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5 from 45 votes

Apple Crisp Recipe

By Sam MerrittUpdated Sep 09, 2026

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101 Comments

Servings: 8 servings

1 hr

This easy apple crisp recipe is the perfect pairing of tender, cinnamon-spiced apples and a buttery crisp oat topping. It takes just 10 minutes to prep, and thanks to my simple melted-butter method there’s no pastry cutter needed. Recipe includes a how-to video!

An Easy Apple Crisp with the Best Buttery Topping

Apple pie is great, but apple crisp gives you all the warm, cozy apple flavor with a fraction of the effort. The filling is nice and juicy (but not runny or watery) and the (very easy) topping reminds me of a crumbled oatmeal cookie. A scoop of vanilla ice cream added to a warm bowlful is the perfect way to indulge.

This apple crisp recipe is one of my favorite fall recipes to make when I have a surplus of apples from apple picking (along with my apple butter and apple turnover recipe). I make it every fall, multiple times without fail (often swapping coconut sugar for the sugar in the recipe, so Zach can enjoy it — this works well that way, too!). With fall officially arriving this month, I thought it was about time I re-share this recipe with you!

What You Need

You can make this recipe with a few pantry staples (butter, sugar, flour, etc.). Honestly, that’s one of the things that makes comfort food so good.

• Apples. I reach for Granny Smith apples first because they’re quite firm and the apples have plenty of time to become tender while the topping cooks, without turning to mush (they’re also perfect for apple dumplings for this reason). Their tartness also does a nice job of balancing the sweet topping. for this recipe. Exactly how many apples you need can vary significantly depending on the size of them. See below for more apple options and information on the best apples for apple crisp.
• Oats. Old-fashioned oats are the best choice and will give you a heartier and crispier topping. Instant oats will work in a pinch, but the topping will be softer and finer.
• Brown sugar. Light brown sugar adds depth to both the crumble and a caramel-like essence to the filling. Dark brown sugar could work, but will add a stronger molasses flavor.
• Melted butter. If you’ve made my streusel recipe, you know how much of a game changer melted butter can be when making a crumb topping! Melted butter evenly coats the flour and oats and helps create crisp, flavorful clusters, no pastry cutter required. Let it cool a bit (just so it’s not hot, so you don’t melt the sugar and make it greasy/difficult to work with) before stirring in a bit of vanilla extract.
• Vanilla extract. Instead of stirring this in with the apples (which I tried a time or two) we let the genuine apple flavor shine, while instead deepening the flavor of the crisp topping (which really lends itself to that oatmeal cookie flavor).
• Baking soda. A small amount helps the topping brown beautifully and contributes to a lighter, more crispy, crumbly crumb. While it won’t make the crisp rise like a cake it just helps the topping from becoming too dense or hard.

The Best Apples for Apple Crisp

Firm, tart (or sweet-tart) apples are your best bet because they can handle the long cooking time without turning into applesauce. Granny Smith is a solid go-to. They hold their shape well during baking and they’re tart, which is a nice counterbalance to the crumbly-cookie-crisp topping.

Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Braeburn, Fuji, and Gala also work (with Gala being my all-around general go-to, great for snacking and baking). Note that this recipe was specifically designed for a tart or sweet-tart apple, so if you use sweeter apples, you’ll have a quite sweet apple crisp.

Avoid soft apples like Red Delicious or McIntosh. They’ll turn into mush in the oven, before the crisp has time to become crispy.

Whichever variety you choose, I recommend peeling your apples before using them. The peels can become quite tough and unpleasant as the crisp bakes.

SAM’S TIP: Make sure to slice your apples evenly. If the slices are too thick or uneven, they can stay crunchy and too firm even after the topping is browned. I recommend keeping the slices 1/4″ or thinner.

How to Make Apple Crisp

1. Make the apple layer. Toss the sliced apples with brown sugar, lemon juice, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Set this aside while you prepare your crisp. This will start to break down the apples a bit and make them juicy, much like macerating strawberries.

2. Make the crisp. Stir the flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl, then drizzle melted butter and vanilla overtop. Use a fork to claw the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a clumpy, streusel-like mixture. Just don’t mix so much that you turn it into a paste (hint: if you do, just break it up with your fingers).

3. Assemble. Give the apples a quick stir then layer them evenly into a buttered baking dish. Make sure you don’t mound them in the center (it’s easy to accidentally do that). Evenly distribute the streusel over the apple layer.

