Old Fashioned Apple Crisp

A classic, old fashioned apple crisp recipe, made with fresh apples and a crispy oat topping. It’s simple, delicious and sure to please!

There’s nothing like the smell of apples and cinnamon baking in the oven to make your house feel warm and cozy. This old fashioned apple crisp recipe is bound to become a Fall favourite!

As the cooler weather starts to set in, nothing beats a warm and cozy apple crisp recipe. This old fashioned version is easy to make and will leave your home smelling amazing.

With a crispy topping made from flour, oats, brown sugar, and butter, and a delicious filling of tart apples, this dessert is sure to please. Serve it with a scoop of ice cream for the perfect autumn dessert!

So gather up your favourite apples and get baking!

What Makes This the BEST Apple Crisp Recipe

• Easy recipe, anyone can make it!
• Apple forward flavour with just a hint of spice
• Addictive, buttery, crunchy topping
• Basic pantry ingredients
• Ready to eat straight from the oven!
• Quintessential fall favourite dessert

The Best Apples for Baking Apple Crisp

The best apples to use for baking apple crisp, and pies in general, are any variety that is tart and crisp, with flesh that holds its shape well. Good cooking apples like Pink Lady, Braeburn, Cameo and Cortland work well, as does Granny smith.

If you can get a hold of Bramley apples though, they are definitely the superior pie apple with their tart flavour and crisp flesh. Only the Granny Smith comes close. Bramley apples are unfortunately not always easy to find in stores in North America, so if you see them, snap them up!

I also really like the flavour of Macintosh apples in pies and such, although they are very juicy and soft. If you do use Macintosh you just want to skip on adding the lemon juice, and instead consider tossing the apples in about a tablespoon of tapioca starch to help thicken up the juices a bit.

Apple Crisp Variations

Make it a crumble – Just swap more flour for the oats in the topping and you have a classic apple crumble.

Throw in raisins – Not my thing, but you can toss in raisins or black currants in with the apples.

Switch up the fruit – Add some berries to the mix or switch it up entirely with your favourite baking fruit.

Spice it up – Add warming spices to the apple mixture if you like apples and spice.

Go nutty – Throw some chopped pecans or walnuts into the topping for a satisfying extra crunch.

Gluten Free – Substitute Gluten-free flour and oats for a gluten-free dessert.

How to Serve Apple Crisp

Apple crisp can be served warm or cool. It’s best with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream with a drizzle of caramel sauce.

I served mine with homemade caramel sauce which is a lot easier to make than you think and so fabulously delicious. I highly recommend.

Another delicious option is warm vanilla custard.

Tips for Making the BEST Classic Apple Crisp

Uniform slices – Whether you are slicing your apples thinly or going with chunks, the key is to try and cut uniform pieces of apple so your apple crisp cooks evenly.

Room temperature – You also want to make sure that your apples are room temperature before starting, this also helps to ensure the apple filling cooks evenly.

Avoid burning – Your topping may start to get too brown before your apples filling is cooked through. If that happens, simply place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of your baking dish and continue baking as directed.

Choose the right apples – You can use virtually any apples for apple crisp, but do read the section above for the BEST apples for apple crisp.

How to Store Leftover Apple Crisp

If you have any apple crisp leftovers, be sure to wrap the apple crisp tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Reheat leftovers in a 350°F oven until crisp and heated through, about 15 minutes.

You can also freeze apple crisp for up to 3 months. Place the cooled off dish, wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, in a resealable freezer bag.

When you’re ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat in a 350°F oven until crisp and heated throug.

About the Ingredients for Classic Apple Crisp

Apples – You want to use a tart apple such as Bramley, Granny smith, Macintosh, Empire, Cortland, or Braeburn. Try mixing two different apples together for even better flavour! Make sure your apples are room temperature before starting so they cook evenly.

Sugar – I usually use white, granulated sugar for the filling and dark or light brown sugar for the topping. You can use brown sugar in the filling, but don’t swap for white sugar in the topping.

Lemon – Keeps the filling from being anything but too sweet. You may want to skip the juice if you are using Macintosh as they break down quickly and are very juicy.

Vanilla – Use real vanilla extract for the best flavour, but artificial vanilla extract is just fine!

Oats – I think rolled oats (also known as old fashioned oats) are best in a topping like this, but instant oats work well too if needed. Do not even think about trying steel cut oats.

Flour – Just plain old all-purpose flour. You should scoop and level when measuring, although precision is less critical here than when baking cookies or cake.

Cinnamon – Just a touch of cinnamon in the topping is all you need. I like my apple pies, apple crisps, and apple crumble British style, without the loads of spices that is more typical in North America. Letting the apples shine really makes this dessert irresistible, especially with the lightly spiced topping. Of course, if you prefer your apple filling spiced, feel free to add a teaspoon or so of cinnamon or nutmeg to the apple filling.

Butter – Cold, cubed butter is what makes the crumbly topping so good. No substitutes. I usually use salted butter here, if you do use unsalted butter you will need to add about 1/2 teaspoon salt to the topping mixture to help balance the flavours.

Looking for More Apple Recipes for Fall?

Check out more of my favourite fall-ready apple recipes!

This Instant Pot apple butter recipe is perfect for fall! Made with just a few simple ingredients, it’s a delicious way to use up apples.

Inspired by classic apple pie, these apple filled donuts are fried to golden perfection and tossed in cinnamon sugar for a sweet finish.

A delicious apple dump cake recipe that is easy to prepare and makes a great fall dessert served warm with ice cream and caramel sauce!

Treat your friends and family to a delicious homemade apple danish! Get the step-by-step recipe with an easy from scratch filling.

How to Make the BEST Apple Crisp

Yields: 6 Servings | Prep time: 15 Minutes | Cook time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs (900g) Tart apples
• 2/3 cup Granulated sugar
• 1 Medium lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 cup Brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup uncooked Old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup All-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Butter, cold

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Peel, core and slice the apples thinly.

Toss the apples with the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

Pour the apple mixture into a 7×11 baking dish.

Make the topping by placing the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.

Work the mixture together using your clean hands or a pastry blender until large crumbs form.

Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apple mixture in the baking dish.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling.

Serve warm.