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!
What size baking dish do you use? I couldn’t find that detail in the recipe.
About 2 quarts in size.
Perfect!
OMG THIS RECIPE IS GOLD!!!! IT’S AMAZING WE FINISHED IT IN 1 HOUR!!!
Really good and easy!
This recipe is a hit! The first time I made it I halved the recipe and dished the apples into four ramekins. It was so yummy! My guests asked for the recipe. Next time i used eight ramekins and added some wild blueberries I had frozen. Even better!
Great recipe! Only things I did differently were to add two things to the topping: 1/2 c chopped walnuts and 1/3 c orange juice. It makes the topping more moist and flavorful. Super yummy!
Awesome tasty treat especially with vanilla ice cream. Much better than my regular apple crisp recipe Sure to make again
Instead of plain rolled oats, i used apple cinnamon oatmeal i had in my pantry. 😉 Came out scrumptious!
Fantastic! So easy, and tasted SO good!! Will definitely be using this recipe again!!
This is absolutely delicious. I used grravenstien apples 6 cups and a little extra melted butter in the topping. The aroma filled the house and we also added vanilla ice cream , yummy. Thank you for sharing your recipe. It’s definitely a keeper!
Very,very good apple crisp! Loved it!! Keeping this recipe.
Very Very Good!!!
I used gluten free flour and the topping was a little dry. Next time I will use a little more butter or add a little apple juice to the crumble top. Once mixed in with the apples it was delicious!!
My father in law is begging for the recipe.
Thanks a million
PS adding the vanilla was genius ❤️
This was heavenly! I loved it!
Just made this today with freshly picked honeycrisp apples. Followed the recipe exactly except cut the sugar down to 1/3 cup. I couldn’t resist a bite as soon as it was cool enough and oh my….DELICIOUS! So easy and extremely tasty. The only thing that will make this better is a scoop of vanilla ice cream! It’s dessert tonight.
Absolutely delicious! Made this my 15 year old son. a joy to make and eat together!!
Excellent. I made it just as written, with a mix of apples from my little three-year-old trees. Some were on the sweet side, some a little tart, and I think the combination was a real winner. It also allowed some of the apples to get a little mushy while others were nice and firm. My kids (wide age range, from 6-21) all liked it, and my wife said it was awesome.
Again and again – this one never fails and everyone loves it. Thank you!
Delicious! I did add 2 extra apples and decreased the granulated sugar to 1/3 cup. I also added 1/2 cup chopped of walnuts. I served it with vanilla ice cream. My husband loved it! Saving this as my favorite apple crisp recipe!
Oh wow this was so delicious and very easy. I used brown sugar in the apple mixture as well because I love brown sugar, and I used pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon.
Thank you for this recipe it’s a keeper.
Too sweet for me. Added lemon juice. Still did not taste right.
Peel the apples first?
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!
Loved it. Great recipe.
This is quite possibly the dessert of my dreams! I love apple picking in autumn and homemade recipes are so comforting. Thanks for sharing!
I need to make this! I love apple crisp with vanilla ice cream on top!
There is nothing better than a warm apple crisp with a big scoop of ice cream. This is recipe so delicious and easy to make.
I made this recipe but instead of oats I used chopped pecans. It was delicious!