Apple Crisp
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Apples bubbling under a crunchy oat-pecan streusel, this rustic apple crisp is the ultimate fall dessert.
This rustic apple crisp recipe with tart apples bubbling away in their juices under a golden brown buttery oat-pecan streusel is a longtime favorite of mine, thanks in part to its irresistibly crisp topping. In fact, it’s one of the very first recipes I shared on this blog many years ago. It tastes wonderful served warm out of the oven, but honestly, I like the cold leftovers with my morning coffee just as much! This crisp is perfect on its own, or you can 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
- All-Purpose Flour: Adds structure to the streusel topping, helping it to hold together and bake into a perfect crumbly texture.
- Light Brown Sugar: Provides sweetness and a hint of molasses flavor to the topping. When measuring brown sugar, always pack it tightly to eliminate air pockets.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens both the apples and the streusel, balancing the tartness of the fruit and adding a lovely caramelization as it bakes.
- Butter: Creates a rich, crumbly texture in the streusel and helps it to crisp up in the oven. The streusel will come together best if the butter is very cold.
- Pecans: Add a nutty crunch to the topping.
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats: Contribute to the crisp texture of the streusel, making it more substantial and giving it a rustic feel.
- Baking Apples: For the best results, use tart-sweet apples like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, Jonagold, Jonathan, or Golden Delicious. I love using a mix of different varietals for a more balanced and complex flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
In a food processor, pulse the flour with the brown sugar, ¼ cup of the granulated sugar, and salt until combined, then add the chunks of butter.
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 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.
Sprinkle with the oat topping and make sure it’s evenly distributed.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the apples are tender when pierced and the topping is toasted. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
Anytime you’re baking with apples whether it’s apple pie or applesauce, it’s a good idea to use a blend of tart and sweet baking apples for the best flavor. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, Jonagold, Jonathan, and Golden Delicious are all good options—try different varietals and see what combinations you like best.
You could just omit the pecans; the topping will still be deliciously crisp. Or you can substitute walnuts or almonds or a handful of unsalted pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
Sure! The baked apple 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 oven until heated through and crisp on top.
Video Tutorial
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Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar divided
- Pinch salt
- 6 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter cut into ½-inch 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
- Whipped cream or Vanilla ice 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 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 if desired.
- 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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What a wonderful idea to mix different types of apples in a crisp! This is really yummy. The pecans add a really nice crunch and, in a good way, “un-sweeten” the crumble part. A great excuse to eat whipped cream! A+
This was hands-down fabulous! Everyone cleaned the entire dish at a family birthday party. Made recipe exactly as described! A home-run Jenn..
Made this for Thanksgiving. Not a huge hit. Ended up tossing half of it. Apples were not as flavorful as in a pie. Used a processor for crumb topping but did not crumble enough even though the Butter was cold.
I used half Honeycrisp and half Granny Smith and it was amazing! My four year old son helped me make the crisp topping!! I added some cinnamon to the sugar to the apples! Great fall recipe!
What are your thoughts about making this with another flour for gluten free diets?
Hi Karen, I think that would work fine here. Hope you enjoy!
Highly recommend Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 GF flour blend (already has xanthan), or King Arthur Measure for Measure (great price for 5 lb bag at BJ’s). Or if you have your own homemade blend, use that. I also prepare and have on hand America’s Test Kitchen all-purpose GF flour blend (has no xanthan, so if a recipe calls for it, must add, but such a versatile, inexpensive GF flour blend in so many recipes; always have success with the ATK blend).
glutenfreeandmore.com has recipe using almond flour, 3T butter + maple syrup for the topping in Apple-Cranberry Crumble– GF and delish! I can’t eat even GF oats, so I make that recipe for myself. My husband can’t eat almonds, so I’m making Jenn’s topping for his. Thanks, Jennifer!
Hi Jenn, love your blog and have tried many of your recipes with great success! (I really should start adding reviews!). Might make this crisp for Rosh Hashanah to change things up. Made your French Apple Cake last year and it was great. I need more than what this recipe makes. Have you doubled or 1 1/2 times the recipe and used a larger dish 9 x 13? Suggestions please. Thank you!
Hi Susan, Glad to hear you’re enjoying the recipes! You could definitely double this– just make sure you use a baking dish that holds 4 quarts. Enjoy!
Great recipe!
Yum! I made this with Lobo apples we picked at our local orchard today, and the recipe is a nice, easy (but still very tasty) alternative to apple pie. The only addition I made to the apple slices was a dash of pumpkin pie spice, which another commenter inspired me to do. The only mistake I made was to try and rush the top-browning process by turning on the broiler and leaving it a minute too long…this resulted in a bit of burning of the topping, but it wasn’t seriously burnt, and the whole thing was actually quite delicious. (And the original recipe obviously did not recommend broiling, so that mistake was all mine! Just mentioning it as a warning to others who may also think of taking this shortcut).
Thanks again, Jennifer!
How can I make ahead and reheat when ready to use?
This is a recipe that works well when made ahead and reheated. I’d take it out of the fridge about an hour prior to sticking it in the oven, then I’d reheat at 300 – 350 degrees until warm in the middle.
How long would it take to reheat Jenn?
This is the BEST apple crisp ever!
So glad you like it! I’d guesstimate it would need 45 to 50 minutes to reheat.
So do you not toast the pecans before adding them? The recipe doesn’t say to do so, but in the step-by-step above, you mention mixing in the toasted pecans. Also, I assume that you roughly chop them? Thanks!
Thanks, Mary. That’s a typo — you don’t need to toast the pecans; they get plenty toasted while they bake.