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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Clay says
Great recipe! Easy and very tasty. I peeled the apples.
T.Fowler says
This recipe was easy, quick and yummy! My apples didn’t cook enough to my liking so I baked it again today. And now it’s perfect and oh soooo good! I now have a gas stove/oven and I’m not quite use to it yet, hence the under cooked apples. The apples are now soft and the ‘crisp’ is extra crispy… delish!
Mickey G says
Made this today for a luncheon at church. Everyone said it was delicious. I will certainly make it again. Used Golden Delicious apples and doubled the recipe. Served it with vanilla ice cream.
Cherie says
Fantastic. Thank you for sharing.
Beth says
Are you able to make, bake and freeze?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested freezing this recipe, although many other readers have successfully frozen it.
Jeni says
If I have bigger apples would you still use 6-7? Went to an apple orchard and got apples. They are all pretty big sorry I already had a question and thought of this one after I submitted the last question
The Chunky Chef says
You’ll want to use about 6-7 cups of chopped apples.
Patti W says
This is the best and easiest way to make apple crisp. My family loves it
Jeni says
Would I double everything to make a 9×13 pan of this?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes 🙂
Tonia says
This is the most delicious apple crisp recipe I’ve ever tasted. I’ve passed it in to my friends!
Becky says
This was delicious. Thank you! I used a blend of Granny Smith, Honeycrisp and Golden delicious apples in it. We served it with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
I will definitely make this again.
Theresa says
I LOVE this recipe. I doubled it and it’s half gone within hours. I also used your Dutch apple pie recipe a few weeks ago. This doesn’t skimp on the topping and that is what makes it sooooooooo good. The only thing I did different was add a pinch of nutmeg but it would have been fine without it.
Teresa says
Awesome, quick and easy.
Michelle Michelle says
I made this recipe several times using a Honeycrisp apples, and it always turns out fantastic! Thank you for the recipe
Stella says
Way too much sugar. Cut the brown sugar amount in half and the recipe would probably be perfect
Laura says
Have made it twice already and such a hit!!!
Question, how do I store it? Can it stay out or in fridge?
The Chunky Chef says
I always store mine in the refrigerator 🙂
Marilyn says
How many cups of apples does this recipe take? Our homegrown apples are smaller than what you typically buy so having an actual amount instead of number of apples is helpful I will wing it!
The Chunky Chef says
You’ll need about 6-7 cups of chopped apples as mentioned in the chef tips section of the recipe 🙂
Nina2023 says
I was not sure how it would come out as this is the first time making any type of crisp. I decreased the sugar my folks and I tend to like desserts less sweet. I can’t tell you how great this came out. I have celiac so I used gf oats & gf flour, this was better than apple pie honestly. I will definitely make this many times in the future and also try with different fruits as well. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Nella Brooke says
I just made this and it is absolutely delicious 😋. I have to avoid sugar when possible so I used Stevia and Truvia brown sugar. It came out amazingly delicious. Thank you! I am keeping this recipe forever!
Linda Henriksen says
Loved this recipe. Made it today. Used a combination of granny smith, cosmic crisp, gala and snow apples. We prefer them peeled. Used part sugar and part splenda. Also used splenda brown sugar. Added just a touch of vanilla to the applies. We definitely make it again!
Che'la G says
Same here with the vanilla. I always add something extra to recipes. If I had some rum, I would’ve added that to the apples as well…. There’s always next time.
Mine is currently in the oven, so haven’t tasted it yet.
Elizabeth says
This recipe was soooooo sweet! If I made it again, I would definitely 1/2 the sugar.
Sydney says
So yum! Simple and delicious. I added some extra apple and used honey crisp freshly picked
Wendy Hardy says
I’ve made this 3 times in two weeks. It is so delicious!
Can I double the recipe and bake in a 9×13 or do you recommend to separate 8×8 pans?
The Chunky Chef says
You can double it in a 9×13″ pan (I do this often), or you can choose two separate 8×8″ pans, whichever works best for you 🙂
KariQ says
This was quick and easy to put together for a late night dessert craving. My house smells like fall! It’s so delicious just the way you wrote it! I will definitely make it again…and again, again!