Easy Crock Pot Apple Crisp Recipe
Sweet, crispy apples are topped with a crumbly, cinnamon-y topping for a classic dessert that couldn’t be simpler to make. This Easy Crock Pot Apple Crisp Recipe is a dump and go treat you’ll whip up again and again.
Crock Pot Apple Crisp
I just had a whole conversation with a friend of mine about how apples trump pears in every sense of the word. They’re tart and sweet and crisp and refreshing where pears are pretty. And sometimes juicy but their texture can range from mealy to gritty…..sometimes they’re amazing…but for the most part, we’ll grab an apple over a pear any day of the week.
Plus, apples are fantastic in so many desserts….like this Crock Pot Apple Crisp recipe. It’s my favorite thing to make in the fall because it’s so epically easy to whip up in minutes.
Apple Crisp is a dessert made of cooked apples topped with a streusel topping. An apple crumble is topped with oats before baking. Either way, both desserts are absolutely addicting and sweet.
I enlisted the help of my trusty slow cooker to make this recipe come together without much attention on your part at all. Just dump it all into your favorite slow cooker and turn it on. Go shopping, leaf peeping, take a nap….and you’ll have the most amazing comfort food ever.
Technically, this is an apple crumble but it is an oat streusel so there’s a blurred line there. Call it what you want….I call it supremely delicious.
How To Make It
This easy Apple Crisp recipe is a simple five-step process. Peeled and diced apples are tossed with a blend of spices before being combined with a bit of grated apple to make a bit of a sticky/sweet sauce the apples kind of swim around in like a syrupy bath of heaven.
- In a large bowl, toss together apples, grated apple, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice.
- Combine thoroughly and pour the mixture into the bottom of a slow cooker and spread evenly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt.
- Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the oat mixture until course crumbs form.
- Sprinkle the oat mixture over the apples.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high or 7 hours on low until the crust is a golden brown.
- Serve hot or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.
The shredded apple helps make the dessert less watery since it releases more of the pectin in the apple. This technique creates the perfect apple crisp filling, smooth and sweet. The apple mixture is then added to the slow cooker before being topped with a buttery oat crust that’s an incredible crunchy contrast to the sweet apple filling.
The apple crisp topping is super easy to make and you can even make this Gluten Free Apple Crisp by substituting the all purpose flour with your favorite gluten free flour.
And while I love this apple crisp with oats, you can even make it without oats altogether. Just leave them out of the crumb topping and you’ll have more of a streusel topping that’s just buttery and rich. And just as a classic Apple Crisp should be.
Best Apples For Apple Crisp
To create the best apple crisp recipe, you have to start with the best apples. So, you’ll need a combination of apples that are sweet and tart but also hold up well during cooking so they don’t turn to mush.
My favorite combination is a Granny Smith and Honey Crisp but you can use any combination of apples like Fuji, Jona Gold, Pink Lady or Golden Delicious.
Pro Tips
- Crispy Topping – This is my favorite tip to creating a crispy topping on your apple crisp. Place a paper towel over the slow cooker before covering with the lid. The paper towel will absorb the moisture so the condensation doesn’t drip back down onto the apple crisp. BE WARNED, that this should only be done if you’re home to supervise as the paper towel is, technically, a fire hazard and you should check to be sure it’s not too hot.
- Spices – Because the flavors are more concentrated in a slow cooker, be sure to us a good quality cinnamon and nutmeg for the best flavor.
- Grated Apple – Is a necessity, don’t skip it or you will end up with a watery apple crisp. The grated apple helps the sauce to set up when it’s done cooking.
Variations
If you want to mix things up a bit, here are my favorite add ins for old fashioned apple crisp:
- Dried Cranberries – They’ll plump up a bit when you cook them and add a great tart flavor to the recipe.
- Chopped Nuts – Walnuts, pecans or chopped almonds add great crunch to this apple crisp recipe.
- Caramel – Caramel Apple Crisp….it’s a thing, drizzle your apple crisp with caramel sauce for the most amazing dessert ever.
- Fruit – Mix in blueberries or rhubarb for a tasty twist.
This slow cooker dessert is just what you need for parties and family gatherings, since it frees up the oven for your turkey, side dishes or family-sized lasagna. I’m always looking for ways to make more dishes without having to wait for things to finish up in the oven before baking off the next dish. Simple to make and one pot to clean—dessert doesn’t get any easier than this!
What To Serve With It
You can serve this Crock Pot Apple Crisp just by itself be we love it with these candied walnuts crumbled on top or a scoop of Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.
You can also plop a dollop of Homemade Whipped Cream like I did in the photos and it’s totally, insanely amazing.
More Easy Apple Desserts
And if you’re looking for more apple desserts, try these Apple Dumplings…..THIS Apple Pie or make this amazingly simple Slow Cooker Apple Cider!
We also love making these super easy Apple Fritters, there’s no yeast so that means….no waiting! And THIS Apple Butter is super simple in the slow cooker, too. Or try this moist Jewish Apple Cake recipe, it’s a total throwback for me and total comfort food.
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Get the Recipe: Easy Slow Cooker Apple Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 pounds apples, peeled, cored and diced
- 1 cup grated apple
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss together apples, grated apple, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice. Combine thoroughly and pour the mixture into the bottom of a slow cooker and spread evenly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the oat mixture until coarse crumbs form.
- Sprinkle the oat mixture evenly over the apples.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high or 7 hours on low until the crust is a golden brown.
- Serve hot or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.
2 Comments on “Easy Crock Pot Apple Crisp Recipe”
What size slow cooker for this recipe? Looked like an All-Clad product and I have two so which works better for this size recipe? Sounds amazing!
It doesn’t really matter, this was the larger slow cooker (I think it’s 7 quarts) so the apple crisp was thinner than if you baked it in a dish.