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.
Jump to:
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
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!
Nancy says
Made this with Cortlands and a couple green apples along with adding in chopped pecans! Amazing! Will make this throughout the winter! Ty!
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Melissa says
Omg, I love this recipe! Delicious! Thank you!
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by!
Terri says
This is amazingly good!!! And so easy! Thank you for sharing!! I did not peel the apples because I missed that on the recipe, but we couldn’t even tell the peelings were there. I’m making for my second time today!
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for taking the time to leave a a comment. 🙂
Sylvia says
I love apple crisp and this is such a simple but delicious recipe.
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by.
Gracie says
Best apple crisp recipe!!! So easy and simple to make!! Can’t wait to make this recipe again!!
Allison says
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Marshall Bjorge says
Hi. I fail to find the size of the baking dish for this recipe.
Allison says
Hi! It’s in step one: 9 ½ inch deep dish pie plate or 9×9 square baking dish. Enjoy!
Betsy says
We love this recipe. I want to make it for Thanksgiving and curious if I can prep it in advance and freeze it. Thaw and bake?
Allison says
Hi, Betsy. I have not tried freezing it so I can’t say for sure. If I had to guess I would recommend freezing the topping and filling separately. Thaw in the fridge then add the topping and bake as instructed (maybe adding a few extra minutes). The topping might need to be microwaved for several seconds before you add it to the fruit because if the topping is cold it will be hard (from the chilled butter). Hopefully that makes sense. Best of luck. Happy holidays!
Melinda says
This is our favorite apple crisp recipe! My only adjustments are to skip peeling the apples, use thinned apple butter instead of apple juice, and add pumpkin pie spice along with the cinnamon. Delicious!
Allison says
That sounds great! Thanks for sharing!
Evelyn says
Made this again and again. Always a hit. Thank you
Allison says
You’re welcome. So glad you enjoyed it!
Sarah says
I’d like to make a larger serving. Can I double this and bake it in a 9×13 baking dish? Should I increase the baking time?
Thanks!
Allison says
That should be fine. Not sure on the bake time. Check the apples with a thin sharp knife and remove from the oven once they’re tender. Enjoy!
Geneva says
Wow!! Tasted just like my gma’s!!! Excellent recipe, can’t wait for family to taste🤗 Next time might add raisins and nuts.
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Michelle says
Can I use apple pie filling instead of fresh apples ?
Allison says
You can try it. I’ve only made the recipe as written.