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Most crock pot apple crisp recipes have the same issue: a soggy, wet topping by the time the apples are tender. I ran into it too, until I applied a trick I developed while testing my apple pie recipe for how apples release liquid as they cook. This version gives you tender cinnamon apples under a topping that holds its texture instead of turning to mush. It won’t be as crisp as an oven baked topping, since it’s still cooking inside a sealed pot, but it’s a real improvement over the wet, gummy result you get without this trick.
My favorite part about this recipe is how good it smells while cooking in the crock pot! This is a keeper, a dump and cook dessert!
-Joey
Every crock pot apple crisp recipe has the same flaw. Apples release a huge amount of liquid as they cook low and slow, and that liquid has nowhere to go in a sealed pot. In an oven, steam escapes. In a crock pot, it condenses on the lid and drips right back down, turning a crisp topping into a soggy one. Almost nobody addresses this directly, they just tell you to bake it longer and hope.
I tested this side by side with a towel under the lid against a plain lid, no towel. The towel version held its texture and had actual bite to it. The plain lid version was wet and gummy in the same spot every time. On top of that, I found that turning the crock pot off and letting the crisp sit for a full hour before serving lets the topping firm back up further, since it’s still soft and steamy the moment the cook time ends.
Apples for Apple Crisp
I’ve made this with pink lady, granny smith, and honeycrisp, and I have a real opinion here. An all granny smith batch bakes up a little too tart and a little too soft for my taste, while all honeycrisp leans too sweet and loses the contrast against the buttery topping. My go to is a mix of 2 or 3 types of Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady or Braeburn.
I recommend 6 to 7 large apples, or 8 to 10 smaller ones. Peel and core them first. Nobody wants a chewy bite of skin or a core in their apple crisp. I recommend the same combination of apples for apple crumble and caramel apple crisp.
Key Ingredients & Their Purpose
Here’s an overview of the key ingredients in this recipe. Jump to the recipe card for the full recipe with measurements and instructions.
- Apples: The backbone of the recipe and the one ingredient worth being opinionated about. For the best flavor, mix a few different apple varieties instead of sticking to just one. I recommend a mix of Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady or Braeburn.
- Lemon juice: Keeps the apples from browning while you prep, and adds a little brightness that balances the brown sugar.
- Brown sugar: Used in both the apple layer and the topping for a deeper, more molasses forward sweetness than white sugar would give you.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves: The classic warm spice trio. Swap for apple pie spice if that’s what you have on hand.
- Old fashioned rolled oats: Give the topping its texture and body. Quick oats turn mushy in a slow cooker environment, so stick with old fashioned. I also use old fashioned rolled oats in my peach crisp and blueberry crisp.
- Cold butter: Cut into the dry topping ingredients until pea sized, the same way you’d make a pie crust. Cold butter is what gives you texture instead of a paste.
How I Keep the Topping From Getting Soggy
This is the part that makes this recipe different from the version you’ve probably tried before. Two things matter here, and both are simple.
First, a folded kitchen towel goes under the crock pot lid before you start cooking. The towel catches the condensation that forms as the apples release their liquid, so it never drips back down onto the oat topping.
Second, once the cook time is up, turn the slow cooker off and let the crisp sit with the lid on, towel still in place, for a full hour before serving. That resting time lets the topping firm back up instead of staying soft from the heat and steam.
I tested this side by side against a straight lid with no towel, and the difference in texture is not subtle.
How to Make Crock Pot Apple Crisp
Lightly spray your crock pot with nonstick spray and turn it on low. Peel and core the apples, then slice them about 1/4 inch thick.
In a large bowl, toss the apples with lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Use your hands to coat every slice, then transfer everything to the crock pot.
In the same bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or your hands until only pea sized pieces remain. Spread the topping evenly over the apples.
Fold a clean kitchen towel and place it under the crock pot lid. Cook on low for 3 hours.
Turn the crock pot off and let the crisp sit for 1 hour with the lid on, towel still in place, before serving.
