Apple Crisp Recipe With Oatmeal - Our Love Language is Food

Name: Oatmeal Apple Crisp
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 9 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped; 3 Tbsp granulated sugar; 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 C brown sugar; 3/4 C old fashioned oats; 1/4 C all-purpose flour; 1/2 C salted butter, cold and cut into small cubes; 1 tsp ground cinnamon

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Old fashioned apple crisp, just like grandma used to make! Perfectly baked spiced apples are topped with a delicious oatmeal crumble topping. Not only is this apple crisp with oat topping delicious served warm with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, it makes your house smell amazing in the process!

Close up of a serving of apple crisp on a delicate white plate topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, with another serving of apple crisp in the background next to the 9x13 pan filled with the rest of the crisp.

Apple crisp is THE dessert of fall in our house. It’s so easy to put together, and a great way to use those in-season apples from a trip to the orchard, farmers market, or grocery store. We’ve been makings crisps for years, finally landing on the recipe shared here after years of testing and tweaking and perfecting.

We love this apple crisp recipe with oat topping because it makes enough for a crowd (or enough to have leftovers to enjoy for a few days). It’s a great dessert for fall parties, football Sundays, or for the family with enough leftovers to be warmed up and enjoyed throughout the week.

If you’ve been looking for fun fall treats for a crowd, be sure to try these apple cupcakes, pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting, pumpkin pie bars, and pumpkin dip too!

Why You’ll Love This Apple Crisp Recipe With Oats

Low Maintenance Treat. Just simple and easy prep required! Peel and chop the apples, mix the ingredients together, and then bake for delicious results every time.

All the Cozy Fall Flavors. The combination of tender apples, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon creates that cozy, comforting taste of fall.

Amazing Texture Contrast. The oat crumble bakes up beautifully golden and crunchy, creating a satisfying contrast to the soft, sweet apples below.

Great for Any Occasion! Whether it’s a family dinner or holiday gathering, this classic dessert is always a crowd-pleaser, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients For Apple Crisp With Oatmeal Needed

Ingredients needed to make our apple crisp recipe with oatmeal topping.

Fresh apples. The star of this dessert! They become tender and sweet when baked, providing natural fruit flavor and satisfying texture. Make sure to select ones that are good for baking! See the section ‘What are the best apples for apple crisp’ for more information.
Granulated sugar. Adds just the right amount of sweetness to the apple filling and helps draw out the natural juices during baking.
Ground cinnamon AND pumpkin pie spice. Bring warm fall spices that enhance the natural apple flavor and create that classic, cozy apple crisp taste. Pumpkin pie spice is convenient and easy to find, so you don’t have to measure out all kinds of miscellaneous spices.
Old fashioned oats. Provide our topping with a hearty, chewy texture that creates the signature crispy crumble topping everyone loves.
Brown sugar. Adds rich, molasses-like sweetness to the crumble topping and helps create the golden, caramelized color when baked.
All-purpose flour. Helps bind the crumble ingredients together and creates structure in the topping.
Salted butter. Essential for creating the perfect crumbly texture and rich flavor in the topping. Using cold butter is key to achieving the right texture.
Optional Toppings for serving: vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce. I mean… who doesn’t love a scoop of ice cream on top of warm apple crisp?!? A little caramel drizzle just makes it a bit extra.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

What are the Best Apples for Apple Crisp?

The best apples for baking are those varieties that are firm and will hold their shape during the baking process. Some of the best varieties include:

Pink Lady
Gala
Honeycrisp
Fuji
Granny Smith
Haralson
Golden Delicious
Braeburn
McIntosh

Tip of Picking the Best Apples

If you have a local apple orchard where you pick apples or that comes to your local farmers market, ask them about the varieties they have! You may find a new favorite baking apple to enjoy in this easy apple crisp recipe.

What Kind of Oats Should I use for the Oatmeal Crumble Topping?

Old fashioned oats, or rolled oats, are the best option for crumble topping with oats. They provide a wonderful texture and taste to your crumble.

Quick oats will work if that is what you have in your cabinet, but won’t provide quite as nice of a texture for your oatmeal crumble.

Steel cut oats and instant oats will not work well and I do not recommend using them for your oatmeal crumble topping.

Check out our guide to the different type of oats for more detailed information.

Helpful Equipment

Apple Corer, Peeler, Chef’s Knife, and Cutting Board -OR- Apple Peeler Corer Slicer (great option if you do a lot of baking with apples!)
Large Mixing Bowl
Medium Mixing Bowl
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cups
Wooden Spoon
Pastry Cutter
9×13 Baking Dish

How to Make Apple Crisp With Oatmeal

Set oven and prep pan. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 pan and set aside.

Process shot showing the spices being poured over the cut apple pieces in a large mixing bowl for the filling.

Prepare the crisp filling by adding all filling ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

Process shot showing the filling ingredients being mixed together in a large mixing bowl.

