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!
Can I use fresh frozen apples in place of fresh
Hi Carolyn, yes you can use them but I would recommend allowing the apples to thaw first before using.
Is it best to use light or dark brown sugar?
I use light brown sugar.
This is an awesome recipe! The ingredients are totally flexible for your tastes. My family went crazy over this dish. We added more apples and lemon. We loved the add-on of vanilla to the apple mixture.
I am absolutely a lousy cook but I did make this! It was super easy and equally delicious! I will definitely make this again. I completely disagree with those that said it was too dry. It was perfect!
Very easy and very good!
Tried this tonight with apple pears, it’s addictive!
Thank you for a wonderfully perfect recipe! It came out delicious and needs NO tweaking. Great job!
Hi! Is the flour packed in the cup or is it possible to have the # of grams please🥲. I never know how much flour to use when the measurement is in cups since everyone’s “cup” is different😅
Hi Brenda, I spoon in the flour and then level it off.
This recipe is useless. How much sugar? How much vanilla extract? Don’t tell me put some yummy sugar in there, without telling me how much
Hi Shawn, all measurements and full instructions are located in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
do the apples need to be peeled?
No, they do not have to be peeled unless you prefer them that way.
My go-to apple crisp recipe!
Excellent made exactly as written or with the added walnuts as suggested. I have even doubled the topping portion for my topping obsessed husband! He loved it, as it gets an awesome toffee like edge!
It comes out perfect and gets rave reviews every time and every version I have made. I have used gala apples and granny Smith mostly.
Can this be made ahead of time during the day it’s being served, kept in the refrigerator and then bake it during dinner?
Yes you can do that. I would wait to add the topping until right before you bake it though.
Everyone at my home hated this recipe… I was so disappointed. I left the peels on so it would look like the picture and it turned out awful.. never again with peel on! The taste of the crumble was OK, but not thick enough for the amount of apple ratio… I will not make this recipe again. 😕
One of my guests — who is a foodie — said it was the best apple crisp she had ever tasted. I used Honey Crisp apples and added nothing to the cut apples except for a squeeze of lemon juice. I used cold butter instead of melted butter and added sliced almonds to the topping. It was a delicious treat!
This is a quick and delicious recipe! We felt that the serving suggestion should be 4-6 instead of 8. Will keep this recipe and make again, it was a hit with my family.
This was delicious. I used honey crisp apples.
My go-to apple crisp recipe!
Excellent made exactly as written or with the added walnuts as suggested. I have even doubled the topping portion for my topping obsessed husband! He loved it, as it gets an awesome toffee like edge!
It comes out perfect and gets rave reviews every time and every version I have made. I have used gala apples and granny Smith mostly.
Absolutely amazing!! Thanks for sharing this!!
I was looking for a recipe as good as my mom’s apple crisp. This is it!
Turned out amazing!
Super easy and a great way to use up all the apples from apple picking!! Tastes amazing! I added some chopped walnuts I had and turned out great! I definitely doubled the topping to get an even better crunch ! Thanks for the recipe!’
Way too sweet! Reducing sugar in filling and adding more oats for more crunch. Yum!
Love this recipe!!!!!!!
I double the topping when I make it and I can adjust the amount of apples depending on how many I am making it for. For 2 people I use 3 apples and double the topping.
I’m excited
Really great! Added more oats flour and Cinnamon to fill a 9×11 cake pan.pecans added to the crunch.soon good.
I would like a little more information about the baking dish. I have several sizes and was thinking about using a 9×13. Is this what you used ? Thanks. It sounds delish and easy. I’m serving a crowd !! Have a Happy Day
Hi Ruth! I use a little bit smaller size; I like a 9 inch square pan or an 11×7.
Delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!