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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David Chwaklinski says
Made it tonight with Fuji apples. Flavour was great however the apple filling was very wet and didn’t thicken at all.
The Chunky Chef says
Unfortunately all apples will have varying amounts of liquid, so there’s no way I can guarantee what amount of liquid there will be.
Gigi says
y’all i’ve made this recipe like 10 times and every time it wows guests and tastes incredible.
make sure to really werk that crumble before putting it on! and it might seem like you have way too much crumble for the apples but… trust me… put it ALL on there, you won’t regret it!
Hope says
Such a hit with my family! Thank you. I’ve printed out your recipe…its now a family favorite!
Julie Miller says
Will make it again. It was a hit. Serving it for Thanksgiving. TY
Debi says
Could I use plant butter in place of regular butter?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve not tested this recipe that way, so I can’t say for certain how well that would work, but I think it would likely turn out well 🙂
Mandi says
I’ve made it twice with plant based butter to make this recipe vegan and it works perfectly! So good!
Jessica says
I’ve made this recipe a few times & absolutely luv it. I printed it out, for many future Apple Crisps. Thank you so much for this.
Linda S Kan says
Yummy & just like I remember back in the day! Great recipe, tips, & conversation, thanks. Oh yeah, having your house smell divine is a bonus!
Marilyn says
I want to at least double recipe to feed 15 people for Thanksgiving. Should I double all ingredients and use a 9 x 13 pan?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, I would do that 🙂 Although depending on the size of your apples, your crisp may need to be baked in a deep 9×13 or lasagna pan.
Erin Fritz says
Loved this and was so easy!!
Luljeta says
I made this recipe a few times last year and every time it was a hit, so simple and easy and so delicious, one is baking on the oven right now and smells so good
Angie Sayer says
Delicious and easy! I halved the recipe and was perfect amount for 4 people.
Barbara j McDonald says
Recipe is easy and yummy!
Jean Edwards says
I like my apple crisp with butter, flour, sugar rubbed together for the topping. Comes out nice and crisp. Would like to know if you could freeze it before it’s baked or after you bake it .
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve not frozen this recipe myself, but I know many other readers have done so successfully.
Gail R Connolly says
This was a hit at the dinner party, thanks! For my tastes, it was too sweet and I did cut it down to 3/4 c brown sugar. Next time I would actually halve the whole topping as a couldn’t taste apples. You could even use just a half cup of sugar. Just to make a bit healthier, I could have used half whole wheat flour. The cinnamon was just right. I served a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s a very good basic recipe to fiddle with!
Denise says
Did you use quick oats or regular oats?
Amanda Stoneberger says
This is my question as well! Lol
Carolyn Sibbick says
Quick Oats is what I used and it was perfect
Karen says
Easy and very good
Christy Stambaugh says
Absolutely delicious & smells Devine while baking!
Laurence Goldsmith says
VERY GOOD RECIPE – MY FAMILY WILL BE PLEASED
Shannon Paisley says
I am baking it the night before the event – what is the best way to reheat it? Or would you recommend not cooking it until right before?
The Chunky Chef says
For the best flavor and texture, I recommend baking it fresh; but you can bake it completely ahead of time, then cover it after it cools 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.
Susan says
Best I ever made delicious 😋 definitely keeping this recipe
Deborah Hooker says
Comes out perfect every time! Just like my mother used to make. Love it!!