If fall was a dessert, this would be it – butter, cinnamon, baked apples, and that kind of cozy warmth that makes you want to stay home. This old-fashioned Apple Crisp has been on my blog since 2016, and I still make it every year because it’s that reliable!
Why I make this exact apple crisp recipe every fall 🍂
Fall is for cozy baking, but I wanted an apple crisp that didn’t come with a sugar crash. So mine is a little different: buttery and golden, but not over the top. With just enough sweetness to let the apples actually taste like apples!
There’s nothing fancy going on here, but it’s the kind of dessert you make when the leaves start to fall and the kitchen feels extra homey. We eat it warm with vanilla ice cream… or straight from the fridge with Greek yogurt the next morning. And yes, it’s been here since 2016 for a reason – it’s the one crisp I never tweak.
Printable recipe
Easy & Cozy Cinnamon Apple Crisp
Ingredients
For the topping:
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
- ¼ cup cold butter (or 1-2 tablespoons more if needed)
- chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
For the filling:
- 4 medium-large apples (cored, cut into 8 wedges and sliced into bite-sized pieces crosswise (about 1 ¾ pounds or 5-6 cups, sliced))
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice (OR ground cinnamon)
Instructions
- Prep:Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 7×11-inch baking dish (or a small casserole or even a deep pie dish if that’s what you’ve got – this isn’t the kind of dessert that judges you). Get your ingredients ready.
- Make the topping:Stir together brown sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the cold butter until large crumbles form – fingers work just as well as a pastry cutter. If it seems dry, add 1-2 extra tablespoons butter (this can happen if you measure out a little much flour, it's all good.)½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup rolled oats, ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch salt, ¼ cup cold butter
- Chill the topping:Chill the bowl for 5–10 minutes while you prep the apples (this keeps the topping crumbly, not melty).
- Make the filling:Add the sliced apples directly to the dish. Toss with sugar, flour, and spice until coated. For a juicier, more “apple-pie-filling” vibe, splash in a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 2-3 tablespoons of water.4 medium-large apples, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
- Assemble:Scatter the chilled topping evenly over the apples. Sprinkle on chopped pecans or walnuts if you want a little crunch.chopped pecans or walnuts
- Bake & serve:Bake 30–45 minutes, until the topping is golden and the filling bubbles around the edges. Let sit for about 10 minutes (if you can wait) before serving warm with vanilla ice cream.Note: If the filling looks dry after 30 minutes, carefully pour in 2–4 tablespoons of water or apple juice and bake until bubbly. If the top gets too dark, loosely cover with foil after 20-25 minutes.
Video
🍏 Little kitchen secrets for perfect apple crisp
Apples I like best: Honeycrisp or Gala are my favorite – they turn out flavorful and soft, yet keep their shape.
Don’t skip the chill: Chilling the topping even for 10 minutes keeps it crumbly and perfect. My best-kept secret!
Sugar check: Taste one apple slice before mixing – add more sugar if your apples are tart, less if they’re sweet.
Quick oats: Can work in a pinch! Just start with a little less butter and adjust as needed.
No brown sugar? No problem. Whenever I’m out, I just use granulated sugar instead!
📝 Storage & make-ahead
- Fridge: Store leftovers covered up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Warm individual servings in the microwave, or reheat the whole pan in a 325°F oven until crisp and steaming hot again.
- Make-ahead: Assemble and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking – add 10–15 minutes to bake time if cold.
🍂 Your apple crisp questions, answered
What’s the difference between apple crisp and apple crumble?
Crisp usually includes oats for that crunchy texture; crumble skips the oats and has a softer, streusel-style topping. Both are cozy, home-baked happiness in a dish!
Why didn’t my apple crisp get crispy?
The topping might’ve been too warm when it went into the oven or too wet from excess butter. Chill it before baking and make sure the ratio leans slightly dry before baking.
Why is my filling too dry?
This can happen if your apples are not very juicy, or have difficulty releasing their juices. I’ve also noticed this when I use a dish that is too large, because the topping contains the steam of the apples as they cook, which also makes a juicier/bubblier filling.
