This is my favorite easy Apple Crisp recipe, made with a gooey cinnamon apple filling and a buttery, old-fashioned oats topping that actually stays crisp. It’s one of the best apple desserts, and the house smells amazing while it bakes!
If you love this old-fashioned apple crisp recipe, be sure to try more fall baking ideas like my festive cranberry apple crisp and this quick apple bread.
A classic, old-fashioned Apple Crisp recipe has always had my number. This is my absolute favorite recipe, with a generous amount of perfectly spiced apples and a crispy, buttery, oats topping that’s thicker than most. I bake this up all through the year, but especially during apple season, with crisp, juicy, just-picked fall apples. This recipe makes everyone a homemade apple crisp lover!
What Makes This The Best Apple Crisp Recipe
When Blake and I were newly married (1999), I was so excited to make this apple crisp recipe for him. He was not. He said, “I’ve never been an apple crisp fan.” But I proceeded anyway. And in the end, I’m happy to say, this apple crisp won him over. He loved it! Blake said it all came down to the topping – that he’d never had an apple crisp that actually had a CRISP topping. Game changer! Here’s why this recipe is the best:
- Actually CRISP topping. The flavorful topping has an old-timey vibe, with oats, brown sugar, and plenty of butter. It’s heftier and crunchier than most, with a bit of flour and baking powder mixed in – this adds a little bulk and a light, ultra-crisp texture that stays crispy long after this dessert is out of the oven. No wimpy topping here, folks!
- A classic apple dessert.There’s nothing fancy going on with this easy apple crisp recipe, yet it’s an exceptional recipe when it comes to crisps. It’s packed with gooey cinnamon apples baked beneath a crispy, buttery oat topping. What more could one possibly want?
- Quick & easy. Apple crisp is my simple solution when I’m craving the flavors of apple pie. It’s still packed with cozy spiced apples and a delightful, buttery topping, minus the time and effort of making a pie crust. I can have this ready for the oven in just 15 minutes!
What You’ll Need
I’ve included some notes below on the ingredients you’ll need to make the ultimate apple crisp. Find the exact ingredient amounts and full instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
For the apple filling
- Flour – I use flour to thicken to the apple mixture.
- Sugar – Either granulated sugar or brown sugar, to sweeten the filling and bring out the apples’ natural sugars and juices.
- Spices – Cinnamon and nutmeg. Simple, classic warm spices for apple crisp. You could also use a blend, like apple pie spice.
- Apples – Peeled and sliced. Some apples are better for baking than others (see my recommendations below).
For the topping
- Oats – The best oats for an apple crisp topping are old-fashioned rolled oats. They have a hardier texture than quick oats in baking.
- Flour + baking powder – A little all-purpose flour and baking powder are added to give the topping a slight bit of heft and crispy bite.
- Brown sugar – This adds a deeper, warmer sweetness than granulated sugar.
- Salt – I love the touch of salty contrast in this sweet, buttery topping.
- Unsalted butter – Softened to room temperature.
What Kinds of Apples are Best for Apple Crisp?
I like toothsome bites of apples in my apple crisp, and it all starts with using the right kind of baking apple. My favorite variety is Haralson apples, no contest. They’re a Minnesota variety that’s firm and tart, and hold their shape when baked. I grew up with this late-fall variety on the farm in South Dakota and they’re available at many local orchards and grocery stores during apple season.
When I can’t find Haralsons, I usually turn to Granny Smith and Honeycrisp, which are available year-round. They both work great in apple crisp. To add a little more flavor and texture interest, I often use more than one apple variety when making this recipe.
Do You Need to Peel the Apples?
I recommend peeling the apples. The skin doesn’t break down during baking, so peeling your apples is the best way to get that classic apple crisp texture. (But if you’re a fan of leaving the skin on the apple, go ahead!)
Tips on How to Make Apple Crisp
The beauty of an old-fashioned apple crisp recipe is how simple it is to make: gather up your baking apples and cut them big and chunky. Then, mix up the topping, and bake! Scroll to the recipe card for the full recipe with printable instructions. Meanwhile, these are my tried-and-true tips for the best apple crisp:
- Choose your apple varieties. As mentioned in the Ingredients section above, use apple varieties that hold their shape when baked. I also prefer a tart apple, but I know many people like to lean sweeter. But you can always mix and match! Incorporate more than one variety of apple for more flavor and texture.
