This is the BEST Apple Crisp recipe – a classic that you’ll come back to again and again! Tender cinnamon apples covered in and easy and delicious brown sugar-oat topping.
If you asked me to pick my favorite fall dessert, it would be this apple crisp. Because it’s old fashioned, because it’s cozy, and because the combo of warm fruit crisp and cold vanilla ice cream gets me every single time.
If you’ve made my Apple Cranberry Crisp, Strawberry Crisp, Peach Crisp, Blueberry Crisp or Apple-Pear Crisp, you will notice that this recipe is very similar.
Prefer a topping with NO OATS? Try this Apple Crumble. Prefer pumpkin? Try our Pumpkin Crisp.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
Ease: As far as homemade baking goes, this is about as easy as it gets! The hardest part is peeling and slicing the apples, other than that it’s just some stirring.
Flavor: An incredible combination of fresh apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla.
Texture: Soft apples and a crunchy topping with a slight chewiness from oats.
Recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
Topping: Combine oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt. Stir in melted butter. This is my favorite fruit crisp topping. The oats add heartiness, the brown sugar adds a depth of sweetness, and the melted butter ensures that every bite has a crisp buttery texture.
Apples: Thinly sliced apples are tossed with apple juice, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. A couple tablespoons of flour thicken the apple mixture, and then they get placed in a greased baking dish.
Assembly: Spread the apples into a greased baking dish. Crumble the topping over the apples.
Baking: Start baking the apple crisp covered with foil. This allows the apples to soften without any risk of the topping over-browning. After about 20 minutes, remove the foil and let the crisp finish cooking uncovered. Once the juices are bubbling, the topping is golden brown, and the apples are tender, it is done!
What type of apples to use?
Use your favorite baking apples. Honeycrisp, Pink Lady and Fuji are my favorite for this recipe. If you prefer a less sweet apple crisp, you can use Granny Smith apples.
Make sure you slice the apples thin (¼ inch or thinner). This way they bake evenly and tender every time.
Serving and storage
This apple crisp is best served warm topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can also add a drizzle of caramel sauce, if you’re feeling like it.
Have leftovers? Place them in the refrigerator. You can eat the leftovers cold, straight from the fridge (breakfast of champions), or you can reheat it in the microwave to warm it up again.
Prefer a healthier version? Try my Healthy Apple Crisp!
More apple recipes
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Recipe
Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Topping:
- ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup old fashioned oats
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Apples:
- 6 cups peeled and thinly sliced apples, see note
- 3 tablespoons apple juice (preferred) or orang juice
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch deep dish pie plate or 9×9 square baking dish. Set aside.
- Topping: combine flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add melted butter and stir until combined. Place in the refrigerator while you proceed with the filling.
- Filling: In a large bowl combine apples, juice, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir gently until completely combined. Dump the mixture (and any accumulated juices) into the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Crumble the topping over the fruit, occasionally pressing some of it together to form clumps.
- Spray a piece of foil with nonstick spray and loosely cover the baking dish. Bake 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, until the topping is golden brown, the apples are tender, and the juices are bubbling around the edges. Allow to cool slightly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Kara
Do you think I could prep the ingredients the night ahead and put it in the fridge until I bake it the next day?
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Kara. You can definitely prep the topping in advance and keep it in the fridge. I’m not sure about the apples. They will release their juices once mixed with the sugar and they could potentially get mushy and possibly turn brown from exposure to air. If you decide to give it a try let me know how it goes. Enjoy!
Shandel
Oh my! This looks so delicious thank you for this recipe!
Shandel
Sidra
Hey I made thisss.. I have also tagged u on Instagram in the pics… I did not have an oven. I made it in a big pot and covered the base of pot with salt as salt absorbs and retains heat and works as an oven..
Everything was perfect.the taste the apples were perfectly done.but the upper crust didn’t turn out crisp…. That was a drawback. Otherwise the taste was superb
Celebrating Sweets
Thanks for sharing your experience. Hopefully this will be useful to someone else who doesn’t have an oven. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
S carr
Thank you 4 the recipe. I made it 4 Easter dessert today! I did use alittle less of some ingredients but it was still fantastic. My son told me to use a whole stick of butter next time …lol.
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Emilie
Made this for the 2nd time tonight. The recipe is a great guide for measurements, ingredients and baking suggestions!
I followed it mostly, but I don’t measure the apples, I just use up some leftover apples I have that aren’t getting eaten quick enough. Add a little extra ingredients for the topping to get more, if interested, and depending on amount of apples.
Very easy to add or subtract based on apple amount. I love this recipe. Apple crisp is a breeze to make with it! Thank you!
Celebrating Sweets
I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Daira
Interesting and tasty recipe. I used dark brown sugar, Pink Lady apples and chopped up some candied walnuts to include in the topping. Those were the only changed I made. Why change something that’s already close to perfect. Thank you for getting me out of a decades long rut with my old recipe.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Meredith
I made this today and it was delicious! Definitely a keeper! ??
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂
Cheryl
Made this and it was excellent. I added pecans to the crumble and it was delish!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Alex and Mal Griffin
This is the best Apple Crisp recipe I’ve ever tasted! The only substitution we make is to use lemon juice instead of orange juice for a bit more tartness. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Allison
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Allysa
I made this with the kids today and we cooked it already but my question is… can I put it back in the oven tomorrow to heat it back up or will that cause it to overcook?
Allison
You can reheat individual servings in the microwave. Enjoy!