Apple Crisp
Classic. Simple. Utterly Delicious. Perfect any time of year, but especially when apples are in season. Apple crisp, of course!
Sweet, juicy, tender apples are topped with a crunchy, golden streusel and finished off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

The entire concoction is perfect for any time of year!
Well…that is if you make sure not to neglect chocolate desserts of course. For a fruit dessert, it’s pretty awesome.
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Two Years Ago: Black and White Cheesecake Squares
Three Years Ago: Ultimate Beef Stroganoff
Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- 7 tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks or slices
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed or bottled
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup (71 g) all-purpose or whole wheat flour
- 1 cup (100 g) rolled oats
- 1 cup (212 g) brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (113 g) butter, softened to room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice and vanilla. Pour the apples into a 9X13-inch baking dish, spreading evenly to the edges. It doesn’t matter if the apples are slightly overlapping.
- In a medium bowl stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, two forks or two knives, mix the butter into dry ingredients until lumpy and coarsely mixed. Most of the dry ingredients should be incorporated with the butter to form large crumbs.
- Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the apples.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the apples are tender and the topping is browned and crunchy.
- Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving warm with ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
Notes
For the Apples: I like to use a combination of Granny Smith, Honeycrisp and/or Gala. Firm, tart and sweet apples work the best for apple crisp – feel free to experiment with different varieties, depending on what you like (or can find at the store!).
Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 218kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 73mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 26g
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
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So good! I do half the apples, 8×8 pan and full recipe for the topping.
Delicious and easy
Another great recipe! I used half the sugar and it was plenty sweet but I am in the habit of lessening our sugar intake so that’s just what I do.
Hi,
When making your recipe for apple crisp, I want to use peaches which I’m sure is OK, but might I substitute some Tapioca for the 1/2 cup of flour? This would be for someone that is Gluten Free?
I sure hope you get this and can answer me, by Friday.
Thanks, I LOVE your recipes!
Hi Donna, yes, I think you can substitute peaches for the apples (they’ll be quite a bit juicier and put off more liquid). If you want to a gluten-free flour for the crisp topping, I would suggest a gluten-free flour blend (one that can be substituted cup for cup for all-purpose flour).
I make this every fall with apples from my parents’ trees. It’s the best!
Love this recipe! I have to admit I did make a few changes. My apples may have been small but I used more like 10. Then I doubled the crisp ingredients, all except the sugar, which stayed the same. It was still plenty sweet, especially with ice cream! In fact as I was eating it I forgot that I had only put in half the sugar haha.
Another winner from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe! Great details to help me make this so fast. I warmed up the one serving of leftovers this morning and felt sneaky and a bit guilty… But then I got over it ❤️. Thank you!
This was heavenly! I have not made one recipe on this blog that is bad. They are all my top favorite. My husband says… this is yummy! I always say “Mel’s Kitchen Cafe” He is a huge fan. Thank you for sharing your talents and your skills and I love how you tell every detail so I don’t have to go through the fail process and give up.
Thank you so much, Julie!
My son is turning 12 this weekend and requested this instead of a birthday cake. Fine with me! So good!
For Christmas last year I made coconut cake, turnovers and Mel’s apple crisp. To my surprise, the apple crisp was gone before the last guests had a chance. My non-sweet- loving brother-law sneaked in to scrape the dish. I have made it to rave reviews, and it’s always disappeared immediately. Thank you Mel.
Thanks, Laura!
I ate the last serving for lunch today (with ice cream nonetheless). Kind of embarrassed to admit it- and I know I should be more self-less, but I just couldn’t risk the kids getting home from school and seeing it in the fridge. They would be just as happy with an ice cream cone for dessert (that’s what I tell myself anyway). But me – I know how to truly enjoy every delicious bite of this apple crisp. Haha.
I misplaced my grandmother’s apple crisp recipe, and this one filled on beautifully! I loved the tip about mixing apples. I think that’s what made it even better! I used Granny Smith and honey crisp. So delicious warm from the oven and a snap to make.
Quick, perfect dessert!! The crunchy oats and brown sugar streusel topping in combination with the apples are mouthwatering! New favorite!!
Hi Mel – I just got a box of peaches and wonder if this would translate well with them? I have made the classic cobbler which is delish (!) but I would like something with an oat topping.
I haven’t tried this with peaches, but I think it should work pretty well!
I made this with peaches, and it was delicious! Since peaches are much sweeter than tart apples, I halved the sugar, and it was plenty sweet for my family’s taste. Other than that, followed the recipe. Will definitely use again!
So excited to try this! Can you use quick oats instead of rolled oats?
I think so! The texture will be a bit different, and you might cut down the quantity a bit just to compensate for texture.
So yummy!!!
I’m going to try this in a Dutch oven while camping this weekend over charcoal. We’ve made it for years at home and love it! Fingers crossed. I’ll be sure to report back!!
how did it go in the campfire dutch oven? My boys are going camping this weekend and they’d love to do this. did you have to adjust the recipe/cooking instructions at all?