You can absolutely remedy this if you add a few tablespoons of water or apple juice along the edges of the dish, if you notice your apple filling is not starting to bubble up around the sides after 30-35 minutes in the oven.
What are common apple crisp mistakes?
Cutting apples too small or too big (you’ll get apple sauce, or crisp you need a fork and knife to eat), using warm butter in the topping, or over-sweetening the filling (hot desserts taste sweeter than cold ones).
This Apple Crisp has lived through more autumns on this site than I can count.
From first sharing it in 2016 to now (recipe unchanged!) in October 2025, where it’s usually cooling on the counter while the kids argue over who gets the corner piece. It’s humble, it’s perfect, and it’s pure fall in a pan.
(And yes — if fall were a love story, it would definitely be between apples and crumble topping… right next to Edward and Bella 🍂🩶)
Margo Stretch says
I’m wondering why with your rhubarb crisp you preferred quick oats, whereas this recipe your topping has large oats? Does the fruit make the difference? Getting ready to make apple crisp for Canadian Thanksgiving and loved the rhubarb crisp, but noticed this difference.
Nora says
Hey Margo! That’s such a great question, and I’m so glad you loved the rhubarb crisp! The difference between using quick oats and large oats really comes down to texture. For the apple crisp, large oats give the topping a heartier, chunkier texture that pairs beautifully with the apples.
With the rhubarb crisp, the quick oats make the topping a bit softer, which works well with the tangy, softer rhubarb filling. Both are delicious, though, so if you preferred the quick oats from the rhubarb recipe, feel free to use them for the apple crisp, too! Hope you had a very happy (and tasty) Canadian Thanksgiving! 🍎😊
Kristin Foster says
Hi, I tried this recipe tonight. Was looking for something fast, easy and that really made it all about the apples. This was great. Very tasty and satisfying. I made a few adjustment; soaked the apple slices in lemon juice prior to using because I really like a tart fruit dessert. I also Love Cinnamon, so added a little extra to the crumble and a little extra salt to balance the sweet and a tiny bit of nutmeg. The only thing I might change about this is to add a little butter to the apples or more lemon juice (I think my apples were not a very juicy variety) and definitely the topping could use more butter. The best, crispiest bits were the ones that had the most butter! Lol, no such thing as too much butter! ;). Thanks for a great fall dessert. This was such an easy to follow, straightforward recipe.
Angela says
Can I prepare my apples the same way I do for an apple pie? Or will the liquid that is released cause my topping to be mushy instead of crispy? I’m looking for the taste of an apple pie without all the time.
Nora says
Angela, how do you prepare apples for apple pie? Do you mean you cook an apple pie filling? That definitely works – I often make apple pie with a crumble topping instead of a double crust. Delicious!
Kim Q says
I add frozen cranberries to my apple mix and never peel the apples. Just rinse skins really well. For the oats I used up packets of maple and brown sugar instant oats packets. More than called for but thats because we love extra oats. Great recipe!
Nora says
Kim, such a great idea with the cranberries! Sounds so delicious. And I’m glad the recipe worked out well for you!
Linda says
It was good but mine came out dry as a bone! I think I used Gala apples. Could that have been the problem?
Nora says
Apple crisps can have this problem, yes. Usually it’s because the apples didn’t really release any juice during baking – it can happen if the apples are a little older, or with certain types.
If you have this issue, you can try adding some apple juice to the filling. About 1/4 – 1/2 cup is plenty, depending on how juicy you like your filling.
If I have apples I’m not quite sure about, I bake the filling without the topping for 15-20mins first to see if the apples release their juice or not. If not, I stir in apple juice before adding the topping. Hope this helps!
Diane says
Loved your recipe. I mixed the butter recipe in a large ziplock bag which made it easier to mash up and not so much clean up. I also used the same bag to mix the apples prior. I made it with red apples only. Turned out great but next time I would cut the sugar and brown sugar in 1/2, increase the oats by another 1/4 cup. I hope this helps balance the sweetness. Thank you for sharing.
