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!
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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!
I knew right away that I wanted to make apple crisp.
We were lucky enough to pick my favorite kind of apples, Honeycrisp. Their sweet yet tart nature and sturdy composition make an irresistible dessert!
How to Make Homemade Apple Crisp – Step by Step
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
What kind of apples work best for Apple Crisp?
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 recipe, or for a pie.
Do I need to peel the apples?
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 yours without the peel, though, feel free to remove them!
More Tips
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
More Awesome Apple recipes
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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!
Elizabeth says
I find the recipe to be a bit bland by itself. I add a dash of lemon juice and allspice to the apples and a tablespoon of unfiltered honey.
It brings out the flavor sooo much.
Otherwise, this is a good simple and easy to follow recipe.
Mark Smith says
I made this with dried cranberries and walnuts for my Dutch Oven cooking class I gave yesterday Feb 6th. It was delicious thank you for the recipe
Stephanie says
This was yummy but I think next time I’d rather have it with the Apple skin off 🙂
Stephanie says
I will have to double or triple this recipe due to the amount of people I will be feeding. Would I need to increase the bake time or would it stay the same?
Ashlyn Edwards says
Hi Stephanie, bake time should remain the same, but keep an eye on it!
Caitlin says
Amazingly delicious and super easy! I used honeycrisp apples and they are nice and tangy! All of my friends liked it, however, I would use less sugar for the apples next time because I found it sort of too heavy. Maybe 1/3 cup will do.
Katie Jorgensen says
The topping is excellent!, I’ve mixed and matched fruit, trying persimmons and pears along with the apple. Just superb!
Shannon says
Loved it ..
Vicki Smith says
Just took 2 pans out of the oven (1 for my home & 1 for my son’s home) just took a quick taste..delicious & such an easy recipe! Thank you
Lisa Doan says
The best crisp ever! Car me lazed, crunchy–the whole deal! I have made many over the years and this was superb!
Johnette says
Easy and delicious. Made this a few weeks ago and Now I am making it again !
Elaina says
I made this last night and it was by far the best apple crisp i’ve ever had!
Brenda kardos barkley says
Hi i made the apple crisp that was called the best apple crisp recipe and itvwas delicious
Crystal Stallings says
This was absolutely delicious!!!
Tex says
Made these for my volunteers. They loved it; nothing left. Offered Kroger Private Selection Double Vanilla ice cream and Southern Butter Pecan ice cream.
I used an OXO apple corer/slicer and then I sliced the slices in half. Very easy to make. I am going to use the candied pecans I get from Costco as an addition to the crumb topping; just chop up some of the pecans and add to topping. Trying the apple crisp with butter pecan ice cream made me think of this twist.
Thanks for the great recipe.
Jodi says
Can I substitute one min oats?
Robin says
I did and it turned out super yummy still!
Jacquelyn Cowart says
If the old fashioned oats are used you will generally get a more texturized and crunchy topping. Quick oats sometimes turn mushy almost.
GmaJanet says
Easy & delicious!
Morgan Thompson says
Hi Ashlyn, I am researching apple crisp recipes and I found your recipe posted verbatim on another website: https://9amchef.com/the-best-apple-crisp-recipe-2/
I just wanted to let you know. I’m not sure if you authorized this or perhaps you got the recipe from them. Thanks for sharing and hope it all turns out ok.
Best,
Morgan
Ashlyn Edwards says
Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Morgan! I’ll be taking care of it.
Monica says
This was everything I was looking for in an easy crsip. The use of vanilla added unexpected richness. I think I used 150% more apples than it called for, and no harm was done!
Layna says
What size of a baking dish do you use?
Delilah says
I just made this recipe a couple of weeks ago and had to double it cause we’re a big family and it was a huge hit. I love how easy it is to put together and how simple the ingredients are. Next time im going to have to triple it. Thank for the recipe.
Hope says
This sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try! Do you think if I use an apple corer/peeler the apples will still work well? Or would that be too thin? Thanks for your help!
Catherine Livingston says
Can I freeze this before it is cooked?