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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Jennifer B says
Oh my goodness! Deliciousness! I made this as written using Pink Lady apples, and old fashioned oats. Topped with vanilla ice cream, it’s heavenly. The topping is crisp and pleasantly sweet and the apples had just the right amount of cinnamon and sugar to make it work perfectly with the topping.
Anita says
Aloha, any recommendations on substituting oil for butter? If so, how much and what kind of oil?
My husband loves apples but not butter. I’ve tried some vegan recipes and they are okay, not great.
Much Mahalo for sharing,
The Chunky Chef says
Aloha! Unfortunately I haven’t tested using oil in place of butter, so I can’t say for certain how well it would work, or if any other changes would need to be made. My only advice would be to make sure you use a neutral flavored oil like grapeseed, vegetable, or avocado oil, rather than an olive or peanut oil. If you do any experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out 🙂
Diana says
This stuff is so good, it should really be illegal!
Rose Allan says
Delicious!!!
Alice says
Super yummy and easy to make!
James says
Best recipe I’ve tried for apple crisp. Followed directions exactly and came out perfect. Used honeycrisp apples because that’s what I had.
Regina Cecchini says
I’ve tried so many Apple crisp recipes. This recipe is by far the best!
Agnes says
Love this apple crisp recipe, really easy and bakes up beautifully
Jill Sundiñ says
Easy to follow recipe. Came out terrific! Thank you
Christine says
I loved this and will make it again. But I will cut back on the sugar next time. It was just too sweet for me. Should this be refrigerated (leftovers)?
The Chunky Chef says
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, I would refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container 🙂
Shellie says
Yes, it seemed like a lot of brown sugar in the topping so I didn’t put it all in. But I haven’t tasted it yet it’s almost ready to come out of the oven. From your comment, I’m hoping I did the right thing.
Leslie says
I have made this recipe about 10 times in the last year and it never lasts long! It’s delicious! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!
Julia says
I used Honey crisp apples. I added some hemp hearts and chia seeds and switched out regular flour for king Arthur’s Gluten free mix. Huge hit at a birthday brunch!
Trudy says
Made a double-batch to share as I liked the photo of the recipe and the ingredients. I followed the recipe to a tee with the exception of adding one cup roasted pecans (only because I love pecans). My husband and I ate more than expected so I must share it quickly before it is devoured.
Marie says
Excellent recipe. I used cortland apples. Just the right amount of sugar and cinnamon. Nice crispy topping. Super quick and easy dessert. Just add scoop of vanilla ice cream and … perfect! Guests loved it.
Susan says
I love your name and your apple crisp recipe. I had fun today in our kitchen
Mary says
Is the lemon juice necessary? My daughter is allergic ☹️
The Chunky Chef says
You can omit it 🙂
Jodie says
Love, Love, Love this recipe. I make it gluten free by substituting gluten free flour and oats and no one is the wiser. I use honey crisp apples and they are just right.
Santiago says
I tried making this one with Granny Smith apples, but it turned out WAY too sour for my taste. I’ve gone back to my tried and true McIntosh apples and its a big hit!
Ellen says
My family loved this! We ate it while it was still warm with vanilla custard and it was absolutely delicious. I was glad I doubled the recipe because my kids have a sweet tooth, and two of them asked to have some for breakfast! (I’m trying to save the rest for desert tonight with vanilla ice-cream 🙂 Thank you for sharing your lovely recipe.
gwen says
Delicious and easy to make. Thank you!!
Lilla says
Absolutely delicious!
I used Granny Smith apples because that’s all I had… it did NOT disappoint!
Popped a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!
Helena says
Made your apple crisp recipe. Absolutely delicious! I had used McIntosh apples because had so much I needed to use. I was a little nervous using Mac’s because of being a softer apple. However it came out perfectly delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe.