A dessert that just screams fall, this easy apple crisp recipe is perfect for people that love apple pie but are intimidated by making one from scratch. An apple crisp is a classic apple dessert recipe and is easy to make, with a baked apple layer covered with a sugary, buttery, flaky, crispy topping.
Fall, specifically September, is right in the middle of apple harvesting season, so it’s the perfect time for making baked apple recipes. While cinnamon apple cider muffins and cider-glazed apple Bundt cake are great recipes, sometimes you just want something that is full of baked apple goodness. Apple pie is such a classic, but if the thought of working with two layers of dough is intimidating, a baked apple crisp might be right up your alley.
In a lot of baked apple recipes, the apples are sliced, but here I recommend chunks instead. While you can use either style, I find chunks cook a little more evenly and are easier to eat in a spoonful. In a good Dutch apple pie or lattice apple pie, I love a good, sliced apple, but in crisps and crumbles the chunk reigns supreme. Again though, the choice is completely up to you.
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🥧 Difference in Cobbler vs Crumble vs Crisp
All these desserts have a few things in common, and are a two-layer, baked dessert. They typically consist of a bottom layer of firm fruits, stone fruits, or berries. The top layer is what makes them each different, varying from biscuits to dough to batters to streusel like layers. Another thing they all have in common is that a scoop of vanilla ice cream is a perfect finishing touch.
Cobblers
Cobblers are the oldest and most well-known of these desserts, with recipes dating back to the 1800s. What is considered a “cobbler” and the recipes for them have changed over time, but the topping is typically made with small, round biscuits that give the top a cobblestone shape, hence the name.
Fruit is layered on the bottom of a baking dish and topped with biscuit dough. As it cooks, the fruit breaks down and thickens, while the biscuit top becomes flaky and crisp on top and moist and flavorful underneath. In some versions, butter is melted in the baking dish and a loose, cake-like batter is poured over it. The fruit is then placed on top, and the bottom layer will rise above the fruit as it cooks. Check my fresh peach cobbler for an example.
Crumble
A crumble starts off the same way, with some kind of fruit or berry at the bottom of a baking dish. The topping is then added, which tends to be a streusel like mix of flour, butter, and sugar. Sometimes spices are added to the crumble as well.
Crisp
The difference between crisps and a crumble are more subtle, and sometimes the terms are used interchangeably. The only real difference is that in a crisp, oats and sometimes nuts are added to the streusel topping. This is what gives the finished dish a “crisp” and crunchy topping.
PinHonorable Mentions
There are a bunch of other similar desserts that deserve mention but would need an entire post to discuss them all.
A buckle is like the cake-like version of cobbler, where a cake layer cooks up and around the fruit and “buckles” as it puffs up. Usually also topped with a crumble, it’s like a fruit-studded coffee cake.
A pandowdy is also like a cobbler, but instead of a biscuit topping, it’s topped with either scraps of pie dough, or a pie dough that fits over the baking dish and then broken up as it cooks.
Almost identical to a cobbler, a grunt is basically the same dessert, but instead of being baked, it’s cooked in a covered Dutch oven or large skilled and steamed instead.
🥘 Ingredients
A recipe for apple crisp has two sets of ingredients: the sweetened and spiced apple layer, and the crispy top layer. Most of the ingredients are similar on both layers, with apples on the bottom and oats on top.
PinApple Filling
Apples – In order to make a thick layer of apples that can fill a 13x9 dish, you’ll need at least 7-8 medium apples. If your apples are on the smaller size, you may need to increase that number a bit. A mixture of sweet and tart apples works well here. For reference, I used half Granny Smith apples and half Pink Lady.
Sugar – A mix of both white and brown sugar works nicely here. Light brown or dark brown is fine.
Spices – Keeping things simple, I use a mixture of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg, but you can also use things like apple pie spice, pumpkin spice, or add a bit of ground ginger, allspice, cloves, etc.
Flour – A bit of all-purpose flour helps in thickening the sugar and spice mixture as the apples bake.
