Healthy Apple Crisp

There’s nothing like this old-fashioned apple dessert recipe to top off a good dinner. Serve this cozy dessert warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. By EatingWell Test Kitchen Updated on September 30, 2025 Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD

⏱️ 20

Prep Time (min)

🔥 29

Cook Time (min)

🍽️ 8

Servings

Easy

Difficulty

Desserts

📝 Ingredients

5 cups sliced peeled baking apples
6 tablespoons brown sugar, divided
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¾ teaspoon apple pie spice, divided
¼ teaspoon plus a pinch of salt, divided
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

👨‍🍳 Instructions

Preheat oven to 375℉. Combine 5 cups apples, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon apple pie spice and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Transfer to a 2-quart square baking dish.
Combine ½ cup oats and the remaining ¼ cup brown sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, ¼ teaspoon apple pie spice and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Cut in 4 tablespoons butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the filling.
Bake until the apples are tender and the topping is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm.

💡 Notes & Tips

Recipe Updates

Based on earlier review and comments of this recipe, we’ve retested and made the following adjustments (and updated the nutritional analysis accordingly):

Replaced granulated sugar with brown sugar (to improve flavor)

Added flour to thicken the filling (to improve texture)

Added salt (to balance the flavor)

Increased butter (to improve texture of the topping)

Updated March 2025