Our easy Apple Crisp Recipe is a classic dessert loaded with freshly sliced apples that bubble up through a crunchy, crisp, and buttery cinnamon oat topping.
Apple Crisp is just as irresistible as our Apple Pie, but it’s so simple and quick to make, so it’s perfect for feeding a crowd. Don’t forget a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream when serving.
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Easy Apple Crisp Recipe
We love all things Autumn, which also means we love apple recipes. From Apple Fritter Rings to Apple Turnovers and Sharlotka Apple Cake sweetened with crisp apple slices, we can’t get enough! If you love apple season as much as we do, this recipe is a must-try.
Every year we go apple picking in my parent’s yard. They have 4 apple trees that really produce, so we like to get creative with those apples to capture the season. This recipe is on our regular rotation in Fall because it calls for a generous amount of apples. It’s especially quick and easy to make if you use an apple peeler.
Apple Crisp Video Tutorial
Watch Natasha make this easy apple crisp recipe, and see her secret for peeling and slicing apples. It’s the perfect recipe for apple season, which is any time of the year in our home!
Ingredients for Apple Crisp Filling
Apple Crisp is all about the experience—the smell of Fall spices, the crunchy topping, and the warm, gooey filling. Here are the simple ingredients that make this incredible dessert:
- Apples – we used golden delicious apples, but any crisp apple would work well (see list of options below)
- Lemon juice – keeps the apples from browning and adds flavor and acid to balance out the sweetness
- Sugar – adjust to taste depending on how tart your apples are
- Flour – helps to thicken the filling. You can substitute with cornstarch for a gluten-free apple crisp.
- Cinnamon – our favorite complimentary spice for apple recipes
Apple Crisp Topping Ingredients
We like to make apple crisp recipes with oats as the topping since they are both soft and chewy. Here’s the winning apple crisp topping mixture.
- Flour – bonds the crumb together, feel free to use your favorite gluten-free flour
- Oats – use old-fashioned oats for the best texture, making sure to buy gluten-free, if needed. Quick oats are cut into small pieces, so the topping will have a finer texture and not be as crunchy. Avoid steel-cut oats since they won’t cook in time.
- Sugar – we combine brown sugar and granulated sugar for a sweet caramel-like filling
- Cinnamon – compliments the apple filling
- Salt – balances the sweetness
- Butter – use unsalted, softened butter.
Substitutions
This will become your go-to recipe for apple crisp, so if you’re feeling adventurous, try these variations.
- Nuts – add chopped nuts or sliced almonds to your streusel topping
- Caramel Sauce drizzled over the top just before serving
- Cranberries – add 1 cup fresh or 1/2 cup dried cranberries and add more sugar if using fresh cranberries. You’ll love the Cranberry Apple Almond Crisp in Natasha’s Kitchen Cookbook!
- Spices – add a pinch of cloves, nutmeg, or even candied ginger
Which Apples are Best for Apple Crisp?
Select firm apples so they won’t get mushy in the oven. Apples vary a ton in sweetness so adjust sugar accordingly. We used Golden Delicious here with 3/4 cup of sugar, but if you use Granny Smith Apples, increase the sugar to 1 cup or add it to taste.
You can use an assortment of apples for this easy apple crisp recipe. For instance, combine sweet and tart apples for a different flavor. Here are our favorite apples for baking:
- Golden Delicious
- Granny Smith
- Fuji
- Honeycrisp
- Jonagold
- Braeburn
- Pink Lady
How to Make Apple Crisp
Slice, mix, dump, bake—see how easy it is to make this classic recipe:
- Prep – Butter a 9×13 casserole dish, preheat oven to 375˚F.
- Cut Apples – peel, core, and slice apples into 1/4″- thick pieces (an apple peeler makes it easy), then transfer to a bowl, and toss with 2 Tbsp lemon juice.
- Coat Apples – in a bowl, combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon then sprinkle over apples and stir to coat. Transfer to buttered casserole dish.
- Topping – In a mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, both sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Add diced softened butter and use your hands to stir in the butter until pea-sized crumbs form throughout. Then, spread the topping evenly over your apples.
- Bake – place on the center rack in the oven and bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes until bubbling at the edges. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely cover the dish with aluminum foil until the apples are bubbling.
The best way to serve apple crisp is warm, topped with a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. You can try topping it with caramel sauce, greek yogurt, or whipped cream as well.
Pro Tip
If you want to keep your hands clean, you can mix the topping in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until pea-sized crumbs form. Be sure not to overmix because you want the topping to be crumbly, not dough-like.
What is the difference between apple crisp, crumble, and cobbler?
