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Apple Crisp is a classic dessert that you can pull together any day of the week. This recipe is made with a delicious oat topping. It comes together with only 10 minutes of prep before baking in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve it with a scoop of ice cream!
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Pin ItThis recipe was originally published in 2019 by Haley from If You Give a Blonde a Kitchen. It was updated in 2024 with new photos and recipe tips. Be sure to visit Haley’s site for the most drool-worthy desserts.
My favorite kind of apple crisp is made with oat topping. Oats make the dessert hearty, crisp and delicious. With it’s buttery goodness, I personally prefer apple crisp over apple pie when choosing apple desserts. It’s easy to pull together any day of the week. You can even eat it for breakfast!
This recipe is a classic old fashioned apple crisp with warm cinnamon apples and a crisp oatmeal topping. It’s the perfect dessert to share with guests. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce, and a dollop of whipped cream.
This easy apple dessert will undoubtedly put you in the mood for fall. Enjoy with a mug of homemade apple cider for even more fall flavor!
Table of Contents
Why This Apple Crisp is the Best
There are SO many delicious apple crisp recipes out there, but I hope you give this one a try. It’s my personal favorite and know you will love it too!
This one is my favorite because it’s easy to pull together with ingredients you already have in your kitchen.
- Perfect for Beginner or Expert Bakers: Even beginner bakers can make this dessert – it’s hard to mess up! It’s made with pantry staples and you don’t need any fancy equipment.
- Buttery Oat Topping: Some apple crisp recipes do not use oats. Use oats to make this dessert the old fashioned way!
- Make Ahead: You can bake this crisp ahead of time and store it in the fridge, then reheat just prior to serving.
- It tastes great warm or cold: Enjoy it straight from the fridge or reheat it in the oven or microwave to serve warm.
Ingredients You Need
- Apples: The best apples for baking are firm, crispy and tart apples, like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, etc. But really any type of apple works!
- Flour: You will need all-purpose flour. You can use a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour substitute that contains xanthan gum to make this gluten free.
- Old Fashioned Oats: Do not use quick cook oats as they do not have the same texture.
- Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar is preferred, but you can use dark brown sugar, if needed.
- Cinnamon: Adds a classic fall flavor. You can also use a pinch of nutmeg or cardamom, if desired.
- Unsalted Butter: Use chilled butter. You can use salted butter, if needed, and omit the salt in the oat topping.
- Lemon Juice: This prevents the browning of the apples, but doesn’t affect the taste of the crisp much. You can omit, if desired.
- Other Baking Ingredients: You will also need vanilla, baking powder, salt.
Recipe Tips
- Peel the apples: Some people leave the peel on, but we recommend removing the peel for the best texture and flavor. Leaving the peel on can result in a chewier texture. If you leave the peel on, be sure to wash the fresh apples well.
- Use cold butter: For the perfect crumble topping, be sure to use cold cubed butter. This helps get that nice crisp topping with oat crumble pieces. You can use a pastry cutter instead of your hands to cut the butter into the other ingredients.
Make Ahead Instructions
Bake the oatmeal apple crisp as directed. Once cool, cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When you’re ready to enjoy, bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, until heated through.
If you want to freeze for later, freeze prior to baking and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake according to recipe instructions.
Recipe Variations
- Add more fruit: You can add strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, pears, or cranberries. Experiment with a mix of fruit to try new flavors and make it your own.
- Adjust sugar: Feel free to reduce the sugar for less sweetness, if desired.
- Add nuts: Chop up some pecans or almonds and stir it into the oat topping.
- Make it gluten free: Replace the all-purpose flour with 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour. You could also try using oat flour.
- Double the recipe to feed a crowd: It’s easy to adjust this recipe to serve more.
FAQs
You can use any type of apple, but firm tart apples are best for baking, like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady or Golden Delicious.
We recommend refrigerating apple crisp so that it keeps longer. However, you can technically leave it out on the counter for up to 24 hours.
There are a variety of recipes to use fresh apples. Use lots of apples to make apple pie, instant pot apple butter, apple pie egg rolls, or caramel apple cake.
Apple Crisp with Oatmeal Topping
Ingredients
For the crisp topping:
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, (78g)
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, (40g)
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, (100g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes, (76g)
For the Apple Filling
- 2 pounds baking apples, about 6 apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin (about 1/8-inch)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted (42g)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, (50g)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- caramel sauce , for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly butter an 8×8-inch glass baking dish and set aside.
- Prepare the Topping: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, oats, light brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add cubed butter and, using clean hands, combine butter with dry mixture until it comes together into small crumbles. Transfer to refrigerator to chill while preparing filling.
- Make the Filling: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter and flour until slightly thick. Stir in water, lemon juice and vanilla. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and pinch of salt. Stir until ingredients are well combined.
- Place sliced apples in a large bowl and pour butter mixture over the apples. Use a rubber spatula to toss and evenly coat the apples in butter mixture. Transfer apples to prepared baking dish.
- Remove topping from the refrigerator (separate into crumbles if necessary) and sprinkle evenly over the top of the apple layer.
- Bake at 375° F for 35 minutes, or until top is golden brown and the apples juices are bubbling at the edges of the pan. Remove crisp from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce if desired.
Notes
- We recommend using Gala, Honeycrisp, Braeburn or Golden Delicious for this crisp to get the best flavor and texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe and pictures bring back great memories of falls gone by. Will make one this season! Thanks for all!
Do you have to use light brown sugar? ย I just made it but havenโt tasted it yet. ย Also I made it in a 9 x 13 pan and just made one ย and one half of the recipe. ย Hopefully it will be fine. I baked it ย for ย the same amount of time, 35 minutes.
Hi, Gail! You don’t have to use light brown sugar, but if you omit the sugar, it won’t taste as sweet. I hope you enjoy!
My all time favorite dessert! This recipe is amazing!
This apple crisp was the hit of our dinner Friday night ๐
So glad to hear this, Sandi! It’s one of our favorite desserts. Thanks for your feedback.
One of my all-time favorite apple desserts! This will be made on repeat all season long.
This is so totally yummy! My idea of the perfect dessert!