Homemade applesauce crisp with oats is the perfect dessert for busy weeknight dinners. You can make this recipe with either homemade or store-bought applesauce, and it has an amazing streusel topping made with oats and cinnamon.
Why you will love my recipe for applesauce crisp
- Applesauce crisp is a super quick recipe. This dessert is perfect for busy weeknights when you want to serve your family something special but are short on time.
- It is budget-friendly! It doesn't take an endless list of ingredients to make this recipe.
- This is a low-sugar recipe. Most of the sweetness comes from the sugars already present in the apples.
- Perfect as a dessert for breakfast. This apple crisp with applesauce and oat topping is delicious as a dessert and nutritious enough for breakfast!
- It has a rich, creamy filling. Adding applesauce to an apple crisp gives the filling a rich, creamy texture!
Ingredient notes
Applesauce: For the applesauce filling, you have two options. If you are short on time, you can use a jar of your favorite store-bought applesauce. I do recommend using a chucky sauce to give your crisp some texture, but any will work. However, if you want to make your dessert extra special, I like to make the applesauce from scratch with my applesauce recipe. This way, I can use my favorite apple and make the chunks just the right size.
Sugar: This is a low-sugar recipe, but to give the streusel topping extra flavor and a nice crunch, I always add a little bit to the topping. You can leave it out if you want, but the topping will be a bit softer. To give your applesauce crisp, rich, caramel flavor, I recommend using brown sugar, but any type of sugar will work.
Butter: Unsalted butter is needed to make the crumbs. Make sure your butter is cold for the best results. If you want to make this recipe vegan, my recipe also works with a plant-based butter, coconut oil, or margarine.
Oats: Rolled oats work best for this applesauce crisp recipe. They absorb more moisture and get nice and crispy while baking.
Variations
Everything fall: If you're a true fall lover, you can replace the spices with pumpkin pie spice or speculaas spice mix. I also like to add pumpkin seeds to the topping!
Gluten-free: Replace the flour with gluten-free or oat flour, and ensure the pats you use are also gluten-free. You can also use a mixture of gluten-free flour and almond flour to give your applesauce crisp a sweet and crispy topping.
How to make applesauce crisp
To make my applesauce crisp, I like to start with the filling. This gives the flour enough time to absorb some of the moisture from the apples and the flavors more time to develop. Mix everything together in a bowl, add the apples, and transfer them to your baking dish. You don't have to grease your dish, but you can if you want to.
To make the topping, it is best to whisk together all the dry ingredients before adding the butter. This makes sure everything is well combined and makes it easier to rub in the butter. When you add the butter, use cold hands, a fork, or a pastry cutter to create the crumbs.
Divide the topping over the apples. I like to leave a few empty spots because I love bits of caramelized apple to bubble over.
Place your dish in the center of the oven and bake your applesauce crisp for 40-45 minutes. You know your crisp is done when the apple filling starts to bubble over on the sides and the topping is golden and crispy. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes before serving your applesauce crisp with your favorite sides.
Serving suggestions
Applesauce crisp served with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream is a classic combination, but if you want to change things up, I love to serve it with freshly whipped cream, vanilla sauce, or cinnamon whipped cream. This dessert is also amazing served with salted caramel sauce or dark caramel sauce for an extra deep caramel flavor.
My tips for the best applesauce crisp
- Mix the dry ingredients for the topping before adding the butter. This will help distribute all the ingredients evenly.
- Use a mixture of apples. Using one type of apple is delicious but to create the perfect flavor balance I like to play around with different types of apples.
- Homemade applesauce makes this apple dessert extra special. This also gives you more control over the moisture in your applesauce crisp.
- Make sure to use cold butter for an extra crispy topping. Cold butter makes it easier to create the perfect crumbles!
- Create an even layer. This will make sure your topping cooks evenly.
Frequently asked questions
Absolutely! Feel free to use your favorite applesauce for this recipe, but if you use sweetened applesauce, you do need to adjust the amount of sugar in the recipe.
Sure! You can replace the oats with flour. If you want to omit the oats, I think you'll like the topping from my apple crisp without oats recipe.
Storage
Homemade applesauce crisp will keep for about three days. Keep in mind that the topping will become softer after storing it in the fridge. To crisp up the oats, you pop your crisp in a preheated oven until it is warm and crispy. This is also the reason I don't recommend you store it in the freezer.
More of my favorite recipes for fruit and apple crisp
Easy Applesauce Crisp with Oats
Equipment
- 1 8x12 baking dish
Ingredients
For the apple filling
- 2 ½ cups applesauce unsweetened
- 5 apples
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ tablespoon flour
For the topping
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 C).
How to make the apple filling
- Peel and core the apples, and cut them into thin slices. You can also dice the apples, but don't make the apple pieces too small.
- Combine all the ingredients for the filling except the apples in a large bowl until you have a smooth mixture.
- Add the apples and fold them into the mixture until all the pieces are completely coated.
- Transfer the apple filling to your baking dish.
How to make the topping and assemble your applesauce crisp
- Add the flour, sugar, rolled oats, cinnamon, and salt to a bowl and mix them together.
- Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your hands or a fork until it is a crumbly mixture. You don't want to make the crumbs too small!
- Divide the topping over the apples. I like to leave a few open spots so the apple can bubble up and caramelize.
- Place your applesauce crumble in your preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until golden and crispy. You know the apples are done when they start to bubble at the sides.
- Take your crisp out of the oven and let it cool for about ten minutes before serving.