This easy apple crisp (apple crumble) recipe is made with a warm cinnamon apple filling and an irresistible buttery crunchy crumble topping. Plus this no-fuss version takes less than 20 minutes to prep — no apple peeling required!
Oh friends. This is one of those moments where I wish I could just gather you all around my table, dish you up a generous serving of this homemade apple crisp while it’s all hot and bubbly and extra-cozy fresh outta the oven, top it off with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream (plus a drizzle of my favorite bourbon caramel sauce, if you’re feeling extra), and then savor and enjoy every last bite of this fall favorite together.
Because I’m telling you, this apple crisp is simply the best. ♡
I decided to go all-in on the crispy, crunchy, crumbly, buttery oat topping with this recipe, which combines the best of both the apple crumble (made with a streusel topping) and apple crisp (made with an oat topping) worlds and tastes downright irresistible. It’s also easy to whip up in just a few minutes, and complements the soft apple filling below perfectly. Also, speaking of said filling, I’ve made the executive decision to save us that time-consuming step of peeling all of those apples for this crisp because (a) I have zero space in my kitchen for an apple peeler, nor the patience to peel all of those puppies by hand (b) the peels look so pretty and autumn-ish when dished up into your serving bowls, plus (c) hey, the peels are good for us anyway!
As a result, I’m happy to report that this easy apple crisp recipe requires only about 20 minutes of prep time. Then once it has baked up in the oven — during which time, I should note, your home will start to smell absolutely amazing — I highly recommend dishing it up warm with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream and digging in with a spoon right away. Because on a chilly autumn or winter night, there’s no sweeter way to warm up.
Who’s ready for some apple crisp?!
Easy Apple Crisp Ingredients:
To make this easy apple crisp recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- Apples: There are lots of different opinions out there about the best apples for apple crisp, but I typically just keep things simple and make mine with Granny Smith apples. I like their tartness (especially balanced with the sweet topping) and how well they hold their shape. But that said, feel free to use a 50/50 mix of Granny Smiths and Honey Crisps if you would like a sweeter filling, or whatever apples you love best!
- Oats: I used old-fashioned oats for this recipe, whose texture I love in the filling. If making this recipe gluten-free, be sure to use certified GF oats.
- Brown sugar: Which we will use in both the apple filling and crisp topping.
- Flour: I went retro with all-purpose flour in this recipe. But you are welcome to sub in white whole wheat flour (or a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend) if you prefer, to make this a (slightly) more healthy apple crisp.
- Butter: Yep, it’s essential for the streusel-y apple crumble topping.
- Lemon juice: To toss with the apples so that they don’t get too browned as you are prepping the recipe.
- Cinnamon: Or you’re welcome to use pumpkin pie spice instead, if you prefer.
- Nuts (optional): I love adding a handful of chopped pecans or walnuts to the topping, but you’re welcome to leave them out if you prefer.
- Sea salt: To bring out all of those delicious flavors.
- Caramel sauce (optional): Pro tip — you can easily turn this into a caramel apple crisp by drizzling some of your favorite caramel sauce on top if you’d like. I’m partial myself to this salted bourbon caramel sauce, which you can easily whip up on the stove while the apple crisp is baking in the oven.
Full ingredient amounts/instructions in the recipe below.
How To Make Apple Crisp:
Alright, moving onto how to make apple crisp! To make this recipe, simply…
- Make the filling. Toss together the apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon until combined. Then spread everything out in an even layer in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Make the topping. Stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon and salt until combined. Then drizzle with the melted butter and toss together until the dry ingredients are moistened, yet still nice and clumpy (not over-mixed).
- Bake. Sprinkle the topping over the apples, then pop the pan in the oven and bake for about 40-50 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the topping is nice and crisp.
- Serve. Dish it up while the apple crisp is nice and warm, topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream (plus some caramel sauce if you’d like!).
Apple Crisp Recipe Variations:
Want to customize this easy apple crisp recipe a bit? Feel free to…
- Make it gluten-free. To make this a gluten-free apple crisp recipe, you will need to use a GF all-purpose flour blend and certified GF oats.
- Make it vegan. To make this a vegan apple crisp recipe, use vegan butter or coconut oil in the apple crisp topping.
- Add cranberries. To make apple cranberry crisp, just omit one of the apples and stir 1 cup of fresh cranberries into the filling.
- Add pears. To make apple pear crisp, use a 50/50 mixture of apples and pears.
- Use different nuts. I included pecans as an option in the recipe below, but feel free to sub in chopped walnuts, sliced almonds, chopped macadamias, or whatever other kind of nuts you love best.
More Fall Dessert Recipes:
Feel like doing more fall baking? Here are a few of my other favorite dessert recipes to make this time of year…
Description
This easy apple crisp (apple crumble) recipe is made with a warm cinnamon apple filling and an irresistible buttery crunchy crumble topping. Plus this no-fuss version takes less than 20 minutes to prep — no apple peeling required!
Scale
Ingredients
Apple Filling Ingredients:
- 8 medium Granny Smith apples*, cored and thinly sliced (peeled or unpeeled)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Crisp Topping Ingredients:
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup melted butter
Instructions
- Prep. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.
- Make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the apples and lemon juice until evenly combined. Add in the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon, then toss until evenly combined. Transfer the apples to the prepared baking dish and spread out in an even layer.
- Make the topping. In the same mixing bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon and salt until combined. Drizzle the melted butter over the mixture, then briefly toss until combined. (Try not to overmix — you want the topping to be clumpy.) Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the apple filling.
- Bake. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the apple filling is bubbly and the topping is nice and crisp.* Transfer to a wire baking rack.
- Serve. Serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce if you’d like.
Notes
*Apples: Feel free to use a 50/50 blend of Granny Smith and Honey Crisp apples if you would like a sweeter filling.
*Crisp Topping: If the topping starts to get too toasty near the end of baking, just gently lay a sheet of foil on top of the baking dish and continue baking until the filling is bubbly.
*Storage: Any leftover apple crisp can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
