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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Desiree Greenwood says
Super delicious, and very easy to make.
Thank you:)
Laurie Reece says
Delicious and easy. Items you have in your kitchen.
Jeanna says
The apple crisp is delicious. I used brown sugar instead of white and used a little more oatmeal to flour ratio. Adding some flax meal to the topping is a good way to add a little more nutrition to this already amazing treat!
Donna says
Fantastic. I made this almost every month.
Inez says
ok
Wendy Reinke says
This was so good! I made a couple of additions. I threw in some dried cranberries with the apples and they plumped up and made little tart bites with the sweet apples. I also had some toasted pecans left from holiday baking and added them to the topping . I made your caramel sauce and it was to die for!!! This dessert did not last long at my house!!
K.C. says
Absolutely perfect! I’ll be using this recipe again and again.
K.C. says
I just made this today and it does get crispy on top! My tip is to set about six-eight small slivers of butter on top of the topping before baking. This holds especially true if the topping is pretty thick and generous, as this one is. I’d try this recipe….in less than an hour it’s almost gone!
Becky says
best crisp topping I’ve found! and super easy too. I love that the filling isn’t overly sweet as well
Lupe says
Loved it
Brandy says
So yummy!!! And takes so little time.
Becca Hood says
I have more of a question, I haven’t made the recipe yet but I’m looking for an apple crisp recipe that is super crispy on the top. The one I tried to make a few days ago at Christmas was more like a cake oatmeal topping and didn’t get crisp. Looking forward to your feedback
The Chunky Chef says
I’m not sure what that topping used, but I find this topping gets pretty crisp, due to using the cold butter instead of melted.
Patrice says
This was the best recipe ever!!!! The entire family enjoyed it!
Natalia says
This is delicious! I am making it again for the second time, super excited. I substituted the sugar with stevia and it turned out delicious! 🙂 thank you 😊
Krista N says
Everyone loved it. Great for those who don’t always like pumpkin pie for dessert.
Melissa says
Made this several times and it’s EXCELLENT! So good and so easy!
Janet Lea Wyatt says
Family loved this. Thank you!
Omar Ja says
Can I substitute olive oil for the butter ? We are all out of butter and all stores closed
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested this recipe using olive oil, so I can’t say for certain how that would turn out 🙂
Jen says
Not a good idea when it comes to baked goods!😳
Marilyn Bachelder says
I always try to skimp on the butter and it never works. Next time I might mix the topping with the apples and then bake. Will let you know how that works.
Susan Caldwell says
Delicious with golden delicious, easy too