Grandma’s Old Fashioned Apple Crisp Recipe (With Easy To Follow Instructions)
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Explore this recipe for our Grandma’s easy apple crisp without oats. These tips will help you make the best apple crisp you’ve ever had.
We are sharing a simple recipe for traditional apple crisp without oats and a melt-in-your-mouth topping that screams cinnamon and butter. Your family will be begging for you to make this over and over again.
Apple Crisp Without Oats Recipe
How do you make apple crisp from scratch?
Follow these simple instructions below, and soon your house will be smelling like fall.
Arrange peeled, sliced apples in a baking dish. Combine water and ground cinnamon, and pour over apples in the baking dish. Work together butter, sugar and flour until crumbly. Sprinkle over the sliced apples. Bake in preheated oven until the top is golden brown. The full instructions for old fashioned apple crisp recipe can be found below.
No Oats and No Brown Sugar
We are in love with this recipe. Barbara found it in Grandma’s Old Wooden Recipe Box (her most prized possession). It really is a unique recipe because it’s apple crisp with no oats and no brown sugar. Instead, the topping is a combination of flour, white sugar, and butter (or margarine). The cinnamon goodness is poured right over the sliced apples in the pan before the topping goes on.
Our Grandma was a phenomenal cook, baker, Grandma, Mom, friend, woman. And, making and eating this recipe reminds us feel the way we felt when we spent time with her.
Grandma also had another easy apple cobbler type dessert in her recipe box. If you like yours with an oat topping, try our Old-Fashioned Apple Crumble recipe.
Old Fashioned Apple Crisp Recipe Ingredients
- Apples, peeled and sliced
- Water
- Ground Cinnamon
- All Purpose Flour
- Butter (or margarine)
- Granulated Sugar
How do you make apple crisp from scratch
Step By Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Peel and slice apples in a bowl. Do not cut them too thin or they will get mushy.
- Arrange apples in a baking dish; combine water and ground cinnamon and pour over top the apples in the dish.
- Work together butter, flour and sugar until a pea-sized crumbs forms using two forks, a pastry blender or even your clean hands.
- Sprinkle crumb topping over apples.
- Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until golden brown crisp topping on top.
Storage Instructions
Let leftovers cool completely; transfer to an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap, and store at room temperature for up to 24 hours. To keep it longer, store in the refrigerator.
Full recipe for homemade apple crisp without brown sugar is at the bottom of this page.
Recipe FAQs
- Do not cut the apples too thin. I like mine about an inch thick.
- You can use a metal 9 x 9 or 8 x 8 inch pan or go old fashioned and use a 1 1/2 or 2 quart Pyrex or Corning Ware dish. Any of those will work. Just watch the cooking time. This delicious apple crisp will cook faster in a larger pan because it’s spread thinner.
- Grandma says margarine can be used instead of butter.
- To make the crumbly topping for this old fashioned apple crisp, use two forks, a pastry blender or even your clean hands. Work it until it resembles course crumbs.
- Love apple crisps without oats? Try this Minnesota Apple Crisp recipe.
- This recipe inspired us to make a divine cherry version. Try it! A peach version would be good too. Here is a Blueberry Brown Betty recipe that’s similar to a blueberry crisp.
- Should you should peel your apples first before making this crisp? Not necessarily. If you are in a hurry, then you could leave the peels on; however, this does change the texture of the crisp. If you have time, go ahead and peel them.
- Grandma would say to use whatever apples you have on hand for this easy apple crisp recipe. We agree!
- Try serving it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!
- Check out our Amazon Store for our favorite pantry and kitchen items.
Why does my apple crisp get soggy?
Apples contain a lot of natural moisture which makes apple crisp prone to getting soggy after cooling off. Apple crisp is best eaten right away. Let it cool, cover and store in the refrigerator. Try reheating it in the oven before serving a second time to get the crisp topping to crisp back up.
Does it matter what apples you use for apple pie?
No, not necessarily. Many people prefer to use tart apples such as Granny Smith apples for apple pies and crisps; however, my Grandma would use whatever types of apples she had on hand. From Honeycrisp apples to Fuji apples, any type will work for an apple dessert.
Try Other Fruit Desserts
Love fruit cobblers, crisps and cakes? Here’s some more of our favorite old fashioned fruit desserts.
Grandma’s Rhubarb Streusel Dessert
Our Favorite Apple Recipes
We love cooking with apples…especially baking with this versatile fruit. Here are some of our favorite apple recipes:
- Old-Fashioned Apple Slab Pie
- Minnesota Apple Crisp
- Caramel Apple Crisp Bars
- Cinnamon Stewed Apples
- Red Hot Cinnamon Apples
Kitchen Utensils
I love making cobblers and crisps in beautiful vintage baking dishes. It makes the presentation so much prettier.
Grandma’s Easy Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- 4 cups peeled and sliced apples (cut thick)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 9 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.Â
- Arrange peeled and sliced apples in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Combine water and cinnamon, and pour over apple slices.
- Work together flour, sugar and butter until it becomes crumbly.
- Sprinkle mixture over apples.
- Bake until golden brown, approximately 35-45 minutes.Â
Notes
- You can use a metal 9 x 9 or 8 x 8 inch pan or go old fashioned and use a 1 1/2 or 2 quart Pyrex or Corning Ware dish. Any of those will work. Just watch the cooking time. This delicious apple crisp will cook faster in a larger pan because it’s spread thinner.
- Grandma says margarine can be used instead of butter.
- To make the crumbly topping for this old fashioned apple crisp, use two forks, a pastry blender or even your clean hands. Work it until it resembles course crumbs.Â
- This recipe inspired us to make a divine cherry version. Try it! A peach version would be good too.
- Should you should peel your apples first before making this crisp? Not necessarily. If you are in a hurry, then you could leave the peels on; however, this does change the texture of the crisp. If you have time, go ahead and peel them.
- Grandma would say to use whatever apples you have on hand for this easy apple crisp recipe. We agree!
- Carb counts, calorie counts and nutritional information can vary greatly depending on products used. The information below is auto-calculated and should not be used for specific dietary needs.
Nutrition
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I remember this recipe from my childhood!
Thanks easy fast apple crisp. I did use half sugar and half brown sugar. Will try this recipe in the summer with fresh peaches.
This is the only recipe I make for Apple Crisp because it’s easy, it’s quick, and it doesn’t use oats ..haha.
This is the best apple crisp recipe! I have never cared for oatmeal in apple crisp topping. This is a perfect dessert!
Jackie – Thank you so much! We love it too!
I just put mine in the oven . I used half white/dark brown sugars and added a little honey to the water/cinnamon. Can’t wait to taste it! Thanks for sharing!
this was so easy! my son ask for recipe!
It is so easy! Thanks for sharing.
very yummy and easy to make. I didn’t have enough flour so went half and half with oats. I picked the recipe because I didn’t have any brown sugar. thank you
This is an easy recipe. Too sweet for our liking. Would reduce sugar if I made again.
This is the only recipe I make for Apple Crisp because it’s easy, it’s quick, and it doesn’t use oat. Perfect every time!