Easy Apple Crisp
Updated Sep 19, 2025
Apple crisp made with cinnamon apples and a buttery oat-pecan topping. An easy fall dessert that bakes in about 40 minutes with easy prep.
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For me, the best part of an apple crisp is the oat topping. I want enough of it that every scoop gets some, with plenty of cinnamon underneath in the apples. It’s one of those desserts where I’m definitely not trying to make the topping-to-fruit ratio sensible. I usually serve this apple crisp warm, but I like it just as much once it’s been sitting in the fridge overnight. Add ice cream if you want. I’m happy eating it either way.
Recipe testing notes
For the past 10 years, I’ve tested every recipe multiple times before sharing it! These notes give you a peek into my process of developing and testing.
The topping is the whole reason I make a crisp, so keeping the butter cold is the thing I’m strict about. When my butter got too soft, it melted into the oats and baked into a flat, greasy layer instead of a crumbly one. Cutting cold butter in and squeezing some of it into bigger clumps is what gives you those craggy, crunchy bits on top.
The apples matter too. Over the years I’ve learned to stick with firmer baking apples like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith, since softer ones cook down into applesauce before the topping is done. I like using a mix so some pieces hold their shape and some go soft.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
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Apple Crisp Ingredients
- Apples: Use firm but juicy apples like Fuji or Honeycrisp. Peel and core them, then chop them into similar-sized chunks. Read more of my tips on how to cut apples.
- For the filling: Granulated sugar, lemon juice, and ground cinnamon mix with the apples to make the filling.
- For the topping: Rolled oats, all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, unsalted butter, pecans, more ground cinnamon, and salt make the apple crisp topping. Make sure you use rolled oats, not instant oats or steel-cut oats. You can sub in 1:1 gluten-free flour. Keep the butter cold and dice it into small cubes before working it into the dry ingredients.
How to Make this Easy Apple Crisp
These step-by-step photos walk you through how to make this Easy Apple Crisp. For the full ingredient list and detailed instructions, head to the recipe card below, or skip straight to the → Easy Apple Crisp recipe below
1. Make apple crisp topping
Add the oats, flour, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and salt to a mixing bowl, leaving room to work in the butter.
2. Combine the dry ingredients
Stir until the oats and pecans are evenly distributed, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar.
3. Work in the butter
Dice the cold butter into small cubes and rub them into the mixture with your fingertips (or a fork) until you have coarse crumbs with some small clumps.
4. Prepare the apples
Peel and core the apples, then cut them into evenly sized chunks and place them in the greased baking dish. Add the lemon juice, granulated sugar, and cinnamon directly to the dish. Toss until the apples are evenly coated, then spread them into an even layer.
5. Add the crisp topping
Scatter the crumb mixture over the apples, covering the filling without pressing it down.
6. Bake the apple crisp
The topping should be golden brown with bubbling juices around the edges. Check that the apples are tender, then let the crisp cool for a few minutes before serving.
Full Easy Apple Crisp Recipe
Easy Apple Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 6 apples peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Crisp Topping
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter diced cold
- Vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish or a 7-inch x 11-inch baking dish.
- Place the apples into the greased baking dish. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon on top, stir, and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the butter using a fork or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the crisp topping mixture over the apple mixture.
- Bake until the crisp topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 35–40 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
- Dried cranberries: Toss ¼ cup dried cranberries with the apples before adding the topping.
- Ginger: Mix ¼ teaspoon ground ginger into the apple filling along with the cinnamon.
- Vanilla: Stir 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into the filling with the lemon juice.
Recipe Tips
- Stop working in the butter once coarse crumbs form. If the butter starts getting soft or greasy, put the bowl in the fridge while you finish preparing the apples.
- Bake until bubbly. Go beyond just a golden topping; wait until the filling is bubbling around the edges. That means the apples are tender and the sauce thickened properly.
- Allow time to cool. This gives the gooey apple filling time to thicken. If you cut into it too quickly, it can get runny.
