Microwave Apple Crisp 🍎🍁 is ready in just 5 minutes and generously serves one person or can be shared by two. Top this FAST and EASY dessert with ice cream, whipped cream, or caramel sauce for the ultimate treat!
Easy Microwave Apple Crisp
- This microwave apple crisp is the best and easiest thing to make with all those apples you bought because they were on sale. You don’t need to turn on your oven and it’s ready in 5 minutes.
- I’m a big fan of crumbles, crisps, and anything with a crumbly or streusel topping. Those buttery, brown sugary nuggets with texture from oats get me every time.
- But while I like baking crumbles, usually I don’t need or want a whole pan. It’s the type of dessert that’s really best served warm, with a big dollop of whipped cream or ice cream on top, and after the first, warm juicy piece, the leftovers just don’t measure up.
- This quick apple crisp serves one generously, or two more modestly if you feel like sharing.
Ingredients in Microwave Apple Crisp
- Apple: You can use almost any apple variety you like for this single-serving apple crisp. Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Jonagold all work well. Fresh pears may also work, but I have only tested this recipe with apples.
- Unsalted butter, light brown sugar, old-fashioned oats, all-purpose flour, and salt: These make the buttery oatmeal crisp topping. I have only tested the recipe with old-fashioned rolled oats; quick oats are less chewy and may make the topping too dry.
- Granulated sugar, cornstarch, and spices: These coat the apple base so it cooks up sweet, warmly spiced, and slightly thickened rather than watery. Do not omit the cornstarch because the recipe will not turn out right without it. I use plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg, but you can reduce the spices to taste or add pinches of pumpkin pie spice, ginger, cloves, or allspice.
- Sugar: This is meant to be a sweet treat, and sugar adds both flavor and structure. You may be able to reduce the brown sugar slightly, but I would not reduce it much more than that.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Microwave Apple Crisp
Making apple crisp in microwave is fast, easy, and delicious! Here are the basic steps:
- Stir together the crisp topping ingredients until the mixture resembles fine sand.
- Microwave the diced apple with butter to soften it, then stir in the sugar, spices, and cornstarch.
- Sprinkle the oat topping over the apple mixture and microwave again until the apples are juicy, bubbly, rich, and caramely.
- Enjoy warm as-is, or top with ice cream, whipped cream, or caramel sauce for an extra cozy treat.
5-Minute Microwave Apple Crisp for One
Ingredients
Crisp Topping
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (or vegan butter substitute)
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons old-fashioned whole rolled oats, use Certified Gluten Free Whole Rolled Oats if necessary
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or Certified All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Blend
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
Apple Base Layer
- 1 medium apple, diced in about 1/4-inch cubes (I did not peel mine, peel if you wish; I used Fuji, use any variety you like)
- ½ tablespoon unsalted butter, or vegan butter substitute
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- optionally add pinches ground ginger, pumpkin pie spice, cloves, allspice based on taste preference
Instructions
- Make the Crumble Topping
- In a small bowl, combine all crumble topping ingredients and stir together with a fork until small pebbles and sandy crumbs form; set aside.
- Make the Apple Base Layer
- In a small to medium-sized microwave-safe bowl or baking dish, add apples and top with butter. Don’t use an overly shallow dish because the apples will release juices, the butter melts, and it will rise and puff in the microwave, and it will overflow if bowl is too shallow.
- Cook for 1 minute on high power to soften apples.
- Remove bowl from micro and add the sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, optional salt, optional other spices, and stir to combine and coat evenly.
- Evenly sprinkle with the crumble topping.
- Cook for about 2 minutes on high power, until juicy, bubbly, and topping is set. Due to variance in microwaves, climate, apples and their variable moisture content, cooking times could range from 1 1/2 minutes to slightly over 2 minutes. Start watching it carefully at 1 1/2 minutes and stop cooking when done; don’t overcook.
- Serve immediately. Optionally serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Caramel Apple Crumble Foil Packs – EASY, zero cleanup, made on the grill (or oven) in record time, and tastes amazing!
