We’re singing all the praises of apple crisp because it’s THE dessert of the season. Featuring warm gooey cinnamon apples and a brown sugar oat topping, this comfort food classic takes half the time and effort that traditional apple pie requires. You just need a handful of basic ingredients to get started including baking apples such as Granny Smith and Honeycrisp.
I originally published this recipe in 2020 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more success tips.
How many ways can we bake with apples? Hopefully you’ve been enjoying sweet and simple baked apples or even dove headfirst into apple cinnamon bread, apple cake, and caramel apple upside down cake. There’s apple cinnamon babka and so many more apple recipes. But today, let’s get down to the basics.
This is pure and simple apple crisp, a timeless dessert highlighting the natural flavor of apples. This apple dessert is an end-of-the-meal treat that delivers BIG flavor for very little work.
Let’s be honest—if you can chop apples, you can make apple crisp.
One reader, Lori, commented: “I have made many apple crisps in my 66 years! There are many good recipes that are easy to follow, use ingredients I typically have in my fridge and pantry, and they have been enjoyed by my family. But THIS recipe? How do you outdo ‘outstanding,’ ‘incredible,’ and ‘fabulous’? Honestly, the best apple crisp that I’ve made and enjoyed yet! You’ve done it again, Sally and team! This will be my go-to apple crisp recipe! ★★★★★”
Another reader, Cheryl, commented: “I have been making this apple crisp recipe for several years now. Great balance of flavors! It’s one of my go-to recipes! Just yummy! ★★★★★”
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Apple Crisp Recipe
- Easier Than Pie: It’s easy to adore apple pie, but there’s no doubt that homemade pie is a labor of love. In this fruit crisp, we’re swapping pie crust for oat streusel topping. Skip all the pie dough chilling and leave your rolling pin in the cabinet.
- Basic Ingredients: Crisps are pretty unfussy and there’s no strange ingredients required. Most of the ingredients you need are repeated in both layers, too.
- No Eggs: Many bakers have been asking for egg-free baking recipes like this.
- Short Cooling Time: Sometimes we need a crowd-pleasing dessert that’s a little quicker, but just as seasonal and impressive as pie. Today’s crisp joins 30+ others in my collection of Quick Dessert Recipes—ready in 1 hour or less!
- And It’s Delicious: What’s better than warm cinnamon apples and chewy-crisp oat topping? This is a cold weather must.
And above all else—if you have little ones, this dessert is convenient and manageable. You don’t have to wait for anything to come to room temperature, chill, or cool down. Kids have a ball spreading the apples into the dish and sprinkling the oat crumble on top. (And in the summer, have the young bakers help make a peach crisp!)
Overview of Apple Crisp Recipe Ingredients
There are 2 components in apple crisp: the apple layer and the oat topping. The topping is the same recipe we use for blueberry crumble pie, cherry crisp, and apple cranberry crumble pie, only slightly increased for a larger 9×13-inch dish.
- Apples: See below for the best apples to use. You need about 8 medium apples, peeled and chopped into chunks.
- Brown Sugar: We use brown sugar to sweeten and bring flavor to the entire dish. You need it for both the apple layer and topping.
- Flour: All-purpose flour thickens the apple filling and is the base of the topping. Do you need a gluten-free version? Here’s my super flavorful gluten-free apple crisp.
- Vanilla & Salt: I’ve made a lot of apple crisp recipes and nothing compares to the way I make it now (recipe below). Vanilla complements these warm flavors and salt balances out all the sweetness. Trust me, you don’t want to skip either—the dessert tastes flat otherwise.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg: Use cinnamon and nutmeg in the apple layer and cinnamon again in the topping.
- Butter: To prevent it from melting too soon and losing texture, use very cold butter. Take it right from the refrigerator and cut it into cubes. Then use a pastry cutter or fork to mix it into the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Don’t overcomplicate this step, let the mixture be messy, crumbly, and coarse. Less is more. (Music to our ears!)
- Oats: Some oats get a little crispy, some stay soft and chewy. Use whole oats for the best texture. Stir the oats into the topping mixture *after* you cut in the butter. We do this with strawberry crisp as well—you just don’t want the oats to break down too much.
What Are the Best Apples to Use for Baking?
Firmer apples are ideal for baking. Avoid soft, mealy, and mushy apples. For depth of flavor, it’s best to bake with a mix of tart and sweet apples. For apple crisp, I usually use 4 tart and 4 sweet.
- Tart apples I love to bake with: Granny Smith (in my opinion, this is the best overall apple for baking), Braeburn, Jonathan, and Pacific Rose
- Sweet apples I love to bake with: Jazz, Pazazz (sometimes harder to find but delicious!), Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Fuji
For a detailed list of my favorite apple varieties and when to use each, you can visit my post The Best Apples for Baking.
If you’re not into an oat topping, but still want an easy, quick, and gooey apple treat, try this apple cobbler instead.