Toss the chopped apples with the sugar and spices until evenly coated.

Process shot showing the apple filling being poured into a 9x13 pan.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and set aside.

Process shot showing the cold butter being added to a medium mixing bowl for the oatmeal topping.

Prepare the crumble topping by placing all the crumb topping ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Be sure your butter is COLD when you add it to the bowl.

Process shot showing off the oatmeal topping after the butter has been cut in.

Blend the topping together by using a pastry cutter, fork, or your hands. Continue to mix until the mixture creates pea-sized clumps.

Process shot showing the oat topping being spread over the apple filling in the 9x13 pan.

Add the oat topping to the crisp filling by spreading it over the apple filling mixture and gently patting it into an even layer (make sure to spread your topping into the corners!).

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the apple mixture is bubbling around the edges of the pan.

Cool Slightly and Serve: Allow the apple crisp to cool for 15-20 minutes prior to serving. Serve warm, with the option to top with vanilla ice cream and/or caramel drizzle.

Oatmeal Apple Crisp Variations and Substitutions

Use a mix of sweet and tart apples. Using half sweet and half tart apples in your apple crumble recipe tastes wonderful! Mix and match two of your favorite apples that are good for baking to make the very best apple crisp!
- Some tart apple favorites are Granny Smith, Braeburn, and McIntosh.
- Apples that are both sweet and tart that are great for baking include Pink Ladies and Honeycrisp.
- Sweet apples great for baking include Galas and Fuji apples.
Change the spice profile. Some apple crisp recipes use cinnamon as the only spice. If that is your preference, replace the pumpkin pie spice with ground cinnamon.
Add more topping: if you love an extra thick layer of oat crumble on your apple crisp, 1.5x (or even double) the oat topping portion of the recipe. No judgment here!

Possible Dietary Restrictions?

This apple crisp recipe is vegetarian and egg free as written. One small modification is needed to make this recipe into a gluten-free apple crisp:

To make this into a gluten free apple dessert, swap out the all-purpose flour in the oat crumble for a one-to-one gluten free flour alternative. Additionally, if you are serving this to someone with celiac intolerance it is wise to ensure your rolled oats specifically note ‘gluten free’ on the package.

Tips For Making This Apple Crisp Recipe With Oats

9 medium apples will result in somewhere between 8-10 cups of sliced or chopped apples. Because apple sizes vary widely, it can be tough to get the exact amount. But if you aim for medium apples about the size of a tennis ball, you’ll be in the right zone. Another reasons crisps are great, they’re forgiving!

If you have super juicy apples, you may want to toss in a little thickener (like all-purpose flour or cornstarch) into the apple mixture to help prevent a watery apple crisp. You’ll only need about 1 Tablespoon of your chosen thickener to help soak up that excess liquid as the crisp bakes.

Be sure to let your apple crisp rest for 10-15 minutes after baking prior to serving. This allows the pectin in the apples to set and thicken the juices released during baking in the apple layer.

How to Serve This Apple Crisp Recipe With Oatmeal

Apple crisp can be served warm or cold based on personal preference. Serving apple crisp warm is the most common way to enjoy this delicious fall dessert.

Serving apple crisp with oat crumble topping with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top is a classic and delicious addition! Take it one step further with a drizzle of caramel sauce or salted caramel sauce.

Close up of a serving of apple crisp on a delicate white plate topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a fork digging into the apple crisp, ready to take a bite of this fall dessert.

Storing and Reheating Apple Crisp With Oats

Store cooked and fully cooled apple crisp covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.

When ready to enjoy, scoop your serving into a bowl and heat in the microwave in 30 second increments until the desired temperature is reached. Top with ice cream and caramel sauce if desired and enjoy!

Recipe FAQs

What are the Best Apples for Apple Crisp?

The best apples for baking are those varieties that are firm and will hold their shape during the baking process. Some of the best apples for apple crisp include:
– Pink Lady
– Gala
– Honeycrisp
– Fuji
– Granny Smith
– Haralson
– Golden Delicious
– Braeburn
– McIntosh
Note: If you have a local apple orchard where you pick apples or that comes to your local farmers market, ask them about the varieties they have! You may find a new favorite baking apple.

What’s the Difference Between Apple Crisp, Apple Crumble, and Apple Cobbler?

Have you always wondered what the difference between a crisp, a crumble, and a cobbler is? While none have a bottom layer, and have similar fillings, the difference lies in the topping.

Crisps have oats and sometimes nuts in the topping. Crumbles have a similar streusel style topping to a crisp but leave out the oats. Cobblers have a pie-dough or biscuit dough topping.

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Comments

5 from 11 votes (6 ratings without comment)

Apple Crisp with Oat Topping

Why You’ll Love This Apple Crisp Recipe With Oats

Ingredients For Apple Crisp With Oatmeal Needed