If you're looking for a fruit dessert that smells like fall and takes minimal effort, this easy apple crisp is the one to keep in your back pocket. It's a straightforward recipe with pantry ingredients and hard to mess up, even for beginners.
The oat topping is clumpy (very important for texture) and can be made ahead, so the only 'work' when assembling it is peeling and cutting apples. Serve it warm with a scoop of ice cream and watch everyone smile!
Vintage must-bake
Your kitchen will smell like a warm hug (corny but true), and everyone will rave when they eat this rustic apple dessert. It's a great alternative to pie and way less laborious; even simpler than my apple pie with graham crust.
This is a take on this traditional apple crumble, which was a permanent fixture at my house, as it was (and is, really) my father's absolute favorite and the first recipe I learned to make.
Classic desserts with crisp toppings are so requested that we have a whole homemade fruit crisps and crumbles category devoted to them. In case you needed more encouragement than this recipe.
The best part? It's flexible. You make this apple crisp recipe as specified in the recipe, or adapt it to whatever apples you have, mix in walnuts or pecans, change the spices, add some pears or cranberries, and adjust the sweetness depending on the tartness of the fruit.
Testing Notes
The key is to balance the tartness of the apples with the amount of sugar. The latter will depend in part on what type of apple (or mix of apples) you use. I recommend you adjust the sweetness in the filling and not the topping, as a lack of sugar can make it lose crispiness.
Should you peel the apples? I recommend you do. The skins will shrivel too much, and you already have the crisp topping.
The topping can be chunky and rustic (mix it with your hands or a fork) or finer and more even (use the food processor), depending on how you mix the butter with the oats.
Ratios matter, but it's also a matter of preference. I like a thick fruit layer compared to the amount of topping, but experiment to find what suits you best.
Watch our step-by-step videos
Ingredients
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Apples: I like Granny Smith apples, the green ones, due to their tartness. Other popular baking apple varieties are Pink Lady, Gala apples, Fuji, and Honeycrisp apples. Use just one or a mix of tart and sweet apples to create different textures and sweetness levels.
- Oats: I like rolled or traditional oats as they have more texture, but quick or instant oats also work.
- Fresh lemon juice has a much better flavor and sourness than bottled.
Process steps
Apple layer
I like medium wedges or slices that soften but still have a bite. If you like more tender, soft fruit, slice thinner pieces or dice the apples; they will cook faster.
Crumble topping
It's a simple method: stir the dry ingredients together, add the warm butter and mix everything until clumpy (I use a fork).
It can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for a week or frozen for a month. Break up large clumps before using.
Baking
When the fruit filling starts to bubble up and the streusel topping dries and turns a golden brown, it means the juices are thickening and the crisp is baking as it should.
If it starts browning too quickly, you can loosely tent the dish with foil.
Serving tips
You can make individual servings using small ramekins, like we do for these cobblers with peaches. You might need to adjust the baking time, so check after 20-25 minutes or so.
Warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top is the way to go. And as much as I love traditional flavors, this old-fashioned cinnamon ice cream is a favorite around here. That said, a drizzle of cold cream poured directly from the container over the warm dessert makes the best apple crisp, according to my father, who considers himself an expert. You be the judge.
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Easy Apple Oat Crisp Recipe (old-fashioned)
Ingredients
For the apple filling:
- 6 medium apples, Granny Smith or Honeycrisp are my favorites, peeled and sliced, about 6 cups
- 2-3 tablespoons sugar, depending on how tart the apples are
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the oat crumble topping:
- ¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats, also called traditional oats
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.
Make the apple mixture:
- In a bowl, toss 6 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced with 2-3 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Pour into the prepared baking dish.
Prepare the crumble with oats:
- In another bowl, mix ¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats, ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir in ½ cup unsalted butter, melted until crumbly and clumpy.
- Sprinkle topping evenly over the apples.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until the topping is golden and bubbly and the apples are soft when pierced.
- Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Serve warm on its own, with the classic vanilla ice cream and/or caramel sauce. Or with cinnamon ice cream.
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