Peel & Slice Apples into Chunks
You can skip peeling the apples if you’d like, but many prefer peeled apples in desserts. I use and love (affiliate link) this OXO peeler. A lot of apple crisp recipes use apple slices, but I prefer chunks because chunks easily fit onto a spoon or fork. It’s also difficult to get perfectly uniform slices, so some pieces can be much thinner than others—and that means mushy apples. 1-inch chunks that are between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick are ideal for this apple crisp. We do the same when making apple slab pie.
Toss them with the rest of the apple layer ingredients and then top with the oat topping.
Apple Crisp Toppings!
Of course you can serve apple crisp plain, but this warm dessert truly shines with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s just an apple crisp non-negotiable! Add a drizzle of salted caramel for good measure. Or even a dollop of fresh homemade whipped cream. This is the best fall dessert around.
Can I Make Apple Crisp Without Oats?
Yes, absolutely. To make apple crisp without oats, use the topping from apple crumble pie, only slightly increased. Use 3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour, and 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled. Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together. Using a fork, stir in the cooled melted butter until the mixture is thick and crumbly. Don’t over-mix—it will become a paste if you over-mix. Use the same oven temperature and bake time as below. I prefer melted butter to keep the crumble topping on the softer side. If you want a crispy crumble topping, use cold butter and cut it into the mixture just as you do in the recipe below.
Or try apple cobbler instead.
However you choose to make your crisp, it will be a welcome (and easy!) addition to your lineup of Thanksgiving pies—or a “just because” dessert on a cool fall evening. Enjoy!
Print
Classic Apple Crisp Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
- Yield: serves 8-10
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This classic apple crisp combines warm gooey cinnamon apples with a buttery brown sugar oat topping. See recipe notes for make ahead & freezing instructions.
Ingredients
Filling
- 8 medium peeled apples, cut into 1-inch chunks that are 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick (about 10 cups, or 1200g, chunks)
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 3/4 cup (94g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 cup (85g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- optional: salted caramel and vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. Any 3.5-4-quart baking dish works.
- Mix all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl, then spread into the baking pan.
- Make the topping: Whisk the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture becomes super crumbly. Stir in the oats. Sprinkle over filling.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the fruit juices are bubbling around the edges. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold; plain or with salted caramel and/or vanilla ice cream.
- Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Baked and cooled crisp freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake (covered) in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 30 minutes or until heated through. You can prepare the crisp through step 3, then cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day before baking. You can also freeze the unbaked crisp for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then continue with step 4. Bake time will be a little longer since the crisp will be cold.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Baking Pan | Vegetable Peeler | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Pastry Cutter | Cooling Rack
- Apples: Here are the best apples for baking. An equal mix of Granny Smith and Jazz or Pink Lady is my favorite for apple crisp.
- Oats: Whole oats are best, but you can use quick oats if needed. The crumble topping will just be a little more powdery. (Don’t be tempted to reduce the flour, though– the topping may turn out greasy.) Use a 1:1 swap from whole oats to quick oats. For an oat-less topping, see blog post above.
- Nuts: Feel free to add 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the crisp topping. Stir into the mixture when you add the oats.
- Half Recipe: You can easily halve this recipe by halving all of the ingredients and baking in a 9-inch square or 9-inch round baking dish/pie dish. Reduce bake time to about 30-35 minutes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
How do I make this gluten free? Just sub in gluten free flour?
Hi Julie, here is our gluten free apple crisp recipe instead!
I’ve been making apple crisp for decades. I tried this recipe and it is by far the best apple crisp I’ve ever made. So delicious!
Hiya. Is there any way to make the crumble vegan? Asking a lot, I know. Thx!
Hi Jo, we haven’t tested a vegan version, but let us know if you do!
Just need to join the masses in saying this is a MUST for fall baking! One thing – I lessened the amount of apples and added a bag of fresh cranberries, but came home with no leftovers 😔 I’ve been asked to make it again for thanksgiving so I’m doing a double batch for sure! ☺️
Hi Holly! What size bag of cranberries did you use? I was thinking 12 oz. And did you use sweeter apples or make any other changes? I want to make this for my 11/19 Friendsgiving! TIA.
Can’t wait to try this recipe seems really easy thanks for sharing
Hi can I skip the oats? Or do I have to alter something else first
Hi Soha, absolutely. See the section of the blog post: Can I Make Apple Crisp Without Oats? You can use the topping from our apple crumble pie. Enjoy!
The topping was dry. The next time I make this I would dot butter on the top or add more butter to the topping ingredients.
Melt the butter, that’s all you need to do … give it a try!
Nice recipe. I do think it’s a bit nutmeg forward and will cut it back next time. Easy to make. Tasty.
Thank you for this perfect apple crisp recipe! It is exactly as I remember my mom’s apple crisp with more than just apples for the filling. I appreciate that it makes a full 9×13 inch pan and that weight measurements are included. Excellent apple crisp recipe! It will be my go-to recipe.
We are so thrilled to read this, Cara! Thank you so much for giving our recipe a try.
Have you made this recipe and froze it before baking?
Hi Lynn, You can freeze the unbaked crisp for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then continue with step 4. Bake time will be a little longer since the crisp will be cold.
This was so good and I followed it to the letter. The only thing that would have made it better was if the topping had crisped up a bit more. Short of baking it longer (which could have other consequences), do you have tricks or suggestions?