Lemon – A bit of fresh lemon juice ups the acidity and gives the sweetness a bit of balance.
Vanilla – A touch of vanilla extract also helps to balance the flavors and mellow some of the acidity and sweetness.
Oat Topping
Flour – All-purpose flour makes up the base of the crisp layer, along with the sugar.
Sugar – Unlike the apple layer, just use brown sugar here. Again, both light brown or dark brown sugar are fine choices.
Spices – Ground cinnamon adds a nice flavor and carries over the flavor in the apples. No need to match the same spices in both layers though, as it can start to overshadow the apples if you add too much to the crisp topping.
Butter – Cold, unsalted (or salted) butter is used in the apple crisp topping. Cutting the butter into the flour and sugar allows it to melt while baking and turn the topping nice and crispy.
Oats – While you can make an apple crisp without oats, oats are what mostly separate an apple crisp from an apple streusel or apple crumb. Use whole oats or old-fashioned oats for the best texture.
Pin🍏 Best Apple for Apple Crisp
Like with apple pie and most baked apple recipes, avoid apples that are a bit too soft or mealy when cooked. Slightly firmer apples hold their shape and texture better when baked in desserts. Otherwise, most apples work fine and go with your preference. A mix of both sweet and tart works well here.
Good options for both sweet and tart include the following:
- Granny Smith
- Braeburn
- Jonathan
- Jazz
- Golden Delicious
- Fuji
- Honeycrisp
- Pink Lady
🔪 How to Make
Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C. Butter or spray a 13x9 baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.
PinPeel, core, and chop your apples into chunks, about ½” or so in size. Add to the baking dish. In a small mixing bowl, combine the sugars, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk together and pour over the apples. Add the vanilla extract and lemon juice, then gently stir to combine everything until no pockets of dry ingredients remain.
PinIn a larger mixing bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor, combine the apple crisp topping ingredients minus the oats. Mix or pulse the flour, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon together. Add the cold butter in small cubes and cut into the mixture with a fork or pastry cutter (or pulse a few times in the food processor). Once you have a sandy texture with small pockets of butter, add the oats and mix everything together one more time.
PinMake sure the apple layer is even and then top it with the oat mixture until it is covered, and all the topping is used. Place onto the center rack of your oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, until well-browned on top and the apple layer is bubbling.
Remove from the oven and allow it to cool at least 5-10 minutes before serving. Top it with vanilla ice cream for the best experience.
📖 Variations
While an apple crisp is great just the way it is, there’s several variations if you want to switch things up. Some variations are good for dietary needs as well, such as gluten-free versions.
PinDifferent Ingredients
Other Fruits & Berries – A classic apple crisp recipe with just apples is great as it is, but mixing things up can be amazing as well. Some popular choices that go well with apples include pears, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cranberries, and cherries. 8 medium apples chopped up is roughly 10 cups or so, so keep that total in mind when adding other mix-ins.
Apple Crisp Without Oats – While a crisp can be made without oats, typically the oats and/or nuts are what separates crisps from crumbles. If you wish to omit the oat topping however, you can, but increase the flour in the topping to 1 cup.
Apple Crisp with Nuts – A crisp usually includes oats in the topping, but sometimes nuts are also added. Roughly chop 1 cup of pecans or walnuts and mix into the topping when you add the oats. Other decent options include almonds and macadamia nuts.
Gluten Free Apple Crisp – Swap out the flour in both the apples and the crisp topping with your favorite gluten free flour blend. Oats are naturally gluten free but check for brands that sell oats labelled as gluten free. Cross contamination in packaging can sometimes lead to a bit of flour being mixed in.
Different Styles
Apple Crumble – If you’d like to omit the old-fashioned oats from the topping and make an apple crumble instead, like my pear-cranberry crumble, it’s an easy switch. Omit the oats, increase the flour to 1 cup, and melt the butter. Let the butter cool slightly and then mix with the other topping ingredients using a fork until the texture of wet sand. You may need a little extra butter if the mixture feels too dry.