4. Bake until golden. Bake until the crisp is golden and the apples are tender when pierced with a fork or toothpick. Let the crisp cool for at least 15-20 minutes before digging in. Not only does the crisp need to cool, but the sauce will thicken a bit as it cools, and if broken into too early it will seem watery.

SAM’S TIP: Use a glass or ceramic pan for best results. A metal pan transfers heat more quickly and could finish the crisp sooner.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Classic Fall Recipes

Apple Crumb Cake

Pumpkin Bread

Apple Cider Donuts

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

With the heat finally letting up a bit, I can’t help but feel a little bit excited about fall baking!

Enjoy!

Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

5 from 45 votes

Apple Crisp Recipe

This easy apple crisp recipe can be prepped in just 10 minutes, no pastry cutter or fancy equipment required. With perfectly tender cinnamon apples and a buttery, crisp oat topping, it's as easy as it is delicious.

Recipe includes a how-to video!

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 50 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr

Servings: 8 servings

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Equipment

• 1 2.5 qt baking dish

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 lbs (905 g) apples, cored, peeled and sliced no thicker than ¼" (see note)
• ▢ ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon table salt

Crisp

• ▢ 9 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¾ cup (95 g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 cup (100 g) old-fashioned oats
• ▢ ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon table salt
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and lightly grease a 9×9 or 11×7 glass baking dish² with butter. Set aside.
• Combine sliced apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Give everything a good stir until all ingredients are combined and set aside while you prepare your crisp topping.
  2 lbs (905 g) apples, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon table salt

Crisp

• Prepare your topping by whisking together butter and vanilla extract. Set aside (you don't want the butter to be too hot when you add your sugar, so let it cool while you prepare your dry ingredients).
  9 Tablespoons unsalted butter, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• In a separate bowl, stir together flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  ¾ cup (95 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (100 g) old-fashioned oats, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon table salt, ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pour butter into flour mixture and use a fork to stir until mixture is combined and clumpy (don’t over-stir, you want it to be crumbly, not paste-like). Set aside.

Assembly

• Give your apple mixture another good stir and pour evenly into your prepared pan (make sure to spread the apples evenly so they are not mounded in the middle).
• Use your hands to drop your crumble mixture evenly over the apple filling.
• Transfer to 375F (190C) oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until topping is lightly golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork or toothpick. If topping is starting to become too dark and apples are still crisp, cover apple crisp with foil while continuing to bake.
• Remove from oven and allow crisp to sit for 15-20 minutes before serving (ideally topped with vanilla ice cream!). The apple crisp not only needs time to cool down, but the filling will thicken a bit as it cools and will seem too watery if not allowed to rest.

Notes

¹Apples

This was about 7 smallish apples for me. I recommend using Granny Smith apples as they are firm and tart. Using a sweeter apple may result in a sweeter crisp that cooks faster, so keep that in mind!

²Baking pan

This recipe will work in a metal pan, but it will likely need to cook for less time so keep an eye on it and start checking sooner.

Video note

I accidentally say to use 1/4 cup of oats in the video. The amount listed in the recipe (1 cup) is the correct amount.

Coconut sugar

I have successfully substituted an equal amount of coconut sugar by weight for the sugar called for in this recipe. The flavor is slightly different, but it still works well.

Gluten-free note

I have not tried it myself, but others have successfully made this recipe with Cup4Cup gluten-free flour and gluten-free oats.

Making in advance

Prepare the apples and place in your pan as instructed, then cover and refrigerate. Make the crumble topping and store that in a separate airtight container in the fridge.

When you are ready to bake, uncover your apples, scatter the prepared topping on top (it might be a little firm, just break it up with a fork), and bake according to recipe instructions.

Storing

Cool the apple crisp completely and then cover with plastic wrap or foil. You can store it at room temperature for 24 hours or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Note that the topping does tend to soften as it sits, so I recommend reheating in the oven to restore the crispiness.

Freezing

To freeze before baking, prepare the crisp as instructed, then cover and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, transfer to the fridge and thaw for several hours or overnight, then uncover and bake at 350F.

To freeze an apple crisp that’s already been baked, first allow it to cool to room temperature, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, uncover, and bake at 350F until warmed through, about 20 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 371mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 950IU | Vitamin C: 15.7mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Recipe originally published 10/08/2018. Post updated with new pictures and helpful notes 2026.