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Home » Recipes » Dessert Recipes

Stovetop Apple Crisp

Published: Sep 6, 2019 · Modified: Dec 28, 2022 by Nicole B.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
20 minutes

This warm, comforting and healthy stovetop apple crisp takes a total of only 20 minutes to prepare and does not compromise on flavor. You cook the apples in a skillet and sprinkle them with a buttery and crunchy toasted oat, pecan and sesame seed topping. The recipe works equally well as a delicious dessert or a healthy after-school snack.

For more delicious apple desserts, also check out these mini apple cakes and this cardamom apple frangipane tart.

Apple crisp in a bowl on a wooden table.
Jump to:
  • Why make this recipe:
  • Which apples are best for apple crisp?
  • What’s in the apple crisp base?
  • What’s in the topping?
  • How to make it:
  • How to serve it:
  • How to store leftovers:
  • How many servings does this recipe make?
  • Is this apple crisp gluten free?
  • More delicious fall-flavored apple desserts:
  • Full Printable Recipe
  • Comments

Why make this recipe:

  • this apple crisp is easy to make and tastes delicious
  • the recipe takes only 20 minutes to prepare
  • you won’t need to fire up the oven
  • you can easily make as many or as few servings as you want

Which apples are best for apple crisp?

I tested five different apple varieties for this apple crisp recipe (see table below) and the variety that worked best was Gala. Gala apples have a mild flavor and the perfect balance between sweetness and acidity for an apple crisp. Gala apples also require only a short cook time on the stovetop (7 minutes).

A good alternative if Gala apples are not available is Fuji. Fuji apples need a slightly longer cook time but have a nice flavor balance as well.

Apple Variety:Cook Time:Flavor Characteristics:
Gala7 min.Mild, pleasant flavor. A little acidity that balances the sweetness well.
Fuji9 min.Good flavor and good balance between sweetness and acidity. A good choice if Gala apples are not available.
Red Delicious9 min.Mild flavor, quite sweet and with practically no acidity.
Honeycrisp8 min.Good flavor but the mild sweetness is not enough to balance the acidity.
Granny Smith14 min.Very, very acidic and with almost no sweetness for balance. Not suitable for this recipe.

What’s in the apple crisp base?

The apple crisp base with made with apples that are sweetened with brown sugar, flavored with cinnamon and cooked in butter.

Stovetop apple crisp ingredients on a table.
You need Gala apples, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon for the apple crisp base.

What’s in the topping?

The topping is made with rolled oats, pecans and sesame seeds that are sweetened with brown sugar and toasted with butter. (Note that rolled oats are sometimes also called old-fashioned oats.)

Apple crisp topping ingredients on a table.
You need butter, rolled oats, sesame seeds, brown sugar and pecans for the apple crisp topping.

How to make it:

See full ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below!

Apples in a cast iron pan before and after cooking.

Step 1. Cut, core and peel the apples, then cut them into ½-inch chunks. Melt butter in a skillet, then add the apple chunks, brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix everything around until well combined.

Step 2. Put on the lid and cook the apples until they’re soft (about 7 min.).

Apple crisp topping in a pan.

Step 3. Once the apples are done, prepare the topping. Melt butter in a small pan then stir in brown sugar, rolled oats, chopped pecans and sesame seeds.

Step 4. Toast the topping on the stovetop on low heat until it is crunchy.

RECIPE NOTE: One quick word of caution about the topping: it’s very easy to burn it, so don’t take your eyes off the pan. No texting while cooking for this one!

How to serve it:

To serve, add the warm cinnamon apples into individual serving bowls and sprinkle them with the toasty oat/nut/sesame mix. You can put a dollop of whipped cream (or ice cream) on top but I find that the crisp already tastes mighty delicious by itself and also makes a great (and healthy) snack.

How to store leftovers:

Store any leftover apples and topping separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 1 day. Reheat both components separately on the stovetop.

How many servings does this recipe make?

Literally however many you need. Because you’re not locked into the volume of a baking dish, you can easily scale this recipe up or down to however many servings you like (one of the great advantages of stovetop desserts). The recipe card below is set to four servings but you can use the portion slider and easily adjust the number to your liking.

Is this apple crisp gluten free?

Yes, as long as you make sure to use rolled oats that have not been contaminated with gluten-containing ingredients during processing, this apple crisp is gluten-free.

More delicious fall-flavored apple desserts:

  • A mini apple cake in a white ramekin.
    Mini Apple Cakes with Cinnamon Whipped Cream
    Cook Time40 Minutes
  • An apple puff pastry tart with custard sauce on a plate.
    Apple Puff Pastry Tart with Chai-Spiced Custard Sauce
    Cook Time2 Hours
  • An apple frangipane tart with cranberries on a blue plate.
    Apple Frangipane Tart with Cranberries, Orange and Cardamom
    Cook Time1 Hours 20 Minutes

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating or comment! Thank you!

Full Printable Recipe

Apple crisp in a bowl on a wooden table.