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Originally published September 12, 2013 and republished with updated text August 14, 2020.
really good and fast, next time i will use less cinnamon. but it was a hit
Glad you enjoyed it!
I was so glad I found this recipe, I LOVE apple crisp. Unfortunately I currently unable to use my oven so this was the best thing to come across. The only thing I disliked about it was that it was just too sweet for me. I will definitely be making it again, just with a little less sugar. Thanks you so much for this amazing recipe.
Easy to reduce sugar to taste next time. Glad you enjoyed this.
This recipe turned out to be one of those that I will turn to frequently.
I was looking for a recipe for a fruit crisp that I cold use in my mini microwave (only used for heating coffee& snacks before) as my regular oven broke down… I wanted to make a rhubarb crumble & wanted to know if it could be done in the microwave oven…I found most recipes called for quick cook oats which I don’t have so was very pleased when I found that your recipe used regular oatmeal…It was also easy to assemble & worked even in the low power micro oven…I cooked the fruit as directed & once the topping was on checked after the 2 minutes then gave it another 2 & it came out as well as I had hoped for.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it worked out great and that you will turn to it frequently!
I can’t believe how amazing this recipe is! Thank you for the great idea!
Thanks so much!
Is there anyway to adapt this to make it without sugar? I’m thinking of using this as a breakfast dish – but am also concurrently trying to cut out all sugar from my diet. Seems delicious – so I realize this might be a silly question, but thought I’d ask…
I wouldn’t omit it, not sure if it will really be a crumble at that point – but you can always experiment.
Made this for my kids and it was soooooo fast and easy and super delicious. Two thumbs up from my kids and I!
Glad it was a hit!
Great recipe thanks for sharing. Was about to try it but realized im out of corn starch ☹️. Any suggestion???
Yes, go to the store and buy cornstarch :) That’s my suggestion or else the recipe won’t work.
i substituted the cornstarch for tapioca flour and it turn out just great! :)
Glad that it worked out great!
This is a perfect dessert when you love apples and cinnamon. YUM!
I absolutely love this recipe, and have made it several times now. I was wondering if I could make it in the oven though, because I would like to make a few at the same time, without having to sit in front of the microwave for half an hour. At which temperature do you think should I try it out? And for how long should I cook them?
I haven’t tried making in the oven so can’t give a timeframe but I would start with 350F and just keep an eye on them and bake until they’re done to your liking.
Well this was a pretty cool recipe – Easy Microwave Apple Crumble breakfast. The spices were a little strong for me when I made it exactly according to the recipe. For me, I had to cut the cinnamon and nutmeg in half the second time I made and then it was pretty good.
Thanks for the feedback. Made the apple crisp–it was delicious! Thank you for the recipe. :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And thanks for understanding about the other feedback :)
I just made this–and I was proud enough to have all of the ingredients. I may have overcooked it a bit, but other than that, it tastes pretty good. Like, really pretty good.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
what size bowl or baking dish did you use?
It was probably about 5 inches in diameter, give or take. Just an average small bowl will be fine.
Oh Im so so sorry! *Averie
Avery this looks SO perfect I can’t wait to make it for brunch! Tell me, is it the same to use red or green apples? Love :)
I’m sure either will be fine – green is more tart and for something like this, I prefer red.
Has anyone calculated the calories in this dish? BTW best GF apple crumble I have ever had…you are bookmarked in my tool bar. I had all the ingredients including the GF rolled oats so it was easy to make! Loved it :)
Thanks for saying this is the best GF crumble you’ve ever had!
I haven’t taken the time to plug in the data but my usual tools are listed in #4 here https://https://www.averiecooks.com/faq/
Thanks Averie! This tool will help me with all my recipes! Thank you for sharing ) Wanted to add, my husband and kids were all looking at my desert last night with puppy dog eyes! I gave them all the back off its mine look!!!! They already had pumpkin pie and ice cream this was all for me!
I love that they were trying to hone in on yours but you gave them the back-off look :)