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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Katie says
This recipe is ok, there was far too much butter and it was pooling on the bottom. I would cut out 1/2 a stick in the future. The flavors and sweetness level was great.
Alana says
So, so delicious! I reviewed a few different recipes before making, and this one looked the easiest & yummiest. I’m so glad to have found it! It was very easy to follow. I used salted butter because it was what I had on hand & omitted the kosher salt suggested in the recipe. The golden delicious apples that I used were from a local orchard & quite large, so I only ended up using 5 of them. There was some extra ‘juice’ in the dish after baking, I simply spooned it out, though I’m sure it also would have been yummy drizzled over top! Thank you for this recipe!! It’s a keeper!
Misty Lavariega says
Made this and it was delicious thanks
Amy says
cant wait to try this! can i use instant 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.
Dixie L Voss says
So delicious!! Like I remember as a kid! At first I thought the topping was going to be way too much…..NOT!!!! I’ve made this recipe twice now in two weeks. Trying to find the best apple for it. I’ve used Gala and Honey Crisp because that is what I had on hand. Both are too juicy. Next time I will try Granny Smith. I will never look for another Apple Crisp recipe, ever! This is my go to forever!
Michele says
Wow so gooood! I followed the recipe exactly.I tried this for the first time. Never made an apple crisp before.definitely will make again.
Tam says
So good with my GF flour. Definitely will be baking this again.
Celeste Alberto says
Easy and delicious
Kimberly Persson says
Can I use instant quakes?
The Chunky Chef says
The texture might change slightly, but yes, you can use quick oats if that’s what you have available.
Jayda says
I’ve made this recipe time and time again, once for my brothers birthday, everyone loved it! Always a hit in the house. Thanks for the recipe!
Daniel Kovnat says
Want fewer carbs? Use soy flour/almond flour/soy flour/peanut flour
No need for so much sugar. Cut the amount granulated and brown sugar in half.
I use grapeseed oil instead of butter & apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice.
The recipe is VERY forgiving and deeeeelicious. Thanks chunky chef!
Christine Brown says
Easy peasy.
Carole says
Your apple crisp recipe sounds great! When you give the amount to use as 0.5 or 0.33 I do not know how to measure? Suggestion…I need a little education! Looking forward!
The Chunky Chef says
It sounds like you used the slider to change the serving amount, which changes the ingredient amounts automatically. 0.5 is 1/2 cup, and 0.33 is 1/3 cup.
Audrey says
Mine turned out great.
I have two other apple crisp recipes I use regularly. One is so simple that I feel like it’s lacking something. The other is delicious, but labor intensive. This recipe tastes delicious, but is still quick and easy.
I like packing the topping down, then sprinkling the last bit loose on top.
Lee W says
Great recipe. I have made this about 5 times. I use canned apple pie filling and omit the added sugar on the apples and lemon juice. I have also made it with cherry pie filling and then I omit the cinnamon. Great with vanilla ice cream.
Raija says
This recipe is easy, delicious and amazing!
Susan says
I just made this for my family tonight and I must say, I impressed myself with it! I used Granny Smith apples (nice and tart) and all I had was dark brown sugar and instant oatmeal. But it turned out so good that I had seconds. Oh, and I smothered it caramel sauce.
OMG GOOD!
Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Sharon says
The Best Recipe I’ve made since 1971 ! My husband loves it too!
Steven says
Easy to make and was a hit with the family!
Lauren Hendricks says
I added apple butter also and it really really made this so moist and delicious thank you for your recipe and sharing with us