The Best Apple Crisp
This is the best apple crisp! It’s easy and super straightforward with tender, cinnamon-spiced apples and incredible buttery, golden topping.
This amazing apple crisp is the perfect dessert. It’s special enough for a holiday but simple enough to make any day of the week. This recipe makes the best apple crisp ever!
Why This Apple Crisp is The Best
This recipe for apple crisp is a new and much improved version of an old recipe I’ve had on my site for years.
This updated recipe has better ratio of apples to topping, the buttery topping has a more cohesive texture, and the flavor throughout the crisp has more depth (and is more delicious!).
Fruit crisps are so easy to make, and this apple crisp is no exception! The warm, cinnamon-spiced aroma coming from the oven while it bakes is other-worldly. It is a quintessential fall dessert as the weather turns a bit crisp and cool.
But don’t hold back, because the truth is, apple crisp is a fantastic dessert any time of the year!
Ingredients Notes
The ingredients for this apple crisp are so basic, but they combine into one of the best desserts ever. In addition, many of the ingredients crossover to both the apple filling and the topping.
- Flour: Equal parts flour, brown sugar and oats are used in the streusel-y topping for the best texture. A small amount of flour is also tossed with the apples to help thicken the filling ever-so-perfectly.
- Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar can be used. This ingredient is used in the apple filling and the golden topping.
- Oats: I prefer using quick oats in this recipe because the texture of the topping is soft and buttery, rather than piecemeal, but you can definitely sub old-fashioned rolled oats for the quick oats (or use half of each), if that’s your preference for a more oat-y texture.
- Cinnamon: I love adding a bit of cinnamon to the apples. It adds a warm depth of flavor reminiscent of apple pie.
- Butter: For this recipe, soften the butter just slightly so it is cool room temperature. It makes the cutting in process a bit easier without making the topping too soft.
- Apples: You’ll need 7 to 8 medium apples (or 6 large apples) for this recipe. Use a sweet-tart, crisp apple, like Cosmic Crisp, Honey Crisp, etc. Granny Smith apples can also be used for a more tart-tasting crisp.
- Lemon Juice: A bit of fresh lemon juice tossed with the apples helps brighten the flavor, which is helpful to cut through the richness of the buttery topping.
Making a Smaller Batch
I have never been sorry I made a full 9X13-inch pan of apple crisp. However, if you want to make this in a smaller pan, I suggest:
- For an 8X8-inch pan, cut the recipe in half (the layers may be slightly thinner, but it should work fine overall).
- For a 9X9-inch pan, cut the recipe down by 1/3 (for the topping, this would be 2/3 cup of each of the dry ingredients, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 6 tablespoons butter; for the apples, this would be about 5 1/2 cups chopped apples, a drizzle of fresh lemon juice and vanilla, 2 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 teaspoons flour, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon).
There is just something so completely delightful about a warm bowl of apple crisp topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The cool creaminess of the ice cream with the buttery, spiced, soft-baked fruit crisp is one of my all-time favorite ways to eat and enjoy dessert.
I hope you love this homey, inviting dessert. It is my favorite way to make apple crisp!
The Best Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup quick oats (see note for old-fashioned rolled oats)
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- 10 tablespoons butter, softened but still cool, cut into pieces
Apples:
- 8 cups peeled, chopped apples (see note)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan.
- For the topping, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon.
- Add the butter and use a pastry blender or two butter knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.
- For the apples, in a large bowl, toss the chopped apples with the lemon juice and vanilla.
- Add the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Toss until the apples are evenly coated with the dry ingredients.
- Spread the apples evenly in the prepared pan. Top the apples evenly with the topping.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the topping is golden and the apples are tender.
- Let the apple crisp rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of whipped cream.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Ooohh YUM!!🤤🤤 I cannot wait to try this! I’ve been looking for a good apple crisp recipe for years!
Skip the oats if you want the really best apple crisp.
It’s in the oven now!! Smells wonderful!
Thanks Mel for keeping our tummies ful of great food.
Thank you so much, Barb! I hope you love the apple crisp!
I was thinking of making this for Thanksgiving. I would love to make it the night before and bake it the day of. Do you think that would work well?
Hi Liz! I think if it were me, I’d bake it the day before, refrigerate, and then lightly warm up on Thanksgiving.
Hey Mel – I love a good apple crisp too, and this looks like it will be another winner!! Would it be ok to use whole wheat (white) flour instead of the all-purpose, or use a combo? Looking forward to making this, or I should say, eating this!! Thanks!
Hi Kristine! I think so! The whole wheat flour will add a delightful nuttiness to the topping.
Would it be possible to freeze this before baking or would it be better to bake, then freeze and warm for a bit in the oven? I’m thinking of gifting this as part of a “new baby meal” for the baby explosion going on at our church and want to include baking/warming instructions.
Hi Rachel, if it were me, I’d bake and then freeze so it could be thawed and lightly warmed. Such a great idea to give as a new mom meal!
Thanks! I own your cookbook and love your recipes – they’re always a winner!
Thank you so much, Rachel!
Mel, can this apple crisp be assembled ahead of time and baked just before serving? Thanks a bunch!
Hi Sharda! Yes, but I wouldn’t recommend letting it sit longer than a few hours or the apples may discolor a bit. If making ahead of time, I’d also store the topping separately and add it right before baking.
Hi Mel! I’ve loved your blog for ages but I think this is my first post. Exciting (for me). 🙂 Do you have any suggestions on how to use dehydrated apples for this, or any of your other amazing apple dessert recipes? I’ve decided I’m tired of giving up storage space to my cans of dehydrated apples, so this fall I am using them! Somehow…. Ha ha. I’ve Googled a bit for advice, but all of the websites I end up on are new to me, which is fine, but I’d trust your advice more than what my Google search engine directs me to, ya know? Anyway, thank you for sharing your recipes, and love your Friday Thoughts posts also.
Hi Michele! I love the idea of using food storage items in recipes (I’m also trying to work through some of my wheat and beans!). I haven’t tried using dehydrated apples in baking recipes like this but I think it is worth a try if you’re up for an experiment. I would rehydrate the apples in hot water just until plump (so maybe 15 minutes or so) and then drain all excess water and then make the recipe using the rehydrated apples (You could keep them in slices or chop them). Depending on the texture of the apples when they’re rehydrated, you might want to add a couple tablespoons (up to 1/4 cup) apple juice or liquid from rehydrating the apples to the crisp so the apples can continue to plump up while baking.
Thank you!