This old-fashioned apple crisp recipe is a classic fall dessert, with juicy, bubbling caramelized apples baked beneath a light and crispy oat topping. I share my tips for the best apple crisp, made with real apple cider, cozy spices, and a topping that’s extra crispy!
Like my strawberry crumble in the summer, this fall apple crisp pairs deliciously with a scoop of homemade ice cream.
Is there anything better than a November afternoon with a festive sangria in hand, a Christmas movie on TV, and a fresh apple crisp baking in the oven? This is my classic homemade apple crisp recipe, with tender apples baked with cinnamon and real apple cider beneath a light and crispy oat crumble. It’s the ultimate dessert for fall, and it always makes an appearance at the Thanksgiving table.
This Homemade Apple Crisp Recipe Is…
- Easier than a pie. Apple crisp is my favorite alternative to baking a pie. It’s less effort, since there’s no pie crust to prepare, and assembling a crisp is quick and easy.
- Great for serving a crowd. This recipe makes a 9×13” apple crisp that’s perfect for serving at holidays, like Thanksgiving!
- Flavored with real apple cider. Fresh apple cider infuses the juicy apple filling while it bakes.
- Topped with light and crispy oats. This is the best crisp topping of all time! Buttery, tender, and crisp at the edges. It’s like eating an oatmeal cookie baked on top of apple filling.
You’ll Need These Ingredients
There are so few ingredients needed to make apple crisp that quality counts. Here are notes on what you’ll need. Scroll down to the recipe card for the printable list and recipe amounts.
- Apples – The number of apples depends on their size. I use between 10 and 11 medium-sized apples, or 8 to 9 larger apples, to make enough slices to fill a 9×13” baking dish. Choose a crisp-tart baking apple, like Honeycrisp.
- Sugar and Flour – White sugar caramelizes the apples while the flour thickens the filling.
- Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg – Two warming spices you’ll find in apple pie, that also fill this apple crisp with cozy fall flavor. You could substitute these individual spices with apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice instead.
- Apple Cider – For the most authentic flavor, try to use pure, unfiltered apple cider (you’ll find it in the refrigerated section at the grocery store when it’s in season). Otherwise, regular apple juice will work in a pinch.
- Oats – I use quick-cooking rolled oats to make the crisp topping in this recipe.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder – This is the secret sauce. Adding leavening agents to the oat topping makes it extra crispy!
- Brown Sugar – I use both white and brown sugar in the topping for a more caramelized flavor.
- Butter – I use unsalted butter, but salted butter also works (you can consider leaving out the added salt in the topping if you’re using salted butter). Melt the butter before you start.
Which Apples to Use
When baking apple crisp, my first choice of apples is firm, crisp varieties, like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Fuji apples. Feel free to mix and match two or more kinds of apples for a more complex flavor in the filling. Peel, core, and then chop the apples into uniform, thin slices so they bake evenly.
The Best Apple Crisp Topping
When people ask what separates a good apple crisp recipe from a GREAT apple crisp or apple crumble, I’ll tell them: It’s all in the topping!
Unlike a crumble, a crisp always includes oats. The perfect oat topping is buttery and flavorful, but not greasy or soggy. The oat clusters crisp up so they’re light and crunchy, but still a little chewy in the center.
This recipe uses baking powder and baking soda in the topping. When combined with the butter and brown sugar, the leavening tenderizes the oats, draws out moisture, and helps the topping “rise” so it’s light and crispy.
Baking Tips and Variations
- Use the right apples. Check out the Ingredients section above for details. You want to use crisp, firm apples that hold up when they’re baked. Avoid naturally soft, mealy, or floury apples, like MacIntosh and Red Delicious, for example.
- Peel the apples (or don’t). Peeling is optional. I use an apple peeler to peel my apples for apple crisp. If you’d prefer to leave the skins on, just make sure that you scrub and wash the apples well before you slice them.
- Dice the apples instead. I prefer to slice my apples, but if you’d rather cut them into chunks, that’s fine, too!
- Bake in a smaller pan. If you’d like to make this apple crisp recipe in a smaller pan, like a 9×9”, you can halve the ingredients.
- Add berries. Toss a cup of blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, or chopped strawberries in with the apples to make a berry apple crisp.
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Make the Apple Filling
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Prep your tools. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and get out a 9×13 baking dish.
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Make the cinnamon-sugar mixture. In a medium bowl, combine the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well.
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Prep the apples. Arrange the apple slices in the baking dish. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the apples. Gently toss the apples with the mixture using two spoons. Spread them out a bit so that they are relatively even in the baking dish. Pour the apple cider over the apples and set aside.
Make the Topping
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Melt the butter. I prefer using a saucepan over low heat, but you can also melt it in the microwave.
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Mix dry ingredients. While the butter is melting, in another medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, white sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix the dry ingredients well.
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Combine the dry ingredients with the butter. Add the melted butter to the dry ingredients and mix to combine with a spoon, until you have a coarse, crumbly mixture and no bits of dry flour are visible.
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Add to apples. Sprinkle the topping over the apples, trying to get as even a coat as possible over all the apples. Gently pat it down with the back of a spoon.
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Bake. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes. The crisp is done when the apple filling is bubbly and the topping is light golden brown.
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Serve. Remove it from the oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Enjoy your apple crisp warm or cold, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream, if desired.
- The number of apples will depend on how large they are. You will need enough apple slices to fill your 9×13 baking dish, leaving just enough space below the rim.
Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 35mg | Potassium: 279mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 383IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp
Apple crisp is one of the easiest fall desserts to make from scratch. I bake mine in a ceramic casserole dish, but glass works nicely, too. Here’s an overview of the recipe steps:
- Prepare the apples. Whisk the sugar with 1 tablespoon of flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spread the sliced apples into a 9×13” baking dish, filling it just below the rim. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the apples, and gently toss to coat. Lastly, pour the apple cider over the apples.
- Make the topping. Melt the butter, and then combine it with the flour, oats, both sugars, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix well so it’s crumbly, without any dry flour bits.
- Assemble. Now, sprinkle the oat topping evenly over the apple filling. Gently pat it into the apples using your hands or the back of a spoon.
- Bake. Bake this apple crisp at 350ºF for 45-50 minutes, until the apples are bubbling and the topping is a light, golden brown. Serve warm or cold, topped with ice cream or whipped cream!
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Keep leftover apple crisp stored airtight in the fridge for up to 4 days. The topping will lose some of its crispiness with time, but the flavor will still be good.
- Reheat. I recommend reheating the apple crisp in a 350ºF oven to help the oats crisp up again.
- Freeze. You can freeze apple crisp for up to 2 months, either in a freezer-safe container or double-wrapped in plastic wrap. Thaw the crisp in the fridge before serving.
