Easy Apple Crisp Recipe
Posted Oct 18, 2023
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This easy apple crisp recipe is made with 8 ingredients. A subtly sweet, perfectly spiced apple filling sits beneath a buttery crisp topping and is baked to bubbly perfection. Apple crisp is best served warm with vanilla ice cream. Watch the video to learn how to make apple crisp step-by-step!
Warm apple crisp is a classic, quintessential fall dessert, and this is the best apple crisp recipe ever!
The buttery crisp topping paired with the sweet and perfectly spiced apple filling is fall perfection in a baking dish! Serve it warm with a scoop (or two) of vanilla ice cream & a drizzle of caramel sauce for a crowd-pleasing dessert.
If you don’t have time for chilling pie crusts, like in these apple pie or apple crumble pie recipes, then this apple crisp recipe is exactly what you need, or, these apple pie bars! Even if you do have time, I would venture to say that I prefer apple crisp over pie (gasp), because it’s just that delicious.
Apple Crisp Recipe: Ingredients and Substitutions
- Apples. I recommend a sweet/tart apple like granny smith or pink lady, but any variety works.
- Light Brown sugar. use dark brown sugar for a richer molasses taste.
- Granulated sugar. organic cane sugar is a good substitute.
- All-purpose flour. a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free baking flour works well in both the crisp topping and filling to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Salted Butter. unsalted butter or ghee both work well in this recipe.
- Old-fashioned oats. Quick-cooking oats are a good substitute.
How to make Apple Crisp
Let’s walk through how to make this easy apple crisp recipe. As always, watch the video for further guidance.
Begin by preparing the baking dish and preheating the oven.
Make the Apple Crisp Topping
Then, make the crisp topping. Combine the ingredients for the topping (except oats) in a large bowl.
Next, use a fork, pastry cutter or your hands to cut the slightly-softened butter into the dry ingredients.
Add the oatmeal to the butter/dry ingredient mixture and stir until it’s evenly distributed. Then set the crisp topping aside while you make the filling!
Make the Apple Crisp Filling
Begin by peeling, coring and finely slicing the apples into piece as shown in the photo below.
Once the apples are peeled, cored and sliced, cook them in a microwave-safe dish for 6 minutes.
Then transfer the cooked apples in a colander to cool and drain for at least 10 minutes. Make sure you leave space at the bottom of the colander for the water to drain.
Next, in a small bowl, combine the dry filling ingredients.
Then, transfer the apples from the colander to a large bowl and add the lemon juice and dry ingredients.
Stir until combined.
Assemble the Apple Crisp
Choose a baking dish: Add the apple filling to a prepared baking dish. I suggest a 9×9″ baking dish. You can also use a round casserole dish. The important thing is that whatever dish you choose has a capacity of at least 2 to 2.5 quarts.
Next, evenly sprinkle the crisp topping over the filling.
Bake & Cool
Once the apple crisp is assembled, bake it in the preheated oven until the filling is bubbly and the top is lightly browned. If you notice the top browning before the filling bubbles, simply tent the pan with aluminum foil and continue baking.
Set the apple crisp on a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes. This cooling time allows the filling to gel and everything to firm up a bit before serving.
Serve
This apple crisp recipe is best served slightly warm. If you make it in advance, you can cover it with foil and put it in the oven set to “warm” to reheat before serving. Here are some serving suggestions:
- With a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
- Top with a dollop of the best homemade whipped cream!
- Add a drizzle of caramel sauce.
- Add a sprinkle of nuts (like these cinnamon sugar pecans or candied almonds) for some crunch.
How to Store Apple Crisp
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven set to warm.
Freeze
- Freeze the unbaked crisp: assemble the apple crisp, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and cover with foil and freeze on a flat surface for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight and then bake according to recipe instructions.
- Freeze baked crisp. Bake the apple crisp, let it cool completely, wrap it in plastic wrap/foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Warm covered with foil in the oven until heated all the way through.
- Freeze individual portions in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Reheat on warm in the oven or microwave.
Apple Crisp Recipe FAQs
I suggest a sweet/tart variety.Here are some suggestions:
Granny Smith (used in this recipe)
Pink Ladies (aka: Crisps Pink)
Fuji
Golden Delicious
Honeycrisp
Jonagold
Jazz
Braeburn
Gala
An apple peeler, corer, slicers and it’s a huge time saver if you’re baking with lots of apples. However, I suggest peeling the apples, then cut them into thin slices and then cut the slices in half so the pieces of apple are easy to eat on a spoon.
I prefer the texture of this recipe when the apples are peeled, however you can leave the skin on if you prefer.
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Easy Apple Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
Apple Crisp Filling:
- 4 pounds apples* (peeled, cored and sliced)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg optional
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Crisp topping:
- ½ cup butter softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup old fashioned oats
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 9×9” baking dish, set aside.
Make Crisp Topping
- Place softened butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and sea salt in a medium sized bowl. Use your hands, a fork or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with buttery chunks.
- Add oats and stir until evenly combined, set aside.
Make the Apple Filling
- Place the peeled and cored apples in a microwave safe dish and heat for 6 minutes, until apples are slightly soft.
- While apples are in the microwave, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
- When apples are finished cooking in the microwave, put them in a colander to drain excess water. Let them cool and drain in the colander for at least 10 minutes.
- Transfer cooled & drained apples to a bowl, add lemon juice, then dry ingredient mixture and stir until mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout).
Assemble the Apple Crisp
- Place apple crisp filling into the prepared baking dish.
- Evenly sprinkle crisp topping over apple crisp filling.
Bake & Cool
- Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the filling is bubbly.
- Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve in small bowls topped with your favorite vanilla ice cream!
Video
Notes
- Apples. I recommend a sweet/tart apple like granny smith or pink lady, but any variety works.
- Light Brown sugar. use dark brown sugar for a richer molasses taste.
- Granulated sugar. organic cane sugar is a good substitute.
- All-purpose flour. a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free baking flour works well in both the crisp topping and filling to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Salted Butter. unsalted butter or ghee both work well in this recipe.
- Old-fashioned oats. Quick-cooking oats are a good substitute.
- Freeze the unbaked crisp: assemble the apple crisp, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and cover with foil and freeze on a flat surface for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight and then bake according to recipe instructions.
- Freeze baked crisp. Bake the apple crisp, let it cool completely, wrap it in plastic wrap/foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Warm covered with foil in the oven until heated all the way through.
- Freeze individual portions in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Reheat on warm in the oven or microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I reread the instructions and now see the apples are cooked on high. You can ignore previous post!
can i skip the sugars in the apple mixture itself and leave it in just for the apple topping?
I don’t recommend this.
Did you use salted or unsalted butter in the apple crisp?
Salted!
Thank you
This recipe was so fantastic. It’s a must make with all of the apples from fall apple picking. Will be making again and again.
You always make some of the BESTEST dessert recipes. Apple CRISP = DELISH. Always. 🙂 . And vanilla ice cream melting all over it is the best.