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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Marieth Siku says
Can I use oil instead of unsalted butter?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Nehakapoor says
I’ve made this a few times now, always turns out great. This last time I added some fresh cranberries in with the apples. Delish! Thanks for the post.
Jasmine says
I used half the granulated sugar and used melted butter for ease. It worked really well!
Ginny Moss says
Can I use canned apple for pie filling.. and can I use 1 minute steel cut oats?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Betsy says
This is one of the best desserts I have ever made. I could eat the whole batch in one day if I’d let myself!
alexa says
I followed the recipe without any of my own additions and it was delicious! Next time I would like to try it was some caramel, that would be really good! Great recipe!
Ellie says
Can I use almond flour instead of almond flour . Has anyone tried with almond flour . Please share your comments
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Alex says
Hey there! I tried this today with almond flour and it was delicious. I would have preferred 1/2 c of brown sugar and 1 c of almond flour because I don’t like it overly sweet. Will try the modification next time!
Sandra A. Hitik says
Alex, I am glad you posted your use of almond flour. I will use it as well. Your suggestion of less sugar and 1 C of almond flour sounds good. I don’t like it so sweet either. Thank you.
Pam says
Hello, I just made this recipe and it looks delicious. I also cooked the caramel that you suggested with your recipe and it came out great. We can’t wait to eat some but it needs to cool down a little.
Thank you for sharing!
Reetamalik says
Love this classic recipe. Everyone of my family member enjoyed it. I used dark brown sugar and chopped pecans in the topping. The Honeycrisp apples I used work well in the recipe too. Thank you!
Sabrina A says
I had a bunch of bruised apples that were starting to get soft, so I whipped this up last night. It was delicious and super quick/easy to make!
Valerie A Gill Colon says
I made this but without the caramel and it was delicious! Thanks!
L Pandiani says
Made this in a glass Purex dish (makes storing the left overs easier) Added 1/2 tsp nutmeg to the apple mixture and 1/2 tsp fresh ground allspice to the topping.
Roger Majeske says
The recipe calls for 1 cup light brown sugar, so I’m assuming it’s just 1 cup of light brown sugar spooned in and not “packed”. Is this correct? if it was 1 cup packed, wouldn’t it be too sweet?
The Chunky Chef says
You can do it either way. The too sweet part depends on which apples you use. If you use apples that are more tart, obviously you’ll need a bit more sugar, and vice versa.
Bridget says
I made this tonight after hubby asked “What’s for dessert tonight?!” …I had a bunch of green apples, so as I Google a recipe for Apple Crisp, yours was listed #1 as Old Fashioned Apple Crisp, so I went for it! I had some caramel sauce, but no ice cream, so I am going to make it again with those toppings, but OMGAAA! It was DIVIIINE! Hubby and I loved the sweet/tart flavors from the green apples! I used instant oatmeal, and it was still crispy, and cooked it 45 minutes, doubled the recipe too, and I will try the Old Fashion Oats next time too! Thank you for sharing! You are onto something here! Yummy!
Kumari says
Made this yesterday and was delicious and so easy to make! I had tripled the recipe except for the sugar and used whole wheat flour for the crumble top. I also baked it covered in tinfoil.
My question is, how do I get the top more crispy? Mine came out very gooey (and scrumptious!)
Thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
I always bake mine uncovered, so I would try not covering it, which would help with the crispiness 🙂
Hyde says
I gotta work on my crumble, but otherwise, it is delicious. Not overly sweet which I prefer and the apples melt in your mouth. Will make again. Thanks.
Tabi says
I love this recipe however, I doubled the mixture so as to serve more people. Thankyou for the wonderful recipe!
Pamela Lowery says
Made this today for New Years dessert. My daughter and son in law loved it. It was perfect. I added a couple of teaspoons of sugar to my apple’s because I used Granny Smith apples which are very tart. Everything else was according to the recipe. Will definitely make it again. Oh I used a round pie dish and it came out perfectly.
Brenda says
I also make this and substitute the apples with canned pear halves.
Tabi Vale says
Love this recipe! Thank you SO much! The apple where delicious and the topping fit perfectly. This recipe is divine.
Kathleen Sutherland says
Simple and tasty. I used Granny Smith apples, and added a pinch of nutmeg, as well. For a lighter version, I cut both the butter and sugar amounts by 1/4, which makes it a little less rich, but still just as flavorful..
Mia Wazwaz says
I made This recipe tonight because I had Some leftover fresh Granny Smith apples from Christmas. This was my first Apple Crisp recipe I’ve ever made. It was perfect. I did Tweak it just a little. I live In 5,280 feet so I did Make sure that I used A lower oven rack so it can cook better and left it in for at least 48 minutes. Also, I only Had 4 Granny Smith apples and one Honey crisp. I was Worried the Granny Smith would be too tart so I added An extra 1 Tbs of brown sugar on the apples. I also Added a tiny bit of nutmeg. Also, I melted A stick of butter but first mixed in the brown sugar, salt, and oats, sifted flour together well before adding the melted butter. It made a perfect topping. My recipe turned a little on the sweeter side so I will Definitely remake this with the naturally sweet apple vs a tart one. Also, i greased my 8×8 glass with unsalted butter and let it cool for 15 minutes on a kitchen counter so it would all settle. Thank you for sharing. This was my dessert tonight on this snowed, Denver Monday.