This easy applesauce crisp with oats combines tender apples, warm cinnamon, and a buttery brown sugar oat topping for a cozy fall dessert that's best served warm.
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Why You'll Love This Applesauce Crisp
If my apple dump cake and sweet potato casserole had a baby, you'd get this delicious Applesauce Crisp with oats! It's a sweet, slightly spicy dessert that's perfect for fall.
You'll get a great combo of sweet applesauce, apple slices, cinnamon, and a buttery brown sugar topping. The fresh apples and applesauce create this soft, spoonable filling that is somewhere between a classic apple crisp and baked apple pudding.
Bake: 350°F for 35-40 minutes
Servings: 8
Best served warm
This is such a yummy fall dessert. Hope you love it!
Ingredient Notes
(See recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact ingredient measurements.)
For the apple filling
- Sweetened cinnamon applesauce: Smooth or chunky both work. I like cinnamon applesauce for the built-in flavor. If using unsweetened applesauce, add 2 teaspoons cinnamon and an extra 2 tablespoons brown sugar to the filling.
- Fresh apples: Use medium apples that have been peeled, cored, and thinly sliced. The fresh apples keep the filling from feeling like plain old baked applesauce.
For the oat topping
- Salted butter: Melted butter makes the topping super easy to stir together, making flour, oats, and brown sugar into a crumble consistency.
- Light brown sugar: Brown sugar gives the crumble sweetness and a little bit of caramel flavor.
- Rolled oats: Old-fashioned rolled oats give the topping its best texture. Avoid steel-cut oats, which will be too firm.
- All-purpose flour: Flour gives the topping structure and helps it bake into a great crumble.
- Ground cinnamon: A second dose of cinnamon carries the spice through the topping.
- Pecans: The pecans are totally optional - they add great flavor and extra crunch, but the topping will still work without them.
Additions & Variations
- Nut-free: Leave out the pecans. No other adjustment needed!
- Walnut variation: Replace the pecans with an equal amount of chopped walnuts.
- Extra apple texture: Use chunky applesauce, or dice one apple and slice the other two.
- More spice: Add a tiny pinch of nutmeg or ground ginger so the cinnamon still stands out.
The Best Apples to Use
I'd pick apples that hold at least some of their shape during baking. Firm apples are less likely to disappear completely into the applesauce.
Good options include:
- Granny Smith (tarter filling)
- Honeycrisp (sweeter filling)
- Braeburn (more balanced)
- Pink Lady (brighter flavor)
- Fuji (sweeter filling)
A mixture of one tart apple and two sweet apples can give the filling more depth.
Slice the apples about ¼ inch thick. Very thin slices may dissolve into the applesauce, and thick wedges can stay too firm by the time the topping is browned.
How to Make Applesauce Crisp with Oats
- Prepare the baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13" baking dish or similar 3-quart baking dish.
- Mix the apple filling. Add the applesauce, ½ cup brown sugar, and sliced apples to the baking dish. If using unsweetened applesauce, add 2 additional tablespoons of brown sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Stir until the apples are evenly coated.
- Make the oat topping. In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, rolled oats, flour, cinnamon, and optional pecans. Stir until no dry flour remains and the mixture looks crumbly, kind of like wet sand.
- Add the topping. Scatter the oat mixture evenly over the applesauce filling. Don't press it down, since a loose topping will brown more evenly.
- Bake. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the filling bubbles around the edges, the apples are tender, and the topping is golden brown. If the top is still pale after 40 minutes, bake for another 5 minutes.
- Let it rest. Cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. This gives the hot filling time to settle and thicken slightly.
How to Tell When the Crisp Is Done
Color alone won't cut it here. The brown sugar can make the topping appear browned before the apple filling is ready.
Look for three signals:
- Bubbling at the edges: This shows that the applesauce filling is heated through.
- Soft apple slices: Poke a knife into the center; it should pass through the apples with almost no resistance.
- A dry-looking topping: There should not be visible patches of raw flour.
The center may still look kind of soft - applesauce does not set as firmly as a filling made only with sliced apples.
Leftovers & Storage
Storage: Let the crisp cool, then cover the baking dish or transfer leftovers to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days. The oat topping can sometimes soften a little in the fridge as it absorbs moisture from the filling.
Reheating: For the crispest topping, reheat the dessert uncovered in a 350°F oven until warmed through. A small serving can also be reheated in a toaster oven.
The microwave is quicker, but it will make the topping soft. Heat individual servings in short intervals so you don't overheat the applesauce filling.
Freezing: I don't recommend freezing this crisp - the oat topping becomes kind of soft after thawing. This dessert is best made fresh.
Make-Ahead Instructions
For the best topping texture, make the apple base and topping separately.
Refrigerate the apple filling in the baking dish and keep the oat mixture in a separate covered container. Add the topping right before baking.
Because the topping contains melted butter, it may thicken up some in the fridge. Break it into crumbs with a fork before sprinkling it over the filling.
Leslie's Helpful Tips & Tricks
- Use old-fashioned rolled oats for the best chewy, crisp topping. Quick oats will give you a softer crumble.
- Slice the apples about ¼ inch thick so they soften without disappearing into the applesauce.
- Mix the topping until it looks like wet sand with no dry flour pockets.
- Sprinkle the topping loosely over the filling instead of pressing it down. This helps it brown and crisp more evenly.
- Let it rest uncovered for 15-20 minutes before serving. The filling thickens up as it cools. Leaving it uncovered keeps the topping from getting soggy.
FAQs
I hope you love this yummy fall treat! If you give it a try, I'd love for you to rate and review it below. And if you're loving my recipes, don't forget to add me as a preferred source on Google to see more in search!
Applesauce Crisp with Oats
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 2 cups sweetened cinnamon applesauce
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 medium apples (peeled, cored, and sliced about ¼ inch thick)
Oat Crumble Topping
- ¾ cup salted butter (melted; 1 ½ sticks)
- 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup crushed pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13" or 3-quart baking dish.
- In your baking dish, mix together the applesauce, ½ cup of brown sugar, and sliced apples.
- In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, and optional pecans. Stir until crumbly, like wet sand.
- Scatter the topping over the apple filling without packing it down.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the filling bubbles around the edges, the apples are tender, and the topping is golden.
- Cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use old-fashioned rolled oats for the best topping texture.
- Slice apples about ¼ inch thick so they soften without disappearing.
- If using unsweetened applesauce, add 2 extra tablespoons brown sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
- Pecans are optional; omit them or use walnuts.
- Refrigerate leftovers 3-4 days; reheat uncovered at 350°F for the best texture.
Nutrition Facts
Leslie Lambert is a lifestyle writer and content creator specializing in home organization, family recipes, and intentional living. With 17 years of experience in blogging and digital storytelling, she helps busy women create calm, purposeful homes they love.
