The Best Apple Crisp Recipe
This Apple Crisp recipe is the best fall dessert! Fresh sliced apples are topped with a buttery cinnamon oat topping that tastes divine with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
For more delicious Fall Recipes, be sure to check out my Crockpot Pumpkin Dump Cake, Southern Sweet Potato Pie, and The Best Chocolate Pecan Pie.
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This Apple Crisp Recipe was the first thing on my mind when my family took a little trip to a local apple orchard this past weekend. It wasn’t really the best day to go; it was drizzling, and the temps were in the 50s.
But our kids still had a good time, especially since it was their first time going apple picking. Plus, we came home with a “peck” of apples to put to good use!
While there are lots of great recipes for apples that we could have made, apple crisp is always my favorite.
We were lucky enough to pick my favorite kind of apples, Honeycrisp. Their sweet yet tart nature and sturdy composition make an irresistible dessert and the perfect choice for this apple crisp recipe!
Ingredients for The Best Apple Crisp Recipe
- fresh apples
- granulated white sugar
- cinnamon
- vanilla extract
- all purpose flour
- old fashioned oats
- brown sugar
- salt
- butter
How to Make Homemade Apple Crisp – Step by Step
Step 1: Preheat oven
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a baking dish with butter. Grab a large bowl and combine about 5 cups of sliced apples (this comes to about 2 pounds of apples, or 4 large ones) with some granulated sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.
Step 2: Add to baking dish
Pour that yummy goodness into your baking dish. Next make the topping by combining flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Pour in some melted butter and stir until well coated and crumbly (I usually put my hands in there to get it mixed up well). Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the apples.
Step 3: Bake
Now pop that dish into your waiting oven for 45-60 minutes, and get ready for heavenly smells to start floating your way! I cook mine until my apples are soft and tender. Once it’s done baking, allow it to cool slightly then serve. It tastes amazing warm with some vanilla ice cream on top!
FAQs
This kind of comes down to preference, or what you have available, but generally you’re going to want a variety of apple that will hold its shape after baking and not turn to total mush. We had a huge bag of Honeycrisp apples (my personal favorite) to use up, so that’s what I used. Granny Smith are usually considered the best apples for apple pie, but Golden Delicious, Braeburn, and Pink Lady apples would all work well for this apple crisp recipe, or for a pie.
My short answer for this is no! But that’s because I don’t like to do more work than I have to, and I don’t mind apple peels, especially once they’re baked. If you would prefer your apple crisp without the peel, though, feel free to remove them!
You can store your prepared and baked apple crisp covered tightly on the counter top for up to three days. You do not need to refrigerate it unless you would like to. Due to its crisp, crumbly topping, apple crisp tastes best when served the same day, as the topping can get soggy the longer it sits. Just keep that in mind!
Yes! Prepare the apple crisp recipe as directed and allow it to cool completely. Cover with both plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 4 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
More Tips and Notes for the Best Apple Crisp Recipe
- Slice your apples evenly. I slice my apples using this slicer to speed up the process and remove the core easily. I then slice the apples one more time each with my knife so that the widest part of the slice is roughly 1/2 an inch wide. You can also chop them into big chunks if you would prefer, but just make sure that you chop your apples to a uniform size to ensure even baking in your apple crisp.
- Prevent over-browning. If your topping is starting to get too brown but your apples still need more time to cook, simply place some aluminum foil loosely over the top of your pan and continue baking.
- Optional additions: Chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts would be a delicious addition to the topping! I didn’t add any to ours because my son has a nut allergy.
- Serving: this apple crisp tastes AMAZING with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! You could also top it with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Yum!
More Awesome Apple recipes
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below. I love to hear from you and always appreciate your feedback!
The Best Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Filling:
- 5 cups fresh apples, sliced
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a deep dish pie plate or large baking dish with butter or cooking spray and set aside.
- Combine the sliced apples with the sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract in a large bowl and mix until all of the apples are evenly coated. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
- In a separate medium size bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Pour in the melted butter and stir until well coated and crumbly. Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the apples.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45-60 minutes until fruit is soft and the topping is golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- Slice your apples evenly. I slice my apples using this slicer to speed up the process and remove the core easily. I then slice the apples one more time each with my knife so that the widest part of the slice is roughly 1/2 an inch wide. You can also chop them into big chunks if you would prefer, but just make sure that you chop your apples to a uniform size to ensure even baking in your apple crisp.
- Prevent over-browning. If your topping is starting to get too brown but your apples still need more time to cook, simply place some aluminum foil loosely over the top of your pan and continue baking.
- Optional additions: Chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts would be a delicious addition to the topping! I didn’t add any to ours because my son has a nut allergy.
- Serving: this apple crisp tastes AMAZING with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! You could also top it with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Yum!
This is my favorite apple crisp recipe. I made it twice in a week to share with my family! I made it exactly as stated. I used 3 huge honey crisp apples.
I made this as written and added the pecans. It was good and we ate it, but the granny smiths were done before the topping was crunchy. So the apple was on the mushy side. I also thought it was too sweet and I love sweet stuff.
IYour recipe looks great, but I need amounts for the ingredients, not just “some sugar” “some oats”, I need to know how much !
I am not able to use your recipe for that reason.
Hi, all ingredients, measurements, and directions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
I have made your “The Best Apple Crisp Recipe” three times in the past two weeks. It was the best use for the Honey Crisp apples that we had on hand. Because they are quite sweet, each time I cut back on the amount of sugar I added. I am not one to do this as a rule, but I am trying to reduce my sugar intake, I am happy to say that with 1/4 cup plus one TBS on 5 cups of the sliced apples, and 1/4 cup the brown sugar in the topping we thought it was perfect for us (who do like our sweets). This is a great and flexible recipe. A keeper for sure. Thank you for posting it!
This was delicious. I’ve tried others and our family loves this one. The only one I’ll use anymore. Thank you for sharing.
This is the only apple crisp recipe that I will ever need. Fantastic!
I forgot to add the 5 stars!
I loved your recipe!! I smashed some raw cashews and added them to the oatmeal mix. It added a little extra richness.
A great recipe I added some items was fire!!
Hello,
What size baking dish did you use?
My apple crisp usually bakes uneven – more baked on the outside and hard apples in the middle once backed.
I like to use a 9×9 inch pan.
Love the idea of adding pecans to the topping so crunchy! I also added 1/2 tsp of cornstarch to the apple filling to help absorb moisture 🙂
This recipe was soooo delicious! Could this be made as an apple pie! Every time I make an apple pie it comes out dry & I always follow recipes exactly as written! Thank you!
Hi Diane! Yes, I think the filling and topping would be perfect for a pie. Great idea!
Delicious! and easy. I doubled the topping, as I used more than 5 cups of apples. I found it a bit too sweet so I may cut back on the sugar next time. This is definitely a keeper!!
thanks.
The perfect apple desert ! Not as “heavy ( rich) as my other apple recipes and so simple to make .
Easy and delicious recipe might add less sugar next time.
If I want to double the recipe would a 9×13 pan work?
Hi Patti, yes a 9×13 should work fine if you double the recipe.