Stovetop Apple Crisp

The Spice Train
This warm, comforting and healthy stovetop apple crisp takes a total of only 20 minutes to prepare and does not compromise on flavor.
4.39 from 31 votes
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Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 20 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories (estimated) 226 kcal

Equipment:

  • measuring cups and spoons
  • knife and cutting board
  • skillet with lid
  • small pan
  • wooden spoon

Ingredients:
  

For the apples:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 Gala* apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch chunks
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

For the topping:

  • ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • ¼ cup rolled oats**
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans
  • 1 ½ teaspoons sesame seeds
  • whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream (optional)

Instructions:
 

For the apples:

  • Melt the butter in a skillet.
  • Add apples, cinnamon and brown sugar. Stir until well combined.
  • Put the lid on and let the apples cook on medium to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until they are soft (about 7 minutes).

For the topping:

  • Melt the butter in a small pan.
  • Add sugar, oats, pecans and sesame seeds and brown for a few minutes until crunchy. (Do this on relatively low heat and watch closely, it will burn easily.)
  • Serve apples in a bowl and sprinkle the topping on.
  • Top with ice cream or whipped cream (optional).

Notes:

*I recommend that you use Gala apples for this recipe. A good second choice if Gala is not available is Fuji.
**These are sometimes also called old-fashioned oats.

Nutrition Information (Estimated):

Calories: 226kcalCarbohydrates: 24.2gProtein: 2gFat: 14.1gSaturated Fat: 5.3gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 52mgPotassium: 184mgFiber: 3.8gSugar: 17.3gCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition values provided on this website are generated from a nutrition database and are estimates only. The accuracy of the nutrition information for any recipe on this website is not guaranteed. Nutrition values can vary quite a lot depending on which brands are used.

Keywords: stovetop apple crisp, stovetop desserts

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tiffani Williams

    February 19, 2023 at 6:34 pm

    Excellent

    Reply
    • Nicole B.

      February 19, 2023 at 6:40 pm

      Thanks! So glad you like it!

      Reply
  2. Jim W.

    February 14, 2023 at 6:17 pm

    Wow, this is fantastic! I had some sliced apples simmering with a little water in a skillet and then added cinnamon and some maple syrup. I googled ‘apple crisp’ and found your topping recipe, which I modified based on what I had. It was Quaker Oats, brown sugar, some pecan pieces, and maple syrup; toasted this in a pan on the stove. Mixed the toasted topping with the cooked apples and put a serving in a bowl with some soy milk on top, it’s like the greatest granola ever! Fast and easy! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Nicole B.

      February 14, 2023 at 6:53 pm

      Thank you so much for your wonderful comment, Jim!! I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe!

      Reply
  3. Orion

    May 17, 2022 at 3:20 am

    This was absolutely incredible! I didn’t have the pecans and so I meant to double the oats but forgot, and it genuinely tasted like kettle corn. I highly recommend trying it with half the nuts/oats or double the butter and sugar! Even the apples alone were delicious though. I topped it with canned whipped cream and this is definitely one of the best desserts I’ve had in a while. I look forward to trying it with the nuts!

    Reply
    • Nicole B.

      May 17, 2022 at 7:14 am

      That’s wonderful to hear, so glad you enjoyed it!!

      Reply
  4. Karen D

    August 13, 2019 at 9:33 am

    I substituted nectarines from a friends tree and threw in some fresh blueberries for color. I topped it off with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.Everyone raved about how good this recipe tasted! I will definitely use this recipe again.

    Reply
    • Nicole B.

      August 13, 2019 at 11:57 am

      That’s so wonderful to hear, Karen! Such a great idea to use nectarines, I’m going to have to try that! :)

      Reply
  5. Toni

    May 04, 2019 at 9:14 pm

    Can I use quick oats to make the crisp topping?

    Reply
    • Nicole B.

      May 04, 2019 at 9:35 pm

      Yes, that will work fine.

      Reply
  6. Karla Grigsby

    April 27, 2019 at 5:02 am

    Needed a healthy snack/dessert for my 2yr old son.tried this recipe he absolutely loved the no bake topping. not only did he love it so did my husband and I.Thx for this one!

    Reply
    • Nicole B.

      April 27, 2019 at 8:33 am

      That is so great to hear, Karla! Thank you so much for the feedback, I really appreciate it! :)

      Reply
  7. Chandni

    September 25, 2017 at 11:48 am

    Hi! Tried this recipe today and it was really good :) Was in a hurry so replaced the nuts and seeds with museli with nuts. Thanks for this one!

    Reply
    • Nicole B.

      September 25, 2017 at 11:55 am

      That’s so great to hear, Chandni! Thanks for leaving such a nice comment, I really appreciate it! Such a great idea to substitute muesli, I have to try that. :)

      Reply
      • Chandni

        September 25, 2017 at 1:51 pm

        Please do! And you are most welcome Nicole. Please keep more such recipes coming. It’s very motivating for budding home chefs :)

        Reply
  8. Sian

    January 01, 2017 at 11:30 am

    Thanks for this recipe – I’ve used the no bake topping twice for a speedy dessert and my family loves it!

    Reply
    • Nicole B.

      January 02, 2017 at 8:15 am

      That is SO GREAT to hear, Sian! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback, I really appreciate it. :)

      Reply

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