Name: Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp – Sweet Easy Recipes Everyone Loves
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 6 cups peeled, sliced apples (about 6 medium apples); 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces; 1/4 teaspoon salt

Jump to Recipe

This old-fashioned apple crisp brings the cozy warmth of fall right into your kitchen. It’s one of those sweet easy recipes you turn to when you’re craving something nostalgic. Made with tender baked apples and a golden, buttery oat topping, it’s everything you want dessert to be — simple, homey, and ridiculously good. I always say apple crisp is what happens when you want apple pie, but your energy says, ‘nah.’ No crust to roll, no fuss to deal with. Just good, honest flavors that taste like comfort on a spoon. I like mine with a scoop of vanilla ice cream — it melts into the warm apples and makes each bite feel like a warm hug. If you’ve got a couple apples and a pantry that isn’t empty, you’re halfway there. Perfect for those quick evening snacks or when you’re daydreaming about air fryer desserts easy recipes but decide to keep it classic. Let’s make dessert the easy way.

1) Key Takeaways
2) Easy Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp Recipe
3) Ingredients for Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp
4) How to Make Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp
5) Tips for Making Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp
6) Making Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp Ahead of Time
7) Storing Leftover Apple Crisp
8) Try these Desserts next!
9) Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp
10) Nutrition

1) Key Takeaways

This apple crisp recipe is quick, comforting, and full of flavor.
Made with pantry staples, it’s one of those sweet easy recipes you’ll turn to again and again.
You can prep the ingredients in under 20 minutes and bake it all in one dish.
Perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a cozy dessert that feels like home.

2) Easy Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp Recipe

This old-fashioned apple crisp is my go-to when I want something warm, sweet, and simple. You know how some desserts ask for a lot of drama in the kitchen? This isn’t one of them. This is comfort food, plain and good. It’s got the kind of no-fuss charm your grandma would’ve approved of — if she had the internet and loved sweet easy recipes like I do.

I like to keep things real. No fancy tools. Just a few apples, some butter, oats, and sugar. It all comes together in this crisp, golden topping that hugs the soft cinnamon-spiced apples like a blanket. If you’re looking for air fryer desserts easy recipes, trust me, this will make you reconsider the oven.

Best part? You can mix it all up in a couple of bowls, pop it in the oven, and in less than an hour your whole house will smell like a cozy bakery. This one’s stayed in my recipe rotation for years and for good reason — it works. It’s part of my quick and easy recipes lineup, and honestly, one of my favorites.

3) Ingredients for Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

6 cups peeled, sliced apples: Choose a firm apple like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. You want that balance between sweet and tart, and something that won’t turn to mush while baking.

2 tablespoons granulated sugar: This gives a little sweetness and helps the apples release their juices while baking.

1 teaspoon cinnamon: Brings warmth and that classic apple crisp flavor. It smells like autumn in your kitchen.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract: Adds depth and a cozy, homemade touch. You’ll miss it if you skip it.

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour: Helps thicken the fruit layer so it’s not too runny once baked.

3/4 cup brown sugar: Adds that rich, molasses-like sweetness to the topping.

3/4 cup old-fashioned oats: These give the topping its hearty texture. Don’t use quick oats here.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour: Combines with the butter and oats to form those golden, crispy clusters on top.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces: This is where the magic happens. Cold butter creates those perfect crumbly bits in the topping.

1/4 teaspoon salt: Just enough to balance out all the sweetness and bring out the flavor in the topping.

4) How to Make Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9 baking dish. I usually grab a bit of butter and rub it along the inside like I’m tucking it in for a nap.

Step 2: In a large bowl, mix the sliced apples with granulated sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir it all together like you’re tossing a fall salad.

Step 3: Pour that apple mixture into your prepared baking dish and spread it evenly. You want a flat, happy bed of fruit ready for its topping.

Step 4: In another bowl, mix the brown sugar, oats, 1/2 cup flour, and salt. Add the butter pieces and blend everything together using a pastry cutter or your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Step 5: Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples. Don’t pat it down. Let it stay a bit crumbly and uneven — that’s where the crispy texture comes from.

Step 6: Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. When the top looks golden and the apples bubble underneath, it’s done. Pull it out, let it sit for 10 minutes if you can stand to wait, and then dig in.

5) Tips for Making Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

Use a mix of apples. Combining a tart variety like Granny Smith with a sweeter type like Fuji gives you a fuller flavor. It also keeps things interesting texture-wise.

Cut the apples evenly. This helps everything bake at the same pace. Nobody wants some apples mushy while others are barely soft. Keep them around a quarter inch thick for best results.

If your topping looks like dry sand before baking, you’re doing it right. Don’t overmix. The butter should stay cold and the pieces should be crumbly. That’s what makes the topping crispy and not cakey.

6) Making Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp Ahead of Time

This dish is a dream when you’re hosting. You can prep everything the night before. Just toss the apples with the sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla and keep that in the fridge. Store the topping in a separate container. When you’re ready to bake, spread the fruit in a dish, add the topping, and pop it in the oven.

It’s also great for meal prep. I know, “dessert” and “meal prep” sound odd in the same sentence, but trust me — when you’re craving something sweet on a weekday evening, you’ll be glad past-you was thinking ahead.

Just don’t assemble everything too early or the topping can go soggy. Keep the layers apart until baking time.

7) Storing Leftover Apple Crisp

If you somehow don’t finish the whole thing in one sitting — which, wow, that’s some self-control — just cover it tightly and refrigerate. It’ll stay good for up to five days. I like to scoop a bit into a bowl, microwave it for 30 seconds, and add a spoonful of yogurt or ice cream on top. Breakfast or dessert? Who cares.

You can freeze it too. Let it cool completely, cover it with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to two months. Reheat in the oven at 350°F until warmed through and crispy again.

That makes it great for surprise guests or those nights when sweet easy recipes sound a lot better than cooking something from scratch.

8) Try these Desserts next!

9) Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp