You've got a big bag of apples you need to use. What's a gal to do?! Here's an idea: make some slow cooker apple crisp. This recipe is just begging for a scoop of vanilla ice cream—yum!
The only thing better than cooking with the crockpot is making desserts in that bad boy. We admit it. We've got a serious sweet tooth. But hours and hours of free time to devote to baking? Not so much.
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Luckily, this slow cooker apple crisp recipe takes just minutes to prep, and then it cooks itself. Your kitchen will quickly smell like a fall festival, and we guarantee your hubs and kids will come running! The hardest part about this recipe is trying to keep everyone from sneaking a bite before it's ready. Don't say we didn't warn you!
APPLE CRISP RECIPE SWAPS
We love this recipe as-is, but we also get that not everyone has the same items on hand in their fridge or pantry. Sometimes you NEED a good home-cooked dessert, and we don't want to let a missing ingredient or two stop you from making this one! Try one of these substitutions:
- Apples – If you don't have apples to use up, pears and Asian pears make the perfect substitute. Definitely peel them first!
- Brown Sugar – All out of brown sugar? Don't you worry! Here are a few brown sugar substitutes to try.
- Butter – Did you forget to add butter to your last grocery delivery? Oops! You can use margarine, nut butter, or Greek yogurt instead.
- Oatmeal – If you're out of oats, you can omit the oatmeal for this one! The topping ends up like a brown sugar streusel with walnuts. Yum!
- Cinnamon/Nutmeg – Missing one of these? Sub in pumpkin pie spice.
- Lemon Juice – You can use apple juice or orange juice in its place if you're out of the lemon.
- Walnuts – If you don't have walnuts, you can swap in pecans.
See? SO easy to make some simple modifications. You could even turn this into an apple AND pear crisp. Why not?!
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVERS
Wait. You have leftovers?! LUCKY! Here's what to do with any apple crisp your family doesn't devour:
- Freeze – Transfer your crisp to a disposable baking dish, triple wrap in foil, and store in the freezer for up to three months. When you're ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake at 375° for about an hour. (Check at 50 minutes)
- Refrigerate – If you store your crisp in the refrigerator, you can keep it for up to five days. We'll be super impressed if it sticks around that long! Just place in a dish, cover with plastic wrap and then foil.
- Room Temp – If you think you'll eat your leftovers the next day, then there's no need to refrigerate. Just cover and heat up when you're ready.
While we're on the topic of leftovers, we've got one last (fun) order of business! You know we're always looking for ways to make leftovers feel brand new, so let's do it!
CREATIVE WAYS TO USE SLOW COOKER APPLE CRISP LEFTOVERS
This crisp is absolutely delicious on its own or with a scoop of ice cream, but if you like to experiment as much as we do, then we know you'll love one of these ideas for using any leftovers:
- Cinnamon Rolls – Okay, we're already drooling. You know those store-bought cinnamon rolls that come in the tube? Or those homemade cinnamon rolls you love to make? Let's doctor them up! Unroll, fill with apple crisp, then bake as instructed. Now there's some fruit in your breakfast, which automatically makes it healthy, right?
- Oatmeal – Plain oatmeal is the best! Said no one ever. Spice up that boring mush by adding a scoop of this apple crisp to your bowl of oatmeal. We bet overnight oats would be tasty, too.
- Pancakes – This might sound a little indulgent, but we're not judging! Top your next batch of pancakes with a scoop of apple crisp. You won't be sorry. By the way, you NEED to try this German Pancake recipe.
- Parfait – If you have some plain or vanilla yogurt, you can make a delicious little parfait. Just layer with apple crisp and enjoy!
We'll take one of each, please! Okay, maybe two. 🙂
LET'S MAKE A SLOW COOKER APPLE CRISP
Okay, are you ready to make this bomb recipe? It's so yummy, you're gonna feel like a slow cooker ninja after that first bite. We know your family will be impressed, and we won't tell them how simple this is to throw together. It's our secret!
Easy Apple Crisp
Equipment
- Slow-cooker
Ingredients
Topping
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup butter, cut into pieces
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Apple Filling
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 1 Tbsp corn starch
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 6 cups apples–peeled, cored, chopped
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- For the topping: mix oats, flour, brown sugar, ½ cup of white sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a bowl. Combine butter with the flour mixture using fingers or a fork until coarse crumbs form. Stir in walnuts and set aside.
- Whisk together ⅓ cup sugar, cornstarch, ginger, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Place the apples in a slow cooker, stir in the cornstarch mixture; toss with lemon juice.
- Sprinkle the walnut crumb topping on top. Cover and cook on High for 2 hours or Low for 4 hours, until apples are tender.
- Partially uncover the slow cooker to allow the topping to harden, and cook for another hour.
Notes
We love to serve our apple crisp alongside a big scoop of vanilla ice cream! Have you tried this creamy, dreamy homemade ice cream recipe? You won't be disappointed! You might like this whipped cream, too.
What's your favorite dessert to make in the slow cooker? We want to hear all about it! Drop us a comment below.
Want more crockpot recipes to try?
- This crockpot chili is the perfect meal for a crowd!
- If you're looking for a meal for picky eaters, try this Italian cream cheese chicken.
- Busy night? No problem! Here are 20 easy crockpot recipes.
Stay sweet!