Get ready for the cutest fall dessert ever! These mini apple crisps in a mason jar are perfectly portioned, super easy to make, and ideal for dinner parties or cozy family nights. And they only take about 15 to put together.
Jump to:
- A Quick Look At This Recipe
- Why You'll Love This Mini Apple Crisp Recipe
- Crisp vs. Crumble
- Ingredients
- Mason Jars, Ramakins, or Baking Dish
- How To Make Mini Apple Crisps in a Mason Jar
- Expert Tip
- Serving Ideas
- Make-Ahead, Storage, and Freezing
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Apple Dessert Recipe Inspiration
- Recipe
A Quick Look At This Recipe
- 📋 Recipe: Mini Apple Crisp in a Mason Jar
- ⏲️ Ready In: 35 min.
- 👪 Servings: 10
- 🔪 Difficulty: Easy
- 💭 Top Tip: Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or custard sauce.
Why You'll Love This Mini Apple Crisp Recipe
- Perfect individual portions. Each jar gets exactly the right amount of apples and topping. Your guests will love having their own personal dessert, and you'll love not having to serve and portion at the table.
- Simple pantry ingredients. No fancy stuff needed here. Just apples, butter, oats, brown sugar, and basic spices you probably already have.
- Foolproof texture every time. The apples get perfectly tender and the topping stays crispy and golden.
- Make ahead friendly. Assemble these earlier in the day and pop them in the oven when you're ready. They also reheat beautifully.
- Flexible baking options. Use mason jars for the cute factor, ramekins for safety, or make one big crisp in a baking dish. The recipe works perfectly all three ways.
- Ready in 35 minutes. Just 15 minutes of hands-on time, then let the oven do its thing while you finish dinner.
I've been making my mom's apple crisp recipe since I was seven years old, but turning it into mini apple crisp in a mason jar was a total game-changer. Suddenly, this simple dessert went from everyday treat to dinner party-worthy presentation. This recipe makes 10 adorable individual servings that look absolutely charming and make entertaining so much easier. No scooping, no serving, ready to serve when you are.
These mini desserts pack all the cozy fall flavors you love. Tender tart apples and a buttery sweet oat crumble come together in perfectly portioned jars. They're ready in 35 minutes, use basic pantry ingredients, and you can make them in mason jars, ramekins, or even a regular baking dish if that's what you have on hand.
Looking for fall recipes? You might also like our Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats, Caramel Apple Trifle, Caramel Apple Fondue, or Pink Candy Apples.
Apple crisp always one of my favorite things as a kid. When I was in grade two, I had to bake a snack for an after school girls club. Running short on time, I had to come home from school for lunch the day I needed it and quickly make it. My mom had carefully pre-measured all the ingredients out for me, and prepared all the apples already for me when I got there. All I had to do was mix together the pre-measured crisp ingredients and put it together.
That night after the club meeting, she asked me how the apple crisp turned out. I replied "it was so good Mom, way better than when you make it." She's reminded me of it just about every time we've had apple crisp since. What can I say Mom, I've always been a great cook. 😉
Crisp vs. Crumble
You might hear these terms used interchangeably, but there is actually a difference. Both are baked fruit desserts with a streusel-type topping, but a crisp contains oats in the topping and a crumble does not. Since this recipe uses quick oats, it's technically a crisp. Now you know!
Ingredients
- Apples: I love using MacIntosh apples because they're my favorite cooking apple. They hold their shape nicely while still getting tender and have the perfect sweet-tart balance. Other great options include Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Cortland, or Gala. You can even mix varieties for more complex flavor. Avoid an eating variety like Red Delicious.
- Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar both work great. You can substitute regular white sugar in a pinch, but you'll lose some of that rich caramel taste.
- Oats: I use quick oats in this recipe, but you can use old fashioned, or even instant if that's what you have on hand.
- Butter: Use real butter, not margarine. The butter needs to be soft enough to mix easily but not melted. Leave it on the counter for about 30 minutes before you start.
- Spices: Cinnamon is a must, and nutmeg adds warmth. These two spices pair perfectly with apples.
- Salt: Just a little salt helps balence out the sweet.
Mason Jars, Ramakins, or Baking Dish
Mason jars look adorable and make serving super easy. We've used them many times without issues. However, mason jar manufacturers don't officially recommend baking in their jars since the glass isn't designed for oven use. There is a small risk of breakage.
Ramekins are the safest option. They're the same size as 4 oz mason jars and they're specifically made for baking. If you're nervous about using mason jars in the oven, grab a set of ramekins instead. They work perfectly and you can still get that cute individual serving presentation.
One large baking dish works too. If you don't want to fuss with individual servings, you can make this as one big apple crisp. Put all the apples in an 8x8 inch baking dish, top with all the crumble mixture, and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes. Easy!
