Prepare yourself for the ultimate apple experience with this Apple Crisp recipe! Thinly sliced Granny Smith apples are perfectly seasoned with a blend of warm cinnamon and nutmeg, then nestled beneath a mountain of irresistible streusel topping. Get ready to add this recipe to your favorites list—it’s about to become a staple at your table!
Table of Contents
Why is this the BEST apple crisp?
Contrast of flavors- The contrast in flavors is everything in this apple crisp. First of all, you get a slight tartness from the granny smith apples, with a sweet and crispy streusel topping, Second, the sea salt gives it a great bite. Lastly, the ice cream balances out the warm apple crisp with a cool topping. It is a party in your mouth!
Two dishes are all you need – Yes, you heard correctly! All you need is a baking dish and a mixing bowl to make the crumble topping!
A family favorite – Your family will love this quick and easy recipe, make it in advance and bake it when you are ready to serve!
How to Make Apple Crisp
Streusel Topping: In a medium bowl, mix the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and salt. Cut with a fork or pastry cutter. Refrigerate until ready to use. *This can be made up to 2-3 days before you are ready to assemble!
Peel and slice the apples: Peel and slice the apples thin, about 1/4 inch thick.
Add the apples to the baking dish: In a 12×8 oval baking dish add peeled and sliced granny smith apples. Toss together the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Make sure everything is mixed together well.
Assemble: Take the streusel topping and arrange it in a single layer over the apples.
Bake: Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve salted caramel, sea salt flakes, and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp
Traditionally an apple crisp is made with a streusel topping. The apples are either sliced or chopped and mixed with a little flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover it with a nice amount of streusel topping and bake until the apples have released their juice and thickened. The streusel topping gets nice and golden brown.
We love topping a warm apple crisp with a nice vanilla bean ice cream! If you want a twist on a classic apple crisp, try this delicious Apple Crisp French Toast.
Is Apple Crisp the Same as an Apple Cobbler?
A cobbler is usually made with a thick biscuit-like topping, while a crisp is made with oats and flour, which gets nice and crispy.
Tips:
Have you ever wondered which apples to choose for an apple crisp recipe?
One of our favorite apples to bake with is Granny Smith Apples. Lately, we have been experimenting with mixing a combination of apples. Honey Crisp, Granny Smith, and Sweet Tangos are great options since they all have a crispy texture. Granny Smith is tart, while honey crisp and sweet tango are sweet. Thankfully, we have so many different apple varieties in Minnesota!
Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- 8 Granny Smith apples peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- sea salt flakes vanilla bean ice cream, salted caramel, optional toppings
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a 12×8 oval baking dish add peeled and sliced granny smith apples. Toss together the, granulated sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Make everything is mixed well together.8 Granny Smith apples, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, brown sugar, butter and salt. Cut with a fork or pastry cutter.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats, 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar, 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Take the streusel topping and arrange it in a single layer over the apples.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve salted caramel, sea salt flakes, and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.sea salt flakes
Video
Would you like to save this? 🔖
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How do you fix soggy apple crisp?
When reheating apple crisp, you want to make sure not to reheat in the microwave. That will result in a soggy apple crisp. Simply place the apple dish in an oven safe baking dish, bake at 350 degrees F. for about 15-20 minutes.
How can I make my apple crisp crispy?
If your butter to flour to sugar ratio is off, it will result in a less crispy topping. You want to be careful not to add too much flour or too little. Also, we love adding old fashioned rolled oats to our crumble because it really gives it a nice crunch.
Is apple crisp gluten-free?
Apple crisp CAN be gluten-free. Substitute a gluten-free flour for the all purpose flour. Also, make sure that the old-fashioned rolled oats are certified gluten free, like this one, here. If you are always looking for gluten free options, we like to use Bob’s Red Mill they have a pretty good selection.
Can you freeze apple crisp?
Prepare the apple crisp per the recipe. Let cool completely. Cover with a double layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months! To thaw: thaw in refrigerator overnight. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes or until the crisp is nice and warm.
How to make ahead
Prepare the streusel topping and place in an air tight container or ziploc bag. Refrigerate.
Put together the apple filling according to the recipe. Stir in a splash of lemon juice to keep the apples from turning brown. Store in an air tight container for up to 1 day.
Once ready to bake, add the apples to the baking dish and arrange the streusel topping.
Delicious! The best apple crisp.
Thank you so much, Karen! 😊
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
I made this last night and it was delicious.
My question is about the topping. It was not as thick as yours in the video and it didn’t exactly clump like yours. I followed your recipe – should I use less flour and oatmeal?
My company loved it, I just felt like the topping could have been crunchier. Thank you! Love your recipes!
We’re glad you enjoyed it! It might’ve been because the butter wasn’t cold enough.
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
perfect! I actually only used 6tbs of butter in topping and had extra as I used a 10inch pie plate. it is great; one of my favorite go-to deserts. I added walnuts
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Janis!
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
Hi – your Apple crisp looks delicious! Can I ask use melted butter in the streusel topping?
You can use softened to make it a little easier!
The recipe tastes good, but how do you make it so as not watery liquid at the bottom of the dish? Does the liquid thicken up as it cools? The liquid is delicious, but its just the consistency is water. Does it have something to do with me doing the apples 🍏 the same day as doing the dish?
Oh no! If you prefer it thicker, we recommend mixing in 2 tablespoons cornstarch with the sugar, and apples!
I’ll try it again with that. The crisp topping is delicious and a nice contrast to the soft apples. The cornstarch won’t make the mixture gummy, will it? I’ve only ever used it to thicken gravy or when rolling out my fondant for cakes. I really appreciate your help!
No, it should not make it gummy! You can also use all-purpose flour!
Thanks! Y’all are the best. Have a wonderful New Year. 🙂
How deep should the baking dish be if we are using a 12 x 8 oval shape?
We recommend using a dish deep enough to hold 2 quarts!
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
Are you supposed to butter the pan before putting in the apples? Also do you mix the apples with the sugar cinnamon nutmeg mixture before putting in the topping on?
No need to butter the pan. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to the baking dish. Mix together. Or you can add them to a bowl, mix together before transferring to the baking dish. Top it with the crumble. Let us know how it turns out!
Looks nice.
If I don’t have an oval dish, is a standard 12×8 rectangle okay to use? Should I cut another apple?
Absolutely! You can add another apple or 2 if you want it a little thicker.
Overall this was a great apple crisp! Only thing was the ingredients here don’t match up with the ones in the video. Which threw me for a loop. Also on the recipe instructions here it says add the cinnamon to the streusel topping and it also says add it to the apples. I didn’t add any to the topping, as I assumed from the video it wasn’t supposed to be in the topping.
So sorry for the confusion! We made the adjustments, glad you liked the apple crisp!
If you don’t have a big sweet tooth (like me), I definitely recommend cutting the sugar down or using a sugar substitute. I used monk fruit sweetener and it was still super sweet…probably from the apples themselves. Overall, this was easy to make and you can make a healthy version of it too. Win-win for me!
Amazing! Love that you tried it with a sugar substitute!
At what temp do I bake this at?
350 degrees F.
This recipe was amazing!!!! So yummy, warm, and delicious! The vanilla ice cream and syrup drizzle is a great touch and it makes a lot so you can share with a whole family!
Amazing! We love that it was a hit! Thanks for giving it a try!