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Plate of old fashioned apple crisp topped with a scoop of ice cream sitting on a plate.

Old Fashioned Apple Crisp Recipe Without Oats

This old fashioned apple crisp recipe without oats is simple, cozy, and full of nostalgic flavor. Made with tart apples, sugar, cinnamon, and a buttery crumble topping, it bakes into a golden dessert that tastes just like Grandma’s kitchen.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 10 cups tart cooking apples Granny Smith, Honeygold, Jonagold, or Braeburn
  • Sprinkle of salt
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar or brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup salted butter cold
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cold butter, and cinnamon. Use a pastry cutter, fork, or clean hands to work it into pea-sized crumbles.
  3. Peel, core, and slice the apples thin. Place them into a baking dish and sprinkle lightly with salt.
  4. Evenly sprinkle the crumble topping over the apples. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.
  5. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and, if you like, a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Notes

  • Use cold butter so the topping stays crumbly instead of turning into a soft dough.
  • For the best flavor, combine 2–3 varieties of tart baking apples.
  • You can easily cut the recipe in half and bake it in a 9x9-inch pan.
  • Mixing apple types gives a nice balance of sweet and tart in every bite.