My Slow Cooker (Crockpot) Apple Crisp is a delicious and rustic dessert that feeds a crowd and is so easy to make- no need to turn on the oven! Sweet apples are cooked until tender in a crockpot with cinnamon and sugar and topped with a crumbly oat topping. It's the perfect dessert for entertaining and makes a wonderful addition to your holiday menu!
I love when fall comes around and apples are in season. I make everything from apple cider donuts to apple chips to mulled apple cider.
Now I am super excited to share this easy Slow Cooker Apple Crisp recipe with you because it is SO good. The minute we finished taking photos of the dish for this post, my kids devoured it (with a little help from my husband Pete and myself, of course)!
This Crockpot Apple Crisp is the perfect dessert when you're entertaining, especially during the holidays. Once you get it going in the slow cooker, you can forget about it and focus on cooking the rest of your meal.
Then, when you're done with dinner, voila! You have a delicious, hot dessert ready to be topped with a scoop of ice cream and devoured.
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Why You'll Love This Dish
- It's so easy to make- just put your ingredients into the slow cooker, set it and forget it! In a few hours, your kitchen will be filled with the enticing aroma of cinnamon and apples
- It feeds a crowd- it's perfect for entertaining and is an excellent dish for the holidays.
- It's made with nutritious ingredients like nutrient-dense apples and whole grain oats
- It's sooooo good! Who can resist warm apples and cinnamon topped with a crumbly oat topping, right?
- Can be made gluten free and/or vegan
Slow Cooker vs. Crockpot
You may be wondering what the difference is between a slow cooker and a Crockpot. The two terms are often used interchangeably. The truth is that there isn't much of a difference at all!
A slow cooker is a type of cooking appliance, while Crock-Pot is a specific brand of slow cooker.
Slow cookers are composed of a pot, a lid, and a heating element. They cook food using moist heat over several hours. I love using my slow cooker to make delicious pulled chicken for sandwiches or quesadillas. I also make a delicious French toast casserole and overnight crockpot apple cinnamon oatmeal that's perfect to wake up to on busy mornings.
The Crockpot, which was released in the 1970s, was the original slow cooker. Over the years, it has been redesigned but its popularity still remains. So much so that the terms "slow cooker" and "crockpot" have pretty much become synonymous.
Doctor's Tips
My healthy Slow Cooker (Crockpot) Apple Crisp is packed with nutrient-dense ingredients!
- Apples are a nutritious ingredient that are packed with vitamins and minerals. Apples have both soluble and insoluble fiber.
- Oats are another gut-friendly, nutritious ingredient. They're rich in soluble fiber, like apples, and have many health benefits.
- Both apples and oats are prebiotic foods, which promote healthy gut bacteria.
To make this slow cooker apple crisp gluten free, you should use certified gluten-free oats in the topping. While oats are inherently gluten free, they may come into contact with gluten-containing grains during the manufacturing process.
You can also swap out the flour in the filling for a gluten-free 1-to-1 baking blend.
How To Make Slow Cooker (Crockpot) Apple Crisp
- Step 1- To make the topping, put the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter or coconut oil in a bowl.
- Step 2- Stir to combine well. The mixture should be wet and crumbly.
- Step 3- Peel and slice the apples about ¼- inch thick.
- Step 4- Toss the apples in the bowl of a crockpot with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt. I use this 6-quart Crock-Pot.
- Step 5- Sprinkle the oat topping evenly over the apples in the crockpot. Place a dish towel on top of the slow cooker, making sure it does not sag down onto the crisp. Then, place the lid on top of the towel. This towel will help soak up the condensation that forms under the lid, keeping the apple crisp topping from getting soggy.
- Step 6- Cook on high for 2 ½ - 3 ½ hours or low for 6-8 hours until the apples are tender. The final cook time will depend on your slow cooker. Serve the apple crisp hot. If you like, you can top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Devour!
Chef's Tips
- You can use any sweet, firm, baking apple in this crockpot apple crisp recipe. My favorite apple to use is Honeycrisp. Fuji, Jonah Gold, and Granny Smith are other good options. Avoid varieties like Mcintosh apples, which break down too much and get watery with cooking.
- Try and resist the urge to peek inside the slow cooker while the dish is cooking. Each time the lid is taken off, the internal temperature drops 10 to 15 degrees, and the cooking process is slowed down by about 30 minutes.
Storage
You can store this healthy apple crisp in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Leftovers are delicious for breakfast the next day, topped with Greek yogurt.
I often enjoy the leftovers cold straight from the fridge. You can also reheat leftover apple crisp in the microwave or oven.
The crisp can also be frozen for up to 3 months. You can also just make the topping ahead of time and freeze it rather than freezing the whole crisp.
