these recipes that are so called “new” have been around a very long time. I just never posted any handed down recipes. This is the first time posting anything and I appreciate your comment area. I would love to find out how to put out handed down recipes. What’s old is new again. Thank you for allowing my comment.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Pat, oh I don’t think anyone sharing recipes online thinks they’re inventing entirely new recipes every time 🙂 Handed down recipes are the best! You can always share your recipes on social media or even start your own blog!
Karen says
Easy and the entire family loved it.
Makes the house smell so amazing.
Julie Travis says
Easy to make, had all ingredients and apples I needed to do something with.
The kids (17&15) loved it. Will tag you on fb. 🙂