Easy Apple Crisp

This easy apple crisp has a perfectly tart and soft apple base and crispy oat topping. It's super quick and easy to whip up but it's still full of apple pie flavor and goodness without all the work of making a pie dough.

It's officially apple season!!! Which means it's time for apple crisp to wiggle its way into your regular diet.

This apple crisp recipe is adapted from my small batch blueberry crisp. This isn't quite as small of a serving size as my blueberry crisp, but this recipe also doesn't yield quite as many servings as most average crisp recipes you may find on Google. It's the perfect in between portion!

what makes this easy apple crisp so good?

This apple crisp is FULL of cozy fall flavor and it's so incredibly easy to make. It's made up of a sweet apple base that's flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg topped with a crumbly oat topping. It's kind of like a quick version of apple pie - with a lot of the same flavors - but the main difference is you don't need a pie crust.

This apple crisp has it all. Warm spiced apples that are perfectly sweet topped with a SUPER crispy crumble topping. Aside from peeling and slicing the apples, this recipe is so easy to whip up and literally just involves dropping the ingredients together and mixing. It's ready (start to finish) within about an hour and makes for the perfect cozy treat.

picking the best apples for apple crisp

An apple crisp is only as good as the apples that go into it - and there is a right and wrong kind of apple! When baking, the apples you choose are VERY important for the texture and flavor of the crisp. You want to look for apples that hold their shape well when cooked and also have the ideal slightly tart yet sweet flavor.

My go to apples are usually Granny Smith or Honeycrisp, but some other amazing options also include Braeburn, Fuji, or Jazz apples. These varieties are the right balance of crisp, firm, sweet, and tart but still soften to perfection when cooked / baked. You can also use a combination of apples to customize the sweetness / tartness of whatever you're making.

Whatever you do, avoid apples that have a softer flesh (like Red Delicious, for example). Soft flesh apples are great for making something like apple sauce because they break down very well, but in a recipe like apple crisp, they just turn to mush.

prepping the apples

Once you have the apple selection down, it's time to prep them for the crisp. Start by washing, peeling, and coring the apples. When it comes time to cut them, slice the apples into roughly ¼-1/2 inch thick slices.

You can choose if you go with thinner ¼" slices for a softer apple base or thicker ½" slices for more bite. I find that's the perfect range to stick to for the ideal thickness, so I wouldn't go any thicker or thinner than that.

After prepping the apples, all you need to do for the bottom layer of the crisp is toss all the ingredients together and then drop it into your baking pan. I went with a 10" cast iron skillet but you can use any similarly sized pan.

crispy oat topping

Old-fashioned rolled oats are the best oats to use when baking anything - and apple crisp is no different! They're the perfect shape and size for absorbing moisture while still maintaining a crisp and chewy texture.

When it comes to actually making the topping, it's as easy as mashing everything together in a bowl. Literally. That's all there is to it! Once the topping is ready, it's sprinkled over the apple layer in the pan and then baked.

best pan for baking apple crisp

Pick a baking pan that can fit around 7-8 cups worth of contents. I personally used a 10" cast iron skillet. You can use whatever pan you like, just make sure the apple layer isn't too thick or too thin - otherwise it won't cook evenly. For the best, even cooking, the apple layer should be around 1-2" thick. And whatever you choose, avoid using a springform pan as it it's highly likely to leak.

how to tell when apple crisp is baked

There are a few signs to look out for to determine when the apple crisp is done baking:

1. Crisp topping: The oat topping should be a nice, even brown color and should feel crisp if you lightly tap it. If you find the crisp is browning faster than the apples have a chance to cook through, loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil to slow down the browning process to allow the apples to finish cooking.
2. Apple base: To test if the apples are cooked, slide a thin knife or skewer into the center of the crisp to feel if the apples are tender. You can choose to slightly underbake them for more texture or bake a bit longer to make them softer. Be careful not to bake the apples too long or they won't hold their shape when you try to scoop out servings.

Keep in mind that the crisp will continue to cook slightly after coming out of the oven due to the residual heat of the pan. This won't really impact the topping, but it will soften the apples slightly. To account for that, pull the crisp out of the oven a little bit before the apples are perfectly softened to your liking.

how to serve apple crisp

Apple crisp is best served fresh and warm for an extra crispy oat topping and gooey apple base! Room temperature is also fine but I would avoid serving it refrigerated. You can enjoy your apple crisp as is or pair it with a classic scoop of vanilla ice cream and/or some caramel sauce!

check out these other apple recipes!

• Apple Pie Cookies
• Apple Crumble Cheesecake
• Baked Apple Donuts
• Apple Hand Pies
• Cranberry Apple Mocktail

Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.

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Enjoy!

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