Recipe FAQs
Apple crisp and apple crumble both have an apple filling topped with a streusel-like topping made with flour, sugar, and butter. Crisps classically contain oats, while crumbles do not. But the terms crisp and crumble are pretty much used interchangeably.
You can use any sweet, firm, baking apple in this apple crisp recipe. My favorite apple to use is Honeycrisp. Fuji, Jonah Gold, and Granny Smith are other good options. Avoid varieties like Mcintosh apples, which break down too much and get watery with cooking.
You can store the apple crisp in the fridge for up to 5 days. Leftovers are delicious the next day for breakfast topped with yogurt. The crisp can be frozen for up to 3 months. The crisp topping can also be made ahead of time and frozen uncooked.
Yes, this recipe can be made gluten free by using certified gluten-free oats and swapping out the flour for a gluten-free baking blend.
Yes, this recipe can be made vegan by swapping out the butter for coconut oil.
More Tasty Apple Recipes
Looking for even more apple recipes? Check out my Best Apple Recipe Round Up!
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Recipe
Slow Cooker (Crockpot) Apple Crisp
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 large or 8 medium apples, sliced ¼-inch thick (8 cups)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
Topping:
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats (can use certified gluten-free oats)
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 5 tablespoons melted butter (substitute coconut oil if vegan)
Instructions
- Coat the insert of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray.
- Add the apple slices, lemon juice, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir to combine well. Spread the apples out in an even layer.
- To make the topping, stir the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour in the melted butter or coconut oil and stir until all the ingredients are coated and the mixture is wet and crumbly. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples.
- Place a dish towel on top of the slow cooker, making sure it does not sag down onto the crisp. Place the lid on top of the towel. This towel will help soak up the condensation that forms under the lid, keeping the crisp topping from getting soggy.
- Cook on high for 2 ½- 3 ½ hours or on low for 6-8 hours, until the apples are soft. Remove the lid and towel and serve the crisp hot. Top with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.
Notes
- You can use any sweet, firm, baking apple in this recipe. My favorite apple to use is Honeycrisp. Fuji, Jonah Gold, and Granny Smith are other good options. Avoid varieties like Mcintosh apples, which break down too much and get watery with cooking.
- Try and resist the urge to peek inside the slow cooker while the dish is cooking. Each time the lid is taken off, the internal temperature drops 10 to 15 degrees, and the cooking process is slowed down by about 30 minutes.
- You can store the apple crisp in the fridge for up to 5 days. Leftovers are delicious the next day for breakfast topped with yogurt.
- The crisp can be frozen for up to 3 months. The crisp topping can also be made ahead of time and frozen uncooked.
- This recipe can be made gluten free by using certified gluten-free oats and swapping out the flour for a gluten-free baking blend.
- This recipe can be made vegan by swapping out the lactose-free butter for coconut oil.
Carrie says
Can I use frozen apples?
Dr. Sonali Ruder says
I've never used frozen apples in this recipe but it should work! I would put the frozen apples straight into the slow cooker without thawing them first as thawing may make them watery and mushy. Because frozen fruit releases more liquid as it cooks, you may want to add a little extra cornstarch to the filling to help thicken it up.
Stacey Reese says
Is this something I can put together the night before a get together?
Dr. Sonali Ruder says
Yes! You can make it the night before and store it in the fridge. Then the next day, you can reheat it in the oven. It's not recommended to reheat food in the slow crockpot. I hope you enjoy it!
Heidi says
Do you think this recipe can be doubled?
Dr. Sonali Ruder says
Yes, definitely! As long as your slow cooker is big enough, it can be doubled.
Nancy Freeman says
Delicious desert--perfect way to cook apples so that everyone loved them... We are elderly and fresh ones are a challenge on our elderly teeth!
Dr. Sonali Ruder says
Hi Nancy, I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! Yes, the apples do get nice and soft in the slow cooker. Thanks for leaving a review! 😊
JEG says
I recently bought a small slow cooker for the two of us. I'll try this out by cutting it in half to just have enough. Thanks.
Dr. Sonali Ruder says
That sounds like a great idea! Don’t worry, if you have extra, the leftovers are delicious too 😊
Melissa says
Yesterday was too hot to run the oven, and I was skeptical about this recipe turning out (I am picky about my apple crisp), but it was WONDERFUL! The topping was so crispy and carmelized around the edges, and my house smelled amazing all day! This will be my new go-to apple crisp recipe for sure! Thank you!
Dr. Sonali Ruder says
That's great!!! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! I also love the way it makes my kitchen smell when it's cooking 🙂
Tyanne says
I made this for my crock pot competition and everyone loved it!
Dr. Sonali Ruder says
So happy to hear that! Thanks so much for leaving a review! 😊