How to Make Apple Crisp – This classic fall dessert recipe is easy to make with oats, brown sugar, and sweet fresh apples! It comes together quickly and bakes to a golden brown in less than an hour. Serve the crisp warm topped with a scoop of ice cream for an autumn treat that’s sure to delight!

Top down view of a white bowl with golden apple crisp topped with a big scoop of ice cream.
Sommer headshot.

Sommer’s Recipe Notes

It’s fall, and you know what that means… It is time for all things apple! This season, use your favorite orchard apples to make a simple and irresistible dessert recipe everyone loves – warm, gooey, and perfectly spiced Apple Crisps.

Why We Love Apple Crisp Recipes

Fruit crisps are such a fantastic dessert, any time of year. (And bonus, they’re WAY easier to make than a traditional fruit pie!) They feature a rustic fruit flavor and sugar base with a crispy oat topping, and are surprisingly great to customize depending on the seasonal produce and dietary needs. However, you can change the ingredients, and the treat takes under an hour to bake, allowing it to be prepped well ahead of time (or even frozen).

Feel free to use any type of apples you like in the easy recipe, but you almost certainly want to serve the warm and cozy dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Top down view of a white bowl with golden apple crisp topped with a big scoop of ice cream.

Ingredients You Need

For the Homemade Apple Crisp Topping –

  • Old-fashioned oats – or quick-cooking oats
  • All-purpose flour – or whole wheat flour
  • Light brown sugar – packed
  • Butter – unsalted, cut into cubes
  • Salt – a bit to balance the sweet ingredients

For the Apple Filling –

  • Firm apples – see notes below
  • Light brown sugar – firmly packed
  • All-purpose flour – or whole wheat flour
  • Apple pie spice – usually a combination of cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger
  • Salt – just a pinch

Best Apples for Baking –

If you have lots of apple varieties available to you, the most important thing to remember when making desserts with apples is to pick a variety that holds its shape when baked. Some apples turn entirely to mush if they are fully cooked. Others will hold their shape a little bit better.

Select firm tart apples such as Braeburn, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Jonagold, Granny Smith, and Matsu for baked apple desserts.

How to Make Apple Crisp with Oats

Find the full Best Apple Crisp Recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, baking tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.

Pro Tips:

  • If working in stages throughout the day, cover and chill the crumpled topping until ready to use.
  • Some apple crisp recipes call for adding lemon juice to the apples so they don’t brown. However, lemon juice will break the apples down more as they bake, and this can sometimes cause the apples to turn to mush. If you work fast, you will not need lemon juice.
  • To prevent any filling from spilling over into the bottom of the oven, I suggest placing a rimmed and/or lined baking sheet on the rack directly below the crisp.
Top down view baked apple crisp with oats.

Recipe Variations

  • Fruit – Use this easy apple crisp recipe as the base for making all kinds of fruit crisps! Swap apples with other hearty fruits like strawberries, blueberries, peaches, or pitted cherries.
  • Gluten-free – Make sure the oats are GF, and use your preferred gluten-free replacement for standard all-purpose flour.
  • Dairy-free – Use vegan plant-based butter that is easy to cube and crumble. And you definitely want to add a scoop of our dairy-free vanilla ice cream on top of the baked crisp, too!
  • Make ahead – Assemble the crisp in a disposable aluminum pan, but do not bake. Instead, wrap the pan in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and either refrigerate overnight or freeze for several months. Then you can give them away as yummy gifts, or have one ready to pop in the oven at your leisure.
  • Sauce it – Add caramel sauce, vanilla sauce, or cinnamon sauce over the crumbly topping!
Top down view baked apple crisp with oats. A spoon is scooping away a serving.

Serving Suggestions

Let the crisp cool slightly in the pan before serving. Spoon into bowls, and top the warm apple crisp with BIG scoops of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!

I usually enjoy my crisp as an evening dessert with milk, or as an afternoon treat with coffee. When you’ve got a fruit crisp this good, any time is the right time to take a sweet snack break!

Top down view of a white bowl with golden apple crisp topped with a big scoop of ice cream.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between a crisp and a crumble?

Both baked desserts have a streusel-ish topping that combines flour, spices, and butter. However, this apple crisp recipe is also made with oats for an even crunchier texture and a nice, earthy, oat-y, fall flavor.

How long do leftovers last?

Leftover fruit crisp is delicious the next day! Let the dish cool completely before wrapping in plastic wrap or transferring the dessert to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Can you freeze apple crisp?

Apple crisp freezes very well, whether baked or unbaked. I recommend assembling in a disposable aluminum pan that can be baked in the oven right from the freezer, without thawing.

Let the crisp come to room temperature, if baked. Then wrap the entire pan (baked or not) in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil. Freeze the fruit crisp for up to 3 months. You can either thaw it in the fridge overnight or bake it straight from the freezer, adding 15-20 minutes to the total bake time noted in the recipe card below.

White bowl with golden apple crisp topped with a big scoop of ice cream. A hand with a metal spoon taking a bite of ice cream.

Looking for More Fall Dessert Recipes? Be Sure to Try:

Easy Apple Crisp Recipe

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
This classic fall dessert recipe is easy to make with oats, brown sugar, and – of course – sweet and delicious fresh apples! It comes together quickly and bakes golden in less than an hour. Serve the crisp warm topped with a scoop of ice cream for an autumn treat that's sure to delight!
Servings: 12 – 16 servings

Video

Ingredients

For the Crisp Topping –

For the Apple Filling –

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, or a 3 quart baking dish in any shape.
  • For the Crisp Topping: Set out a medium mixing bowl. Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cubes of butter, and salt. Use a pastry blending tool, or your hands, to mix the butter into the dry ingredients, until the butter is in small pea-sized pieces and the mixture looks like dried oatmeal. Set aside. (If working in stages throughout the day, cover and chill the crumpled topping until ready to use.)
  • For the Apple Filling: Quickly peel and slice the apples into ½-inch wedges. Try to work fast so the apples don't brown. Place the apples in the baking dish and sprinkle the brown sugar, flour, apple pie spice, and salt over the top. Toss to coat and spread the apples out and an even layer. *Some recipes call for lemon juice to be added to the apples so they don't brown. However, lemon juice will break the apples down more as they bake, and this can sometimes cause the apples to turn to mush. If you work fast, you will not need lemon juice.
  • Sprinkle the crisp topping over the apples in an even layer. Place the apple crisp in the center of the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden-brown and the edges are bubbly.
  • Cool the apple crisp for 5-10 minutes, then serve warm with vanilla ice cream!

Notes

Leftover fruit crisp is delicious the next day! Let the dish cool completely before wrapping in plastic wrap or transferring the dessert to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Apple crisp freezes very well, both after or before baking! I recommend assembling in a disposable aluminum pan that can be baked in the oven right from the freezer, without thawing. Freeze the fruit crisp for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, or bake straight from the freezer and increase the bake time to 50-60 minutes. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1scoop, Calories: 418kcal, Carbohydrates: 68g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 159mg, Potassium: 255mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 46g, Vitamin A: 552IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
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