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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AB says
This is amazing! In the apple part, I halved the sugar and tripled the cinnamon, but in the topping part I followed the recipe to the letter. Probably the best apple crisp I have ever eaten!
Mary B says
I got a request from my family to make this for Thanksgiving after having it last month. It’s the best apple crisp recipe. And it’s my favorite dessert, I’ve made a ton of them! Thank you.
Nia says
I want to make this Wednesday before Thanksgiving and then bake it Thanksgiving day. Is that OK?
The Chunky Chef says
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), but I’ve baked it ahead of time. After it 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.
Patty says
Loved this recipe. It came out perfectly and everyone was delighted. Thank you.
Toni Campbell says
Made this for a Friendsgiving get together and it was a total hit! Super easy to make.
Joyce D says
Can I make this in the morning and let sit? This way while we have dinner I can pop in the oven so I can serve it warm? I guess what I’m asking is can it sit without getting soggy?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested assembling this ahead of time, but not baking it, although I believe some other readers may have (you’d have to check the comments). What many readers have done to work ahead is to bake it as directed the day before, or early in the morning. Then cover it after it cools and refrigerate. 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.
Lisa says
Delicious! I’m making this recipe again.
Nancy says
Can this receipe be doubled?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, use a 9×13″ and you may need to add a bit of extra baking time. Just check the apples for doneness with a fork 🙂
rdaf says
I hate these sites were you have to scroll a ton and get through ads. Horrible user experience.
The Chunky Chef says
Well you’re getting free content, which takes quite of bit of time, work, and expertise to share on this website. I’m guessing you’re not super familiar with using online recipe websites, so you must have missed the “recipe” button at the top which takes you RIGHT to that free recipe.
Gina says
The best apple crisp I have ever eaten. It’s my new go-to for fall entertaining. Crowd pleaser and super easy!
Christie says
Can you let me know how and if you can make this a couple days in advance? Do you bake then freeze or freeze uncooked then bake?
Thank you so much! Looks yummy!
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested freezing this recipe, although many other readers have successfully frozen it. To make it ahead,I would bake it as directed, then cover it after it cools and refrigerate until the next day or so. 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 🙂
Laurie says
If I make ahead, should I cook it and then freeze or freeze before cooking and then bake it when needed? Times and temperatures, please.
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested freezing this recipe, although many other readers have successfully frozen it. To make it ahead, I would bake it as directed, then cover it after it cools and refrigerate until the next day or so. 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 🙂
Belinda says
Awesome and easy loved it.
Deborah says
This was delicious! Is there any way to make this in advance? (Either to freeze or just a couple days in advance?)
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested freezing this recipe, although many other readers have successfully frozen it. To make it ahead, I would bake it as directed, then cover it after it cools and refrigerate until the next day or so. 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 🙂
Joel B says
Any chance I could make a double batch of this for a 13×9? Would it come out okay?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, you could double it in a 13×9″ dish, it may take a bit longer to bake, so just check the apples for tenderness with a fork 🙂
Monique says
This apple crisp recipe came out perfect. My boyfriend’s Mom loved it so much, she refused to give the neighbor any so she could eat more the following day 😂 thank you so much!
Jackie says
Can you prep this in ramekins and bake the next day?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested baking this recipe in ramekins, so I can’t say for certain what the exact bake time would be, but yes, you can prep this ahead of time. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out 🙂
kathy says
so good and easy was looking for a recipe with oats in the topping and found this one
Connie Wohlheter says
I bake. Look no further! Perfect.
Melanie says
I was so looking forward to this but it was SO sweet. Too sweet to eat really. The recipe doesn’t specify packed or unpacked brown sugar and I’ve always been told the correct way to bake is to pack brown sugar. That could be where I went wrong because it was just unbearably sweet 🙁
The Chunky Chef says
You measured the brown sugar correctly. I’m sorry you found this too sweet, but we all do have different tastes and preferences. The variety of apple could also be part of the problem, since different types are sweeter than others.
Jackie says
Any suggestion on extra time or has anyone doubled this batch that could share? Wanting to double the recipe for Thanksgiving but just not sure how much extra time it will take to cook…
The Chunky Chef says
Hopefully someone who’s doubled this will chime in, but in general, since an 8×8 and 9×13 baking dish are usually close to the same depth, the baking time shouldn’t change too much. I would add 10 minutes and check the apples for doneness with a fork 🙂
Katrina Steinmetz says
I made this yesterday & it looks great (I did it in a 💝 shaped pie-pan). I’ve kept in the fridge.
Suggestions for heating it when I get to the potluck tonight?
Temp/time in oven? Or in microwave— not sure what I’ll have access to.
The Chunky Chef says
I don’t recommend using the microwave, as this will soften the topping too much… but I would bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, or until hot throughout.