Apple Crisp
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This is my go-to apple crisp recipe—tart apples bubbling under a buttery oat-pecan topping. Simple, rustic, and so, so good.
This rustic apple crisp, made with tart apples bubbling away in their juices under a crispy, buttery oat-pecan streusel, is a longtime favorite of mine. In fact, it’s one of the very first recipes I shared on this blog many years ago. It’s wonderful warm from the oven, but honestly, I love the cold leftovers with my morning coffee just as much. Serve it plain, or take it up a notch with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or even caramel sauce.
“We went apple picking with the grandkids. When we got back we used this recipe. It was a total hit and gone quickly.”
What You’ll Need To Make Apple Crisp
- Flour, Oats & Pecans: These form the base of the streusel topping. The flour holds everything together, the oats give it that classic rustic texture, and the pecans add a buttery crunch.
- Brown & Granulated Sugars: Sweeten both the apples and the topping. The brown sugar brings a hint of molasses, while the granulated sugar helps everything caramelize as it bakes. (Be sure to pack the brown sugar when you measure—it makes a difference.)
- Butter: Cold butter is key. It gives the topping its crumbly texture and helps it bake up golden and crisp instead of greasy or heavy.
- Apples: Go for tart-sweet varieties like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, Jonagold, Jonathan, or Golden Delicious—or better yet, use a mix for the best balance of flavor and texture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Start the streusel topping. In a food processor, combine the flour, brown sugar, ¼ cup of the granulated sugar, and salt, and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and pulse again until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
Step 2: Finish the topping. Transfer the crumb mixture to a bowl, then stir in the pecans and oats. Set it aside while you prepare the filling.
Step 3: Prepare the filling. Generously butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the remaining 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar until evenly coated, then pour them into the prepared dish.
Step 4: Add the topping. Sprinkle with the oat topping and make sure it’s evenly distributed over the apples.
Step 5: Bake the crisp. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the apples are tender when pierced with a knife and the topping is golden and crisp. Let it cool for at least 15 minutes before serving—it’s wonderful warm from the oven.
Video Tutorial
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Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- Pinch salt
- 6 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch (13-mm) dice
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2½ pounds tart baking apples (about 5 large), peeled, cored and sliced ¼-inch (6-mm) thick
- Vanilla ice cream or Whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- In a food processor, pulse the flour with the brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) of the granulated sugar, and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl and stir in the pecans and oats. Set aside.
- Generously butter a shallow 2-quart (2-L) baking dish. In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the remaining 6 tablespoons granulated sugar. Transfer the apple mixture to the prepared baking dish and cover with the oat topping. Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the apples are tender when pierced and the topping is toasted. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The baked crisp can be frozen, tightly covered, for up to 3 months. Before serving, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat it, uncovered, in a 300°F (150°C) oven until heated through and crisp on top.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Comments
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Another AMAZING recipe! Thank you JeNN!!
Hi! I have this in the oven right now 🙂 Something I’ve always wondered – when you write recipes, is the indicated weight/volume always *before* something is chopped? Like for the 2 1/2 lbs apples – is it 2 1/2 lbs of whole apples, knowing it’ll be more like 1.75 lbs once it’s peeeled and cored? Or, are you peeling/coring enough apples to reach 2 1/2 lbs total of slices?
Hi Katie, when the weight/volume is listed for a recipe ingredient, that’s what you should be buying at the store. 🙂
Hi Jenn,
Would ambrosia apples work fine in this recipe?
Sure, they should work nicely. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn!
When you make this and your apple pie what kind of apples do you usually use?
Hi Jess, I like to use a blend of different types of apples (like Fuji, Granny Smith, Jonagolds, Jonathans, Golden Delicious, Gala, Honey Crisp). Hope you enjoy the crisp!
Had to laugh! My friends always tease me about the kind of apples I put in my pie. I always start with 2 Granny Smiths, then mix up the others! Good to see someone else does that! They think I am crazy……but they still love the pie!
Hi. I can’t wait to make this and freeze it for the upcoming Jewish holidays. Do I defrost it before reheating or bake again straight from the freezer? Thanks.
Hi Marsha, I would thaw it before reheating it. (I’m going to add that to the freezer-friendly directions). Enjoy!
thanks!
No amount of flour or brown sugar, or oats are listed, nor is the amount of chunks of butter. I am HIGHLY disappointed.
What about the ingredients/amounts for each topping item?
Maureen Humphreys
Hi Maureen, It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
Hi Jenn,
Absolutely love all your recipes. You’re my go to for baking/cooking and the only chef I now follow or always recommend. Thank you, , Jenn! Quick question: would this recipe (or any of your crumbles/cobblers) work with using frozen blackberries as the fruit? Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Thanks for your kind words about the recipes — so glad you like them! If you want to use blackberries, I’d suggest using my blueberry cobbler recipe. Keep in mind that I haven’t tried it with blackberries so I can’t say for sure how it will come out. The blackberries may give off too much juice on their own so if you want to try it, I’d suggest doing a combination of blackberries and blueberries. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you make it!
I can’t tell you how much I enjoy making your recipes as well as incorporating the tips and comments into my own dishes. This apple crips and the peach crisp are two of my faves. I froze the prepared peaches when I had some fresh from the farmer’s market and also froze the prepared crumble topping. I used up the peaches, but had some topping mix left over in the freezer… so, a smaller batch of apple crisp was on the menu. It was perfect! And as a universal crumble topping to keep on hand, it works well. I added my own spice mix to it and saved it in a zip lock bag. Alway be prepared for any type of crisp… so good, and thanks so much for sharing your recipes
So do I just increase the flour in the food processor or do I just stir it with the pecans.
I would include the additional flour in the food processor.
Can you make this without oats?
Sure, you can replace the oats with flour. I’d love to hear how it turns out!