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Apple Crisp

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Thinly sliced Granny Smith apples baked with a cinnamon glaze and oatmeal crumb topping. The BEST Apple Crisp recipe Ever!

A glass serving dish filled with freshly baked apple crisp with a pan of apple crisp in the background.

Apple Crisp is one of those recipes that most people probably have on hand, but I dare you to try this recipe!  It was always one of my favorite fall desserts growing up.

Soft baked apples with the most delicious oat/crumb topping! What’s not to love? Let me just say, if you do already have a recipe for apple crisp, you will probably never make it again after you taste this!

This Apple Crisp recipe is the best! It’s so incredibly easy to throw together and the flavors are A-Mazing!  You will notice that this recipe uses Granny Smith Apples as I think that they are the best apples to use in apple crisp!

Start by peeling and slicing a few granny smith apples. I use my Johnny Apple Peeler for this part because it does the work for me. It PEELS, CORES and SLICES the apple all at once! I once made this apple crisp for a party of 200 people and the Johnny apple peeler was a life saver.

Thinly sliced granny smith apples layered in a glass baking dish.

Next, toss the apples in a cinnamon spice sauce. The sauce has lemon juice in it to help keep the apples from browning, and a splash of milk that adds creaminess to the sauce that I love.

Pour the apples into an 8×8” baking dish. (This recipe can easily be doubled and cooked in a 9×13” pan).

Sprinkle the crumble topping over the top of the apples. When you make the crumble topping, be sure to cut the butter in really well. I sometimes use my fingers to do this because it’s faster and easier to tell if the butter is crumbled into the topping really well.

A glass baking dish with granny smith apples topped with a crumble oat topping, ready to bake.

Place the pan in the oven to bake for about about 30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.

An 8x8'' glass baking dish of apple crisp.

Definitely allow the baked apple apple crisp to rest and cool for at least 10-15 minutes before serving. That will give the sauce a chance to thicken a little more as it cools.  You do not need to cover the apple crisp while it bakes!  If for some reason it started to get overly brown, you could cover it with tinfoil until it finishes baking.  I have not had this problem!

A glass goblet glass filled with apple crisp with a crumble oat topping and a pan of apple crisp in the background.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce, if desired. Complete HEAVEN!

How to make ahead: 

Make the apple filling, adding a tiny bit more lemon juice so the apples don’t brown. Store the apple filling in an air-tight container, in the fridge, for up to one day. Make the crumble topping and put it in a separate ziplock bag, in the fridge. When ready to bake, remove from the fridge, and sprinkle the topping on top. Bake as directed.

How to freeze:

Prepare and bake the apple crisp as directed. Cool the crisp completely, then cover it with a 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.

This recipe works great prepared a day in advance, or you can freeze it, as well. See my notes at the bottom of the recipe.

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4.8 from 34 votes
Apple Crisp
Print Recipe
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
50 mins
 

Thinly sliced Granny Smith apples baked with a cinnamon glaze and oatmeal crumb topping. The BEST Apple Crisp recipe Ever!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apples with oat topping, healthy apple crisp
Unit: cup, large, Tablespoon, teaspoon
Servings: 6
Calories: 382 kcal
Author: Lauren Allen
Ingredients
For the crumb topping:
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • dash of salt
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter ,cut into small pieces
For the Apple filling:
  • 3-4 large Granny Smith apples , peeled and thinly sliced
  • 3 Tablespoons butter , melted
  • 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 Tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • dash of salt
For serving (optional)
  • vanilla Ice Cream
  • Homemade Caramel Sauce
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
For the topping:

  1. In a medium size bowl combine the crumb topping ingredients with a fork or pastry blender until it resembles small crumbs. Refrigerate while you prepare the apple filling.

For the Apple Filling:

  1. (I use a Johnny Apple Peeler to peel and slice the apples all at once. It makes the process a lot faster!) 


  2. In a small bowl, combine melted butter and flour until well blended. Add lemon juice, milk and vanilla and stir well. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. 

  3. Pour butter mixture over apples and toss to coat. Pour apple mixture into an 8x8-inch baking dish and spread into an even layer. 

  4. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the apples.

  5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and top is set. 

  6. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

  7. Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream and Homemade Caramel Sauce

    or try Caramel Pecan Apple Crisp!

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Make ahead and freezer instructions are listed above in the post!

 

Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy.

Have you tried this recipe?!  

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

 

I originally shared this post October 10, 2014. I updated and republished it on November 3, 2017.

*This post contains affiliate links. I like to share my favorite products with you!

The BEST Apple Crisp Ever! Recipe on TastesBetterFromScratch.com

Thinly sliced Granny Smith apples baked with a cinnamon glaze and oatmeal crumb topping. The BEST Apple Crisp recipe Ever! | tastesbetterfromscratch.com #applecrisp #recipe #withoats #easy
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Comments

  1. I made my grandmas Apple crisp and the taste was there but the apples became apple sauce. 🙁 I want to keep her alive and make this like she did but i don’t know what I did wrong. I used granny apples but didn’t peel. I don’t remember her peeling but would that be why? Please help please!

