EASY Apple Crisp Recipe (2024)

This easy Apple Crisp recipe is the ideal fall dessert! Fresh apples coated in sugar, piled high with a cinnamon oat crumble topping, and baked to golden brown perfection. Finish it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a classic dessert in only 15 minutes of hands-on time. Plus it’s a great make-ahead and freezer-friendly dessert to have on hand all season long!

Fall is almost here! I can taste it… I can literally taste it because I spent my evening making this easy apple crisp recipe and eating it with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. 😍 This is one of those desserts that makes you want to cuddle under some blankets and sit in front of a fire on a cold night. It’s fall comfort food at it’s finest.

The beauty of apple crisp is how easy it is. Apple pie is great, no doubt… but making the crusts sure adds a lot of time and work to the process. With apple crisp, you’re only in the kitchen for 15 minutes before popping it in the oven. Plus, you can make and freeze it ahead for a fast dessert or when serving a crowd.

If you're big on apple crisp, you should give this Apple and Blueberry Crumble or these Caramel Apple Slices a try! AMAZING.

🍏 Ingredients

Granny Smith apples: This is my favorite apple for crisp since it isn’t too sweet and doesn’t disintegrate when baked.
Sugar: White granulated sugar to sweeten and draw out the juice from the apples.
Oats: Use rolled oats, not instant oats! Instant oats will not cook the same.
Brown sugar: Brown sugar sweetens the crumble topping and gives it a good sugary texture.
Flour: Helps form the crumble topping.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is an essential fall flavor - you can’t skip it.
Butter: Use cold, firm butter for the crumble topping to help it form large crumbs. If the butter is too soft, it won’t form substantial crumbs.
Walnuts: This is entirely optional. If you like nuts and want a little extra crunch, walnuts are a great addition!

🔪 Instructions

First, peel and cut the apples. I peel my apples with a paring knife, cut them in half, remove the core with a “V” cut, then cut each quarter into 3 pieces. As a side note, I find that the apple peeler/corer/slicer machines slice the apples too thin for a crisp, so I recommend slicing them by hand.

Toss the apples in sugar and set them aside. Then make the crumble topping. Simply put all the ingredients in a food processor, then pulse for 6-8 one-second pulses. The topping should look crumbly and form large crumbs when you pinch it with your fingers.

Last, lightly spray a 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray. Pour in the apples, then evenly sprinkle the crumble topping over the top. Bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the juices are bubbling on the sides.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 For a crowd

This easy apple crisp recipe is ideal for serving a crowd because 1) it’s incredibly simple, 2) it only requires about 15 minutes of hands-on time, so it doesn’t take away from your guests, 3) it can be made and frozen ahead, and 4) it’s DELICIOUS! If you double the recipe, make it in a 9x13 pan instead of a 9x9.

🍓 Variations

For a more summery crisp, try using this 4 ingredient Triple Berry Filling. Skip the blending step at the end to leave the texture of the berries. Then top with the crumble topping and bake until bubbly and golden brown. Yum!

🙋 Questions and Answers

📖 Other Comfort Food Desserts

• Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Caramel Coffee Cinnamon Frosting - It’s quite the title… because it’s quite the dessert! A great combination of pumpkin, cinnamon, and caramel flavors all at once.
• Microwave Caramel Pecan Sauce - This 6 ingredient caramel sauce will make your dreams come true! Whether on ice cream, cheesecake, brownies, or poundcake, it always steals the spotlight.
• Chocolate Lava Cakes for a Crowd - A rich, indulgent dessert in individual servings for your next party. The warm lava center makes it perfect for fall or winter.
• Apple Dessert Biscuits - Apple pie filling get spooned over cinnamon sugar biscuits and then baked to sticky perfection! Try them with ice cream!

👨🏼‍🍳 Tips & Tricks

• Cut the apples the correct size. Too big = crunchy apples. Too small = disintegrated apples. I peel my apples, cut them in half, remove the core with a “V” cut, then cut each quarter into 3 pieces. As a side note, I find that the apple peeler/corer/slicer machines slice the apples too thin for a crisp, so I recommend slicing them by hand.
• Use old-fashioned rolled oats, not instant oats. Instant oats will cook too fast and turn mushy instead of crispy.
• Don’t overprocess the crumb topping. You want it to form big crumbs. If you pulse it too many times, it will become more like sand texture than crumb texture.
• Serve fresh. Apple crisp is at its finest when it first comes out of the oven. For the very best experience, I recommend serving it fresh.

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