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This old fashioned apple crisp is the one I make all fall, and it is pure comfort in a bowl. Tender cinnamon apples bubble away under a thick, golden oat topping that stays crunchy, and the smell of it baking pulls everyone into the kitchen.
I have tested this apple crisp enough to trust it completely. It sets up right and comes out the same every single time. Make it once and you will know it works.
The topping is what sets this one apart. It bakes into crisp, craggy clusters with real crunch in every bite, right over the soft, spiced apples. That contrast is the whole point of a good crisp.
My Grandma’s Recipe
Why This Is the One I Trust Every Single Fall
This is my grandma’s apple crisp recipe, passed down to me, and I have made it the same way every fall for years. It is still my husband’s favorite thing to see come out of the oven, usually with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting on top, and it always disappears first. [Jenn signature]
If you love a baked fruit dessert with a crunchy oat topping, my easy peach crisp recipe uses the same method with summer peaches. This is also one of my go-to easy apple desserts when the weather cools down.
Here’s Where Most Go Wrong
Most apple crisps come out with a soft, pale topping instead of a crunchy one. The fix happens before it ever goes in the oven.
Stir the melted butter into the oats and flour until every bit is damp and no dry, powdery pockets are left. Those dry spots are what bake into soft, floury clumps instead of crisp clusters.
Then spread the apples in an even layer and do not pack them down. Loose apples let the heat move through so they cook evenly and the topping crisps instead of steaming.
Ingredient Notes
- Quick cooking oats: Reach for quick oats, not instant. They give the topping a fine, crisp crumble. Old fashioned oats work too, but they bake up chewier and chunkier, which is a different texture.
- Light brown sugar: I use light brown sugar in both the apples and the topping. The molasses in it adds that deep, cozy sweetness and helps the topping bake into crisp clusters.
- Unsalted butter: Melted butter is what binds the topping into clumps. Melting it instead of cutting in cold butter is what makes this version so easy and gives you an even, crunchy crumble.
- All purpose flour: Flour does two jobs here. In the apples it thickens the juices so the filling sets instead of running, and in the topping it builds the structure for the crumble.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: These carry the flavor. Cinnamon goes in both layers, the nutmeg adds a little warmth to the apples, and a splash of vanilla rounds it all out.
How to Make Old Fashioned Apple Crisp
Step 1: Heat the Oven and Prep the Dish Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick baker’s spray. Set it aside while you build the filling.
Step 2: Toss the Apple Filling Add the sliced apples, light brown sugar, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla to a very large bowl. Gently fold everything together until the apples are evenly coated.
Step 3: Layer the Apples Transfer the apples to the prepared dish and spread them into an even layer. Do not pack them tightly, so they cook through evenly.
Step 4: Make the Oat Topping Combine the quick oats, flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Pour in the melted butter and stir until the mixture is evenly moistened with no dry pockets left.
Step 5: Top and Bake Spread the topping evenly over the apples so they are fully covered. Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the juices bubble at the edges.
Step 6: Let It Rest Cool the crisp on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. That short rest lets the filling thicken so it holds together on the spoon instead of running.
“This is the best apple crisp recipe! The topping turns out very good, so crunchy, just perfect!”
How to Serve It
This is best served warm, when the topping is still crunchy and the apples are soft. A scoop of no churn vanilla ice cream melting into the top is how my family likes it.
For something extra, drizzle warm homemade salted caramel sauce over each serving. A little whipped cream is nice too.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
Cut the apples an even thickness. Slices that are all about the same size finish cooking at the same time. Big chunks stay firm while thin ones go to mush, so a little care here pays off.
Set the dish on a sheet pan. The filling can bubble over the sides as it bakes. A rimmed sheet pan underneath saves you from scrubbing the oven later.
Bake it the day you plan to serve it. The topping is at its crunchiest the first day. If you can, bake it the same day rather than the night before.
How to Store and Freeze It
Keep leftovers in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. The topping softens the longer it sits, so a few minutes in a warm oven brings back some of the crunch.
You can freeze apple crisp before or after baking. To freeze it after baking, cool it completely, then wrap the dish tightly in plastic wrap and a layer of foil. It keeps up to 2 months. Thaw it in the fridge before you reheat or bake it.
