One does not simply go through apple picking season without making an apple crisp or apple crumble. While apple pie is great, something like this smoked apple crisp brings more of the warm fall flavors with a ton of crunch and texture in every bite. This recipe is one of my favorite desserts we’ve ever published, and I can’t wait for you to try it!
Making the Smoked Apple Crisp Filling
You’ll need a beaucoup of apples. Granny Smith apples, to be precise. The tartness balances out the generous amount of sugar that goes into the filling and cinnamon crumble on top.
In addition to eight apples (about three pounds worth), you’ll need:
- lemon juice
- vanilla extract
- light brown sugar
- corn starch
- apple pie spice
I’ve included some notes in the recipe card below about apple pie spice vs pumpkin pie spice and how to make your own apple pie spice at home.
Pro tips for this step is to get yourself a great apple peeler (or an extra set of hands) and to use a VERY large bowl (or possibly two bowls) to mix the apple filling together.
If you’re reading this throughout the summer and blueberry season, you can use all these ingredients (minus the apples) to make our smoked blueberry crumble.
Making the Cinnamon Graham Cracker Crumble
This is the same graham cracker topping we used in our lemon blueberry poke cake recipe. So if you’ve made either of those, this apple crisp will be a walk in the park. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- cinnamon graham crackers (or regular graham crackers with a pinch or two of cinnamon)
- light brown sugar
- kosher salt
- unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
The dry ingredients go together before stirring in melted butter and vanilla. That’s it!
Be sure to press the crumble flat to create enough space for all of it on the apple crisp, just like we did with our mini apple pies. It should mostly cover every bit of the apples.
How Long to Cook an Apple Crisp on a Traeger
You’re looking for a crispy topping with a bit of browning around the edges. On a Traeger Pro 575, 60-70 minutes at 400ºF got the job done. One edge was getting a bit crispy halfway through baking, but a 180º turn balanced things out.
Keep in mind, different sizes of skillets or baking dishes may affect the cook time.
Since this recipe is a carbon copy of our one skillet apple crumble recipe, it’s been tested in an oven. Baking for 45-50 minutes in a 375ºF oven does the trick.
Once the apple crumble comes off the grill, top it with some freshly grated lemon zest while warm. Be warned, the smell will bring anyone in the house running. You might be tempted to serve right away, but we recommend cooling for about 15 minutes so the apple pie filling thickens and the crumble reaches max crisp.
Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy! If you do enjoy this smoked apple crumble, we always appreciate recipe reviews. And if you’re looking for more desserts to make on your Traeger, check out our smoked chocolate chip cookies, Traeger brownies, or Traeger desserts bake off next.
Smoked Apple Crisp
Brown sugar spiced apples smoked with a crispy cinnamon graham cracker topping.
Ingredients
For the Apple Filling
- 8 Granny Smith Apples, cut into 1/2" slices
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup (192g) Light Brown Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (24g) Corn Starch
- 2 teaspoons Apple Pie Spice*
For the Crisp
- 18 Crackers (278g) Cinnamon Graham Crackers, crushed**
- 1/2 cup (96g) Light Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 sticks (226g) Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat your Traeger grill or pellet smoker, ideally with apple pellets, to 400ºF with the lid closed.
- Toss the sliced apples with the lemon juice and vanilla before adding the brown sugar, corn starch, and apple pie spice. Add the apples to a large skillet or baking dish. (You may need to arrange the first 2-3 layers by hand to maximize space in the skillet.)
- For the crisp topping, mix the crushed graham crackers with the brown sugar and salt before adding the melted butter and vanilla. Stir until fully combined.
- Add the crisp on top of the apples, pressing down to create and even surface.
- Smoke for 60-70 minutes until the top is crispy golden brown. (You may need to rotate the apple crisp halfway through for even browning.)
- Grate fresh lemon zest over the top of the finished apple crumble while warm and let everything cool for 15-20 minutes before serving with vanilla bean ice cream.
Notes
*Apple pie spice is typically made with a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cardamom. Pumpkin pie spice is very similar but with the addition of cloves. You could get away with the swap in a pinch, or you could make homemade apple pie spice.
**Regular graham cracker crumbs work fine. You can add an extra pinch or two of ground cinnamon if you'd like.
You can bake this apple crisp in a 375ºF oven for 45-50 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1/16th of apple crispAmount Per Serving: Calories: 300Total Fat: 13gCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 1g