Hi Joanne! You could try baking the pie in a slightly higher position in your oven.
Has anyone tried making this with gluten-free flour? I know there is a gluten free version but I’m curious if anyone has had success with this recipe. It looks delicious! The person I’m cooking for can tolerate small amounts of gluten but I think it would be nice if I could substitute the for gluten free. Thanks!
I have successfully used gluten-free measure-for-measure flour to make toppings for fruit crisps. I actually prefer the texture to that of a crisp made with flour because it is more delicate.
Thank you so much for the reply! I’ll report back how it turns out!
This recipe was delicious. I used 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, per my personal taste. I used McIntosh and Honeycrisp apples. I skipped the caramel. Otherwise, I followed the recipe. I would definitely make it again!
This recipe is perfect, no notes. A staple in our house in the fall!
Can I use an apple peeler and slicer and use the crescent shaped apple slices instead of chunks?
Hi Jessica, a lot of apple crisp recipes use apple slices, but we prefer chunks because chunks easily fit onto a spoon or fork. It’s also difficult to get perfectly uniform slices, so some pieces can be much thinner than others—and that means mushy apples. 1-inch chunks that are between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick are ideal for this apple crisp.
I’m thinking to make an apple topping for buttermilk waffles. Do you think this filling would work well?
Hello Sally:
Do you have to spread the caramel sauce on after baking. Will it be just as juicy without it. My mistake with crisp recipes is they are always so dry. Your recipe looks perfect. I already use several of them.
Thank you.
Heather (from Canada)
Hi Heather, You do not need to use the optional caramel on top – it’s still delicious!
Thanks and have a lovely day.
When making this apple crisp the day before and refrigerating, do the apples not turn brown?
Hi Bonnie, The apples are coated and covered so they should be fine!
Can I make this without peeling the apples? My friend made one a just cut the apples up unpeeled, would love to hear your thoughts.
Hi Linda, if you don’t mind the added texture from unpeeled apples, feel free to leave them on!
Perfect exactly as written! Big hit!!
This is a lovely crisp and I’m giving it 4 stars b/c it turns out I don’t like nutmeg lol. I used a 50/50 mix of granny’s and pink lady’s and one of them remained very hard even after 50 mins of baking, so the mouthfeel was off. I’m assuming it was the granny’s. But other than that, great flavour 🙂
Hey Sally made this came together easily forgot to chunk the apples and sliced the mixed the oats with the topping etc so had to mix it all together. I’m sure it will be delicious as every recipe I’ve made of yours has been. Keep um coming.
I made this recipe but with my own modifications, I like more spices in my filling, and I don’t use a pastry blender to mix the butter, but I might try it this way. Other recipes on-line just use cold butter but you have to check it half way through baking to be sure the topping is alright. I didn’t like that method too well, so I have my own tricks that I do not reveal (wink, wink)
Incredibly easy recipe with a delicious, rich flavor. The hardest part is just peeling and chopping apples. After that, it comes together so easily!
I had friends over for dinner and made this Apple Crisp for dessert and OMG, it was better than “well received”. I made the crisp strictly by Sally’s recipe with the only exception to me dotting the top with small butter pieces around the top of the crisp while it baked. I served it straight up, no ice cream or whipped cream which made it more pure. It was very saucy and the crisp was crispy and the apples (Gala) were perfectly baked and not too soft but just right. If you want to serve a really great Apple Crisp, use Sally’s recipe. I’ve never made a Sally’s recipe that didn’t turn out, as long as I followed her recipe…it’s been disastrous when I didn’t !haha
Took this to school and staff said it was the best apple crisp that they have ever had!!!!!
Hi Sally, can I use frozen chopped apples in this? I’m hoping to make it with frozen apples, then bake, and then freeze the entire crisp for use at Thanksgiving.
Hi Jae, We haven’t tested this with frozen apples. Fresh fruit is best, but for best results with frozen, thaw the fruit first. Blot dry as much as you can before using in the filling. Let us know if you give it a try!
I personally just don’t love the nutmeg and feel like there aren’t enough oats. No hate just not the best apple crisp recipe I’ve died.
I made the recipe but it turned out watery. Do not know what to do to fix it
Hi Linda! I wonder if it needs longer to bake. Did you make any changes to the recipe? Did the fruit juices bubble around the edges?
with the flour in the apples, you should not have a mushy result, but try adding a teaspoon or two of corn starch to the filling mixture to help absorb excess moisture.
This is an absolutely delicious apple crisp. I made it with a variety of apples from unidentified apple trees on our property and it just never fails to delight. My favourite is using a mix of soft apples (not mushy) that break down during baking to create a lovely thick apple sauce texture combined with some more crisp varieties that give the filling some body. I have made it with the brown sugar in the apple mixture and without, and both are delicious in their own way (I tend to prefer the mixture without the brown sugar – it is tangy and well-balanced with the topping, in which I do add the brown sugar but now go with half a cup). You just can’t miss with this recipe, either following it exactly as written or making some modifications to suit your personal taste. My 5-star rating is based on the recipe as written, with a ++ for its adaptability.