This homemade Apple Crisp recipe is a classic easy-to-make recipe for good reason!
Cinnamon sugar spiced apples are topped with a buttery brown sugar oat topping and baked until tender and golden on top.
Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce and serve warm.
The Best Apple Crisp Recipe
- This easy apple crisp recipe is perfect for any time of year, especially fall!
- This dessert is budget-friendly and uses ingredients you likely have in the pantry already.
- It can be prepared ahead of time and baked before serving, making it the perfect dessert.
Apple Crisp vs. Cobbler
My mom made crisps, cobblers, or apple betty all of the time growing up. While similar, the difference between these desserts lies in the topping:
- An apple cobbler often has a biscuit or pie dough topping. There are also variations where the biscuit base is on the bottom of the fruit layer (as we do with our peach cobbler).
- A betty uses breadcrumbs or cubes for the topping. A betty tends to be more pudding-like as the breadcrumbs absorb the fruit juice as it bakes.
- An apple crisp, like this recipe here, has a topping made up of a combination of butter, sugar, spices, nuts, and oats.
Best Apples For Apple Crisp
Granny Smith Apples are perfect for apple crisp as they tend to hold their shape well and don’t get mushy. The flavor is tart which pairs well with the sweet topping.
For a sweeter crisp, use a sweeter apple like Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Pink Lady, or even combine a couple of types of apples!
Apples should be peeled for apple crisp as the skins don’t soften well.
Apple Crisp Topping
There is a generous amount of topping in this apple crisp because that’s my favorite part!
Cold butter is cut into oats, brown sugar, and a bit of flour to form coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts (such as pecans or walnuts) and coconut added for flavor and texture.
How to Make Apple Crisp
While we often hear the term as easy as pie, making apple crisp is even quicker and easier than apple pie!
- Prepare Apples: Peel and slice apples. Toss with all-purpose flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl (per the recipe below).
- Prepare Topping: Cut butter with a pastry cutter into the oat topping mixture until crumbs form.
- Bake: Place apples in a baking dish, top with the crumb mixture, and bake until golden and bubbly.
How to Freeze Apple Crisp?
Freeze apple crisp either before or after baking! It will keep in a deep freezer for up to 6 months and in a top freezer for 2-3 months.
Allow the crisp to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating or baking.
Delicious Fruit Crisp Recipes
Did you love this Apple Crisp? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!
Homemade Apple Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
Topping
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 6 tablespoons flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup pecans chopped, optional
- ¼ cup coconut optional
Apples
- 5 cups apples peeled and sliced
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ½ tablespoon flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a medium bowl combine rolled oats, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
- Mix butter into dry ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter until crumbs form and it's well mixed. Add pecans and coconut (if using) and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, toss the sliced apples with sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
- Add apples to a 9×9 or 2qt baking dish and sprinkle with the oat mixture.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and the apples are soft. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
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Wow! This is perfection!!! I’ve tried many recipes that were always way too sweet. This on is perfection. Thank you so much! We made ours gluten free. Super easy and soooo yummy!
This is the best apple crisp recipe. I don’t need any other one. The only thing I did differently was not adding coconut or nuts, and I used coconut sugar. I made this yesterday and it’s all gone. Everyone loved it! I will make this often. Thank you for such a yummy and easy recipe!
I bake my apple crisp for about 15 min without the topping then add the topping and finish baking. I find the topping stays crisper that way.
I love this recipe very much. Thanks for posting.
Haven’t made your recipe yet, but am wanting to try it this weekend for a family gathering….a la mode, of course!!
QUESTION???——the size of baking dish is not mentioned( unless I missed it ) but In looking at pictures, it seems to be a smaller dish….8 in. by 8 in. perhaps?
Lemeno!!
Hi Melissa, we use an 8×8 or 2qt baking dish for this recipe. Enjoy!
I had a bunch of apples that needed to be used up and this recipe did not disappoint. The shredded coconut should not be optional! It was such a delicious addition!
The apple crisp just came out of the oven and smells so amazing! Can’t wait to dig in! Made mine with gluten free flour and oats and you wouldn’t even know (I have already started sampling ).
So glad you loved this Samantha, thank you for sharing your GF tips!
Looks great
Looks good
I love your recipes.
Thank you for directly answering the question about freezing! I didn’t know if the an entire homemade uneaten crisp could be frozen, I’ve only portioned out single servings (so I don’t eat the entire thing!). What is the best way to wrap my crisps to freeze? I just need to freeze for one week. Thanks!
Freeze in an airtight container, or wrap tightly in plastic wrap Miss Rochelle. Enjoy!
Just made this with apples off our friends tree! Soo delicious. Substituted the flour for a gluten free flour and it turned out perfectly.
What size baking dish for your Apple Crisp?
Hi Marie, we use an 8×8 or 2qt baking dish for this recipe.
Love your recipes
This is so good and easy! I just love your recipes! Shrimp and Grits was amazing too! Thanks so much for all the wonderful recipes!
Thanks so much Cathy! You have made my day!
I love your recipes please give me more thank you PS I Love dessert more than anything
So happy to hear that Dianne! New recipes are being added all the time. Check out our Dessert Section for more.
What size baking dish?
I use a 2qt or 8×8 dish for this crisp Sue.