    Reply

    • I’ll be making this for a party that I’m going to this weekend, was looking for a cool, semi-healthy recipe and this looks like it fits the bill!! I’ll let you know how it goes…..

      Reply

  2. I made this apple crisp for the first time tonight. I would have to agree, this is the BEST. There was something about the buttery topping that was unlike any other one I’ve made or eaten. The melding of the flavors was amazing. I used Pink Lady apples, which I thought worked wonderfully. The filling for the apples is unique, and I thought, a lovely complement to the rest of the flavors.
    To be honest, it’s so good, in my opinion, that I would be delighted to serve it for company or coworkers

    Reply

  3. I made this a couple of weeks ago and I used gala apples since I had no granny apples (galas can be drier when used in baking so I added 3 or 4 tablespoons of cool tap water to the cut apples and stirred the water and gala apples together BEFORE I combined/tossed the same gala apples with other filling ingredients . It was AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!!! Your ‘Best Apple Crisp’ recipe has now replaced the apple crisp recipe I’d used for over 25 years. Your recipe tastes so much better, and creamier, than my old recipe. The oats, in the topping, also make it healthier to eat.

    I usually bake with gala apples because I like their sweet taste, but I must add the water or they will be very dry after baking. I learned that lesson with an apple pie I baked a few years ago. No juice in that apple pie at all… dry, dry, dry. I also used just a ‘couple drops’ of ‘Pure Almond’ Extract, as well as the 1/2 tsp of ‘Vanilla’ Extract called for in your recipe. I like the way vanilla and almond extracts, together, add extra tastiness to some baked goodies. I got hooked on that ‘taste’ when I took my first bite of Southern Pound Cake, an old recipe that includes both vanilla and almond extracts as part of the ingredients. That pound cake cake is the first Holiday Cake that my family requests that I bake every year.

    Today, I’m making your ‘Best Apple Crisp’ again… with gala apples and a little water. I buy only gala apples because we like to eat them fresh, cooked, or baked. If I decide not to bake, no gala apples will go to waste in my household. Even our dog loves gala apple slices.

    Finally, thank you very much for sharing your ‘Best Apple Crisp’ recipe. Now I need to get started making another one, for my family, or I’m going to have some grumpy folks sitting at my dinner table tonight.

    Reply

  8. A lot of recipe’s floating around boast of being the “best”. I’ve made quite a few Apple Crisp’s in my day, but none can get close to this recipe for BEST APPLE CRISP. I used about 10 apples (mixture of Granny Smith and Honey Crisp), left the SKIN ‘S ON, slicing them to about 1/8 inch. I used all of the same ingredients, just upped them a little bit to make a little extra. For the topping I used almost 1 cup of oatmeal, then used a little more Brown Sugar and Butter to get that lumpy texture. I did throw in about 3/4 cup fresh blueberries into the topping, (I love blueberries). Used a tad more milk than recipe called for, mixing it with a little extra organic vanilla extract. When adding the Lemon Juice, I used the juice and some pulp from 1/2 large lemon.
    When all was done baking and they cooled just a little, my partner Ray sampled a few good sized spoonful’s. Didn’t take him much time, the verdict was in. Syd, this is by far the best apple crisp you have ever made, no lie.

    Reply

    • Thanks Syd! I love your adaptations–especially the addition of blueberries. YUM! Thanks so much for sharing, and I hope you get to try more recipes here soon!

      Reply

  9. I have never left a comment after making anything I have found online, but today is different. I just finished putting in my oven the second pan in a week. I made it for family the first time. And it was such a hit, I’m making it to take to some friends. I used Ganny Smith and Golden Delicious apples because I like different types of cooked apples for the flavor. It has been years since I’ve made a crisp. It just never what I thought was right. This has restored my hope to find a perfect dessert (that doesn’t include chocolate) Thank you for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

  10. Best apple crisp recipe ever! I needed a dessert for the 4th of July family gathering and didn’t want a pie crust, something a bit lighter. This was perfect! I followed the recipe as written, only doubled it for a 9×13 bake. It’s a very scrumptious apple dish that I will definitely make again. Thank you for the delicious recipe!

    Reply

  13. Loved this recipe. Used honey crisp apples that needed to be used up. Used chunks instead of slices and left out sugar in apple mixture due to apples being sweeter than Granny Smith. Came out great.

    Reply

  14. I actually followed this recipe exactly rather than my usual winging it for apple crisp and it was just fantastic! Thank you.

    Reply

  15. i want to try your apple crisp after reading so many +ve reviews but i am a bit worried for the sweetness. Some people like sweet but i like it just right esp.after adding vanilla n caramel sauce. But i also dont want it to taste unsweet as it wont be a great dessert then. So can u help me in rating the sweetness of your dessert? is it just right?:)

    thanks,
    chamila (from a sunny island in the Indian ocean)

    Reply

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