We often use the terms interchangeably, and the ingredients are very similar, but technically speaking, an apple crisp has a crunchy oat-based topping, while an apple crumble has a sandier texture since it is flour-based (see our Blueberry Crumble). Apple Cobbler has a biscuit or cake-like topping.
Can I make this gluten-free apple crisp?
Yes, you can replace the flour in the filling with cornstarch and then replace the flour in the topping with 1-to-1 gluten-free flour or flour substitute for a gluten-free apple crisp recipe.
Can I make Apple Crisp in a Slow Cooker?
It’s easy to convert this recipe to use a slow cooker. Put the apple crisp filling in the slow cooker, and top with the streusel. Before closing the lid, place a paper towel on the slow cooker bowl first to catch any condensation. Cook until bubbly, on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-7 hours.
Make-Ahead
This recipe for apple crisp keeps well on the counter for a day, but then requires refrigeration.
- Prep Ahead: You can assemble the apple crisp for 1 day ahead of time, just cover and refrigerate then bake when ready to enjoy.
- Refrigerate leftovers: once apple crisp is at room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3-5 days.
- Freezing: Once cooled to room temperature, you can cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- To Reheat: We prefer to serve this warm. You can reheat the chilled crisp in the microwave just until heated through or reheat uncovered in the oven at 350˚F for about 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
There’s nothing like pulling an apple dessert out of the oven to draw everyone into the kitchen. Who can resist the sweet aroma of a baked Apple Crisp? You’ll love how easy it is to create this recipe and how satisfying it is to eat!
More Autumn Desserts
These autumn dessert recipes always hit the spot when we’re craving those sweet, spicy, and comforting flavors of fall.
- Pumpkin Pie Recipe
- Banana Bread
- Stuffed Baked Pears
- Pumpkin Bread
- Baked Apples
- Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
Apple Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
For the Apple Crisp Filling:
- 4 lbs firm-crisp apples, 11-12 medium apples*
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, or to taste**
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
For the Crumb Topping:
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, or 16 Tbsp or 2 sticks (room temperature), plus more to butter pan
- 1 cup rolled oats, or old-fashioned oats
Instructions
- Prep: Generously Butter a 9×13 casserole dish with 1/2 Tbsp butter. Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Peel core and thinly slice apples to 1/4’ thickness. You should have 12 cups of sliced apples. Squeeze 2 Tbsp lemon juice over the apples and toss to coat.
- In a separate bowl, stir together 3/4 cup sugar, 3 Tbsp flour, and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon then sprinkle mixture over apples and toss to combine. Transfer apples to the buttered casserole dish.
- Make the topping – in a large bowl, use your hands to stir together flour, oats, brown and granulated sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Add the diced butter and work it into the mixture with your hands until pea-sized crumbs form throughout. Spread topping over apples.
- Bake at 375˚F for 45-50 minutes or until the topping is golden and crisp and the apples are bubbling at the edges. The center should register above 175˚F.
Notes
**Use 1 cup sugar or add to taste for tart apples such as Granny Smith. Make-Ahead: Store covered on the counter for 1 day or in the fridge for 3-5 days. You can freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat at 350°F for 15-20 min, or until warmed through. Variations:
- Nuts – add chopped nuts or sliced almonds to your topping
- Caramel Sauce drizzled over the top to serve
- Cranberries – add 1 cup fresh or 1/2 cup dried cranberries and add 1/4 cup more sugar if using fresh cranberries.
- Spices – add a pinch of cloves, nutmeg, or even candied ginger
Nutrition Per Serving
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hi Natasha, what brand of apple peeler do you use?
Hi Fiona! I linked in the blog post above. Click on the red font words.
Thank you! Love all your recipes. Lots of success!
Would I be able to use gluten free flour or almond flour in this recipe?
Hi Nancy, I haven’t tried using almond flour yet but you can substitute with corn starch for a gluten-free version.
I can see the cornstarch can go into the filling, but would I use 1 3/4 cups of cornstarch in the crumb topping?
Hi Nancy! Sorry for the confusion. You can replace the flour in the filling with cornstarch and replace the flour in the topping with 1-to-1 gluten-free flour.
I made this recipe for the first time today and it turned out really delicious! I also liked that it was so simple to make! Thank you, Natasha!
You are so welcome. I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipe.
Can you use frozen peeled apples in this recipe?
Hi Sherry! I imagine that will work just make sure to thaw them first and drain any excess liquid to avoid them being soggy. Feel free to add some spices or a little more sugar the balance the flavor as frozen apples can be less sweet.