Troubleshooting
If your apple filling isn’t thick enough, you can add cornstarch or flour to your apple mixture before baking. This helps absorb some of the juices and thickens things up. Also, make sure you’re giving your crisp enough time to rest after baking!
The chunks may be too large, or the filling may be too deep in the baking dish. Loosely cover the top with foil to keep it from getting too dark, then continue baking until a knife slides easily into the apples.
You may not have worked the butter evenly into the dry ingredients, or you may have added too much flour. Before baking, check for loose pockets of flour and rub the butter into them until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.
Comments
I’m confused about the ingredients. The video shows maple syrup but the ingredients don’t say there’s maple syrup in it. Is that a typo or is the video incorrect. Want to make sure before I make it
Sorry about that, I’ve changed the recipe since making that video in 2017. I deleted the video so there’s no confusion. Please use the recipe card for the final tested version. Thank you!
Coming back here to say that I tried this apple crisp yesterday and I can’t believe how easy yet fulfilling this dessert was! Everyone loved it! Now I need to figure out how to make it again but without the butter – for someone who loves apples but should lower his cholesterol! If you have a specific vegan butter or another alternative in mind, please let me know 🎈
Amazing!! Aww, so glad you loved it! You can use coconut oil or vegan butter instead of regular butter. Just make sure it’s cold, so you still get that crumbly texture. Hope that helps!!
I have a bunch of apple pie filling I made last year and wanted an apple crisp. Using the equivalent of 2 cans apple pie filling (1 quart jar), I dumped it into the prepared dish and proceeded with step 3. Same cook time and it was fantastic. The topping was exactly what I was looking for! Delicious!!
Amazing!! Aww, so happy the recipe worked out with your apple pie filling and that you loved the topping! Thank you, Carrie!!
Delicious! I used 3 Granny Smith and 3 Cosmic Crisp. Perfect combination!
To apple filling, I used a King Arthur spice called Speculaas Spice. It’s cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and some other warm spices and it’s awesome in apple pie! I also always put a quarter tsp almond extract in my apple pie filling. I used just cinnamon in topping.
Serving it tonight with salted caramel vanilla icecream to guests. They’re gonna love this! Thank you!
Yum! Your tweaks sound amazing!! I’ve never thought of adding almond extract to the filling, I will have to try that myself! And salted caramel vanilla ice cream sounds like the perfect pairing, too. Thanks for the inspiration, Candi!!
This is an excellent recipe. I appreciated the reasonable amounts of sugar in the whole deal. The sweetness was just right. I’ll never go back to using sliced apples either. Chopping them gave a great, consistent bite, especially since I prefer to leave the skins on. I added ginger cardamom and nutmeg along with the cinnamon in the topping, and toasted my pecans before adding them. We all loved it. A real keeper, thanks so much.
Love that you made it your own, your tweaks sound so good!! Thank you, Anna! So happy you liked it!!
This recipe kept coming up on my social media feeds so I knew it was a sign I had to make it. I’m glad I did because this apple crisp came out perfect! I used honeycrisp apples and it was so easy to make. I love that it’s not overly sweet. The topping to apple ratio is spot on. Highly recommend making this recipe!
Yay, so happy you loved the recipe! Honeycrisp apples are so good, especially this time of year!
Delicious and easy.
So happy you liked it!
The Apple Crisp was the first recipe of yours that I made. It was fresh, easy, and the instructions were very clear, which I love. I probably overbaked it because the juices were almost gone when I went to reheat, but I will make again. I used Honeycrisp and Jazz apples. Looking forward to making more of your recipes.
Yum! Honeycrisp and jazz apples sound like the perfect combination. So happy you liked it, Marie!
GREAT and super easy to make
So glad you liked it!
Can I use sprouted rolled oats instead of old fashioned oats. Would that change the taste or baking time?
Yes, it should work without having to change the time. Let me know how it turns out!
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