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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Mrs. Santana says
This looks amazing! I feel as if I can smell it through my phone. I’m going to make this tonight for the husband and kids dessert! I’ll have to come back and share the results. Sending love from Ohio!
Danielle Mauer says
This was the best apple crisp I’ve ever made and I’m generally not a huge lover of them. I think what makes it better is the equal parts flour in the topping. I really packed it on. Unbelievable flavor.
Sherri Wilkinson says
Delish!!!!
Kara says
I made this last month after I went Apple picking. It was very good but a bit too sweet for us. I just made it again and cut down the brown sugar to 1/2 a cup but left everything else the same. It is great 🙂
Debbie says
This became a family favorite apple crisp the first time we tasted it. We used 1/2 gala and 1/2 granny smith apples. If you love the crunchy oatmeal topping, this will soon be your favorite, too. I doubled the recipe in a 9″x13″ pan, and it still disappeared in a day.
Laurie says
How long did it take to make as a 9 x 13? Did you change anything else?
Jerrissa Matthews says
My favourite apple Crisp recipe!
Ginger says
I made this for my son’s birthday luncheon instead of serving birthday cake. Everyone agreed that this was the most delicious desert! The brown butter salted caramel sauce made the desert over-the-top delicious! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Linda Rupell says
The best Apple crisp I have ever made…Thanks for sharing..This one is for sure a keeper! Look no further this one is by far the best and easiest! Best tasting!
Ava Ray Adams says
Delicious. I tweaked a tad, as is my usual habit. Cubed the apples apples into 1″ chunks and tossed with Turbinado sugar (aka Demerara/ Raw), 1 teaspoon Ceylon Cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated Nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon fresh crushed Cardamom seed, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice. Made topping as written but with with only 3/4 cup homemade Brown Sugar (mix 1 cup Turbinado Sugar with 1 Tablespoon Molasses- blend well, store in frig, won’t harden!), 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 cup finely chopped raw walnuts- added walnuts last by blending in with fingers. Did not need caramel sauce, but sure it would be a nice addition. I’ll save the caramel sauce for my Apple Nut Cake or Mexican “Fried” Ice Cream!
Marie mMontroy says
Love it thanks from Marie
Wendy says
Can I double it in a 9×13? If so how does that change cook time?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, you certainly can 🙂 The baking time should be similar, so I would check it around the 50 minute mark and see if it’s golden and bubbly. It may need a few minutes more, depending on your oven.
Vicky says
Super easy to make especially since I used the attachment on my KitchenAid mixer to peel the apples. Delicious, especially with the home-made caramel sauce. Hubby raved about this dish! Thanks for sharing!
Fran says
Absolutely wonderful! This will be my “go to” recipe for Apple crisp now!
Ann says
This is by far my favorite apple crisp recipe! Easy and delicious! The grand kids can help make it AND eat it!
Thank you
Katie says
This was delicious and simple to make! My favorite apple crisp recipe now.
Amber Rodriguez says
This was fabulous – I highly recommend. It’s a lovely, simple recipe and I’m not sure why it is so spectacular, but it IS – I guess it has just the right amounts of sweet and spice. I doubled the whole recipe for a 9 x 13 pan and cooked (here at an altitude of 7,200 ft) for about 65 minutes, until good and bubbling.
Lynn says
Just made this tonight. Love it! Used a little less sugar, granny smith peeled apples, walnuts and Earth Balance instead of butter. This will be my go too, quick, simple comfort food.
Thank you.
Erin says
This was definitely a hit with all my friends. I love apple crisp and some of my friends had surprisingly never had one before and this recipe did not disappoint. Although I did double the crisp topping because in my opinion, the crisp part is the best part. I don’t see the crisp lasting very long in the fridge.
Mary Anne Dickerson says
I iam 68 yes old and have been making apple crisp for 50+ years. Used your recipe yesterday. ABSOLUTELY by far The far the best.l
Robin V says
Perfect. No changes made. My husband is raving about it. Also I really like the size for smaller family. I used one of the Apple slicer core removal you can buy at the supermarket. Cuts even wedges leaving the core. Then just cut each wedge in half. Perfect size. Firm but done.