There’s just something magical about a warm apple crisp fresh out of the oven. Juicy, cinnamon-coated apples topped with a crunchy, buttery oat crumble—YUM! It’s simple, cozy, and so so delicious. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and you’ve got the ultimate comfort dessert that never disappoints!
Why You’ll Love This Apple Crisp
This apple crisp has everything you want in a cozy fall dessert — it’s simple to make, full of flavor, and the kind of recipe you’ll keep coming back to! Here’s what makes it so special:
Crunchy Topping
The buttery oat topping bakes up golden and crisp, giving you the perfect crunch in every bite.
Tart Yet Sweet
Made with tart baking apples balanced with sugar, cinnamon, and a hint of lemon, the filling is fresh, bright, and never overly sweet.
Easy to Make
No complicated steps or fancy equipment needed — just a few pantry staples and some apples, and you’ve got the most delicious dessert!
Best Apples for Apple Crisp
The type of apple you use makes a big difference to the flavor and texture of your crisp (just like in apple pie!). Baking apples are the best choice because they stay firm when baked instead of turning mushy.
For this recipe, I love using Granny Smith apples. They’re crisp, hold their shape well, and their tart flavor pairs perfectly with the sweet, spiced filling. Other good options include Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Braeburn, or Royal Gala.
Try to avoid softer varieties such as Red Delicious or Golden Delicious, as they break down easily and can make the filling watery.
For more apple recipes, check out my moist apple muffins and spiced apple cake!
How to Make Apple Crisp
You can find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card at the end of the blog post (for easy navigation, hit the ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of the blog post). Here is a quick visual breakdown of the recipe (recipe video is also provided in the recipe card below).
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Set it aside for now.
Peel, core, and slice the apples into ¼-inch slices (not too thin or they’ll turn mushy).
In a large bowl, combine sliced apples with sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and flour. Mix well until the apples are evenly coated.
Transfer the apples to the prepared pan and spread them out evenly. Set aside.
For the topping, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon, breaking up any clumps of sugar as you go.
Add cubed cold butter and cut it into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture looks sandy with little buttery clumps.
Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the apples are bubbling around the edges. Allow the apple crisp to cool for 15–20 minutes before serving. Great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
How to Store Apple Crisp
Store any leftover apple crisp covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, warm individual portions in the microwave, or pop the whole dish back into the oven until heated through and the topping has crisped back up.
The Best Apple Crisp
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Apple Base
- 8 large granny smith apples - peeled, cored and thinly sliced (about ¼ inch thick slices). Other baking apples work too (see note 1).
- ½ cup (100 g) white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ½ tbsp lemon juice - freshly squeezed
- 1½ tsps ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract/essence
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
Topping
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (85 g) quick cooking oats
- ¾ cup (150 g) soft light brown sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¾ cup (170 g) butter - cold and cubed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional (see note 2 if using a convection oven with a fan) and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Set it aside for now.
- Peel, core, and slice the apples into ¼-inch slices (not too thin or they’ll turn mushy).
- In a large bowl, combine sliced apples with sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and flour. Mix well until the apples are evenly coated, then transfer them to the prepared dish and spread them out evenly. Set aside.
- For the topping, mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon, breaking up any clumps of sugar as you go.
- Add the cold cubed butter and cut it into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture looks sandy with little buttery clumps.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the apples are bubbling around the edges. Allow the apple crisp to cool for 15–20 minutes before serving. Great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
1 Comment
Was super delish!
Will definitely make it again..😍