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.
NEVER MISS A CHUNKY CHEF RECIPE:
FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / PINTEREST / TWITTER
Vijaya says
Excellent recipe, so easy to make yet tasty. Every one including my aged mother liked it. Thanks for shariny
Lorie says
In the oven as I write smells yummy looks yummy too.
Charleen says
Can I use coconut flour or almond flour?
Amanda 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!
Kaye Wright says
This didn’t turn out for me. It wasn’t crumbly or crispy.
When I took it out of the oven it just looked like cut up apples with a powdery mixture on top
Amanda says
Oh no! Did you follow the recipe exactly, with no substitutions? I’d be happy to troubleshoot if you’d like to shoot me an email at amanda@thechunkychef.com
Libby says
This was very delicious!
Shae Shae says
Awesome
Doris Wittenburg says
I’ve made Apple Crisp many, many times. I’m always on the search for the recipe that gives the flavor I desire. You’ve done it! I am sure this is the perfect one. I used Granny Smith, as this is the apple I’ve not often used in cooking. I also roasted the apple peel, which I used as a garnish on the scoop of vanilla Ice cream
Ray says
delicious!!
Gayle Heimsness says
This is my go-to recipe! ♥️♥️
Ellie says
It was very delicious and my family loved it! My brother and Dad even requested it for their birthday dessert!
lemon juice hater says
why tf u put lemon juice in there 😓🤕🤕
Amanda says
Lemon is actually very common in baked apple desserts, as it balances all the super sweet flavors. It’s only 1.5 tsp in a whole pan full of dessert, so it’s not like you’ll be sucking on a lemon wedge 🙂 You can also omit it, but I highly recommend the recipe as it’s written.
Tammy T Jeancola says
Lemon juice Is always added to apple pie/ crisp. If you where any kind of baker you would know that it balances the flavors beautifuly. There really is no need to be so rude!
Darlane Winfield says
great recipe loved it
Jonnalee says
My husband says it is the closest to his moms which is an amazing statement!! loved it, the best ever
Daniela Aviles says
Amazing delicious the best
Sheila says
Always a winner
María says
Thanks Amanda best apple crisp recipe I’ve tried; I added chopped walnuts and it came out awesome. Passing this recipe to my kids!!
LIZ says
I’m making this for the third time tonight because it’s YUMMY. I really like the way you write your recipes, not. So easy to follow! I think I’ll try adding some toasted almonds to the oatmeal this time. Thanks for sharing your talents.
Carole-line says
Amazing
Nick says
Really great. Made it with honey crisp apples and it was very good. Topping was a winner and was great with vanilla ice cream. Definitely saving the recipe to use again!
Carolyn W says
Delicious!
Parul Patel says
Its looking too YUMMI!
Molly Sharma says
Parul! I agree with you.