Easy Apple Crisp for Two

Name: Easy Apple Crisp Recipe for Two
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 medium apples (peeled, cored and chopped (or 1 large apple - about 2 cups chopped)); Squeeze of fresh lemon juice; 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar; 1 Tablespoon cornstarch; 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; Small pinch of ground ginger (optional); 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (gluten free flour, or almond flour); 3 Tablespoons old fashioned rolled oats (not steel cut); 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar; 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon; Pinch salt; Small pinch of nutmeg (optional); 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter (cold and cubed)

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4 from 12 votes

Warm, cozy apple crisp recipe for two! Spiced apples are covered with a cinnamon oat crumble topping and baked until hot and gooey for the perfect small batch fall dessert. Easily adapted for a larger crowd!

A mini cocotte full of freshly baked apple crisp and topping with a scoop of ice cream

Nicole said: “This was so simple and yummy! We’re making it again for company. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“

I wear my Apple > Pumpkin badge loud and proud, so here's a long-time favorite fall recipe of mine: apple crisp!

But here's the thing… it's just me and my husband at home, and we don't have guests that often. Therefore, I'm looking to make just about everything a small batch recipe – where it makes sense.

In this house, things like breakfast casseroles and lasagna are made with the intention of having leftovers for the rest of the week.

But apple crisp? Nope. Needs to be eaten shortly after it's been baked, because otherwise the topping gets soggy.

Overhead shot of two dishes of freshly baked apple crisp

What is the best apple for apple crisp?

I personally like to use a mix of tart apples and sweeter apples, but it will work with pretty much whatever you have on hand.

You just want to make sure you're using firm, crisp apples – if they're soft, they're going to be mushy after they're baked. And you don't want a mushy texture, you want tender baked apples.

Here are some of my favorite apples to use:

Granny Smith
Gala
Fuji
Honeycrisp
Pink Lady
Autumn Glory
Braeburn

Do I have to peel the apples for apple crisp?

Honestly, no! If you want to save yourself a step and some time, feel free to wash the outside of the apples well, and just dice them with the peels on.

Key ingredients for apple crisp

Apple filling

Apples – As I outlined above, there are a bunch of apple varieties that work well. Just make sure you're using firm, crisp apples.
Lemon juice – Tossing the diced apples in a squeeze of lemon juice helps prevent them from turning brown while you're preparing everything.
Brown sugar – I use light brown sugar, but you can use dark brown sugar if you'd prefer. This caramelizes while it bakes.
Cornstarch – This prevents the sugars from caramelizing with too much liquid! If you don't have cornstarch, you can use the same amount of all-purpose or gluten-free flour.
Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract rounds out the flavors.
Ground cinnamon and ground ginger – These spices bring a wonderful warm flavor to the dish.

Crumb topping

All-purpose flour – You could also use gluten-free flour or almond flour.
Oats – You want to use old-fashioned rolled oats, but not steel-cut oats. Steel-cut oats will be too firm and raw.
Brown sugar – Again, I use light brown sugar but you can use dark brown sugar if you'd like.
Ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg – Adds more warm flavors to what would be an otherwise bland topping.
Salt – A pinch of salt will brighten up the flavors a bit.
Unsalted butter – Very cold, cubed butter will be cut into rest of the ingredients just before sprinkling it on top of each of the dishes of diced apples and baked.

How to make small batch apple crisp

A peeled apple on a grey cutting board next to a green apple

Step 1: Peel your apples with a peeler. You can also skip this step and just thoroughly wash the outside of each apple and leave the peel on!

Step 2: Core and dice each apple into roughly 1/2″ cubes – but don't obsess over making them uniform in size. As long as they're chopped small enough to comfortably fit in your serving dishes, you're good.

Half a lemon being squeezed into a bowl of diced apples

Step 3: In a medium bowl, combine chopped apples and lemon juice and toss to coat.

Diced apples in a clear mixing bowl with brown sugar, cinnamon and other spices

Step 4: Add brown sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon (and ginger, if including).

Diced apples coated in a cinnamon mixture in a clear mixing bowl with a wooden spoon

Step 5: Stir or toss to combine and evenly distribute the spices.

Cinnamon spiced apples being poured into a red mini cocotte

Step 6: Divide the spiced apple filling evenly between two dishes sprayed with nonstick spray, and set aside.

Brown sugar, cinnamon, flour and oats in a clear mixing bowl

Step 7: In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg (if including) and whisk to combine.

Butter being cut into an oatmeal mixture with a pastry cutter

Step 8: Add cold, cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or fork to combine until the mixture forms a large crumb that sticks together.

Oat topping being sprinkled on top of a red mini cocotte of diced apples

Step 9: Spoon half the crumb mixture in an even layer on top of each dish of apple filling.

A mini cocotte full of apple crisp ready to be baked

Step 10: Bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes, or until the topping is lightly golden brown and the apples are cooked through and soft. If desired, at the end you can set the oven to Broil to let it quickly brown the tops. Keep a close eye on it, as it will happen quickly!

