Dutch Oven Apple Crisp with Cranberries

🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe

Simple and easy to make. This apple crisp is made with warm juicy apples, tart cranberries and topped with a crispy crumble. The crisp is similar to apple pie but much easier to make and is the perfect ending to any meal! This is the perfect easy recipe to make after apple picking.

Full of fall flavors and spices. Warm apples and cinnamon are one of the best flavor combos. This is a great fall dessert. If you love fall flavors, you will also like my Maple Swirl Pumpkin Muffins, Salted Maple Donuts and Sweet Potato Pie Bars.

Easier to make than apple pie. I am a huge apple pie fan but sometimes it just takes too much time to make. Apple crisp has all the same flavors but is much easier to throw together, especially last minute.

Cranberry apple crisp on a plate topped with vanilla ice cream.

🥘Ingredients and Substitutions

Apples- this recipe uses a combination of Granny Smith apples and Honeycrisp apples.

Cranberries- fresh or frozen cranberries will work in this apple crisp. Don't use dried or sweetened cranberries.

Brown sugar- provides a deep caramel flavor that goes great with the fruit in this crisp. You can also use white sugar or coconut sugar if needed. Coconut sugar has a similar flavor to brown sugar.

Flour- use regular flour or make it gluten-free. Bob's Red Mill 1:1 baking flour, is a great substitute for all-purpose flour.

Coconut oil- use virgin, unrefined or refined coconut oil and ensure it is melted. You can also use melted butter or avocado oil.

See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.

🔪Instructions

Dutch oven apple and cranberry crisp process photos.

Prepare the apples. Begin by peeling, coring and slicing your apples thinly.

Make the apple filling. Combine apples with the cranberries and the rest of the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Pour the apple mixture into the bottom of your Dutch oven.

Make the crumble. Mix oats with flour, sugar, spices, oil and baking powder. Sprinkle the crust mix over the apples and cranberries.

Bake the crisp in the preheated oven until it is slightly golden and bubbling.

Two spoons in dutch oven apple and cranberry crisp topped with vanilla ice cream.

💭Recipe FAQs

What are the best apples for apple crisp?

Truthfully, you can use any kind of apple. Pick your favorite! I like using a combination of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp.

What's the difference between apple crisp and apple crumble and apple cobbler?

The topping! All are made with apples or another type of baked fruit filling but it's the topping that makes the difference.
Crisp: Topped with a combo of oats, flour, sugar and butter (or in this case oil).
Crumble: Similar to a crisp but doesn't use oats.
Cobbler: Some type of dough such as biscuit batter.

Can apple crisp be made in advance?

Yes! I recommend keeping the filling and crisp topping in separate bowls in the fridge until you are ready to bake. Add some extra lemon juice to the apples to keep them from browning.

How to store apple crip?

If wrapped or covered well, you can store it on the counter for 2-3 days. If you want to keep it for longer, store it in the fridge or in the freezer for 3-4 months.

Cranberry apple crisp on a plate topped with vanilla ice cream with a spoon.

👩🏻‍🍳Chef Tips

I recommend using a mix of sweet and tart apples. The cranberries will also provide their own tartness to this recipe.

Use a large Dutch oven, I recommend one that is 10-12 inches in size. You can also use a larger cast iron pan.

This recipe would be great to make on a camping trip or any other time you are cooking over an open fire.

Slice the apples thinly so they cook completely and are soft when you dig in.

To reheat, you can put the Dutch oven back into the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes or at 200 degrees F if you wish to heat it while enjoying a meal. Just keep an eye on it so the topping doesn't burn! You can also heat individual servings in the microwave for 30 seconds-1 minute.

Serving

The apple and cranberry crisp is best served fresh out of the oven so the fruit is warm and the top is crisp.

This dessert can be enjoyed perfectly on its own or with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! To keep it dairy-free, I love using coconut milk ice cream.

It would also be delicious with yogurt as a sweet breakfast alternative or even as a snack.

📋 Recipe