This Apple Crumble consists of warm, tender apples with cinnamon spice, topped with a crisp mixture of brown sugar and oats.
This dessert is easy to prepare, travels well, and the crumble can be prepared in advance. If you love apple desserts, try our easy Apple Dump Cake and our best ever Apple Pie!
Easy Apple Crumble Recipe
This recipe took over a year to perfect. After some adjustments this summer, it’s now the best I’ve ever had.
So what is the secret to a good apple crumble? The secret is in cubing the apples. Sliced apples can be tricky to cook evenly, but cubing them into 1/2-inch pieces makes them perfectly tender and flavorful while improving the overall crumble experience. (thanks for the tip A Beautiful Plate!) Give it a try, and you’ll be amazed!
Apple Crumble Ingredients
Topping:
- Flour: Provides structure and texture to the crumble topping.
- Old-fashioned oats: Adds a nice texture and a nutty flavor to the topping.
- Brown Sugar: Sweetens and helps create a caramelized, crispy crust.
- Cinnamon: Adds warmth and flavor.
- Baking soda: Helps crumble rise and brown.
- Cold unsalted butter: Holds the crumble together, makes it rich, and helps it brown.
Filling:
- Apples: The main ingredient providing texture, flavor, and juiciness.
- Lemon juice: Adds tartness and prevents apples from browning.
- Sugar: Sweetens and balances the apples.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the juices released from the apples during baking.
- Vanilla extract: Makes it taste and smell better.
How To Make Apple Crumble
- Prepare topping: mix together flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add cubed butter and use a pastry cutter to combine. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Make the apple filling: Mix chopped apples with lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, vanilla.
- Assemble: Add apples to pan. Top with crumble. Chill 20 minutes.
- Bake: Bake 40-50 minutes until golden at 350°F. Cool for 15 minutes then enjoy.
Apple Crumble FAQs
How to make apple crumble pie?
Make this Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie. It’s a delicious apple pie with the best crumble topping.
How long can you freeze apple crumble?
Apple crumble has a lifespan of 3-4 months in the freezer. For unbaked crumble, freeze it in an ovenproof, freezer-safe pan, and seal it with plastic or paper, then foil. For baked crumble, cool it completely, wrap it in freezer-safe material, and then freeze. To thaw, let it sit overnight in the fridge and reheat the baked crumble for 20-30 minutes.
How do you store apple crumble?
Baked crumble gets soft over time. To keep it best, store the unbaked topping and apples separately. For leftovers, cover with plastic wrap with holes and keep in the fridge. It’s best to eat it the same day, but it’s still good for up to 2 days.
How to make apple crumble ahead of time?
- Prepare the apple filling with an extra tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Make the crumble topping.
- Store both in airtight containers in the fridge for up to a day.
- To bake, top the apples with the crumble and follow the baking directions.
Quick Tip
The Best Apples For Crumble are a mix of Granny Smith and Honey crisp. Peel them before use!
More Apple Recipes To Try
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake with a graham cracker crust
- Healthy Apple Muffins with yogurt
- Caramel Apple Bites made with only 3 ingredients
- Caramel Apple Bar with the best sauces and toppings
- Apple Nachos topped with caramel sauce!
Apple Crumble
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- 8 x 8-inch baking pan or 9 x 9-inch baking pan
- Pastry cutter
Ingredients
Crumble
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup light brown sugar Or dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter cut into small cubes and cold
Filling
- 2 to 3 Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples 2 pounds, see note 1
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Lightly grease an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9-inch baking pan.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Cube the butter and mix it into dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter to blend, then press with your fingertips until crumbly. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
- Peel and cube apples into 1/2-inch pieces. In a large bowl, mix apples with lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, and vanilla until evenly coated.
- Transfer the apple mixture (including juices) to the prepared pan, pressing down evenly. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top without pressing it down. Chill the dish for 20 minutes. While chilling, preheat oven to 350℉.
- After chilling, place the dish on the lined pan. Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until topping is golden, apples are tender, and filling is slightly bubbling around the edges. If topping browns too quickly, cover with foil.
- Let cool for 15–20 minutes to allow filling to thicken. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream!
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I may be crazy for asking this… but do you have any idea how this would do with ghee or Earth Balance vegan butter? I assume taste may not be AS rich and delicious but curious if it would still hold up! Thanks!
I’m so sorry Nicole, I don’t have a lot of experience with vegan butter in baking so I’m really not sure how it would do. I wish I could be of more help, hopefully someone else can chime in
Can I use lime juice if I don’t have lemon juice?
I wouldn’t recommend lime juice; do you have orange juice?
I have made crisps and crumbles by cutting in the butter and by melting the butter, and can’t tell a huge difference. It’s so much easier to just melt the butter. Did you try it like this and can you see or explain the difference? Since you experimented so many times I figured you may know!
Hello,
Do you have a recipe for peach cobbler??
Yes! Here’s my favorite peach cobbler recipe 🙂
Can you use blueberries instead of apples?
I’d recommend this Blueberry Crisp recipe instead 🙂
Yes, Vivian, do try this Blueberry Crisp recipe! It’s our go-to recipe any time we have extra blueberries and don’t want them to go to waste 🙂 I usually cut the recipe in half because there are only two of us! Delish!!!! Thanks Chelsea!
This was SO delicious! The friends and family have loved it so far, honestly may have to make a second batch!! Only thing I did differently was use an 8×8 pan, and used cortland apples! ? Thanks for the recipe Chelsea!
Yay!! So happy this was a hit 🙂 Thanks for the comment Andrea!
Well, I’ve got too many apples for one crust, and not quite enough for two of them. Maybe it would be nice to try making some kind of a mincemeat pie? Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Thanks Paul!
I made this yesterday for book club, and it was a huge hit. Not too sweet, not mushy (baked for 45 min). Topping was perfect!
Yay!! SO happy to hear this was a hit! Thanks for the comment 🙂
We just got back from a Colorado vacation and the temperatures in Missouri are still in the 90’s. But, I’m so ready for comfort food and will be making this soon even if it doesn’t cool down outside! Thanks for the tip about chopping up the apples!
Anytime! 🙂 Hope you love this Catherine 🙂
I love to cook but have had less than stellar results when baking, so when I say that this recipe was easy to follow and a total HIT, trust me it was! ? I’even had requests to add it to our list of Thanksgiving desserts!
Yay!! I’m so thrilled to hear it 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment and review; I’m honored it makes it to your Thanksgiving dessert menu 🙂
Made this today and it was delicious! I think I liked it better than my old favorite I’ve been making for years. The only thing I did different was add more apples and put into a 9”x13” pan. I only had Honeycrisp apples from my tree so I used all Honeycrisp. It was so good warm out of the oven. Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Yay!! So thrilled this apple crumble was a hit 🙂 And I’m jealous you have homegrown Honeycrisp apples 😉 Sounds delicious!