Easy and Delicious Apple Crisp
Updated 7th September 2024
Apples baked until fragrant and tender and syrupy with a blanket of sweet buttery crunchy crisp topping. This apple crisp is a classic anytime dessert and an easy recipe that never disappoints. This is one of my favourite fall desserts ever. It’s easy and perfect served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of my homemade caramel sauce. We have loads of apples right now and this delicious crisp is a great way to use them that doesn’t take a lot of time. A great apple crisp doesn’t have to be complicated and meant to be easier than pie and this recipe proves it!
Making homemade apple crisp (or some say crumble - to me they are interchangeable - but that’s just me - crisps usually have streusel topping crumbles an oat - this is a mixture of both I guess) is very easy and can also be made with any fruit you might have on hand. The filling is made with fresh sliced apples tossed with some sugar, lemon juice, and spices. The topping is made of flour and oats with sugar added and then the cold butter is either mixed in by hand or with a food processor creating the crumbly topping for the crisp. The apples go into a baking dish, followed by the crumbly topping which gets lightly pressed down into the apple mixture and then baked off until it’s golden, apples are tender and the filling is bubbling.
What You’ll Need to Make This Apple Crisp
- APPLES: Use your favourite variety of eating apples or a variety of cooking apples. Granny Smith apples will work well, Cortlands or Honey Crisp will also work along with Gala apples. The best apples to use are the ones you love or a variety for varied flavor (tart & sweet) and texture.
- FLOUR: Plain or all-purpose flour is what I use, you can use gluten free all purpose 1-1 flour for a gluten-free version
- OATS: I use old fashion rolled oats for this recipe, you can also use regular oats, and ensure they are gluten free if you are making this gluten free
- BUTTER: I always use unsalted butter. For a vegan or dairy-free version feel free to use a vegan butter or even coconut oil. You will need a little (1 tablespoon) for the filling and 2 sticks for the topping.
- SUGAR: You will need light brown sugar and granulated sugar. Feel free to use either for the filling or the topping and you can even swap it for Demerara sugar or coconut sugar. Feel free to add some maple syrup for added maple flavour or you can even replace some of the sugar in the filling with maple syrup as a sweetener.
- SPICE: I love a little spice in my crumbles and crisps so I add a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg but you could also add ginger, cardamom or allspice if you would like to change it up a bit.
- VANILLA EXTRACT: For extra flavour in the filling - optional
- LEMON JUICE & LEMON ZEST: They add a bright flavor to the filling
- FLOUR / CORNSTARCH: The fruit always gets pretty juicy and wet when it cooks so the flour or the corn starch or potato starch helps thicken those juices. Use either one - and if you find your apples are particularly juicy feel free to increase the amount by a tablespoon
- EXTRA ADD INS: Feel free to add nuts or seeds like pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts or pumpkin seeds to add some extra crunch to your crumble topping. If you run out of apples feel free to top up with sliced pears. I also like to add some candied ginger to the apples as well sometimes - for a little texture and and extra hit of ginger
How to Make Apple Crisp/Crumble
- PREPARE FRUIT: Peel and core the apples then slice or chop them - make sure to slice or cut into roughly the same size and thickness. Add apples to a large bowl (or toss them right in the baking dish) and toss gently with the sugar, spices, flour, butter, vanilla, lemon juice until well combined.
- PREPARE CRUMBLE/CRISP TOPPING: In a food processor, combine the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon and spices, and salt and pulse twice to mix. Add the butter and pulse a few more times, until the mixture forms small crumbles mix well until combined - use a fork or spoon to ensure to stir well. You can also use a bowl and whisk and a pastry cutter or your fingers to cut in the butter.
- ASSEMBLE & BAKE: Spread the topping evenly over the filling then bake in the oven until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
Apple Crisp Storage, Make Ahead & Freezing
- To Make Ahead: Peel and slice apples then toss with lemon juice, then pack tightly in freezer bags and refrigerate for up to one day. Make the crumble topping and store separately in the fridge. When you re ready to make the crisp toss the apples with the remaining ingredients and assemble the crips and bake as directed.
- To Freeze: Prepare and bake the apple crisp as directed. Cool completely, then cover with a plastic wrap and double layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then warm in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
- To Store: Store your crisp in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat the crisp simply scoop the amount you want into a bowl and reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, depending on how big your serving is. You can also reheat in the oven too. Add your favorite apple crisp toppings and dig in!
This recipe makes enough to feed a crowd. Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you want to make a smaller batch. Also this particular crisp has a higher apple to topping ratio just because I love the filling and apples. If you would prefer to use less apples that is fine - I would reduce the amount by ⅓ and check the doneness of the them closer to the 45 min mark and also adjust the amount of spices and sweetness accordingly. Just be sure to slice or chop the apples thinly and evenly so that you don’t end up with some apples that aren’t cooked through. I do recommend peeling the apples too. Leaving the skin on will give a chewier texture to the apple filling. A great thing about crisps and crumbles is their versatility. If you don’t have enough apples no biggie I often add pears to the mix and even cranberries. I also love adding some salted caramel sauce to the filling cause I just love apples and caramel together. I always serve it with my homemade caramel sauce on the side because a serving of this with a scoop of ice cream and some caramel sauce drizzled over it is just heavenly!
This Easy Apple Crisp Recipe is a classic old fashioned dessert that makes you feel all warm and cozy! It makes for a great make-ahead dessert and freezes well too. Directions for both below. It’s one of those desserts that also makes the house smell divine - full of warm spices. An easy and great fall bake up and one that you should definitely put on your list of things to make this season. Enjoy!
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Recipe
For the filling
- 4 lbs of apples (works out to be approx 8-10 medium apples) of your choice washed, peeled, cored and sliced thin or chopped
- Juice and zest of one lemon
- ½-1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- ½ cup of brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (or apple pie spice)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 heaping tablespoon all purpose flour or cornstarch (plus more if apples are quite juicy)
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
For the topping
- 1½ cups Flour
- 1 cup Rolled oats not quick oats
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ lb (2 sticks/½ cup) Unsalted Butter, very cold and cubed
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl and then pour into a large 9x13 greased baking dish and set aside while you mix topping
- Combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, and sugars, from the topping ingredients into a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. (You could also whisk all ingredients in a medium bowl.)
- Add very cold butter and pulse a few more times until mixture is crumbly. (You could also cut butter in with two knives, pastry blender or using your fingers)
- Sprinkle and spread topping over apples, gently pat to even out and bake on baking sheet for approx. 45 minutes - 1 hour until golden brown and bubbly. Tent with foil if topping starts too brown too quickly.
- Remove from oven when done and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Dish out and serve with ice cream or whipped cream and drizzles of homemade salted caramel.
Recipe Notes
- Feel free to test and see that the apple are cooked to your liking. Use a skewer or sharp knife to pierce through and if you would like to cook them longer you can simply loosely tent top with foil to prevent it from burning while it bakes longer.
- If you find your apples are particularly juicy feel free to increase the amount of flour or cornstarch by up to a tablespoon - or if you prefer a very thick filling. The recipe usually yields a syrupy filling which we prefer.
- This Crisp has a nice ratio of filling to topping - at least we think so cause we like a good bit of both in each bite. If you prefer a thinner topping no problem - you can reduce the topping by half - and make sure to keep an eye on it as it bakes as you may have to tent it with foil if it is browning too quickly.
