Are you looking for all the flavors of apple pie for your Thanksgiving table without all the extra work? If so, this easy skillet apple crisp is for you! It’s delicious and is reminiscent of all the flavors of apple pie but with a delicious streusel-y topping studded with toasted pecans. This apple crisp is so easy to throw together for a low-fuss dessert any time of year.

Cobbler vs Crisp

There’s a lot of confusion between apple or fruit cobbler and crisp. They both have a similar filling but the difference is all in the topping. A cobbler topping is usually similar in texture to a biscuit. Crisp topping is closer to a streusel with oats, sugar, flour, and sometimes nuts. Two delicious desserts but definitely different!

How to Make Skillet Apple Crisp

This recipe couldn’t be easier to throw together! I love using apples because they’re my favorite, but you can swap in your favorites including strawberries, cherries, stone fruits, and pear.

Tools Needed

• Skillet
• Mixing Bowl
• Measuring Cups
• Sharp Knife

Ingredients you’ll need

• Apples. You’ll need about 4-6 medium-sized apples for this recipe.
• Sugar. Brown sugar goes into the apple filling and a mix of granulated sugar and brown sugar goes into the topping.
• Flour. The flour helps bulk up the crisp topping. You could use oat flour to make this gluten-free.
• Oats. Opt for old-fashioned oats vs instant or steel-cut.
• Cinnamon. I love adding a little cinnamon to the filling, it really makes the apples taste great.
• Butter. Butter helps the crisp topping hold together and get crispy!
• Nuts. I love adding pecans to the crisp topping, but you can totally omit them or swap in walnuts or almonds.

The best apples for skillet apple crisp

You want to choose an apple that will still have texture after cooking so skip the red and golden delicious. Opt for Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Fuji, Gala, or Honey-crisp depending on your preferences or a mix of several varieties.

How to make your streusel topping crispy

For the best apple crisp, you want to bake it uncovered. I always make my streusel topping first and then refrigerate it while I get my filling together. The melted butter solidifies and helps the crisp clump together. This way your topping doesn’t over-bake before your filling cooks. Using the correct amount of sugar also gives you a nice crispy topping so don’t cut down on the sugar in the topping.

how to make skillet apple crisp gluten-free

Great news! The filling is already gluten-free thanks to the cornstarch which thickens the filling without any flour. If you want to make the streusel topping gluten-free, just swap in oat flour for the all-purpose flour.

Other Easy Dessert Recipes to Try

• Strawberry crisp for two

• Strawberry Lemon Shortcake

• Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies

• Texas Sheet Cake with Pecans

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Baking

Skillet Apple Crisp

I love a good apple crisp recipe, and this one is so simple! A perfect crisp topping with tender, perfectly spiced apples.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 50 minutes mins

Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients

Crisp Topping

• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 stick, (4 oz) unsalted butter, melted

Apple Filling

• 2 lbs apples, about 4-6, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

• To make the topping: In a medium mixing bowl combine oats, flour, sugar, pecans, cinnamon and salt. Toss until well combined. Add the melted butter and toss until well distributed and clumpy. Refrigerate for 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.
• To make the filling: In a small bowl, whisk together both sugars and the cornstarch until well combined. Place the apple wedges in a large mixing bowl and toss with the sugar/cornstarch mixture. Add the vanilla, cream and melted butter and toss until everything is well mixed.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer apples to a skillet large enough to hold the filling and topping (I used a 10" cast iron). Remove the topping from the fridge and evenly distribute over the top of the apples. Put the skillet in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Notes

The type of apples you use is entirely up to you! My favorite apples to bake with are honeycrisp apples. I used about 4 softball sized honeycrisp apples in this recipe.

You can use a skillet for this recipe or a baking dish if that's what you have on hand.

I prefer my apple pieces a little thicker, so I cut them into about 1/3" slices.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/2 cupCalories: 248kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 3gFat: 4gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 44mgFiber: 4gSugar: 28g