This skillet caramel apple crisp features tender apple slices in a rich homemade caramel sauce and topped with a buttery oat streusel topping. Enjoy this classic fall dessert warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!

It’s not fall unless you’ve got a banger apple crisp recipe up your sleeve! Lucky for you this caramel-y apple crisp goodness ticks all the boxes.

Also, is it just me or do desserts that are baked in a skillet almost always taste better?? Regardless, we can all agree that this apple crisp is fall perfection and you need it in your life.

Preferably with extra caramel on top.

This apple crisp is pretty much one of those foolproof desserts and even novice bakers will have no problems pulling this off! Yes, we’re even making our own caramel and I PROMISE it’s so easy.

This Apple Crisp features…

Tender apples in a sweet homemade caramel sauce
A buttery spiced oat streusel topping
Incredible warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
Minutes to make and always a hit fall dessert

Making the Apple Crisp

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

Apples
Granulated sugar
Unsalted butter
Heavy whipping cream
Kosher salt
Old-fashioned rolled oats
All-purpose flour
Brown sugar
Cinnamon
Ginger
Allspice
Nutmeg
Ice cream or whipped cream

Choosing Your Apples

This recipe works well with a variety of apple types. We typically try to stick with a sweeter, crisp apple that holds its shape in a crisp such as gala, honeycrisp, braeburn, or jonathans.

We do recommend you stay away from using granny smith apples in particular for this crisp because we found they give it a bit of a too-tart flavor and require more sugar to balance that.

Tips for Perfect Apple Crisp

Make homemade caramel – we love the amazing flavor the simple homemade caramel sauce gives this apple crisp. It comes together easily on the stovetop in only a few minutes.
Cut apples in uniform size – peel the apples and cut them into uniform 1/4-inch thick slices so they all cook at the same rate.
Use old-fashioned rolled oats for topping – this gives the streusel a perfect heartiness and lots of texture.
Reserve some of caramel for drizzling – this adds a lovely finishing touch to the crisp once its finished baking.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on this apple crisp.

Add another fruit – try adding a handful of cranberries, blueberries, or raspberries to the apple filling.
Use pre-made caramel sauce – we love the homemade caramel sauce, but using pre-made will definitely speed up this recipe a bit. You will need about 1/2 cup caramel sauce in place of our homemade recipe.
Add chocolate – try sprinkling 1/4 cup semisweet or white chocolate chips on top of streusel.
Use a regular baking dish – if you don’t have a cast iron skillet, feel free to use a 9-inch round or square baking dish instead.

How To Serve Apple Crisp

We recommend serving this apple crisp warm from the oven with either scoops of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream on top. Don’t forget the extra caramel drizzles!

This apple crisp may be stored up to 3 days in refrigerator, but we do recommend reheating individual servings in microwave before serving for best results.

There’s just nothing better than caramel, apples, and streusel all hanging out in the same glorious dessert! You’re going to have to physically hold yourself back from diving straight into this skillet with a spoon.

Don’t forget the XL scoops of ice cream on top of this goodness! It’d be a crime against fall not to.

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

Watch this apple crisp made step-by-step on Google web stories.

More incredible apple desserts to try next!

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