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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Shalika says
I forgot to grease my baking dish. Will it be a problem?
The Chunky Chef says
I think it’ll be alright 🙂
Liv says
Best apple crisp my boyfriend and I have ever had. Followed recipe exactly except used lime juice instead of lemon. Absolutely amazing
Anissa Jones says
Delicious!!! Such a wonderful dessert with vanilla bean ice cream drizzled with hot carmel sauce.
Mckenzie says
Why didn’t mine bubble? It looks super dry!
The Chunky Chef says
Hmm without being there with you, and assuming you didn’t make any changes to the ingredients (margarine vs butter, etc), my guess is that the butter wasn’t cut into the topping mixture enough.
Sadie says
It’s a perfect, easy treat for any day. Love love love it!!!!!! Thank you so much for making an easy, delicious treat for people around the world!!!
Alena says
Wow! This is amzaing!! Used it last night and I am so happy I did! Kept going back for more! Yummmmy!!! Must try!
Britney says
If I doubled the recipe and made it in a 9×13 dish, how long would it need to go in the oven for?
Thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
The baking time might need to be increased a little, but likely not too much. I would add an extra 5-10 minutes and check the apples for doneness with a fork 🙂
Grace says
Made apple crisp the way my mother in law use to make
Following the recipe on this site is like hers.
Boston Patti says
Almost as good as my late mom’s!!! I saw the answer to my ??… I’m going to try walnuts in mine today, and yes it’s May not October but I love this recipe!! Ty!! Hmmm…dried cran to the apples ?
Linda Cross says
Delicious recipe it turned out perfect! I added chopped walnuts to the dry ingredients—-Yummy!
Sheena says
This is a fantastic recipe. I literally only use this recipe now for Apple Crisp. It reminds me of the one my Grandma used to make when I was little : )
Sarah Wood says
I made extra and froze a few portions for later. How should I thaw it so it stays crisp?
BSLB Walrus says
Second time making this awesome recipe, and I can’t get enough! This time I was out of AP flour and both sugars (oof), so I improvised: (1) blended 1c old-fashioned oats in the blender to make 3/4c oat flour and (2) blended a heaping cup of Sugar in the Raw to make a finer sugar that I used in place of the brown and white — along with adding a tablespoon of maple syrup to the topping so it wouldn’t be too dry. I also added 1/4tsp each of baking powder and soda to the topping in case the oat flour might get dense in the oven but am not sure this was necessary. (Thoughts, Amanda? I’m not a super-experienced baker.) I might end up using oat flour again just to add a smidge more nutrition since I didn’t notice any differences compared to the first time I made this delicious crisp. It baked up scrumptiously after 50 minutes in a 3qt casserole dish, and my boyfriend loved it as much as I do. Thanks again!
Charles Northup says
I’ve made this before and it instantly became the family favourite. So thank-you!
My question is can any of it be prepared ahead of time when the kitchen is going to be in full use for dinner and we are trying to save time?
The Chunky Chef says
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! I haven’t tested making this recipe ahead of time, although many other readers have successfully done so. Based on their feedback and my instincts, 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 🙂
Rena Lee Marwitz says
Hello, does this ham need to be boiled first? Thank you from Montreal.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Rena, I’m not sure what recipe you meant to leave this comment on, but this is an apple crisp recipe.
Judy Ozmar says
Can I make this ahead of time? Will the topping stay crunchy?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested making this recipe ahead of time, although many other readers have successfully done so. Based on their feedback and my instincts, 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 🙂
Maday Santos says
Making this for the 2nd time around. Absolutely delicious, the 1st one was devoured in less than 12 hours by 3 people. Definitely a go-to.
Sara says
Could I bake this in individual ramekins?
The Chunky Chef says
You certainly can, but I haven’t tested it to be able to tell you how long they’ll take 🙂
Lori Gilbert says
Hello, do you think I can use almond flour instead of all purpose flour
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested this recipe using any alternative flours, so I can’t say for certain if it would work or whether any other changes would need to be made. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out 🙂
Karen Swanson says
Best ever.