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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Maribel says
Loved this apple crisp!!! Easy to make and mine did turn out crispy! You really do need a pastry cutter, I don’t own ome but it would of made the process much faster and easier instead I used a potato masher which did the trick but it was a little time consuming! Without saying more this dish is really really good😋😋😋
Alesha says
Could I make one a day ahead and refrigerate it? I don’t have the time to make it tom but I need to have it for a function in the afternoon. I was hoping to make it and pop it in the fridge and bake it and hour before I leave. What do you think?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested making this recipe ahead, but I think it should work alright. You might want to give it a bit of extra time in the oven, since the dish will be cold.
Peg says
I’d also like to make this earlier in the day (to serve for dessert later in the evening). Did it turn out ok making it ahead of time and keeping it in the frig until ready to bake?
Jenny says
Hello! Following up to see if you ended up doing this and if it turned out ok? Thank you!
Dani Vargas says
I made this for my husband on Saturday night… and it was NOT crisp… he complained about the “powdery topping”. I used the 1/2 cup of butter and “massages” the butter into the flour topping… upon further reflection, 1/2 cup was NOT enough… I proceeded to add another 1/2 cup and put it into the oven for another 15 mins… I THINK that did the trick…
The Chunky Chef says
I’m sorry you didn’t have a good experience with this recipe, I know how frustrating that can be! Cutting the butter into the flour will take a little bit of time, and you’ll need to work it until it’s not very floury. It sounds like it possibly wasn’t worked in enough, which would result in a powdery topping texture.
Reeny says
I made it for the first time left it in for 50 minotes apples were still hard any suggestions
The Chunky Chef says
That’s disappointing! I know how frustrating that can be. As I mentioned in the recipe, all ovens bake differently, and yours may just need longer than 50 minutes. Also, you could try slicing the apples into smaller pieces.
Lori says
I’ve been looking for years for a recipe that tasted like my moms apple crisp. This is it!!! OMG…DELISH 😋
Jennie-Kate Hannis says
This was delicious! The whole family loved it! I did, however, make a few mistakes. I accidentally added of all of the cinnamon to the apples, and I didn’t measure the amount of lemon juice I put in, but I think I will make those mistakes again because it was awesome!
Carol says
This is a very good apple crisp, close to “what grandma used to make “. I did alter the recipe to accommodate my not by choice gluten free husband by substituting almond flour for the wheat flour and it worked just fine. If I hadn’t said anything, no one would have known.
Leedra says
can you convert the amount of apples for this recipe into cups, roughly? I will be using small apples from a tree, different sizes, but on the smallish side.
The Chunky Chef says
I would say approximately 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups.
Rachel Roemke says
Omg I am so glad I tried this recipe it was absolutely delicious I did add 1/2 cup granola (crunchy honey and oats)…. I definitely recommend trying this 😁
Karen says
Love apple crisp always did the best thing to eat in the fall of the year.
Liz says
Apple Crisp is such a comforting and easy dessert! Your version looks perfect! I love the addition of oats 🙂
Joanne says
Does it matter the kind of oats….I made it with fresh peaches but as a kid on school days couldn’t wait for hot lunch Fridays with Apple Crisp on menu…
Kelly Uzzell says
This recipe was so simple. It was my first time making one and my family loved it. Thanks for sharing!!
JessicaM says
I make a lot of apple crisps – I mean a LOT. And this is hands down my family’s new favorite recipe! Thank you so much!
Debi says
I liked this recipe very much, but also added dried cranberries and chopped pecans to it and everyone loved it.
Nysha says
A nice and simple recipe. Will add this to my rotation.
Gina Sapp says
Simple, easy, and delicious. I like recipes with all the ingredients basic staples in my cupboard. This recipe is a keeper!😋
Bambie says
EXACTLY what I was looking for. Thank you for this outstanding version of this classic. I used a maple brown sugar quick oat and it was PHENOMENAL.
Meagan says
This is insanely good! Definitely gunna print this one out and use it a lot!
Michelle says
Just put this in the oven, I love apple crisp !! I can hardly wait to sink my fork into it..