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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JOANNE says
Wonderful dessert. Will make this again!!!
Yusra says
This recipe was well beyond my expectations. The best apple crisp recipe! SOOO good!
Nancy Crowson says
So delicious and easy!!!
Gretchen Washington says
I grew up making apple crisp but didn’t have the recipe anymore. This one looked similar and it was! So easy and very delicious. Served warm with vanilla ice cream and ate it cold with plain Greek yogurt the next day for breakfast;)
I used my mandolin to slice the apples nice and thin. Turned out great.
Debbie says
Delicious! Tried making this today and it turned out wonderfully. The only change I made was to add chopped pecans to the crumble – yum! Will definitely make this again.❤️
Monette says
Just WOW!!!!
Eden says
can you freeze old fashioned apple crisp
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested freezing this recipe, although many other readers have successfully frozen it.
Kathy says
Amazing! Very easy to make.
LibbyB says
Loved it. I left the peels on as I’m always looking for ways to add fiber. Thank you!
Clara Gamino says
It was so yummy my grandkids loved it😍
Katie says
I made this twice in one week! My co workers raved about it and asked to make it a second time! The best apple crisp, hands down!! Thanks for the recipe!
Buffy says
This is the best apple crisp I’ve ever had! My coworkers want me to make this constantly. Lol. My husband loves it and requests this all the time. It’s delicious warm or cold. Thank you so much for this one of a kind recipe!!
Joanna Paxton says
The best Apple Crisp recipe! Highly recommend
Lisa says
This recipe truly is like my grandmas!! Thank you!!! Warms my heart and my families tummy! ❤️❤️❤️
Jen says
Needed a quick recipe for the apple criss topping and this was perfect. Thank you!
Lee says
I made this tonight. I used a 9 x 13 dish because I had more apples and I also added pecans. It’s perfect!
Linda Hanley says
Crazy delicious apple crisp! Our trees are full of apples so I have made this twice now. Yummy so glad I found this
Nancy says
Can you make it a couple of days ahead and then warm it in the microwave?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested reheating this recipe using the microwave, so I can’t say for certain how well the whole baking dish would reheat using that method. If you wanted to reheat a single serving in the microwave, then that should be just fine. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out 🙂
Sara says
One of the best I have tried. Husband loves it. Just like his mom made!
Sam says
Tried it! Loved it!!!
What’s the best way to store it afterwards?!?
The Chunky Chef says
So glad you enjoyed it! I recommend covering it and keeping it in the refrigerator for storage.