I can not wait to try it.
My apples are on the small side…any idea how many cups I might need? Thank you.
M
Probably 7-8 cups.
Since finding this gem, I have made apple crisp at least once a week, since mid September. Thanks again for another gem to add to my collection 🙂
Thank you for this yummy recipe. It was everything I wanted in an apple crisp recipe. We picked apples this weekend and I wanted to make apple crisp, but every recipe I looked at was either too complicated, didn’t have oats or was for an 8×8 pan. Then I thought I would check if you had a apple crisp recipe. Yours was perfect and even had wheat flour in it. We made it and it was delicious and simple to make!!
I’ve made many versions of apple crisp over the years and this is my favorite! Received many compliments the other night when I made it for a dinner with friends. Thanks for another great recipe!
So not sure if I did something wrong, but the apples were not tender by 35 minutes. Just bought them from the orchard this weekend, so they are good. I cubed them. Covered the dish with foil and cooked for 15 more minutes. Any other suggestions?
I am making this tonight and wondered if you had to top the casserole dish with foil before baking it?
Hi McKenna, no, I don’t use foil.
Mel, this was so good. I am making it again tomorrow. Thanks for all your wonderful
Recipes, such as your English Muffin Bread.
Pumped to make this tonight! I live in a different country than my mother (aka provider of all wonderful childhood recipes) and though telephones and emails have been invented, there are times when I can’t contact her for much-needed recipes so I come here instead. Yay!!
A definate ‘keep’ recipe, made this tonight for six children and they all loved it..
SO yummy! I made this today. I used a smaller dish and only 5 apples but forgot to reduce cooking time. My apples were almost sauce, but I made it for the topping. 🙂
I made this last night after finding the recipe pinned on Pinterest. Absolutely delicious! I did add a few shakes of nutmeg just because we love it…it seems to “taste” like fall. We’ll be enjoying this many times, Mel! Thanks.
Hi Brett – a pastry blender looks like this:
http://thisweekfordinner.com/2009/06/16/the-best-pastry-blender-in-the-world/
If you don’t have one, then yes, you could use any other type of tool that will cut the mixture in together.
Mel – whats a “pastry blender” ?
Can I use a regular food processor? Or a mini chop type food processor?
I have never made apple crisp before, but I knew this’d be good if you recommended it, your desserts never fail. I was right too! It turned out great!
I tried this out for a Sunday dinner at BYU-I. We invited our FHE brothers over for Risotto and this dessert. It turned out amazing and delicious! Stayed crisp in the fridge for about 2 days. I didn’t have any brown sugar, so I used white sugar, and it was still delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!!
You can use white sugar with molasses mixed into it and then you have brown sugar.
We made this yesterday and followed your recipe exactly and it was DIVINE! I meant to halve the recipe but accidentally forgot to halve the oats and brown sugar, so I just made the whole recipe… and I’m glad I did because with just the 4 of us (2 adults, 2 kids) we almost ate the entire thing. LOL! 🙂 Thanks for another winner of a recipe. You ROCK!
Just made this tonight… DELICIOUS!!! Thanks for another amazing recipe!
My husband is a huge apple crisp fan. So much so that I keep a batch of topping prepped and at the ready in my freezer so I can be ready when I want to tempt his tummy. I’ve never heard of putting vanilla in with the apples though. I’ll definately try this soon!
You know the way to my heart, woman! I love a good, hot apple crisp with a scoop of cold vanilla bean ice cream starting to melt down over it. Heaven in a bowl!
One of my boys and I are HUGE apple crisp lovers. It’s total comfort food for us and for some reason we tend to only make it in the fall/winter months. I also like to add some blueberries, cranberries or pears to my apple crisps. 🙂
This looks beyond delicious. I have to agree with @Heather of Kitchen Concoctions about the pie vs crisp. My grandma used to make the best, and I would have loved to have her recipe, but since she passed away I can’t find. However, I think this on will do just nicely and start a new tradition.
classic. although whipped cream would be good, nothing can beat a fat scoop of vanilla ice cream atop a steaming apple dessert. fantastic.
Yum, yum, yum! I love anything apple, any time of the year! It’s early morning where I live and I’m wanting this for breakfast! Warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream – how bad am I!
I love apple crisp, and this looks divine! Who can deny all that crumble on top?
My son loves anything that is baked with apples…he will love this! Thanks for sharing, Melanie! 🙂
I’d have to say I love apple crisps more than apple pies just for that yummy streusel topping!
This looks delicious, I am going to make this soon!!!
Sounds great. And makes me hungry.
I’m sorry if I missed it, but does this halve easily into a 8×8?
Hi Sarah – I’ve never halved the recipe but it is so adaptable that yes, I think it would halve easily for an 8X8. You’ll probably need to cut down the baking time by 5-7 minutes.
I love apple crisp and can never find a great recipe. I am definitely going to try this!!
I love apple crisp and have never made it. I will have to try this one as it looks yummy
My husband is a sucker for apple crisps. We have one we love but I would love to try this one out…