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.
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.
This Apple Crisp Without Oats recipe 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 9x13 dish.
The key is to make sure your 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 to Use
When choosing the best apples for baking, 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 recipe, and you can even throw in dried raisins or cranberries. Just be sure if you use pears that you use baking pears.
Helpful Tools
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 topping will get soggy.
Ingredients
👋 Want the printable recipe? Just scroll down!
You don't need a lot of ingredients 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 without Oats
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 topping.
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 9x13 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.
Step 4. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar, and cornstarch and gently mix until distributed throughout the apples.
Step 5. Stir together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, a little freshly grated nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
Step 6. Add the butter and use your hands to mix until a pebbly, crumbly mixture.
Cook's Tip: Make sure you're using cold butter.
Step 7. 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 8. Bake the Apple Crisp for about 50 minutes or until the apple crisp topping is deep golden brown.
Cook's Tip: Keep an eye on it, as your oven might require less time--I have baked in 35 mins.
Step 9. Remove from oven and allow to rest for fifteen minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
So easy but so full of flavor!
Extra Tips
- 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
An apple crisp without oats, with a streusel topping that's easy and quick to prepare and full of flavors from brown sugar and cinnamon.
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 in 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 9x13 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.
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 Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 6 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 477Saturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 148mgCarbohydrates: 82gFiber: 3gSugar: 50gProtein: 3g
Don't miss these apple desserts:
This post is part of the Top Ten Recipes of Last Year collection.
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.
This post is part of Meal Plan Monday on SouthernPlate.com.
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Beth says
Just made this for the first time. Its absolutely wonderful!!!! I grew up with NO oats in my apple crisp and this recipe tastes just like Grandma used to make. Thank you for the great recipe! One question....should leftovers be stored in the fridge or at room temp?
Lucy Brewer says
Hi Beth,
I usually store at room temp, but probably if keeping for several days I would put it in the fridge. But it never lasts that long!
Ali Berman says
I had honey crisp and gala apples in the fridge. Used all 5. Easy to make and came out delicious. Thank you so much. Will definitely be making this again.
Dawn says
This is the second time I have made this. My family absolutely loves it. Great taste and gone the same day I make it.
Lucy Brewer says
Thank you! So glad you like it!
Jan says
could you use canned peaches?
Would you make any changes to the amounts of the different ingredients?
Lucy Brewer says
I don't like the flavor or texture of canned peaches, so I wouldn't. But with that said, if you like them then I'm sure they would work fine in the recipe.
Carol Higgins says
Thank you for this. My mother never put oats in her crumble topping on an apple crisp and I don't like them in there either. Every recipe I have been able to find for apple crisp or apple crumble uses oats. I will definitely try this.
Renee' says
Thank u for sharing! So yummy! Made this today. Tweaked it alil because I am on a diet. So used brown sugar substitute & added pecans. Love it.
Lucy Brewer says
I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! I love to hear the changes that people make -- it's pretty versatile so you can do lots of things. Try it with pears next time and I bet you'll love it. 🙂
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