For me, no fall is complete without making this easy apple crisp recipe! Filled with warm spices like cinnamon & ginger, it's cozy and delicious.
Is there anything better than warm apple crisp baking in the oven?
This easy apple crisp recipe is my go-to fall dessert. Not only is it a HUGE hit with our friends and family, but it’s also simple to make, it’s deliciously spiced, and it will make your kitchen smell amazing!
The Best Apple Crisp Recipe
I’ve made lots and lots of apple crisps in the past, but this one takes the cake… er… crisp. It starts with warm, stewed, soft apples – I cook them down with a little apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice!) for pop. Then, I add cinnamon, ginger, and a pinch of cardamom to give them a warm, spiced flavor. Gala apples are my favorite variety for this recipe – I like their sweet/tart flavor and firm texture. But if you have a favorite baking apple, feel free to use it here. Granny smith apples, Honeycrisps, Jonagolds, or a mix would all be excellent.
I love these stewed apples so much that I could just stop here and eat them by themselves as a truly healthy fruit-only dessert. They’d also be insanely good on oatmeal or overnight oats for breakfast.
My Easy Apple Crisp Topping
But, since this is dessert and it’s called apple crisp, let’s talk about that crisp topping! It’s a mix of rolled oats, almond flour, walnuts, coconut oil, brown sugar (or coconut sugar), and, of course, more cinnamon, because I don’t think there could ever be too much cinnamon in a fall dessert. This topping happens to be gluten-free because oats & nuts crisp up perfectly without the need for flour, and they just taste so good together.
How to Make Apple Crisp in Advance
This healthy apple crisp recipe is great for entertaining because it can almost entirely be made in advance. I make the apples and the topping ahead of time and divide the the apple mixture among the ramekins. A few minutes before serving, I sprinkle the topping over the ramekins and pop them in the oven.
I like to make these extra festive by sprinkling them with pomegranates. Serve with vanilla ice cream or coconut cream, and dig in!
If you love this easy apple crisp recipe…
Try my pumpkin bread, carrot cake, apple pie, or apple crumble next!
Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Spiced apple filling
- 4 apples, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- Pinch of sea salt
Crumble topping
- ½ cup whole rolled oats
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup crushed walnuts
- ⅓ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup firm coconut oil
For serving
- Pomegranates
- Vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease 4 (8-ounce) ramekins or an 8x8 baking dish with coconut oil.
- Make the filling: Combine the apples, apple cider vinegar, and water in a saucepan and simmer over very low heat, covered, stirring occasionally (making sure the apples don’t burn on the bottom of the pan) for 15 minutes. Uncover, stir, and add the cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and salt and stir again. The apple should be tender and the juices should be thick.
- Make the topping: In a small bowl, combine the oats, almond flour, walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Use your hands work in the firm coconut oil until the mixture crumbles. If the mixture is too dry, add a few drizzles of water until the mixture starts to stick together when pinched.
- Scoop the apple filling into the ramekins, top with the crumble (you may have a little bit extra) and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly crisp on top.
- Remove from the oven. Top with pomegranates and serve with vanilla ice cream.
Hi Jeanine! Do the apples have to be cooked in advance? I think I prefer them a little firmer than stewed. Would that impact the recipe and baking time? Thanks!
Hi Deena, I do recommend cooking the apples in advance for this recipe because of the temperature and time we recommend for baking the assembled crisp. You could cook them for a few minutes less on the stove if you want them to have more of a bite!
the crumble along is delicious and I can’t wait to taste the rest. But do I add the juices from the apples?
Hi Jocelyn, yes include the juices. I hope you enjoy!
This looks wonderful. What is your advice for making ahead? I plan to bring this to a pot luck – bake the day before and reheat at location?
Thank you!
Hi Laila, I think reheating it after baking would be just fine. Otherwise, I would cook the apples and make the filling ahead, and assemble and bake when ready to serve. I think it’ll be delicious either way.
Hello.
Can I leave out the walnuts? Do i need to substitue it with something else?
Have both cookbooks and they are my go to.
Thank you!
Hi Anja, you could use pecans as a sub, or I would make the topping to this peach cobbler instead (no nuts): https://www.loveandlemons.com/peach-cobbler/
could I substitute maple syrup for the sugar?
Hi Elizabeth, the crisp topping would get too wet with that swap. If you want to use a more natural sugar, coconut sugar would work here.
What’s a good oat substitute? I’m allergic lol .
Hi Tanyah, you could probably make this recipe omitting the oats and using more flour: https://www.loveandlemons.com/apple-crumble/#wprm-recipe-container-51582
Wonderful recipe!! The cinnamon really comes through. I left out the sugar and it was just sweet enough for me.
This was absolutely delicious! I added 1 tsp of vanilla extract for a little extra
I’m so glad you loved it!
Well it is not fall, it is Spring with our farmers market offering cold storage apples. We selected Matsu apples and the only other change was the use of sliced almonds. It was delicious!!! Also our first dessert in a long time. Thank you, always love your posts!!!
I’m so glad you loved the apple crisp!
This looks amazing! I love fall so this is perfect!
Thank you for recipe, it was delicious. What do you think about plum instead of apple?
I think plum would be great! I use this crumble for any fruit. The only difference is that I wouldn’t cook the plums ahead of time since they’re softer than apples.
Hello, what kind of apples do you use or think are best for this recipe? Thank you
Hi John, Gala apples, Granny smith apples, Honeycrisps, Jonagolds, or a mix would all be excellent.
nice dish, or crisp, love the pomegranates too
I’ve made this apple crisp 4 times in the last 2 weeks. It is truly the Best!
haha, wow, I’m coming over to your house for apple crisp :). I’m so glad you’ve been loving the recipe!
Can any flour be used in topping? My great niece is allergic to nuts of any kind.
Could i make this in a banana bread pan? I don’t own any ramekins…
yep, that should work just fine!
I’ll take mine with an extra scoop of vanilla ice cream, please 🙂
Delicious healthy dessert!