The Best Apple Crisp Recipe (Quick & Easy)

This easy apple crisp layers a sweet, tender, lightly spiced apple filling with thick, buttery, crisp cinnamon streusel topping, perfect for enjoying all year long! GF, sugar-free, and flavor variations!

It’s no surprise that apple crisp recipes have been around for generations, making it a true classic fall dessert. It’s warm, cozy, sweet, lightly spiced, and packed with fresh apples under a buttery, crisp, cinnamon-oat streusel topping. It also makes your house smell absolutely gorgeous, all with just a handful of simple and inexpensive ingredients and a fuss-free method!

Along with fall comes the holiday period and several opportunities to entertain guests. My vegan pumpkin pie and stuffed baked apples are my fall dessert go-to’s.

But for those days when I want something that’s super quick and easy and is going to impress, this easy apple crisp recipe with oats is my savior. It’s simpler than apple pie and as comfortable as a lazy, last-minute mid-week dessert. And it’s great at Thanksgiving, too.

As simple as it is, you can even prepare the dessert in part or whole in advance. And you can freeze the leftovers for later, making it a zero-fuss fall dessert for any occasion.

Even better, the recipe is truly adaptable, both in terms of flavor (add-ins) and diet (gluten-free, sugar-free, vegan), etc. It’s perfect for feeding a crowd. Keep reading for all my favorite variations and add-ins.

Once baked, enjoy this apple crumble with a scoop of ice cream and caramel sauce. It’s a super satisfying end to any meal, especially on chilly fall and winter evenings!

Apple Crisp Vs Apple Crumble

At one point, fruit crisps and crumbles were differentiated by using oats in the streusel topping (apple crisp) vs. no oats (apple crumble). However, at this point, the terms are used interchangeably. Both refer to a dish combining a sweet fruity filling and a buttery, crisp topping made with butter, flour, and sugar as a base.

Apple Crisp Ingredients

This easy homemade apple crisp recipe requires only simple and inexpensive ingredients to prepare, perfect for a low-budget household.

Apple Crisp Filling (Apple Pie Filling)

• Apples: Use any crisp baking apple, like Honeycrisp, Gala, Granny Smith apples, etc.
• Sugar: I use a combination of regular granulated white sugar and brown sugar to take advantage of the molasses flavor that pairs so well with apples. Unrefined coconut sugar would also work, or make sugar-free apple crisp using a sugar alternative like erythritol, a sugar-free brown sugar, Swerve, etc.
• Water/Apple juice: (optional) Adding a small amount of liquid will make for a saucier apple crisp filling.
• Lemon Juice: This keeps the apples from browning and balances the sweetness from the sugar. It adds brightness to the simple apple crisp.
• Cinnamon: Cinnamon and apple are a perfect pairing and wonderfully warming for fall/winter.

Apple Crisp Topping

• Flour: I use white all-purpose flour, though whole wheat should be fine, too. For a gluten-free apple crisp, use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend (like King Arthur’s or Bob’s Red Mill). Almond flour may also work.
• Butter: Use dairy or dairy-free butter, cold from the fridge. Chilled coconut oil (solid) may also work.
• Old-fashioned oats: Making apple crisp with oats is a sure way for a super crispy topping. Use gluten-free certified oats if necessary.
• Cinnamon: Because, delicious!
• Sugar: I use caster sugar, but you can use the same one you used for the filling.
• Salt: This balances and enhances the ingredients in the streusel for more flavor depth. If you’re using salted butter, omit any added salt.

What Are The Best Apples For Apple Crisp?

You can use several types of apples in this homemade apple crisp recipe as long as they are firm and crisp. While, technically, softer apples will work too, they’ll break down in the oven and form a kind of homogenous apple “fluff.” In comparison, firm, crisp apples will hold their shape within the apple dessert.

Choose the apple based on how sweet or tart you prefer the dish to be. For example, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Gala, and Jonagold apples are all sweeter. Braeburn and Granny Smith are more tart apples.

For flavor depth, I highly recommend using a combination of apples, like Granny Smith and Honeycrisp (one is tart, and one is sweet).

How To Make Apple Crisp

This simple apple crisp recipe follows just 3 steps and simple prep for a super low-fuss apple dessert!

Prepare the Apple Crisp Topping

First, cut the chilled butter into small cubes. Use one cube to butter your baking dish (8×8 inch or 9.5×6.5 inch).

Then, add the butter to a bowl with the remaining streusel ingredients (oats, brown sugar, flour, and half the cinnamon). Use a pastry cutter or fingers to work the ingredients together until they resemble a crumb consistency.

Set it aside for now (I prefer to keep it in the fridge, so the butter remains chilled and will become crispier when baked).

How to Cut Apples for Apple Crisp

At this point, you can preheat your oven to 350ºF/175ºC.

First, rinse, dry, and peel the apples.

Then, using a sharp knife or an apple slicer, slice the apples into thin, even slices around 1/5-1/4 inch wide.

First, slice one side of the apple as close to the core as possible. Then repeat that with the remaining 3 sides (around the core). You can then use a sharp knife or mandoline to slice the remaining apple pieces.

Note that if you cut thicker slices, they’ll remain firmer when baked. However, cut them too thin, and they risk losing their shape/becoming mushy.

Transfer the apple slices to a large bowl with the white sugar, the rest of the cinnamon, and lemon juice, and stir to combine.

Bake the Apple Crisp

Transfer the apple mixture to the buttered baking dish and pour the water or apple juice over it (if using). Then, sprinkle the streusel topping over the apple filling.

Bake the apple crumble in the oven at 350ºF/175ºC for 40-50 minutes, until the fruit is tender and bubbling and the topping is golden brown.

You can optionally broil the apple crisp for a few minutes right at the end for more of a caramelized topping (sprinkle extra sugar on top if preferred).

Remove the crisp from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes (for the filling to thicken) before serving. Enjoy!

How to Store Apple Crisp

Allow the apple crumble to cool, then store any leftovers, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for 5-6 days.

Allow it to cool entirely, then freeze the apple dessert together or individual portions in freezer-safe airtight containers. Freeze for up to 3 months, thawing it in the fridge overnight before reheating or reheating it from frozen, adding more time to the oven heating.

To maintain the crisp top, reheat the baked apple crisp in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350ºF/175ºC (or an air fryer for several minutes). Alternatively, you can reheat individual portions in the microwave for 1-1½ minutes.

Can You Prepare Apple Crisp Ahead?

To cut down on prep, you can prepare the filling and topping the night before. Store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble and bake. You may need more lemon juice over the apple slices to stop them from browning.

You can also freeze the prepared (unbaked) oat topping and fillings separately in freezer-safe Ziplock bags for up to 3 months. OR assemble the entire dish and freeze it, thawing it in the fridge before baking.

How to Serve Apple Crisp

Enjoy a portion of this homemade apple crisp alone, or make it even more of a treat with:

• A scoop of vanilla ice cream,
• A drizzle of caramel sauce (regular or healthy vegan caramel),
• Custard (warm),
• Whipped cream or dairy-free whipped coconut cream,
• A dollop of yogurt (Greek or dairy-free),
• A mug of warm apple cider or hot chocolate.

FAQs

More Apple Dessert Recipes

• Fried Apple Recipe (Southern Style)
• Apple Pie Overnight Oats
• Dehydrated Apple Chips
• Apple Juice (With and Without Juicer)
• Homemade Applesauce

If you try this easy recipe for apple crisp (apple crumble), let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!