Apple Crumble
Apple lovers, here's the best Apple Crumble Recipe! Full of all the sweet and tangy flavors of fresh Autumn apples paired with the warming flavors of cinnamon and apple spice, this easy apple crumble will be your go-to comfort dessert.
Ingredients
Apple Crumble Filling
- 3 apples peeled, de-seeded and diced into half an inch dices. Use your favorite tasting apples.
- 1 Tablespoon All purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar keep this amount of sugar irrespective of the type of apples
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice May use orange juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest may use orange
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch salt
Apple Crumble Topping
- 1/2 cup oats rolled or quick cooking
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar Use up to 1/2 cup if you're using a tart apple, and keep it at 1/4 cup for a sweet apple
- pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup butter melted and unsalted
- 1/4 cup almonds slivered almonds, chopped, or walnuts or pistachios
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
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Choose your favorite apples, and adjust the sugar topping accordingly --see ingredients list for topping.
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Peel and dice your apples into half an inch dices
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Toss the diced apples with the filing ingredients in a bowl until well mixed.
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In another bowl add all your topping ingredients and mix well until it looks like chunky crumbs.
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Use four individual size baking dishes or one large dish. Add the apple mixture at the bottom of the dish
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Top with the crumble toppings evenly and press it down slightly.
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Bake the apple dessert for 22-25 minutes if in they’re in single dishes, and for 35-40 minutes if you're making a large apple crumble in a large dish.
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Allow the apple crumble to cool down fr 10 minutes as the filling will be piping hot!
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Serve as is or with a dollop with vanilla ice cream and ENJOY!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Apple crumble with other ingredients
What's great about this sweet and delicious dish is that there are so many variations you can use it to make it just right for you.
As it's traditionally a fall dish due to harvesting apples in the fall, pears also go beautifully in this recipe as they are also harvested in the fall. You can substitute all the apples for pears, or if you wish, you can even use both pears and apples together in this crumble recipe.
Another delicious variation to this recipe is to add in any kind of berry you like, such as apples and blackberries. You can really get creative with this recipe.
Apple crumble without oats
If you want to make this recipe without oats, this is very easy to do. All you need to do to make the filling as your usually would but leave the oats out when you make the topping. You can choose to leave the nuts out also if you prefer and have a topping made with just flour, sugar, and butter.
If you still want a bit of extra flavor in the topping, you can add a little extra cinnamon or apple spice to the topping mix. This is perfect if you love the cinnamon flavors and want to add a bit more of it to this recipe.
Apple Crumble Baking Tips
- It’s important to dice your apples on the smaller side as this will help them cook better when you put them in the oven. If you dice them too large, they will still be hard when your topping is ready, and you either risk a burnt topping or uncooked and hard apples.
- With this recipe, it's a great idea to have everything fully measured out and prepared before you start putting the recipe together. This includes grating your lemon or orange zest beforehand and having your apples peeled and chopped. When you make ahead, baking the whole recipe feels so much easier, less messy, and more organized.
- The amount of sugar in this recipe isn't set in stone. Depending on the type of apples you are using, and how sweet you like your apple crumble, you may want to adjust the amount of sugar you are using. You might use more or less than recommended to fit in with your preference.
Apple Crumble FAQ's
Can I use the same recipe for an apple pie?
Yes, you can absolutely make this recipe as an apple crumble pie. All you need to do is use the same filling and replace the crumble with a pie crust topping.
Can I make this apple crumble gluten-free?
Yes, this recipe can easily be made gluten-free. All you will need to do is replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour mix or another naturally gluten-free flour like ground oat flour.
How do I get my apple crumble Crunchy?
To make sure your crumble actually comes out nice and crunchy, you need to make sure you use the right butter to flour ratio. Too much butter will make your topping soggier, but the addition of nuts and oats really helps to make the topping crunchy in most cases. Adding brown sugar instead of granulated sugar will also help the topping crunch up well.
How do I know when my crumble is ready?
To make sure that your crumble is actually ready when you take it out of the oven, you want to see the topping nicely golden with some of the juices from the filling bubbling up around the
What are the best apples to use in my apple crumble?
You can use almost any type of apple for this recipe. Traditionally people like to use granny smith apples. Granny smith apples, however, can be quite tart, and so you want to make sure you use enough sugar.
I actually like to use a good gala apple in my apple crumble, but you can also use pink lady or even a mix of all of these apples for a lot of different apple flavors. Remember to adjust the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness of the apples you are baking.
I love using Ontario Apples to make this!