More Apple Recipes
Old Fashioned Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 10 cups granny smith apples approximately 7-8 apples or 3 ½ pounds, peeled, cored and sliced into ⅛ inch thick slices then cut the slices in half (to approximately 1 inch wide x ⅛ inch thick pieces)
- ½ cup light brown sugar tightly packed
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crisp Topping
- 1⅓ cups quick cooking oats (not instant)
- 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup light brown sugar tightly packed
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick baker’s spray. Set aside.
- To a very large mixing bowl add the apple slices, light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and vanilla extract. Gently fold all the ingredients together to evenly coat the apple slices with the sugars and spices.10 cups granny smith apples, ½ cup light brown sugar, ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Transfer the apple filling mixture to the prepared 9×13 baking dish and spread into an even layer. Be careful not to pack the apple filling too tightly when adding to the baking dish.
- To make the crisp topping, add to a large mixing bowl the quick cooking oats, all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Stir to combine.1⅓ cups quick cooking oats , 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup light brown sugar, 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Add the melted butter to the bowl of oats and stir to combine until all the melted butter has been evenly incorporated and no dry pockets of flour remains.¾ cup unsalted butter
- Top the apple filling with the crisp topping mixture. Be sure to evenly distribute the crisp mixture over the apples so that all the apple filling is evenly covered with the crisp mixture.
- Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the juices are bubbly from the apple filling.
- Allow the apple crisp to cool on the counter for 5 minutes before serving to allow the apple filling to set-up slightly and the juices to thicken.
Jenn’s Notes
- Stir the melted butter all the way into the oats and flour until there are no dry pockets. That is what bakes into a crunchy topping instead of a soft one.
- Spread the apples in an even layer and do not pack them down, so they cook evenly.
- The crisp is done when the juices bubble at the edges, not only when the top is golden.
Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. The topping softens as it sits, so warm it in the oven for a few minutes to bring back the crunch. You can freeze it before or after baking. To freeze after baking, cool it completely, wrap the dish tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating or baking.
This is the best apple crisp recipe!
The topping turns out very good, so crunchy, just perfect! I cut back on the sugar. Thank you for sharing!
YUMMY 😋 Thank You for Sharing Jennifer 👏🏼👍🏼❤️ This LOOKS AWESOME 👏🏼 I LOVE ❤️ Granny Smith Apples 🍏 AND NOW I KNOW the Difference it Makes In BAKING 👍🏼😊❗️Thank You 😊G-d❤️Bless❗️
Can I double this recipe, if so will the time be the same when baking?
I would probably bake it in two separate baking dishes and add a little more time to the baking time if baking both at the same time.
Looking for an older recipe – thank you for sharing – I can’t wait to make it !
That is the best apple crisp I have had. My grandson is an apple crisp snob…. Very picky…. He loved it. Ice cream on top….yummy.
This was very, very good!
I love this recipe, I have made it 3 times in the last month our new favorite dessert. Love the way you did the directions.
At the beginning it says spray an 8×8 pan then later it says put apples in a 9×9 pan. Which pan should it be?
It should be 8×8. Sorry for the confusion
Any suggestions on what to do if I don’t like oats? Is it okay to just leave them out? Or are there some other substitutions?
❤️🍎👩🏽🍳
You need to check the recipe for Apple Crisp. The steps are incorrect. In steps 3 and 4, you combine all the dry ingredients except the butter. Then, in 4, you instruct to cut in the butter. Steps 5 and 6 are just to take care of the apples and add the lemon juice and toss. In step 7 and 8, you instruct to combine all dry ingredients except oats and toss with apples. Step 9 is to put the apples into the pan. Step 10 is to put “oatmeal mixture” over the apples. You can’t put in the oatmeal in step 3 and combine all ingredients with butter in step 4 and have a separate “oatmeal mixture” left at the end to put on the top of the apples. I’m sure it is supposed to be 4 easy steps because that’s the way my mom always fixed it.
I see why you were confused. I separated the filling and topping out and hopefully this is clearer. Thanks for letting me know!