Where are my late night snacker buddies at?? I love having something to eat once my daughter is in bed for the night (while I spend a little “me” time vegging out on some TV). My mom made a lot of fruit crisps growing up, so it’s a taste that’s always comforting and homey to me in all the best ways. Usually it’s just me during this late night TV time (hence the “me” time moniker) and I’m really not in the mood to do a full on recipe by this time at night, so I’ve developed a super fast way to whip up an apple crisp that’s yummy, but also fast and a single serving just for me!
It’s also really easy to make this super healthy or more decadent depending on your mood … you can make this gluten free with GF oats, dairy free with a vegan butter, or sugar free with something like this instead of sugar (which I actually do most nights!).
Looking for more apple recipes? Try our Easy Caramel Apples, Apple Dumplings, or Apple Tart!
If you’re wondering what the difference between a fruit crisp and a fruit cobbler is, a crisp usually has an oatmeal/butter/sugar base for the topping while a cobbler has more of that biscuit-like topping that’s more dense and doughy. Both delicious, but different.
I will say that while I have measurements for everything down below, I usually don’t measure anything for this recipe and just kind of eyeball it each time. That makes it go even faster and I have minimal dishes to wash at the end as well.
If you really want to cut down your prep time on this, make a big batch of the topping (enough to make 5-6 crisps) and freeze it in a freezer bag. That way, your topping is already made and you can just throw it on top of your fruit and put it right in the oven! You shouldn’t need to bake it any longer either with frozen topping … and feel free to tweak the recipe to your liking. You can add more sugar for sweetness (or a little brown sugar as well!) or more cinnamon if you like an apple/cinnamon punch. You can soften a stick of butter, or you can use those butters that are already soft like this or this (my preferred method).
While this recipe is for apple crisp, don’t let the title fool you! I’ve made apple, blueberry, and cherry crisp with the same recipe and they are all delicious (you could do a peach one as well—yum!). Frozen fruit works just as well and usually doesn’t affect the baking time. These dishes are so cute for a crisp or you can use a classic ramekin or tart pan as well (and wowie, those pink gingham napkins and jar water cup are cuuuute). Let’s hear it for quick and easy baked goods that you don’t have to share with anyone!! 🙂 xo. Laura
Get our FREE recipe guide with our most popular recipes of all time!

Free Popular Recipe Guide
Our top 25 recipes of all time!
Get the Recipe
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 thinly sliced apple
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Topping
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt (or just a few shakes of salt)
- 1 tablespoon softened butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Slice your apple thinly and add to a bowl (you can cut some of your wider slices in half so they fit in your ramekin better).
- Sprinkle in your cinnamon and sugar and toss to coat slices evenly. Add apple to bottom of ramekin.
- Add oats to your bowl and stir in cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Once mixed, add in your soft butter and use your hands to squeeze it all together until you have a crumbly looking topping with clumps of butter throughout.
- Add the topping to your ramekin on top of your apples (depending on the size of your ramekin you may not need the whole mixture) and bake for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy warm!
I’m not sure! I actually don’t have a microwave so I do everything in the stove or oven 🙂
Laura
How long in a microwave? I’m not turning on my oven for one serving. ?
Thanks for this recipe!!! It sounds tasty, and super easy! I will definitely be making this soon. Also, I just impulse bought those pink dishes you linked. I did not expect them to be that affordable. Calling it an early Mother’s Day gift to myself!
Aw, yeah!! They are so cute, you will love them!
Laura
Sounds good, but why would you call it “5-Minute Apple Crisp”? It takes waaayyy longer.
She just meant that it takes 5 minutes to prep 🙂