Tips for the Best Apple Crisp
- I used a 5 quart crock pot for this recipe. If yours is smaller, you may need to reduce the apple quantity slightly so everything fits.
- Doubling this recipe works, but plan for a longer cook time and stir the apples partway through before adding the topping, since a bigger volume takes longer to heat through evenly.
- Resist the urge to lift the lid and check on it early. Every peek lets heat and moisture escape unevenly and can throw off your timing.
Variations and Substitutions
No nutmeg or cloves on hand? Use 3/4 teaspoon apple pie spice in their place and skip the individual spices entirely.
Want to make this gluten free? Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend in place of all-purpose flour. I used King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour with great results.
For extra crunch, stir 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts into the topping before sprinkling it over the apples. A handful of raisins or dried cranberries mixed into the apple layer is also a nice addition if you want something a little more textured.
Want a caramel apple crisp instead? Skip the brown sugar in the apple layer and use 1/2 cup caramel sauce and 1/4 cup cornstarch instead. The cornstarch keeps the caramel from thinning out the apple mixture as it cooks, so you still get that same tender, not watery, apple layer underneath the topping. Toss the apples with the caramel sauce and cornstarch the same way you’d toss them with brown sugar, then build the rest of the recipe as written.
Serving Suggestions
This crisp is best served warm, straight from the crock pot, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the topping. A drizzle of caramel sauce takes it even further if you’re serving it for a fall gathering.
Storage and Reheating
This crisp keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Reheat individual portions in the microwave, or warm a larger batch in a low oven until heated through. It also refrigerates and reheats nicely enough to make it a great option for a make ahead dessert.
FAQ
I used a 5 quart crock pot for this recipe. A 6 quart will also work fine, just keep an eye on the apples since a larger surface area can cook slightly faster.
Yes, but you’ll need an 8 to 10 quart crock pot to do it. Doubling roughly doubles the volume, and you don’t want to fill a slow cooker more than about two thirds to three quarters full, since the apples need room to cook evenly and the topping needs space to actually crisp instead of steaming under its own weight. If your crock pot is smaller than that, it’s safer to make two separate batches rather than force a doubled one into a pot that’s too small, and it also avoids the longer, less predictable cook time that comes with doubling.
You can prep the apple mixture and the topping separately and refrigerate them the night before. Combine them in the crock pot the next day and add a little extra time to the cook since you’re starting from cold.
More Fall Desserts
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Crock Pot Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- 6-7 large apples, 8-10 smaller apples. For the best flavor, mix a few different apple varieties instead of sticking to just one. I recommend a mix of Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady or Braeburn.
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup (54g) brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
Topping
- 1 ½ cups (134g) old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (107g) brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
Instructions
- Spray a 5 quart crock pot or larger lightly with non-stick cooking spray and turn onto low. Skin and core the apples. Cut the apples into slices that are about 1/4 inch thick.6-7 large apples
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves. Toss with your hands to coat the apples. Transfer the apples to the crock pot.1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 cup (54g) brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- In the same mixing bowl (you can rinse and dry the bowl!), combine the oats, all purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and cut butter. Use your hands or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until only pea sized pieces of butter remain. Gently spread the oat topping over the apples.1 1/2 cups (134g) old fashioned rolled oats, 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup (107g) brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter
- Place a kitchen towel under the crock pot lid – the towel will help to absorb moisture and prevent the topping from becoming too moist. Cook on low for 3 hours, with the towel in place. After 3 hours, turn the crock pot off and let the crisp sit for 1 hour with the lid on (towel still in place) before serving.
- Enjoy warm or cold! We love ours with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
What size crock pot did you use. I have a 3 quart . Do I need to half the recipe?Â
I used a 5 QT crock pot.
My favorite part about this recipe is how good it smells while cooking in the crock pot! This is a keeper, a dump and cook dessert!
Do you have a receipe for using blueberries? I have an abundance of them and need some new receipes.
Hi Grace! You can find my recipes that use blueberries here.