This simple, delicious fall dessert combines apples, cranberries, and a cinnamon crumble topping – perfect for a crowd and ready in no time!
Hello everyone! If you’re looking for the ultimate easy Thanksgiving dessert that’s bursting with fall flavors, this Cranberry Apple Crisp is your answer. It’s faster and simpler than pie, packed with warm cinnamon, sweet apples, and tangy cranberry sauce. Trust me – this crisp will be the dessert your guests rave about!
What makes this recipe even more enjoyable is that it comes from What Goes with What by Julia Turshen. Known for her easy, approachable, and flexible recipes, Julia’s cookbook has truly changed the way I approach cooking. Her creative, satisfying formulas help build confidence in the kitchen, no matter your skill level.
Why This Cranberry Apple Crisp Works
This recipe is a lifesaver for Thanksgiving, holiday dinners, or any fall gathering! Here’s why it’s a winner:
- Easy and Quick: No pie crust to fuss with – just layer, mix, bake!
- Perfect Flavor Combo: Sweet apples, tart cranberries, and a cinnamon crumble topping make each bite delicious.
- Adaptable: Use vegan butter or gluten-free flour, and it’s just as good!
- Inexpensive: Feeds 6-8 people without breaking the bank.
- Festive and Beautiful: The cranberry adds a pop of red that’s perfect for holiday tables.
Ingredients for Cranberry Apple Crisp
For the Fruit Layer:
- 1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce (or make your own – see notes!)
- 3 medium apples (Honeycrisp or any pie apple works!)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the Topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (or vegan butter if you prefer)
Equipment Needed
- 9×13-inch Baking Dish: The perfect size for even baking.
- Mixing Bowl: For the easy crumb topping.
- Oven: Preheat to 375°F for a golden, bubbly crisp!
Step-by-Step: How to Make Cranberry Apple Crisp
- Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 375°F.
- Assemble the Fruit Layer: In a 9×13-inch baking dish, add cranberry sauce, sliced apples, lemon juice, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Mix it all together by hand. (Yes, the cranberry sauce will lose its jellied shape – that’s a good thing!)
- Make the Topping: In a mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add the butter, then work the mixture with your hands until it forms big crumbs – think of slightly crumbly cookie dough.
- Top the Fruit Layer: Dot the crumb topping evenly over the fruit layer.
- Bake: Bake for about 45 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
- Serve: Let the crisp cool for 10 minutes before serving. It’s delicious warm or at room temperature!
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Make Your Own Cranberry Sauce: This recipe’s flexible—you can make a full batch or halve it. For this version, simmer 14-16 ounces of fresh or frozen cranberries with a bit of sugar and water until they’re soft, juicy, and full of fresh, tangy flavor. Simple and delicious!
- Swap Ingredients as Needed: Use any apple variety you like or go for vegan butter and gluten-free flour if preferred – it all works beautifully!
- Serve with Ice Cream: For an extra treat, serve with vanilla ice cream on top!
Why This Cranberry Apple Crisp is the Perfect Holiday Dessert
This Cranberry Apple Crisp is made for busy holiday schedules. It’s:
- Fast: Only takes about 10 minutes to prep!
- Stress-Free: No rolling, shaping, or complicated steps.
- So Flavorful: Each bite is filled with fruity, warm, and crunchy goodness.
- Budget-Friendly: Simple ingredients that create a rich, flavorful dessert for any crowd.
Got a last-minute invite to a holiday gathering? Or just realized you promised to bring a dish and the clock’s ticking? Fear not! This Cranberry Apple Crisp is here to save you from the shame of showing up with a bag of chips or a last-second box of cookies. In under an hour, you’ll have a warm, golden crisp that’ll make you look like the hero of the dessert table—no one will suspect it was a total breeze to make!
Quick & Easy Cranberry Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 375℉
- Place all the ingredients in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish (or anything similarly sized that can go in the oven). Mix well with your hands (the cranberry sauce will lose it jellylike texture in the oven!)
- Stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the butter and work the mixture with your hands, rubbing it between your fingertips to form large crumbs. Really scrunch it with your hands, so it's like dense, slightly crumbly cookie dough.
- Dot the top of the fruit layer evenly with the crumb mixture. Bake until the fruit is bubbling, and the crumbs are dark golden brown, about 45 minutes.
- Allow the crisp to cool for at least 10 minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Discover More Delicious Recipes
- Mimi Thorisson’s Enchanting Bread and Butter Pudding
- Crunchy Upside-Down Apple Coffee Cake
- Easy Cider Roasted Apples Recipe for Fall
- Old Fashioned Bread Pudding – Simplest Recipe
- Black Sesame Chocolate Loaf
- Irish Brown Soda Bread – Rye Scald Method
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10 responses to “Quick & Easy Cranberry Apple Crisp – The Ultimate Thanksgiving Dessert Recipe”
Non non James T, ce n’est pas pour toi 🤣
Sounds wonderful!
That’s a great combination of flavors. 🙂
Healthy and delicious. Thanks for giving me some ideas for this winter.
Hi Robin, this recipe is a perfect dessert for my Christmas dinner, I saved it in my recipe app which gives me the option to make only 1/2 the recipe, which is perfect. It tastes delicious, it’s definitely a keeper.
I’m so glad you loved it! What’s the name of that app? I’d like to use that myself. Merry Christmas!
The app is Analyst, it is a combination of grocery list, recipe collection and menu planner, for $10 a year the grocery list will also have the ability to add costs for groceries and link to recipes to add needed ingredients. I love it.
the app is Analyst sorry for the typo in my original message
Anylist is the name of the app sorry but autocorrect keeps changing it when I go to post it
Hey Laura, got it! Thanks so much. I’ll check Anylist out!