Apple Cranberry Crisp is an easy-to-make dessert filled with apples and tart cranberries and topped with a crispy combination of oats and brown sugar. It’s simply delicious all on its own, but also pairs perfectly alongside a scoop of creamy, vanilla ice cream.
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As soon as apple season arrives, we get a little crazy making all of the apple recipes we possibly can.
While apple pie is definitely the most popular apple dessert recipe to ever exist, sometimes a little change is nice too.
Enter, Apple Cranberry Crisp. It has the best combination of some of fall’s most popular flavors including apples, cranberries, brown sugar and cinnamon.
Love a good crisp recipe? Try our recipes for Blackberry Crisp and Peach Crisp too!
Why This Recipe Works
The base of Apple Cranberry Crisp is made with sweet apples, tart cranberries, cinnamon, and nutmeg for the perfect balance of flavor.
A crunchy topping made with brown sugar and oats adds amazing texture and crispiness. You can also add chopped pecans or walnuts for even more crunchy goodness.
This recipe is very quick and easy to assemble. It takes about 45 minutes to bake and can be enjoyed warm or chilled.
How to Make Apple Cranberry Crisp
Ingredients
Apple Cranberry Crisp Filling
- 4 cups apples (peeled and diced from 4-5 apples): you can use any apple variety that you like. Granny Smith, Fugi and Gala all work great in this recipe depending on if you like a sweeter or tarter crisp.
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries: 1 cup of fresh or frozen (not thawed) cranberries can be substituted. If you opt for fresh or frozen cranberries, I would recommend using a sweeter apple variety to balance out the tartness.
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Crisp Topping
- 1 cup rolled oats: you can use gluten free, if needed.
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour: you can use gluten free, if needed.
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts (optional, chopped)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
The entire recipe and instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can print the recipe from the card, if needed.
Prep!
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with butter.
Peel and dice the apples into bite-size pieces and roughly chop the pecans or walnuts, if using.
Create!
In a large bowl, mix together the apples, cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour evenly into the prepared baking dish.
In the same bowl that was used for the apples, mix the oats, flour and brown sugar. If you are adding pecans or walnuts, stir them in here too.
Using a fork, pastry cutter, or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms crumbles.
Sprinkle the crumbles evenly over the apple cranberry mixture.
Bake for 45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the apple mixture is hot and bubbly.
Present!
This Apple Cranberry Crisp is delicious on its own, but also pairs well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and an extra sprinkle of cinnamon, if desired.
How to Make Gluten Free Apple Cranberry Crisp
This recipe for Apple Cranberry Crisp can easily be made gluten-free without the flavor or texture changing at all.
Simply use gluten free old fashioned rolled oats and an all purpose gluten free flour in the same amounts as called for in the recipe card.
Tips and Techniques
- You can substitute 1 cup of fresh cranberries in place of the dried cranberries in the recipe, if needed.
- 1 cup of frozen cranberries can also be substituted for the dried cranberries in this recipe. Do not defrost them first.
- Store leftover crisp covered at room temperature for 2-3 days, or up to a week in the refrigerator.
FAQ’s
What Are The Best Apples For Apple Crisp?
You can use either sweet or tart apples for apple crisp depending on your own preferences. You may like a tart apple, like Granny Smith, to balance out the sweetness from the sugar. If you prefer a sweeter crisp, try Fugi or Gala apples instead. If you are using fresh cranberries, your crisp will be more tart. In this case a sweeter apple variety is recommended.
Can Apple Crisp Be Frozen?
Baked, cooled apple crisp can be frozen, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes.
More Apple Dessert Recipes
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Apple Cranberry Crisp
Ingredients
Apple Cranberry Filling
- 4 cups apples (peeled and diced)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (see notes)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Crisp Topping
- 1 cup rolled oats (gluten free, if needed)
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour (gluten free, if needed)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts (optional, chopped)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
Apple Cranberry Filling
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with butter.
- In a large bowl, mix together the apples, cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour evenly into the prepared baking dish.4 cups apples, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Crisp Topping
- In the same bowl that was used for the apples, mix the oats, flour and brown sugar. If you are adding pecans or walnuts, stir them in here too.1 cup rolled oats, 1/3 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
- Using a fork, pastry cutter, or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms crumbles.4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Sprinkle the crumbles evenly over the apple cranberry mixture.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the apple mixture is hot and bubbly.
- This Apple Cranberry Crisp is delicious on its own, but also pairs well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and an extra sprinkle of cinnamon, if desired.
Notes
Tips and Techniques
- You can substitute 1 cup of fresh cranberries in place of the dried cranberries in the recipe, if needed.
- 1 cup of frozen cranberries can also be substituted for the dried cranberries in this recipe. Do not defrost them first.
- If you opt to use fresh or frozen cranberries, a sweeter apple variety is recommended such as Fugi or Gala.
- Store leftover crisp covered at room temperature for 2-3 days, or up to a week in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
This recipe for Apple Cranberry Crisp was originally published on November 30, 2015. The recipe was updated with new images, step-by-step instructions, tips, techniques and FAQ’s in September 2024.
