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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Juli Moore says
I made this the other night and they have already requested it for dessert again!
Sheila says
I used apple pie spice instead of cinnamon still was delicious
Kim says
I have “quick oats”. Is this the same as “old fashioned oats”??
The Chunky Chef says
They have a slightly different texture, but will still work for this recipe 🙂
Kim says
Perfect!! Thank you!!
Darla says
Thank you! I made it last night. With your caramel sauce, and it was a huge hit!!!
Darla says
I would like to add that the pastry cutter is the KEY to the crust.
I never knew what this tool was used for until I saw this recipe. I actually thought it was for mashing potatoes. But cutting the butter into the flour, sugar and oats is the trick to keeping it moist. I also sliced paper thin slices of butter and layer them on top of the crumble just before sticking in the oven. I’ve made this recipe more than 10 times over 3 days to use up the apples on my apple tree before they go bad, and I can’t make it fast enough for family, friends and neighbors.
Elizabeth Taylor says
This recipe was so delicious! I even accidentally overcooked it (absolutely my fault, not the recipes), but it was still really good. I took it to a friend’s house and even being a little overcooked, it was devoured. Highly recommend!
Alex says
Made a couple of times now. Would definitely recommend pre melting the butter into the topping. Also, will need to be cooked for much longer than recommended with the suggested amount and pan size, as it is definitely underdone with the suggested time
The Chunky Chef says
You can certainly melt the butter for the topping, if cutting the butter in is challenging you. The cooking time will depend on the apples you used, and how large you cut them 🙂
Darla says
Hi dear, when you say “old fashioned oats”, are you talking about the instant kind with the old white-haired dude on the front?
The Chunky Chef says
Not the instant oatmeal, but this is the product I use https://www.quakeroats.com/products/hot-cereals/old-fashioned-oats
Moana says
Sooo good!!
So quick and simple. 💖
Rosanne says
Most excellent, most delicious, most simple!
Lexx says
Thanks for the recipe ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Tara says
This recipe is delicious. I didn’t have a pastry cutter so I did have some difficulty chopping up the cold butter. My coworkers still devoured it. I went out and bought a cutter today and am making the recipe again. I used 5 mackintosh and 1 granny Smith. 🤤🤤🤤
Lane says
The apple filling is good, but the topping was way off when I made it – another commenter described the texture as sandy and I agree – it was floury and incredibly dry. I followed all of the ratios to a T so can’t understand where I could’ve gone wrong. However if anyone has any insight to how this could have been me and not the recipe I’m all ears.
The Chunky Chef says
It’s supposed to look sandy before baking, but during the baking process, the butter melts and turns it into the crumble topping. If you’re having trouble with it, several other readers have just melted the butter and stirred it into the topping ingredients instead, with good results.
Brenda says
I LOVE these recipes!! So delicious and easy to make!!
Rebekah says
This is my go to apple crisp recipe. When using apples that are a little tart, the taste is fabulous! I have made one change. I melt the butter before adding it to the oatmeal mixture. My crisp turns out great every time!
Jenny says
This recipe was such a disappointment! While the filling tasted good, albiet overly sweet. The topping was the texture of sand. If you check the measurements, there is no way there are enough wet ingredients to make the crumble topping come together the way you want it to. I was also disappointed to see my original review never made it to the website. My guess would be that the reason the ratings are so high, is that the creator leaves out the majority of the negative ones. Such a waste of time ingredients!
The Chunky Chef says
I’m sorry you didn’t have a good result with this recipe. I assure you, the topping ingredient amounts are correct, and fairly standard for a crumble topping. I also do NOT appreciate your insinuation that I don’t publish negative reviews… all comments have to be approved before they post, as there is a large amount of spam comments on recipe websites. I’m not sure when you left another comment, as I didn’t see any other comment from you, but the last several days I’ve been fairly busy with a sick child. I approve all comments, negative or positive, unless they are verbally abusive or predatory. Have a day as lovely as you are.
Julia says
I made this recipe last night and doubled the amount of apples since they were starting to go soft. Turned out perfect, and even feels “healthy” with the amount of apples used. Had some fresh out of the oven for dessert, and some microwaved for breakfast- equally delicious. The grouchy comments must have never made a crumble topping before……
Courtney says
My favorite apple crisp recipe! I used 1/2 cup of brown sugar instead of 1 cup for personal preference. I cut the butter with my hands, it takes a little bit but it comes out amazing! I think anyone who said the texture is sandy isn’t properly cutting the butter.
Teddi says
The ratings could be high because it’s actually a good recipe plus she has a lot of other good recipes. Just because you, or even a few others may have had a bad experience doesn’t mean she can’t have high ratings, it just means that the good ratings outweigh the bad!
Joanna says
I just made this and it was delicious! So simple to make as well.
How would you recommend storing if I make them a day prior? And heating up again in the oven?
The Chunky Chef says
Other readers have made it ahead of time with good results. I would bake as directed the day before you want to serve, then cover it after it cools 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.
Brian says
This is a wonderful recipe have made it numerous times. Has always been amazing. I personally like using 3 Fuji and 3 Granny Smith apples in it.
Thank you very much.Donald says
Thank you very much.
Kelly says
I have a party to attend over the weekend can I make this ahead of time or will it b mushy
The Chunky Chef says
Other readers have made it ahead of time with good results. I would bake as directed the day before you want to serve, then cover it after it cools 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.
Melissa says
Making this today, can’t wait! BUT realized I have no lemon juice. What will happen if I eliminate this?
The Chunky Chef says
You can omit it with no problems 🙂
Gary German says
Very delicious and easy to prepare. I’ve made this recipe with the exact ingredients and on another day I substituted half of the butter with 1/4th cup of Earth Balance and the sugar with Stevia granules. Both times the recipe came out fantastic.
Steph Allard says
I have made this twice with the salted caramel….I don’t even like warm apples and I really thought this was amazing. Fam demolished it.