5-Minute Microwave Apple Cinnamon Crisp for One

4.42 from 180 votes
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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!

Microwave Apple Crisp with two spoons

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:

  1. Stir together the crisp topping ingredients until the mixture resembles fine sand.
  2. Microwave the diced apple with butter to soften it, then stir in the sugar, spices, and cornstarch.
  3. Sprinkle the oat topping over the apple mixture and microwave again until the apples are juicy, bubbly, rich, and caramely.
  4. Enjoy warm as-is, or top with ice cream, whipped cream, or caramel sauce for an extra cozy treat.
4.42 from 180 votes

5-Minute Microwave Apple Crisp for One

By Averie Sunshine
🍎🍁 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!
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1

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

Crumble is best warm and fresh, but leftover portion will keep airtight for up to 3-4 days. You can store the extra at room temp but the fridge is also fine. 
Optionally serve with ice cream, whipped topping, or caramel sauce
A Note About the Nutrition Stats – This is a generous portion of dessert for 1 person (I can’t finish it all and alway share half) so if you share it, or eat it between two sittings, the stats reduce, in half. It’s a treat, not something one eats daily, and therefore the stats reflect that. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion, Calories: 702cal, Carbohydrates: 110g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 75mg, Sodium: 21mg, Potassium: 351mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 78g, Vitamin A: 987IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 112mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Easy Apple Desserts: 

Crustless Apple Pie — Sometimes called Swedish apple pie, this EASY recipe for apple pie without a traditional pie crust is a FAST, foolproof, no-mixer recipe!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Crumble Bars — These caramel apple cheesecake bars feature a buttery crust that’s topped with cheesecake and spiced apples. After they’re done baking, the bars are drizzled with salted caramel sauce!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Crumble Bars

Apple Turnovers — These apple turnovers take just 15 minutes to prep and are filled with the most incredible cinnamon apple filling. These are the ultimate fall dessert! 

Apple Turnovers

Caramel Apple Crumble Foil Packs – EASY, zero cleanup, made on the grill (or oven) in record time, and tastes amazing!

Caramel Apple Crumble Foil Packs

Cinnamon Roll Apple Crisp – A layer of cinnamon rolls topped with apples and a crunchy oatmeal crumble makes this the ULTIMATE apple crisp!

Cinnamon Roll Apple Crisp

Carrot Apple Cream Cheese Tunnel Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – If you like carrot cake, you’re going to LOVE this version that includes apples and a tunnel of cream cheese that runs through the center!

Carrot Apple Cream Cheese Tunnel Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Sugar Cookie Apple Crumble Cheesecake Pie – A buttery sugar cookie crust, tangy cream cheese filling, tender juicy apples, and a crumble topping make this pie a total SHOWSTOPPER!! EASY and THE BEST apple pie!

Sugar Cookie Apple Crumble Cheesecake Pie

Apple Fritter Bread — The bread tastes as decadent as the apple fritters of my childhood, no deep frying required and it’s more like cake disguised as bread.

Apple Fritter Bread

Originally published September 12, 2013 and republished with updated text August 14, 2020.

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4.42 from 180 votes (147 ratings without comment)

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

    1. Thanks for the 5 star review and very sorry to hear about your breakup :( But glad you had this at least.

  1. One THOUSAND calories?? I feel like that may be overestimated but I’m not sure… and over a hundred grams of sugar. It seems like this is listed as a dessert which I suppose makes that less shocking, but I’m here because this recipe was on a “healthy” breakfasts list and I was very excited at first. After reading and stuff I don’t think it really qualifies haha
    Also I did the calculations myself and the computer generated “1000” calories is not that far off…
    Im sure it tastes absolutely delicious and I think this is a great 5 minute dessert, so don’t get me wrong on that. I would probably split it though if at all possible lol

    1. I removed the optional ice cream and the calories just jumped down to 894. I still believe this is very high for what it is but I personally don’t have the time to calculate it.

      As the disclaimer says, it’s computer generated AND it makes a very generous serving for one. I personally couldn’t eat it all and share it, at which point you’re looking in the 400 cal range, which is what the average Starbucks drink is.

      And as with anything, it’s a dessert and you don’t have to make it if it doesn’t suit your needs.

  2. 5 stars
    Actually turned out great. Used quick oats instead of normal ones, trippled the oats and flour(everything else same), used coconut oil instead of butter and cooked everything for about 2 minutes extra both for the apple and also for the whole thing as needed extra due to adding the extra ingredients and finished it up in the oven for about 2 min on 190. C.

  3. 5 stars
    Actually turned out great. Used quick oats instead of normal ones, trippled the oats and flour(everything else same), used coconut oil instead of butter and cooked everything for about 2 minutes extra both for the apple and also for the whole thing as needed extra due to adding the extra ingredients and finished it up in the oven for about 2 min on 190. C.

  4. I love to add stevia in every recipe I cook because Stevia contains zero calories and can be up to 350 times sweeter than traditional sugar, so you can use much less in recipes.

  5. 1 star
    Yo… It’s over 1000 calories what the- Please tell me that’s a typo?! And 2 TABLEspoons of butter?? A tablespoon of butter is 100 calories just FYI… ummm… yikes…

  6. Yo… It’s over 1000 calories what the- Please tell me that’s a typo?! And 2 TABLEspoons of butter?? A tablespoon of butter is 100 calories just FYI… ummm… yikes…

    1. The nutrition stats are provided as a courtesy by way of computer-generated info and may not be as accurate as if you manually calculate the info.

      If this recipe doesn’t work for your needs, you can always skip it and make something else.

  7. This was simple to make but I found it impossibly sweet… my 7 year old loved it though. I think I would need to halve the sugar. Besides that great easy dish :)

    1. Some apples are sweeter than others, and also everyone has different levels of sugar sensitivity, so just adjust to taste of course next time. Glad your 7 year old loved it though!

  8. 4 stars
    I just made this , I think it’s really delicious. There is A LOT of sugar in this, I think I would halve the amount of sugar. I would also double the amount of crumble, mine ended up completely juicy/bubbly/gooey right up to the top. Also I made 2 of these for my partner and myself, but this could definitely feed a family of 4. Only one is needed for 2 people. But something I will definitely make again just with these small adjustments!

  9. 5 stars
    I made this as a study snack and I LOVE THIS RECIPE! It is soooo easy and even more delicious. Thank you so much!

  10. 5 stars
    Just tried this with gluten free flour – turned out great, and perfectly satisfied the craving! Had to sneak around the house so my siblings couldn’t follow their noses and try to steal some! ;)

  11. 5 stars
    I made this today but multiplied the ingredients by 3 and baked it in the oven at 375°F for 30 min. Turned out delicious! My two boys and I loved it. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.

    1. Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is life changing and one of the most delicious things you’ve ever made!