There’s nothing better than a warm apple crisp straight out of the oven! Juicy, cinnamon-coated apples topped with a buttery, crunchy oat crumble… YUM! It’s cozy, simple, and SO delicious, especially with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. The ultimate comfort dessert!
Developing This Apple Crisp
Apple crisp is one of those classic desserts I didn’t really appreciate much as a kid, but as I got older, I started to LOVE it! I think I went through the same thing with apple pie and berry desserts too. Funny how your taste buds change as you get older!
When I started working on my own apple crisp recipe, I wanted that perfect balance of tender, cinnamon-spiced apples and a buttery, crunchy, crumbly topping. Luckily, this recipe came together pretty quickly (I love when that happens!), but I did find the first version a little too sweet, so I reduced the sugar to let the tart apples shine through more.
I found that Granny Smith apples gave me exactly the tartness and texture I was looking for, while the oat topping adds plenty of buttery crunch. I also love adding a little lemon juice to the apple filling (just like the filling for my apple cobbler and peach cobbler). It brightens everything up and keeps the dessert from tasting overly sweet. The result is literally the BEST apple crisp recipe. It’s cozy, crunchy, sweet, and just a little tart. YUM!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy to make: This apple crisp comes together with simple ingredients and no complicated steps. Just toss the apples with the filling ingredients, make the buttery oat topping, layer everything in a baking dish, and bake!
Tart, cinnamon-spiced apples: Granny Smith apples give the filling a delicious tartness that balances perfectly with the sugar, cinnamon, and a little lemon juice. The apples bake up tender while still holding their shape.
Buttery oat topping: The topping is made with oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and plenty of cold butter. It bakes up golden, crisp, and buttery, with little crunchy clumps throughout.
Perfectly cozy: Warm cinnamon-spiced apples and a crunchy oat topping make this the best fall dessert! It’s even better served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Great for making ahead: You can assemble the apple crisp ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. It’s perfect for getting dessert ready before guests arrive!
Best Apples for Apple Crisp
You can technically use any apple, but my personal favorite for this recipe is Granny Smith apples. They’re naturally tart, which works really well with the sweet cinnamon filling and buttery oat topping.
Granny Smith apples also hold their shape well when baked, so you get tender apples without the filling turning mushy.
Other apples that work well for apple crisp include Honeycrisp, Fuji, Pink Lady, Braeburn, Jazz, and Jonagold. Just keep in mind that sweeter apples will give you a sweeter filling, while tart apples will give you more of that classic sweet-and-tangy apple crisp flavor!
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 350°F (180°C) 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 a few 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.
How to Know When Apple Crisp Is Done
Your apple crisp is ready when the oat topping is golden brown and crisp and the apple filling is bubbling around the edges. The apples should also be tender when pierced with a fork or knife.
If the topping is browning too quickly but the apples aren’t tender yet, loosely cover the top with foil and continue baking until the filling is bubbling.
What to Serve With Apple Crisp
My favorite way to serve apple crisp is warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream (just like my pizookie and blueberry pie recipes). The cold, creamy ice cream melting into the warm cinnamon apples and crunchy oat topping is SO good!
You could also serve it with whipped cream or a drizzle of caramel sauce for an extra indulgent dessert.
Apple Crisp FAQ
Can I make apple crisp ahead of time?
Yes! Assemble the apple crisp, cover it, and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. For the best texture, bake it the same day you plan to serve it so the topping stays nice and crisp.
Can I use quick oats instead of rolled oats?
Rolled oats give the best texture (they give the topping more bite and crunch), but quick oats will work too!
Can I make apple crisp without oats?
You can, but the topping will have a different texture (more like an apple cobbler or the crumb topping on my strawberry bars). The oats add a delicious crunch and are one of my favorite parts of this apple crisp!
Can I use frozen apples for apple crisp?
Technically yes, but fresh apples will give you the best texture. Frozen apples can release more liquid as they bake, which may result in a softer or more watery filling.
What is the difference between apple crisp and apple crumble?
The names are often used interchangeably, but traditionally an apple crisp has oats in the topping, while an apple crumble usually has a simpler flour, butter, and sugar topping.
Easy Apple Crisp Recipe (Buttery Oat Topping!)
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) rolled oats - quick-cooking oats work too
- 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 350°F (180°C) 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.
10 Comments
How about another fruit… peaches, blueberries, blackberries?
Hi Karen! 😊 I haven’t personally tried the recipe with other fruit combinations so I’m not sure of the exact mix or quantities I’d recommend, but the crisp topping can definitely be used on top of other fruit combinations like peaches, blueberries, or blackberries! 😀
You could probably use the base from my other cobbler recipes like peach cobbler and blackberry cobbler and then use the crisp from this recipe for the top 🙂
Was super delish!
Will definitely make it again..😍
Yay! Thanks Kanan 🙂
Yummy 😋
Thanks Kim! 🙂
Delicious! Warms up well! .
Thanks Kara! 😀
Hi Maryam, I’m a new subscriber to your YouTube channel. My name is Giuliana and I follow you from a country far away from yours: Italy. I send you my best hello and congratulations on your delicious recipes and for including the nutritional information. Soon!
Hi Giuliana! 😀
Thanks so much for subscribing and hope you enjoy the recipes! Much love from NZ to Italy 😀