Apple Crisp Recipe with Oats

This apple crisp recipe with oats uses a buttery crumble topping you can mix by hand, no pastry cutter needed. Serve it warm with ice cream. Give it a try!

Apple crisp recipe with oats is a baked apple dessert made with cinnamon-spiced golden delicious apples under a brown sugar and oat crumble topping. It bakes in an 8×8 dish until golden brown and bubbly, and it’s served warm.

If you want an Apple Oatmeal Crisp that skips the fussy crust, this apple crisp recipe with oats comes together in two bowls with plenty of apple cinnamon flavor. One heads-up before you start: the butter has to be cold and diced small, so take it out of the fridge last.

Reasons to Make This Apple Crisp Recipe with Oats

• Warm cinnamon apples: Golden delicious apples get tossed with cinnamon, a little granulated sugar, and a splash of lemon juice before they bake.
• Crumbly oat topping: Brown sugar, oats, flour, and cold butter turn into a golden brown layer over the fruit.
• Two bowls, one dish: Everything gets mixed in two bowls and baked in a single 8×8 baking dish, so cleanup stays simple.
• Flexible with apples: Other apple varieties work, and you can slice them instead of chopping if that suits you better.
• Great with a scoop: Vanilla bean ice cream or whipped cream on top is all this dessert needs.

Ingredients You’ll Need for Apple Crisp Recipe with Oats

Category	Ingredient	Measurement	Quick Note
Spiced apples	Golden delicious apples	6	Peeled and chopped; other varieties can be used, and they can also be sliced
Spiced apples	Granulated sugar	2 Tbsp	Stirred in with the apples
Spiced apples	Ground cinnamon	3/4 tsp	Goes in the apple mixture
Spiced apples	Lemon juice	1 1/2 tsp	Stirred in with the apples
Crisp topping	Light brown sugar	1 cup	Mixed into the topping
Crisp topping	Old fashioned oats	3/4 cup	Quick oats can be used, but the texture may be slightly different
Crisp topping	All-purpose flour	3/4 cup	Mixed into the topping
Crisp topping	Ground cinnamon	1 tsp	Separate from the cinnamon in the apples
Crisp topping	Kosher salt	Pinch	Mixed into the topping
Crisp topping	Cold unsalted butter	1/2 cup	Diced into small cubes

Shopping tip: The oats and the butter shape the crisp topping the most. Old fashioned oats are what the recipe calls for, and quick oats work with a slightly different texture. Pick up unsalted butter and keep it cold until you’re ready to cut it in.

Making Apple Crisp with Oats, Step by Step

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8×8 baking dish, or spray it with non-stick cooking spray. Set it aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the chopped apples, granulated sugar, 3/4 tsp of the cinnamon, and lemon juice. Stir, then transfer the apples to the prepared baking dish.
   

   Good to Know: Other apple varieties can be used, and the apples can be sliced instead of chopped.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, add the topping ingredients: brown sugar, oats, flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, salt, and diced cold butter.
4. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the oat mixture, using a slight downward twisting motion, until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs. Alternatively, you can use two forks or even your hands.
   

   Good to Know: A pastry cutter is helpful here, but two forks or your hands will cut the butter in just as well.

5. Spread the topping over the apples in the baking dish and gently pat it to even it out. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.
6. Serve warm. Vanilla bean ice cream or whipped cream makes a great topper.
   

   Good to Know: Quick oats can replace old fashioned oats, though the topping may come out with a slightly different texture.

Helpful Tips for Apple Crisp with Oats

Little Things That Make a Big Difference

• Keep the butter cold and diced into small cubes so it cuts into the oat mixture evenly.
• Stop cutting in the butter when the mixture looks like pea-sized crumbs.
• Split the cinnamon as written: 3/4 tsp goes with the apples and 1 tsp goes in the topping.
• Pat the topping gently over the apples just to even it out.
• Go by color and bubbling as well as the clock. The crisp is ready when it looks golden brown and bubbly.

Easy Twists

• Optional: quick oats. Swap in quick oats for the old fashioned oats. The topping may have a slightly different texture.
• Optional: different apples. Use another apple variety in place of golden delicious.
• Optional: sliced apples. Slice the apples instead of chopping them.

If Something Goes Wrong

• If you don’t have a pastry cutter, then use two forks or your hands to cut the cold butter into the mixture until it looks like pea-sized crumbs.
• If the topping isn’t golden brown and the filling isn’t bubbly at 40 minutes, then keep baking. The recipe’s window runs up to 50 minutes.
• If your topping turns out a little different with quick oats, then that’s expected. The recipe notes the texture may be slightly different.

How Long Does Apple Crisp Keep?

Method	Keeps For	Tips
Room temperature	No more than 2 hours	Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of serving.
Refrigerator	3 to 4 days	Store in a covered container, and label it with the name and date.

These limits come from Illinois Extension’s guide to handling leftovers, which also says to reheat leftovers to a minimum of 165°F. The original recipe doesn’t give reheating times, so go by that temperature target.

Leftovers are good served the same way as the first night, with vanilla bean ice cream or whipped cream on top.

Frequently Asked Questions

Your Turn

Grab some apples and give this one a go. If it turns out well in your kitchen, leave a comment or a star rating so other cooks know. Then save it to Pinterest so it’s easy to find next time. Want more to make? Try the whipped feta apple walnut crostini or the Reese’s layered brownie trifle.

Save this apple crisp recipe with oats for your next dessert night: cinnamon apples, a buttery brown sugar oat crumble, and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top. Pin it to your apple dessert recipes board so it’s ready when you are.