Nora says
Thank you so much for your feedback, Diane! It’s so funny, some people say this recipe is too sweet and others say it’s not sweet enough (if you ask me, it can. definitely get away with a little less sugar). Always appreciate hearing what readers think of this one!
Chris says
I doubled the recipe and used 3 cans of apple pie filling. Cook 40 minutes and then check every 5-6 minutes until more browned overall, but not completely. Turned out delicious.
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad, Chris!
Bernice Pacheco says
II need to know what I did wrong my topping didn’t crumble How long should I mixed? Replaced white sugar with Splenda
Nora says
Bernice, I think it would have been the Splenda’s fault 🙁 The topping doesn’t need to be mixed long at all, in fact, it shouldn’t be – the butter would melt and turn it into paste if you meddled with it for too long.
mary miller says
Excellent recipe and easy as pie lol to make ,its my go to for my apple crisp , thanks
Sandy says
This was the best dessert i have had in ages! It was exactly right just the way it is written. And so lovely for fall to use up apples form Apple picking
Nora says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the crisp, Patty! Thanks for your review, I appreciate your time!
Betty says
This was great! I ended up making a few modifications, didn’t have brown sugar so used all white, a d had to use quick cooking oats for the topping. Still turned out really delish.
Nora says
Betty, im glad your crisp turned out well with the modifications!
Mel says
Found on Pinterest and it was perfect. I baked for 35 mins and that was exactly right.
Nora says
I’m so glad the crisp turned out well for you, Mel!
Kathy says
Holy moly what an Apple crisp!! My extremely picky 3Yo ate half the topping off while I wasn’t looking so it really is amazing
Nora says
Haha Kathy, my 3 year old does the same! The 5 year old, too… 😀 glad the crisp went down so well!
Lola says
Really easy, I would probably add a little more sugar but maybe that’s bc my apples were very tart
Nora says
Tart apples definitely need a little extra sugar! I recommend to always taste-test the fruit when making crisps and cobblers so you can adjust the sugar amount accordingly. Glad it was good otherwise!
patty says
Made with 4 large Braeburn apples from my garden, and I think many more will follow suit. This is dangerously good!!!!!!!!!
Nora says
I love that you have an apple tree, Patty! And I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe so much!
Julia says
I’m making it right now and man! It smells so good! I was looking for easy desserts and this popped up so I figured why not give it a go? I used cassonade and sugar to make a mock brown sugar since I didn’t have any, but the topping turned out the same before baking. Thanks for the lovely recipe!
Nora says
I’m glad the apple crisp is making your house smell good, Julia! Hope it was just as delicious to eat, too 🙂 Thanks for your sweet comment – made me smile!
Connie says
I just came across this recipe while searching for an easy apple crisp and this is exactly what I was looking for! Easy and the perfect amount for my family. While searching, I was finding many recipes with so many ingredients, including many that used two sticks of butter!! Yes, two! Yikes! This particular recipe is in the oven now, and is very similar to the recipe I used to have! Can’t wait to try it. Thank you for posting 🙂
Nora says
Your comment put a big smile on my face, Connie. I hope you and your family enjoyed the crisp. And I know – some have SO much butter, it’s crazy! But 2 sticks? That’s probably more than I’d put into an apple PIE for 10 people, haha! Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me about your experience with the recipe. I appreciate it so much.
Amanda says
Good flavor. Next time I’ll peel the apples, not a fan of apple skin in desserts even tho it’s extra work. Otherwise the recipe is perfect as written
Nora says
Thank you for your feedback, Amanda! I’m glad you enjoyed the crisp otherwise. Peeling or not peeling the apples is definitely personal preference. Personally, I put in the effort for Apple pie, but not crisps – I just call my crisp rustic 😉
Annie says
This crisp! Wow! i can never make it again because we ate SO MUCH!!!! Thank you for such. A wonderful dessert!
Nora says
Aww, thanks Annie!