Apple Crisp is everything we love about Fall. This easy recipe for apple crisp is made with the perfect blend of juicy apples, warm spices and a crispy oat nut topping. Serve it straight from the oven with vanilla ice cream and watch it disappear! 

A bowl filled with apple crisp and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Homemade apple crisp is a classic fall dessert that is easy to make and it is always a crowd-pleaser! It will also make your house smell amazing while it bakes in the oven!

Several small glass bowls filled with spices, oats, sugar, nuts and butter for apple crisp recipe.

What Are The Best Apples To Use For Apple Crisp?

There are so many varieties of apples to choose from to make a good apple crisp with. Granny Smith is a common type of apple used for making apple pies, tarts, crisps and cobblers, but you don’t have to stick with just one type of apple for baking. Try using 2 or 3 different varieties of apples, each which adds its own flavor and level of sweetness or tartness for a really amazing tasting apple crisp.

  • Granny Smith. They are very tart and firm and hold their shape after baking. 
  • Honeycrisp.  Sweet, juicy and crunchy.
  • Fuji. These are very juicy and sweet.
  • Jonagold.  Similar to Honeycrisp (sweet, crisp and juicy) but with more apple flavor.
  • Cortland. This variety is crisp, juicy and sweet with a little tartness. 
  • Jazz. These are sweet and crispy.

How Do You Prepare Apples Before Baking?

  1. Rinse and peel apples using a vegetable peeler rather than a knife. It removes less flesh and it’s a little quicker to peel with.
  2. Cut the peeled apples into quarters so you can easily remove the core and seeds.
  3. Squeeze lemon juice over the cut apples and toss to prevent them from browning.

An assortment of different types of apples scattered on a counter for best apples for apple crisp.

Apple Crisp Recipe

This recipe for apple crisp uses a few simple ingredients that you may already have in your pantry.

  • Apples. We use 4 pounds of assorted apples (about 8 apples) for this recipe. I used a mix of Granny Smith, Honeycrisp and Jonagold apples.
  • Lemon juice. This keeps the apples from turning brown.
  • Pure maple syrup. It adds a nice flavor and syrup consistency to the apples. 
  • Sugar. We use light brown sugar for this recipe.
  • All-purpose flour. We only use a little flour to thicken the syrup while the apples bake.
  • Spices. We use a mix of cinnamon and ginger.
  • Butter. We use unsalted butter to dab on the apples before baking. 
  • Crumb topping. The crumb topping is a mix of oats, pecans, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.

Find printable recipe with measurements below.

Apple Crisp Topping

  • Butter1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
  • Oats. Use rolled oats (NOT instant, quick cooking or steel cut) 
  • Sugar. We use light brown sugar.
  • Spices. We add in cinnamon to the mix. 
  • Nuts. We use chopped pecans but you can use walnuts if you prefer.

How To Make Apple Crisp

  1. Mix together the ingredients for the crumb topping and set aside.
  2. Peel, core and slice apples and add them to a large bowl.
  3. Toss the sliced apples with lemon juice and pure maple syrup,
  4. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the apples and using a wooden spoon or silicon spatula stir the apples so they are all evenly coated with the dry ingredients.
  5. Spoon the apples into the prepared baking dish so they are evenly distributed. Scatter the 8 pieces of butter around the apples.
  6. Sprinkle the oat crumb mixture over the top of the apples so it is evenly distributed,
  7. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. You can stick a toothpick in an apple to check for doneness. 

Mix together the ingredients for the crumb topping and peel, core and slice the apples and toss them in lemon juice and pure maple syrup.

Class mixing bowls filled with oats, sugar and nuts.

Toss the apples with brown sugar, all purpose flour, cinnamon and ginger.

Two glass mixing bowls with oats and fruit.

Pour the apples in a buttered 9 x 13 baking dish.

A white baking dish filled with sliced apples.

Tuck the pieces of butter in between the apples and sprinkle the top of the apples with crumb topping.

A white baking dish filled with baked apple crisp.

Put the baking dish on a cookie sheet (to catch any drippings) and place in the oven (uncovered) and bake at 350 degrees in the middle rack for 40 – 45 minutes. Keep an eye on things so the top doesn’t burn. 

A white baking dish filled with baked fruit.

Scoop the apple crisp into bowls and serve with vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle a little cinnamon over the top of the ice cream scoops.

A bowl filled with apple crisp and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Looking For More Dessert Recipes?

A bowl filled with the best apple crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Yield: 8 servings

Apple Crisp

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Apple Crisp is everything we love about Fall. This easy recipe for apple crisp is made with the perfect blend of juicy apples, warm spices and a crispy oat nut topping. Serve it straight from the oven with vanilla ice cream and watch it disappear! 

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds assorted apples (about 8 apples) I used a mix of Granny Smith, Honeycrisp and Jonagold apples for this recipe.
  • 1 lemon, juiced (this keeps the apples from turning brown)
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 tablespoons butter, cut into 8 pieces

Apple Crisp Topping

  • 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup raw pecans, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and set aside.
  3. In a bowl mix together the ingredients for the crumb topping using your hands or a fork and set aside.
  4. Peel, core and slice apples and add them to a large bowl.
  5. Toss the apple slices with lemon juice and pure maple syrup,
  6. In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger.
  7. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the apples and using a wooden spoon or silicon spatula stir the apples so they are all evenly coated with the dry ingredients.
  8. Spoon the apples into the prepared baking dish so they are evenly distributed. Scatter the 8 pieces of butter around the apples.
  9. Sprinkle the oat crumb mixture over the top of the apples so it is evenly distributed,
  10. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. You can stick a toothpick in an apple to check for doneness. If the top is browned, but the apples are still firmer than you like, then turn the oven off and cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place back in the oven to sit for another 5-10 minutes.
  11. Serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Best Apples To Use For Apple Crisp

There are so many varieties of apples to choose from to make a good apple crisp with. Granny Smith is a common type of apple used for making apple pies, tarts, crisps and cobblers, but you don't have to stick with just one type of apple for baking. Try using 2 or 3 different varieties of apples, each which adds its own flavor and level of sweetness or tartness for a really amazing tasting apple crisp.

  • Granny Smith. They are very tart and firm and hold their shape after baking. 
  • Honeycrisp.  Sweet, juicy and crunchy.
  • Fuji. These are very juicy and sweet.
  • Jonagold.  Similar to Honeycrisp (sweet, crisp and juicy) but with more apple flavor.
  • Cortland. This variety is crisp, juicy and sweet with a little tartness. 
  • Jazz. These are sweet and crispy.

How To Prepare Apples Before Baking Them

  1. Rinse and peel apples using a vegetable peeler rather than a knife. It removes less flesh and it's a little quicker to peel with.
  2. Cut the peeled apples into quarters so you can easily remove the core and seeds.
  3. Squeeze lemon juice over the cut apples and toss to prevent them from browning.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 442Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 123mgCarbohydrates: 68gFiber: 9gSugar: 47gProtein: 3g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.