Apple Cobbler – This recipe can also be turned into an apple cobbler instead. Keep the apple layer the same, but then make sweet biscuits that you can shape and drop on top. Follow the directions in my fresh peach cobbler recipe for the biscuit topping ingredients and directions.
Smaller Batch – If you want to make an easy apple crisp, but don’t want an entire 13x9 pan worth, you can cut the recipe in half. Bake in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan (or a 9” round pan) instead and reduce the baking time to 30-35 minutes.
Pin💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Both a crumble and a crisp are baked apple desserts and are very similar. The main difference in a crisp is that the topping usually contains oats and/or nuts, while a crumble is just a streusel topping.
Like most baked apple recipes, slightly firmer apples work best because they hold up better to being baked without becoming overly soft or mealy. A mixture of sweet and tart apples works great too and includes apples like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, Braeburn, etc.
This is completely down to personal preference. When baked for almost an hour, the peels will be soft, but if you prefer it without peels, peel them first. In an apple crisp, I prefer the apples peeled. If you make the apple crisp without peeling the apples, be sure to thoroughly wash the apples before cutting.
The best indication for when recipes like this are done baking is a golden-brown topping and the apple filling should be bubbling up around the sides and sound like it’s boiling.
🍽 Equipment
For an easy apple crisp recipe, there’s not a lot of special equipment involved at all. You’ll probably already have everything you need to make this recipe, but here’s a handful of tools to check out if you don’t already have them.
Peeler – Having a good set of fruit or vegetable peelers makes quick work peeling the apples here. This set of vegetable peelers from OXO is great and is what I used here. I love this set because it comes with a straight, serrated, and julienne peeler to meet any needs you may have.
Pastry Cutter – If you don’t have or want to use a food processor, a pastry cutter works well for cutting butter into flour by hand. A fork works as well but takes a little more elbow grease.
Baking Dish – In almost all fruit dessert recipes that require baking, especially recipes where the fruit contacts the dish, I recommend using glass or ceramic coated baking dishes. I prefer this 13x9 glass baking dish especially, and this 13x9 enameled baking dish from Staub. Metal baking pans can leave the finished dish with a slightly metallic taste.
Pin❄️ Storage
Apple crisp recipes can be stored, covered, at room temperature for about 2 days. If you don’t plan on finishing it the day it’s made or the next day, storing it in the refrigerator is recommended. You can store the whole dish once cooled completely, covered and refrigerated for 3-4 days. When reheating, you can microwave apple crisp in small portions, but it does soften the apple crisp topping a lot. If reheating for a group, I'd suggest a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes, until heated through.
For longer storage, allow the apple crisp to cool completely and cover with plastic wrap and again in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and then bake in a 350°F oven for 20-30 minutes, until heated throughout.
If you wish to make this ahead of time, follow the directions up until the baking. Wrap as above and freeze. The day before you plan on cooking it, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and then bake as directed. You may need to increase the baking time by 5-15 minutes depending on how cold it was when you cooked it.
📋 Recipe
Easy Apple Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
Apple Filling:
- 8 medium apples, peeled and cut into ½” chunks
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Oat Topping:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C. Butter or spray a 13x9 baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Peel, core, and chop 8 medium apples into chunks, about ½” or so in size. Add to the baking dish. In a small mixing bowl, combine ¼ cup white sugar, ⅓ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon salt. Whisk together and pour over the apples. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons lemon juice, then gently stir to combine everything until no pockets of dry ingredients remain.
- In a larger mixing bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor, combine the apple crisp topping ingredients minus the oats. Mix or pulse ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¾ cup brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon together. Add a ½ cup cold butter in small cubes and cut into the mixture with a fork or pastry cutter (or pulse a few times in the food processor). Once you have a sandy texture with small pockets of butter, add 1 cup rolled oats and mix everything together one more time.
- Make sure the apple layer is even and then top it with the oat mixture until it is covered, and all the topping is used. Place onto the center rack of your oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, until well-browned on top and the apple layer is bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool at least 5-10 minutes before serving. Top it with vanilla ice cream for the best experience.
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