- Make thick slices. Next, cut the apples into thick slices (about 1/2″ thick) for a more toothsome texture. If you slice the apples super thin, you’ll end up with an “apple mush” under your topping once it’s baked. That’s a no-no in my book!
- Leave some larger topping chunks. Then, when making the topping, be sure to cut the butter in evenly, while still allowing some larger chunks.
- Make sure the filling is bubbling. Bake until the apple filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. That’s when you know the apple crisp is done.
- Cover the baking dish with foil. If the topping is browning quicker than you like, lay a piece of foil loosely over the top of the crisp to hold back further browning.
- Enjoy while still warm. Serve warm for optimum flavor and texture. See below for ideas!
Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to serve apple crisp is in a small bowl, warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream – I love when the ice cream gets all melty with the baked apples! Salted caramel ice cream and pumpkin ice cream are also nice. And so is homemade whipped cream. You can always add a drizzle of caramel sauce and extra sprinkle of cinnamon, too!
How to Store Apple Crisp
While this old fashioned crisp is at its best when it’s still a bit warm from the oven, you can also make it ahead of time if you’re really in a pinch. Earlier in the day works great, but I would caution against making it any more than 24 hours in advance.
- To store. After baking the crisp, store it on the countertop, uncovered, if you’re serving it the same day. If you cover it, the crispy streusel topping will get softer much faster. If you’re storing leftover apple crisp, cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil. After a day, keep the crisp in the fridge.
- Reheat. When serving this to company, I like to turn the oven on low (about 250°F) and heat the crisp back up again. If the topping has softened too much, I’ll also place the pan under the broiler just a bit to crisp it up. And then I serve it warm (with ice cream!). You can also reheat portions in the microwave.
more apple desserts
Apple Crisp
Ingredients
for the apple filling:
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 8 cups peeled apples quartered and then sliced crossways 1/2″ thick – I like Haralson apples, but Granny Smith and Honeycrisp also work well
for the topping:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup rolled oats not quick cooking oats
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon Morton kosher salt not table salt!
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (do not melt)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- For the filling: In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg with the sliced apples. Spread in an even layer in a 9'' x 13'' pan.
- For the topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the first five topping ingredients. Add butter and cut in with a fork or pastry cutter until you have large pea-size crumbs. Sprinkle over the apples.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the topping is nicely browned and some of the apple juices are bubbling through the topping.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Where this Recipe Came From
This recipe has been tweaked from one found in this giant family cookbook. This is where I’m from.
My dad was born of a long line of Braun-German descendants. And a good many of them live in close proximity, near my own family’s farm in South Dakota. To give you a little perspective of my own generation of this line, when our family celebrated my Great Grandpa Braun’s 90th birthday in 1985, he had 97 great-grandchildren. Isn’t that fantastic?! And mind boggling?!
One of my favorite photos, this is my dad with his mom and grandparents on the farm I grew up on.
This post was originally published in 2010. I updated photographs and text in September 2019.
This remind me of elementary school.. I’m 72 and I still remember this fabulous dessert at school.. this is as close to the very same tadte of way back then!
I made it today to surprise my daughter.. apple crisp is her favorite.. I couldn’t help but sample it.. I know she is going to love it..
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe ❤️
Joan
I used to like the school’s apple crisp, too!! :) Thank you for coming back to leave a comment, hope your daughter enjoyed the apple crisp!
Hi from Cyprus… Mediterranean….
I love your recipe… would it be ok to prepare
the whole dish in advance( before baking), and leaving in fridge covered with parchment paper
if so ,for how long a time span would that be possible ,so as not to create too much juice or spoil overall finish of dish… Ευχαριστώ
Would love to try, but wondering how to make it in a 9 x 9 pan or if I made it in the 9 x 13 could I freeze some, as there are only 2 of us & a whole pan of this dessert would be a lot for us to eat before the topping gets soft & not crunchy. Thanks