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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Tina says
Love it, easy & delicious. Going back for my third bake!
Lynn says
I followed the recipe exactly although may have a little less apple. My topping is basically flour, not crisping and is dry. What happened and how can I fix it without wasting all of the apples which are delicious. I’m thinking I need to scrape the topping off and scrap it.
The Chunky Chef says
Did you fully cut the butter into the topping? If you watch the video, it will look floury, but if the butter is cut in, it melts as it bakes and turns into the classic crisp topping.
Martina says
Easy, nice balance of flavors and bakes to a beautiful golden crisp!
Gwendolyn Geddes says
Delicious and easy peasy nice fall dessert to make~. Thank you !
Scott B says
Delicious and I add a half cup of chopped pecans to topping. Becoming one of my top favorites.
Joni says
Thank you for the recipe – easy and yummy! I substituted the oats with Grape Nuts…super crunchy and fun!
Alison says
Excellent ! I added little crumbles of coconut and it was awesome !
Laura says
I have baked this numerous times! Love it and I don’t alter any part of it..
Michele Knoll says
This is my secret recipe but I DOUBLE the crispy 🤫😉😂
Rohini Uthayakumar says
Really enjoyed it
annete wilson says
Exact same recipe I got from my mother. The best
Jillian says
My boyfriend LOVES apple crisp, like more than I can even say lol! This was my first time making apple crisp, so I was nervous I would mess it up! I didn’t have the lemon juice, but it came out amazing!! It passed the ultimate connoisseur’s standards and then some! Thanks for a great recipe. Love, Another beautiful chunky lady 🙂
Serena Atwood says
Can I freeze this before or after baking?? Tastes awesome
Lisa Sparks says
Love, love this recipe! Made it a lot last fall and it was an instant hit! Getting ready to make 2 right now, one with Granny Smith and one with Honey Crisp
David says
My “go to” dish since our apple trees bloom for 6 months! delicious!
Marcia Eckstein says
The thick oaty crust makes this. Excellent! I didn’t have caramel sauce so I melted a handful of caramels with butter in the microwave and drizzled it on top for the last 5minutes. I also added a little nutmeg to crust.
Claudette says
Love it!
P says
It was exactly like my grandma’s! Ty ❤️❤️❤️🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
Terri says
DELISH!!!!
Terri says
Truly delicious. I have made this receipe several times over. Easy to make, my friends,family, just love it. Thank you