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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Monica says
Perfect. I baked an hour because we like it extra crunchy.
Kim says
OMG , so so good ! You can use any Apples . The best just like Grama made .
Nuk says
The first time I made this recipe, my husband asked if I had bookmarked this recipe. It was that good! It’s our go-to for apple crisp!
Gina says
Can I use quick cut oats instead of old fashioned?
The Chunky Chef says
The texture might change slightly, but yes, you can use quick oats if that’s what you have available.
Bonnie says
This recipe is absolutely the best! It has been my “go to” for the last year or so. My kids LOVE it. It’s the one recipe they always ask me to make.
Marietta says
The best apple crisp I’ve ever had! ❤️ Thank you for sharing! This is definitely a keeper!
Halle says
I have tried so many recipes online and my own experiments in apple crisp. While all of them were good, this recipe is the BEST ever!!! The topping is amazing. I will always go back to your recipe. I am making it again now! Thank you so much for sharing this gem with all of us!
Michelle Leary says
Made this last night and it was delicious and my family thought the same thing. This is a keeper and I will make a copy to go into my recipe binder. Thank you for sharing.
Tami says
This is the best Apple crisp I’ve ever had! I used Granny Smith apples and threw one small sweeter apple in. Absolutely delicious! Will definitely be making this again!
Barbara says
My husband said it was a keeper recipe. He’s the final word in our house. Thanks for sharing! 😊
Lg says
Soooooo delicious 👍👍thank you for the recipe. It came out perfect
Emily Hansen says
I have made this recipe several times. I of course add a little extra brown sugar and a little extra butter and a little extra oats for the ultimate apple crisp experience 🙂 thank you so much for sharing this with everyone it’s the best!!
Heather Rice says
Delicious! I used apple slices I thawed from the freezer and drained off their juice. I omitted the sugar in the apples and the flour in the topping. Will definitely make this again!
Maria says
One day you should definitely try the topping with the flour added. It gives the topping a different, crunchier texture. 😋
Amy Renton says
OMG. This is fabulous. I hadn’t made apple crisp in 20 years and decided to try this for a small gathering. It was outstanding. I finished it off for breakfast this morning. I didn’t have lt brown so I used dark brown sugar. And I topped it with whipped cream. I can’t wait to try the salted caramel topping next time.
Mike says
recipe is very easy to follow and my second time using it. Came out great and the family loved it. I may add more butter on top before placing in the oven because there were several uncooked topping spots but was ok. Also, using 6-7 apples, I used a 9×13 pan and filled it right up.
Gail davis says
Best apple crisp ever…. I am not a baker so this has become my go to dessert for dinner guests!
Shelly says
I need it today and it was awesome thank you for the wonderful recipe
Georgia Dimoulas says
amazing!
Patrick J D'Onofrio says
I melted the butter to a semi warm liquid and mixed I with an electric mixer. Much easier.
Billie says
Love it