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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Richard Day says
Tastes delicious and the whole house smells like heaven!
GMJ says
Just a heads up: The 8×8 Baking Dish ( LeCreuset) that you link to on Amazon is no longer available. Since you earn a small comission (@no cost to your followers) you may want to choose something similar.
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you for the heads up!
Jeana says
The BEST recipe hands down! My husband and I loved it!
Julie says
Can this recipe be frozen after cooking?
Thank you
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested freezing this recipe, although many other readers have successfully frozen it.
Jill Wolber says
Great easy and delicious recipe! 😋
Brenda says
This was so easy to make and it’s very delicious! I may try adding cooked cranberries to the apples next time for just a little flair– but the recipe is truly excellent as is!
Chris says
Loved it😋
Elizabeth says
Too sweet. I checked my other recipes and they have less brown sugar and oats, and more fruit. The cinnamon was also too much and overpowered the flavor of the apples.
Kenzie says
I don’t know if I did it right but there was liquid in the bottom of the dish after baking 🙁
The Chunky Chef says
Unfortunately, all apples (even those of the same variety) will have different amounts of moisture inside, which comes out during the baking process. You can certainly stir a little flour into the apple mixture to combat this if you’d like.
Sharon Scott says
I was looking for an apple crisp recipe and i must commend you for the ease with which i was able to get your actual recipe and instructions. Thank you thank you thank you! I do not understand why some sites make it so difficult. Several times I’ve just backed out of them. God bless, Sharon
Darlene says
First recipe that came up when I searched and it’s in the oven now! I’ll let you know how we like it. Now to look at some of your other recipes.
Laura says
I’ve tried this recipe and it was heavenly! Got so many compliments 🤍
I’d like to make it again using almond flour, any tips:)?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested this recipe using almond flour, so I can’t say for certain whether any changes would need to be made. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out 🙂
Bridget says
We made this with GF flour…no one knew! We used the one from Costco, but I can’t remember the brand. Sorry!
We all wanted to lick the plates…the best!
Gina says
Love this recipe! Came out perfect. Ver easy!
Nana Sherrill says
Made this today. The only thing I changed was I added 1 1/2 cups chopped roasted pecans for added crunch. I’m so happy I did because it’s amazing!
Beth says
5 stars!! It is very good
JJ says
Excellent as written. Best apple crisp recipe my adult daughter and I have tasted. Used Granny Smith apples, which were a nice contrast to the sweet top crust. The topping itself was perfect too. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Gracie says
Holy Moses… this is so good and so easy!! 10000/10!!!!
Ginger Daniels says
Yummy!
Mary Paula Greer says
Oh gosh its do delish.
Sarah P says
Made this recipe with apples from the yard! Tastes fantastic!