Freezer-Friendly Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

This is the best tasting freezable apple crisp you’ll ever eat! So easy to make, this simple dessert captures all the amazing flavors of fall in one delicious dish. Plus, we use double the crisp topping (which is the best part of apple crisp anyways, am I right?)

It’s time you knew the truth. I actually created this recipe because I wanted extra crisp on my apple crisp.

I had found myself several times scooping my own portion of apple crisp out, then taking some extra crisp out of the pan, possibly leaving someone with only apples when no one was looking.

But you all are with me … right? The crisp is the best part‼‼

I mean, apple crisp topping is life.  It’s gotta be sweet, buttery and baked until perfectly golden brown. And there needs to be a LOT of it.

If I get a bite of apples without the crisp… party’s over, ya know what I’m sayin’?

I mean, don’t get me wrong, the apples are great too. I’ve gotta have the tartness of the fruit to balance out the sweetness of the crisp for sure (along with the creaminess of melting vanilla ice-cream over the hot apple crisp….drooool).

But the crisp is the real star of the show here.

CAN YOU FREEZE APPLE CRISP?

Making ahead and freezing apple crisp is as easy as simply adding your apples to your baking pan, covering them with your apple crisp topping, covering with several layers of plastic wrap and covering with a piece of aluminum foil before placing into the freezer.  For best results bake from frozen within 6-9  months.

How to reheat apple crisp? Well, I prefer to bake it from frozen. Simply place your frozen apple crisp into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes with foil on it. Then, remove the foil and let it cook until crumb topping is golden brown and apples are bubbling underneath. This can take another 25-45 minutes depending on how cold your freezer temperature is.

Some other great apple recipes to freeze include these freezable make ahead campfire foil-pack apple crisp pouches as well as you could freeze ahead apples for smoothies.

WHAT ARE THE BEST APPLES FOR APPLE CRISP?  

The secret to making perfect apple crisp is to use great quality fresh apples that stay firm after baking and have a great balance of flavor like Golden Delicious, Cosmic Crisp or Braeburn. You can also go with a tart variety if you prefer like Granny Smith, Jonathan, Fuji Crimson Crisp apple or SweeTango.  

Any apple you choose will make delicious apple crisp, however, choosing apples that retain their firmness after baking provide the best results for texture.  Avoid Red Delicious and Gala as they break down and turn a little mushy after baking.  

APPLES PEELED OR NOT PEELED?

It’s totally up to you! I’ve made this recipe with and without peeling the apples, and both ways are delicious. My kids prefer it without skins so I usually peel them most of the time.  

INGREDIENTS – WHAT YOU NEED.

This easy apple crisp recipe is made with basic ingredients; flour, (no, you can’t use wheat flour! Don’t make me come over there….), brown sugar, butter, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and apples (any kind will do, see my favorites below).  See the photo below that shows all the ingredients you need!

HOW TO MAKE APPLE CRISP – STEP BY STEP

1. First mix the flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a bowl. 
2. Then pour in the melted butter and stir until it comes together and starts crumbling into smaller pieces.
3. Slice apples (I like using my trusty apple-peeler-corer-slicer machine) but a knife will work too. You can keep the peels on if you don’t mind them, but my kids prefer no peels so that’s what method I use most of the time.

4. Lightly grease your 8×8 pan using cooking spray or butter. Pour apples into the pan.

5. Sprinkle topping evenly over the top of the apples. Then place into the oven uncovered and bake away!

WATCH MY VIDEO ON HOW TO MAKE FREEZER APPLE CRISP

DOES APPLE CRISP NEED TO BE REFRIGERATED AFTER BAKING?

You can leave apple crisp out for up to 2 days without refrigeration after baking.  After two days cooked apples and oats can grow bacteria and become unsafe after that.  If you plan to keep your apple crisp longer than 2 days, simply cover it with plastic wrap and place it into the fridge. Apple crisp will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

PRO TIPS/ RECIPE NOTES

• Stick with golden delicious, Cosmic Crisp or Braeburn for the best flavored and textured apple crisp.
• If you plan on making a lot of apple crisp at once, you’ll want to keep your apples from browning when slicing. The best method I’ve found is to make a solution of salt water (1/2 tsp salt to every cup of water). I tend to mix 8 cups cold water with 4 tsp salt. Let them sit while you slice your apples and when you’re ready to compile the crisps, simply drain and add to your pans.
• Slice your apples nice and thin so they get really tender when baking, if they are too thickly sliced they might end up not getting fully cooked & tender after baking.
• Grease the pan using the outside of the butter wrapper.
• Serve this homemade apple crisp freshly baked and warm. It will be okay to reheat in the microwave for a couple of days, but the topping will start to get softer so it’s best to enjoy it fresh.
• If you’d like to make this vegan simply sub the butter for a vegan butter.
• We like to serve this with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and/or homemade caramel sauce.
• How to store baked apple crisp? Let it cool down, cover it with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. To reheat, simply scoop some on a plate and microwave it until warmed through again.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO WITH APPLES?

• Dip them into 3-Ingredient Easy Apple Dip.
• Make this Vintage Apple Brown Betty recipe.
• Make a batch of Homemade Caramel Sauce and Gift it with an Apple.
• Dip them this fall and enjoy Caramel Apples.
• Make Canned Applesauce.

If you make a batch of this apple crisp, I would love to see it! Snap a picture of it and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #happymoneysaver and tagging me @happymoneysaver!

Here is the printable recipe:

This recipe was first posted July 2015, but was recently updated with new photos and better detailed instructions & tips on October 31, 2020.