A note about safety: If you do use mason jars, always place them on a baking sheet, don't preheat the jars, and let them cool gradually after baking. Never put cold jars into a hot oven or hot jars onto a cold surface.
How To Make Mini Apple Crisps in a Mason Jar
- Step 1: In a mixing bowl combine brown sugar, flour, quick oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and stir to mix well.
- Step 2: Add in the butter and use a pastry cutter, or your fingers to combine with the dry ingredients until the butter is well incorporated and the mixture turns into coarse crumbs. Set aside.
- Step 3: To prepare the apple, wash, peel and slice them, then sprinkle with the lemon juice.
- Step 4: Divide the apple slices between the 10 mini mason jars (4 oz), and top with the crumble topping.
- Step 5: Place the jars on a baking sheet to bake, at 350 for about 20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown, and the apples are soft. Use a sharp knife poked through through the dessert into the apples to test. Or make one large apple crisp by placing all the apples in the bottom of a 8 x 8 baking dish, and top the apple mixture with the crisp topping and bake at 350 for about 30 min.
Expert Tip
Don't skip the lemon juice. It prevents browning, adds brightness, and tartness, and helps balance all the sweetness. Fresh lemon juice works best, but bottled is fine.
Serving Ideas
I love to serve this mason jar apple crisp warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. The cold ice cream melting into the warm apples is absolutely perfect.
Other delicious toppings include freshly whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce, salted caramel ice cream, or my very favorite warm custard sauce. Custard sauce is a traditional British way to serve this dessert and we love it. You can even sprinkle some chopped pecans or walnuts on top for extra crunch.
Serve at room temperature if you prefer. They're still delicious when they've cooled completely.
Perfect for entertaining because they're already portioned. Just set them out on a dessert table or place one at each seat. Your guests will love how cute they are, and you'll love not having to serve and plate dessert after cooking and serving a whole dinner.
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Freezing
To make ahead: Assemble the apple crisps in their jars up to 4 hours before baking. Cover each jar with plastic wrap or their lid, and keep them in the fridge until you're ready to bake.
Storing leftovers: Let the jars cool completely, then pop the lids on and store them in the fridge for up to 4 days. The topping will soften a bit in the fridge, but they'll still taste great.
Reheating: Remove the lid and microwave individual jars for 30 to 45 seconds, or place them back in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes until warmed through. The oven method will crisp the topping back up nicely.
Freezing: You can freeze baked apple crisps for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely, and then cover with their lids. Thaw and then reheat in the oven. I don't recommend freezing unbaked apple crisps because the apples release too much liquid as they thaw.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can also use 8 oz jars for larger servings (you'll get about 5 servings instead of 10), just increase the baking time by about 5 minutes, and check the apples for doneness with the tip of a sharp knife. They should be soft and tender when the crisp is fully baked.
You can, if you're short on time. Keep in mind though that the pie filling will be sweeter. We don't add any sugar to the apples, and their tartness helps balence the sweet topping. With pie filling you may want to reduce the sugar in the crisp topping.
Yes, I recommend peeling the apples. The texture of the apple layer is meant to be soft, and the peels will not break down and become soft the way the apples do.
Yes! Try pears, peaches, or berries, or a combination.. You might need to adjust the sugar depending on how sweet your fruit is. Mixed berry crisp is especially delicious.
The oven is best for maintaining that crispy topping. Reheat at 350°F for about 10 minutes. The microwave works great too, about 30 - 60 seconds
More Apple Dessert Recipe Inspiration
If you try these Mini Apple Crisps in a Mason Jar or any other recipe on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
Recipe
Mini Apple Crisp in a Mason Jar
Ingredients
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup quick oats
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ nutmeg
- ¼ salt
- ½ cup soft butter
- 3 cups apples
- 4 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl combine brown sugar, flour, quick oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and stir to mix well.
- Add in the butter and use a pastry cutter, or your fingers to combine with the dry ingredients until the butter is well incorporated and the mixture turns into coarse crumbs. Set aside.
- To prepare the apple, wash, peel and slice them, then sprinkle with the lemon juice.
- Divide the apple slices between the 10 mini mason jars (4 oz), and top with the crumble topping.
- Place the jars on a baking sheet to bake, at 350 for about 20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Or make one large apple crisp by placing all the apples in the bottom of a 8 x 8 baking dish, and top the apple mixture with the crisp topping and bake at 350 for about 30 min.
Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist says
Our family loves this recipe. I often make a larger one for us, but the individual ones are so perfect for entertaining.
Bonnie says
What a cute idea! I love apple crisp recipes. I can't wait to try this one.