This easy Old Fashioned Apple Crisp is a small-batch recipe requiring only three apples and a few pantry ingredients. It's easy to make for two or a crowd. I love this delicious apple dessert, with cinnamon apples and a delicious crumble topping, just like Grandma would make.
🍎Ingredients
Apples—2 to 3 apples, usually Green Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Ida Red.
Pantry ingredients—All-purpose flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and butter.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🍎Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Make Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- 🍎The best apples to use for apple crisp
- 📋Other sweet apple recipes
- ↕️How to make this "for two" or "family size"
- 🍽️Serving apple crisp
- ❄️How to store leftover apple crisp
- ❓FAQs
- 🥣What are Cobblers, Crumbles, and Crisps?
- 📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Featured Comment by Terry:
"It's an wonderful recipe and tastes just like my Grandmother's and Mother's when they made it."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This old-fashioned apple crisp is a simple, small-batch recipe for smaller households but easy to scale down to make apple crisp for two or scale up for groups.
Perfect for home cooks. Prepare three apples, make a simple crumble topping, spread it over the prepared apples, and bake to golden brown.
👨🍳How to Make Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Prep an 8-inch square baking dish with a butter coat.
2. Peel (optional) and cube or slice 2 ½ to 3 cups of apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
3. Mix a topping of flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in cold butter.
4. Spread the prepared apples in the dish. Spread the topping mixture over the apples.
5. Bake at 375° for about 40 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool before serving.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
🍎The best apples to use for apple crisp
This simple recipe is an excellent way to use up extra apples that are overripe, old, or soft.
Use the apples you have and love. Apple varieties that are firmer and tarter are the best choice here. Green Granny Smith apples are suggested if you buy apples for this recipe, but other good options are Honey Crisp and Ida Red.
Other apples like Pink Lady, Braeburn, and Fuji all make good apple crisps. I use what I happen to have in the house, but I would not recommend using Red Delicious or Macintosh since they will cook softer.
You may want to adjust the sugar for the sweetness of the apples, especially if using tart or very sweet apples.
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📋Other sweet apple recipes
Don't miss these other apple recipes, like Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Easy Apple Crumb Pie, Crock Pot Apple Cobbler, and Apple Bread.
↕️How to make this "for two" or "family size"
This small recipe fits nicely in an 8 X 8-inch baking pan. You can also use a 6 X 9 oblong baking dish or a 9-inch round.
A half recipe will fit in two ramekins of 8 or 10 ounces (about 4-inch diameter), 6-inch round, or 5-inch square pan. This recipe doubles easily and fits nicely in a 9 by 13 standard cake or casserole pan.
- Use the recipe card and adjust the servings.
- Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
- Cook until the top is brown, the filling is bubbling, and the apples are soft. Ramekins may only take about 20-25 minutes. A double recipe may be almost an hour.
🍽️Serving apple crisp
Apple crisp is a delicious apple dessert but is a great snack or served for brunch. A double recipe is perfect for any bring-a-dish party.
Like apple pie, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is the traditional topping. But a drizzle of caramel sauce is a good addition.
❄️How to store leftover apple crisp
After cooking, refrigerate for 3-4 days, covered tightly. Reheat briefly in a microwave.
Apple crisp can freeze for about three months when sealed tightly—I suggest plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. If you freeze it, thaw it before reheating.
❓FAQs
No, it is more of a matter of personal taste. I have always had peeled apples, so you will see that in the images, but it's entirely your option.
Yes, just use gluten-free flour.
If the apples are set after preparation, they can turn brown with oxygenation. Coat with ½ teaspoon of lemon juice will help prevent this.
🥣What are Cobblers, Crumbles, and Crisps?
Cobblers are easy; they have a biscuit or cake-like topping.
Crumbles and crisps are frequently used interchangeably. But some feel that the differentiating factor is crumbles have oats in the topping, and crisps do not. So, in my world, this is a crisp. But call it a crumble if you want.
Check out these other crisps, crumble, and cobbler recipes, like Crock Pot Apple Crisp, Apple Berry Crumble, or Berry Crisp for Two.
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Easy Old Fashioned Apple Crisp
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 2½ to 3 cups apples - sliced about 2 large or 3 medium
- 1 cup flour
- ¾ to 1 cup sugar - depending on the sweetness of the apples
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon - divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick butter - ½ cup
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°.
- Peel(optional) and cube or slice 2 ½ to 3 cups of apples. That will be two larger apples or three smaller ones. Use Granny Smith, Ida Red, or many other varieties, but avoid Red Delicious and Macintosh apples. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Prep an 8-inch square baking dish with a butter coat.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of flour with 1 cup of sugar, but adjust the sugar to ¾ cup if your apples are very sweet. Add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Mix well. Cut 8 tablespoons of cold butter into the dry ingredients using a fork or pie crust cutter.
- Spread the prepared apples in the dish. Spread the topping mixture over the apples.
- Bake for about 40 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool some before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- This fits nicely in an 8x8 pan, but a 9X6 or 9-inch round will work. A 9x9 will be thinner and not suggested.
- This is an easy recipe to adjust up or down. A double recipe fits nicely in a standard 9 by 13 cake or casserole pan. Various pan sizes are discussed in the post.
- You can use the apples you love, but I suggest not using Red Delicious or Macintosh. Granny Smith or Ida Red apples are recommended.
- Cut the sugar down to ¾ cup if the apples are very sweet.
- Brown sugar may be used for a slightly different flavor.
- The amount of apple slices can vary up or down some.
- A bit of cooling before serving helps it hold together.
- Store refrigerated airtight for 4 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheats nicely in the microwave.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Publisher Note: Originally Published October 25, 2014, It is a great simple recipe. It was updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Bobbie says
Perfect!! I didn't change a thing. I prefer the flour vs oatmeal in a crisp topping. The recipe did state what type of butter, so I use salted. I will make this again!!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Bobbie,
Welcome to the blog. On my blog, salt means salted butter. Most home cooks don't stock unsalted butter. If you have unsalted, you can always add a pinch of salt. Unsalted becomes important when butter is a primary ingredient, like butter cookies. Otherwise, use what you have.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Terry Getchell says
Dr. Dan, You suggest to NOT use Macintosh but not why. I've had this apple crisp for 60 years and it was ALWAYS made with Macintosh apples. Is it because they break down that you don't suggest them? I was born and raised in the north and for that reason I assume it's why I like the soft apples in this crisp. It's an wonderful recipe and tastes just like my Grandmother's and Mother's when they made it.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Terry,
Macintosh apples, somewhat like red delicious apples, will breakdown rapidly during cooking although more so with the red delicious apples (not the golden). So it is a texture thing with Macs. Having said that, my favorite apples are cortlands which are similar to macintosh but just a little firmer and hold up well during cooking—but are harder to find.
Have said all that, use what you love, you love macs, use them.
Dan
Karen says
Way too sweet! Only used 3/4 c sugar. Stitch sweet.
Brenda M. says
I made this Apple Crisp today! Followed the recipe except used half brown sugar. It was so easy and turned out perfect! So yummy!