Easy Skillet Apple Crisp satisfies your sweet tooth!
Celebrate fall with this Easy Skillet Apple Crisp recipe. Perfect for a cozy night in, this recipe takes just minutes to make and satisfies all your Fall sweet tooth cravings.
Fall is apple season! I remember when I was in college in Rochester, NY the year-round farmers market had the largest selection of apples I’ve ever seen at a farmers market. Cortland, Granny Smith, Honeygold, Golden and Red Delicious, McIntosh. You name it and I think they had it there as far as apple varieties are concerned.
Yes, I know that apples are available year round. They last for a long time in cool storage. But their peak flavor is when they’re freshly picked in the cooler months. I can just taste that first bite into a crisp, sweet, juicy apple from the market. I cannot wait for fall!!
What is an apple crisp?
Apple crisp is an apple dessert that has a streusel topping. Sometimes it’s called an apple crumble, but that phrase has a different meaning outside of the US. The crumble in the UK doesn’t include oats like we do here in the States. That’s the main difference between the crisp and the crumble.
The apple crisp is tender apples tossed with spices and some flour spread into a baking dish. Then the crisp topping is made with butter, flour, sugar, spices, and oats. All this gets tossed with some butter before it’s spread on top of the apples and baked until… CRISP!
This recipe is pretty new to the scene. The first publication of a similar recipe is in 1924. The popularity of this dish spread due to rationing in World War II. Items like butter and flour were not easy to come by during rationing. Yes, there’s some butter and flour in the topping but not as much as a pie crust. Some might see this as the poor man’s pie. Yes. I know that’s a bit of a stretch. But work with me on this.
What’s in easy skillet apple crisp?
There’s apples, of course. But there’s also butter, turbinado sugar, and spices. Since the apples aren’t baked to release their juices, I’ve combined apple juice with some cornstarch to make the thick juice that the apples swim in. Finally, instead of a standard crisp topping, I’ve cheated and used French vanilla granola.
Yes. French vanilla granola. It’s sweet and crispy with a delicious vanilla flavor that is the perfect topping for sweet apples swimming in a cinnamon spiced sauce. I don’t know what I didn’t think of it before. It’s brilliant if you ask me. And I didn’t think of it!
Recently the hubs was in the hospital again because of this lovely genetic health issues. His sodium was so low they admitted him from the ER. And he was in there for almost a week. And this is not the first time, either. He’s had pancreatitis 3 times now. All because of this triglyceride counts.
Anyway, while he was in there the dessert of choice for lunch and dinner was an apple crisp type dish. I’m not sure how they made it. To me, it seemed like apple pie filling warmed up with some streusel on top. But the streusel topping to me seemed more like granola than a crisp topping. I could be wrong but that was my impression of the dessert. He shared a bite or two with me while I was there, which I thought was very sweet.
I was thinking if he really thought this was a nice dessert that I could easily make it at home. Except I didn’t want to make it with canned apple pie filling. You could totally do that if you want. Just heat it up and then top it with some granola. I didn’t want to do that. Especially since apples are starting to come in season.
How do you make easy skillet apple crisp?
First, start with sautéing the apples with the butter, sugar, and spices. I had the heat at a medium-high heat and let everything just meld together. The apples started to soften and that’s when I added the apple juice combined with the corn starch. That makes the nice, thick sauce surrounds the apples.
Continue to simmer the apples and the juice mixture until it’s nice and thickened. My sauce, as you can see, is vary dark from all the spices I put in there. But the sauce didn’t taste overly spice filled. You know sometimes cinnamon, allspice, and cloves can be a bit overpowering. But that’s not the case with this recipe. At least that’s my opinion. Someone might have a totally different experience with their spices. There’s always that.
Once the apples are tender and the juice is thickened, then you stir in the lemon juice. The lemon juice brightens all the flavors. Then you sprinkle the granola on top and pop it into the oven. This isn’t to cook anything. You just want the granola to get a little toasty and a little brown. And to get a little warm on top of the apples. It really doesn’t need to bake for long.
At this point, you can take it out and serve it. Top it with some whipped cream or ice cream. Both would be delicious. Or even just some yogurt. That would be delicious, too.
This could easily be a breakfast or a dessert. There’s not a ton of unhealthy ingredients in this easy skillet apple crisp. And since apples and granola are both sometimes put on top yogurt, why not make this a delicious breakfast topping instead of a dessert? I say, go for it!
This easy skillet apple crisp is sweet and full of cinnamon spice flavors. The apples are tender and slightly sweet. There’s a touch of salt in there. The salt elevates the sweetness. The lemon juice brightens the sweetness of the apples and the spices. It’s just a simple and delicious dessert that doesn’t really take a lot of time or effort to make.
So, grab some apples the next time you’re at the market and try this easy skillet apple crisp. It’s just, simple and delicious for dessert. And delicious for breakfast, too!

Easy Skillet Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- 2 cups bite-sized apple pieces
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch ground cloves
- Pinch ground allspice
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup French vanilla granola
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Heat a ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and butter to the pan along with the spices. Sauté the apples until tender and the sugar melts.
- Combine the apple juice and the cornstarch in a small mixing bowl and pour into the pan with the apples. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Sprinkle the granola on top of the apples and put the pan in the oven. Bake at 400 F for 10 to 15 minutes or until the granola is lightly browned.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 382Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 15mgSodium 322mgCarbohydrates 42gFiber 4gSugar 31gProtein 2g
Not sure what kind of granola they're using but that seems a bit high for apples and granola.
Delicious Apple Recipes
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- Apple Cider Mimosa from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
- Apple Crumble Muffins from Art of Natural Living
- Apple Walnut Snack Cake from That Recipe
- Easy Skillet Apple Crisp from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
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Making this on a skillet sounds great! This sounds easy and for sure the best one to satisfy a quick craving.
Some thing it should be made in a pot, but the skillet is best for this dish.
I am all about the easy recipes! This looks fantastic!
Thank you! They are so easy to whip up.
This looks so good! I soooo need to make apple crisp more often!
Thank you! Me, too!
I’ve never made Apple crisp in a skillet but I’m loving how easy this sounds and that I don’t have to turn on the oven!
I love how you can make it any time you want a sweet apple treat.