Carefully remove from the oven, let cool slightly, then serve. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, or just serve as is and enjoy!

How to make the best apple crisp from scratch

Here are some of my tips on making the best apple crisp of your life. Dramatic? I mean, probably. But since you typically eat dessert less often than any other meal, let's make it count.

Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the chopped apples. This helps prevent them from browning, which just makes it look less appealing – but it also adds a little welcome zing to the finished product!
Speaking of chopped apples, don't obsess over making them uniform in size. As long as they're chopped small enough to comfortably fit in your serving dishes, you're good. Aim for roughly 1/2″ cubes.
Add ground ginger and nutmeg for more spiced flavor. I have them listed as optional ingredients in the recipe card, but I highly encourage you to add them. I really love the subtle additional spicy flavor the ginger adds to the filling, and the nutmeg in the topping has a lovely aroma that just screams Fall.
Like a stronger spiced flavor? Add more of… whatever! More ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger – whatever flavors you love.
Don't have cornstarch for the filling? Substitute with all-purpose flour.
Don't have enough all purpose flour for the topping? Swap it for gluten free flour or almond meal.
Use old fashioned rolled oats in the crisp topping, not steel cut. I don't recommend using steel cut oats because they're more firm than rolled oats and take longer to absorb liquids and cook. So while the apple filling might be ready to go, the topping would still taste a bit raw.

Can I make this recipe for one person?

Of course! Just slash the recipe right in half and bake in a single-serving dish. Or make this exactly as written and eat them both yourself – tada! Apple crisp for one.

Just kidding (sort of) – here's how you'd cut it all in half:

Apple filling:

1 medium apples, peeled, cored and chopped (about 1 cup chopped)
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Small pinch of ground ginger (optional)

Crumb topping ingredients:

1/8 cup all purpose flour, gluten free flour, or almond meal
1 1/2 tablespoons old fashioned rolled oats (not steel cut)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Tiny pinch of nutmeg (optional)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Can I make this for more than two people?

Sure can! If you want to make this for a crowd, triple the recipe and bake it in a 9″ pie dish or an 8×8″ baking dish instead. You'll likely need to bake it for a bit longer than indicated here, so check it at 30 minutes.

Tip: Click on the “3X” in the recipe card and it will do all the math for you!

What serving dishes should I use?

I absolutely adore my Le Creuset 8 ounce mini cocottes. We got them as a wedding gift, and they are the absolutely perfect size for single serving desserts. They have little handles, which makes serving easy – and you can put the lid on top to keep it warm until you're ready to eat!

Or to keep a nosy cat out of it. Either way. Scroll down to see the face he makes when he's not given any:

Tabby cat sitting on wood flooring looking up at a chair

Tabby cat sitting on wood flooring looking off in the distance

Apple crisp toppings

I love a scoop of cold ice cream on top of it, right before serving. It gets a little melty and complements the rest of the dish beautifully.

The go-to for most people is vanilla ice cream, and that's totally fine. But you know what's even better? Believe it or not, Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream is freaking fantastic with apple crisp! Don't knock it 'til you try it.

You could also add:

a drizzle of caramel sauce
pomegranate arils
sprinkling of some crushed walnuts, pecans or shredded almonds

A mini cocotte full of freshly baked apple crisp and topping with a spoon digging into scoop of ice cream

FAQs

What apples are best for apple crisp?

Granny Smith, Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Autumn Glory and Braeburn are all great for apple crisp. You just want to make sure you're using firm, crisp apples – if they're soft, they're going to be mushy after they're baked. And you don't want a mushy texture, you want tender baked apples.

How many apples for apple crisp?

For this recipe, you'll need two medium apples to make two servings of apple crisp.

How long to bake apple crisp?

Bake the two servings of apple crisp at 350°F for about 25 minutes, or until the topping is lightly golden brown and the apples are cooked through and soft.

Does apple crisp need to be refrigerated?

The great thing about this recipe is that it was developed to be only two servings so that you can enjoy them immediately and not have to worry about leftovers! But if you're making it ahead of time, you will want to store it covered in the fridge for up to three days.

Can you freeze apple crisp?

Since this recipe was developed to be only two servings, there shouldn't be much need to freeze the apple crisp. However, if you really wanted to you can bake it, wait for it to cool down, and then transfer it to a freezer-safe container, wrapped tightly, to store for up to one month. When it comes time to reheat the apple crisp, place it in the fridge overnight to thaw. Then bake again at 350 degrees uncovered for about 10-15 minutes.

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Easy Apple Crisp Recipe for Two

4.34 from 12 votes

Warm, cozy apple crisp recipe for two! Spiced apples are covered with a cinnamon oat crumble topping and baked until hot and gooey for the perfect small batch fall dessert.

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 40

Servings: servings

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