I made this today and it turned out very soupy despite following the recipe. The apples didn’t appear to be extra juicy or anything. Any suggestions on how to prevent this from happening?
Hi Denise, I’m always happy to help troubleshoot. Did you make sure to preheat your oven fully? Also, make sure to bake until you see thick juices bubbling through the crisp topping. The apples will naturally release pectin towards the end of cooking which is what causes those juices to thicken up and become syrupy.
Your recipes are just what we like. Good homemade food with a twist of elegance (that would be you!) Many thanks. 🌺🌺🙂
I am 75 years old and until today had never made an Apple, peach, or cherry crumble that had the right amount of crunch while being flavorful and tender. I followed your topping recipe, using two cans of good grade cherry pie filling, but no other changes. It turned out WONDERFUL, thank you!
Hi Bruce! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for the feedback.
I hope i’m in the right place. I have made many of your baking recipes. I love the videos to follow a long with. I made the apple crust this morning. And I bought the apple peeler slicer corner. It is absolutely fabulous I would recommend it to everybody. When I made the apple Christ, it didn’t fall out of the Pan. Like yours like you could shake it out. It was almost like cookie dough. I’m not sure what I did wrong. I fled it out like pancakes and laid in across the top and cooked it. Anyway, and I’m sure it will taste delicious. I just took it out of the oven.. But i’m looking at the video in it looks like there are two little things a butter, the half sizes that they have come out with. But 16 tbsp and one cup are 2 of the large ones. I did used to of the regular larger buttersticks, so I’m wondering. Is it the large butter sticks or is it the 2 small ones that look sly you’re using in the video? I am sure many have done it. And it came out just fine. But I showed it to my husband and he thought it looked like a little ones too. But 16 tbsp and one cup is 2 of the big ones. So if you know what I may have done wrong it would be great to know so I could do it right the next time. Thanks for all of your Recipes. I did not know that you had a book that came out in 2023 I will definitely be looking into that and getting that.
Thank you again for all the great recipes and your spunk in the videos..
Always a follower
Hi Jeanette! I’m sorry to hear it didn’t turn out great. 1 cup of butter is correct (16 tbsp). Each stick is about 113g. I would verify your sticks were the same size. It shouldn’t be thick like cookie dough unless the ratios or off. Did you possibly use too much flour? Please watch my tutorial on How to measure ingredients , you’ll want to measure your flour on a food scale or follow the instructions I provide in the tutorial for the most accurate measurements.
I hope that helps for next time. Thank you for being a loyal follower. I appreciate the love and support.
Can I assemble the dish early and then cook it in about 3 hours? It is now 2:30 and I want put it in the above around 5:30 to have it ready after we eat our supper. Will the time sitting affect the topping by making it turn soggy sitting on the apple mixture? Thanks!
Hi Lorie! I have not tested that, but I worry the topping may get soggy. See my note above for reheating instructions under the “make-ahead” section. Also- in the common questions notes above, I have instructions for a slow-cooker option which may work best for you if you have one.
This recipe was perfect, I wouldn’t modify anything. I forgot to set the oven timer (oops!) and especially appreciated you including the indicators of doneness at the end. This was a huge hit!
You’re very welcome, Lena! I’m so glad it was a hit!
Hi Natasha, I just made this recipe for the first time. Absolutely delish! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Donna! That’s wonderful to hear. Thank you!
Hello Natasha! I was wondering if I use half honey crisp and half Granny Smith apples, should I just do 3/4 cup of sugar still? Thank you in advance!
Hi Anne! That should be fine. You can add more or less sugar to your preference.
I followed you recipe step by step. My topping on my apple crisp is like a clump. What happened.
HI Barbara, I haven’ thad that happen, but I suspect it’s either due to using too much butter (double check the measurement) or overmixing where the butter can get too soft.
Can I leave out the oats in the topping? I’m not a big fan of them.
Hi Mary! I always make this with rolled oats, but I suppose you could use a little more flour and maybe even add some chopped pecans to the mixture to add a little more texture.
You are amazing! I have been looking for the perfect topping for 30 plus years and finally found it. It was the best ever! This is my go to apple crisp from here on out and I’ve shared your website with others. Thanks once again
That’s wonderful, Janet! I’m so glad to hear that.
The apple crisp sounds amazing. Can it be baked ahead and frozen? Or made and frozen and then baked? What type of apple peeler do you recommend?
Hi Janel, yes you can make the recipe ahead. After you bake it, once the apple crisp is at room temperature, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3-5 days then reheat according to the directions before serving. I haven’t tried freezing the filling or the entire recipe, so I’m not sure how that would work out. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.