Apple Crisp Without Oats, with a streusel topping that’s easy and quick to prepare and full of flavors from brown sugar and cinnamon. It’s perfect for a weeknight family dinner or a fancy dinner party—your family and friends will devour this Easy Apple Crisp!
Apple Crisp Without Oats
I will tell you a secret: I love oatmeal for breakfast. But. I detest oats in any type of dessert or pretty much anywhere that is not oatmeal for breakfast.
So when making a fruit crisp I like to top it with a streusel topping without oats. Sometimes toasted nuts can be part of the streusel depending on who is going to eat it, but usually I opt for no nuts and no oats.
The key is to make sure your apple crisp topping stays crispy and doesn’t get soggy, and there are several factors that affect the topping: the apples, the dish, and the ratio of topping ingredients.
Best Apples for Apple Crisp
When choosing the best apples for apple crisp, you want to think about baking structure and liquid because some apples will get too mushy and ruin your dessert.
I like to use a mixture of Granny Smith apples and Golden Delicious apples, just like when making my Classic Double-Crust Apple Pie.
There are plenty of other apple types that you can choose from, so just keep in mind that you want to choose apples that are good for baking and mix up sweet and tart for deeper flavor.
You can also use pears or a combination of apples and pears in this apple crisp without oats recipe, and you can even throw in dried raisins or cranberries. Just be sure if you use pears that you use baking pears.
Tools for the Apple Crisp Without Oats
I like to use a shallow baking dish similar to this one when making this apple crisp. If you use a dish that’s too deep, there will be too much moisture and the apple crisp topping will get soggy.
Easy Apple Crisp
This Easy Apple Crisp is so simple you can make it for a quick dessert even during a busy week. I peel the apples then chop them right into a buttered shallow casserole dish. Mine is a little smaller than a 9×13 dish.
Pro Tip: The size of the dish is important to help the topping stay crispy. If you squish everything into a smaller, deeper dish, the topping won’t be spread out and the liquid from the apples will be more likely to affect the texture of the apple crisp topping.
Ingredients for the Apple Crisp Recipe without Oats
Want the printable recipe? Just scroll down!
You don’t need a lot of ingredients for this easy apple crisp and you probably have most of them in your pantry.
- Apples – use a mix of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious for best results
- Lemon juice – freshly squeezed
- Brown sugar
- Flour – all-purpose or self-rising is fine
- Cornstarch
- Cinnamon and nutmeg – yum!
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Butter – I use Land O’Lakes unsalted
How to Make Apple Crisp
You’re going to love how absolutely EASY this recipe is!
Step 1.
Preheat oven to 375. Butter a medium-sized shallow casserole dish.
**Cook’s Tip: Mine is a little smaller than a 9×13 dish.
Step 2.
Peel apples and then chop into 1/2-inch pieces right into the buttered dish.
Step 3.
Add the lemon juice to the apples and gently toss to coat the apples.
Add the vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar, and cornstarch and gently mix until distributed throughout the apples.
Don’t you think the streusel topping is the most important part of any fruit crisp? Since I like my apple crisp without oats, I have to make sure there’s a lot of flavor from brown sugar, and a good bit of crunchiness—no soggy apple crisp topping please!
Make sure you’re using cold butter.
Step 1.
Stir together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, a little freshly grated nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
Step 2.
Add the butter and use your hands to mix until a pebbly, crumbly mixture.
Step 3.
Sprinkle about a third of the topping over the apples and move the apples around a bit so some of the topping is mixed in with the apples. Sprinkle remaining topping over the apples.
Step 4.
Bake for 45-50 minutes until topping is golden brown.
**Cook’s Tip: Keep an eye on it, as your oven might require less time–I have baked in 35 mins.
Step 5.
Remove from oven and allow to rest for fifteen minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
Bake the Apple Crisp for about 50 minutes or until the apple crisp topping is deep golden brown (just keep an eye on it, as your oven might require less time—I have baked this in 35 minutes in some ovens).
Remove the dish from the oven and allow it to rest for fifteen minutes.
So easy but so full of flavor!
Extra Tips for the Best Apple Crisp Recipe
- You can make this Easy Apple Crisp ahead of time also. Just put it together the day before you want to bake, but leave the topping off until you’re ready to bake.
- And of course, when serving you can add some vanilla ice cream and this amazing caramel sauce and then you’ll really wow somebody!
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Easy Apple Crisp Without Oats
Ingredients
Filling
- 4-5 apples (I use 2 Granny Smith and 2 sweeter apples, whatever I have on hand)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch of kosher salt
Topping
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cold and diced
- **If you want to use chopped toasted pecans or walnuts the topping, decrease the flour by 1/2 cup and use 1 cup of chopped nuts.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Butter a medium-sized shallow casserole dish. Mine is a little smaller than a 9×13 dish.
- Peel apples and then chop into 1/2-inch pieces right into the buttered dish. Add the lemon juice to the apples and gently toss to coat the apples. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar, and cornstarch and gently mix until distributed throughout the apples.
Topping
- Stir together the flour, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, a little freshly grated nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Mix well. Add the butter and use your hands to mix until a pebbly, crumbly mixture.
- Sprinkle about a third of the topping over the apples and move the apples around a bit so some of the topping is mixed in with the apples. Sprinkle remaining topping over the apples.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until topping is golden brown (just keep an eye on it, as your oven might require less time–I have baked in 35 mins). Remove from oven and allow to rest for fifteen minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
Video
Notes
Tips for Making Easy Apple Crisp:
- Use a shallow baking dish
- Use a mix of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples
- Cold butter works best for the streusel topping
Nutrition
Don’t miss these apple desserts:
Update Notes: This post was originally published October 15, 2014, and on September 24, 2018, was updated with one or more of the following: step-by-step photos, video, updated recipe, new tips.
Time Travel to Posts You Might Have Missed:
- One Year Ago: Southern Cheese Straws
- Two Years Ago: Baked Ham with Honey Bourbon Glaze
- Three Years Ago: Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Four Years Ago: Cream Cheese Pound Cake
This post is part of Meal Plan Monday on SouthernPlate.com.
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Gretchen says
I replaced the Apples with unpeeled diced green tomatoes. I added 2 extra table spoons of brown sugar because the tomatoes were hard and tart, but should have only added 1 it was too sweet. My family enjoys green tart apples and this would have been perfect for them, a little tart if I would have only added one extra Table spoon of brown sugar. But they still loved it and the kids were surprised it was tomatoes and not apples.
Cooked for 35 minutes and it was great.
The tomatoes held their texture (a lot like apple) I did the 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts replacement you suggested (I thought the tomatoes might turn to mush and it would need the texture.
I was out of oatmeal, looking for a oatmeal free crisp recipe it what lead me here. Thank you
Sydney says
Just made this. Soooo good!!!!! Whole family ate it up! Thank you!
Maya says
Merci pour cette recette parfaitement équilibrée au niveau des proportions. Un vrai délice 👌. Thank you so much for this easy recipe, all flavors are perfectly balanced. Delicious !
Katie says
I made it tonight…..turned out absolutely beautiful…and soooo good….I will definitely make it again!
Anonymous says
Ummm. Turned out great
Karen says
This was fantastic with peaches! I used the nut variation (pecans) and thrilled with the results. Definitely will make again.
Lisa m says
Really delicious . Made it for desert tonight and topped it with icecream. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
Ramona says
I bet this would be good to use with a few of the pears still hanging on our trees.
Looks so good, I can almost smell it.
Ramona