Apple Crumble

This Apple Crumble (Apple Crisp) recipe is the perfect cozy apple dessert. Made with sliced apples and an Oat Apple Crumble Topping, it comes together very easily, can be made ahead, and can also easily be scaled to whatever size you need - a small batch apple crumble or one which can feed a crowd.

Apple Crumble - The Perfect Apple Dessert

Hi hi! I hope you are well! I took a little time off over the holidays just to have some time off of baking, but I am excited to be back and sharing recipes with you. There are a whole bunch of new ones coming, but I also plan to give some old recipes on my site some love. When I first started this site I was still learning all about how to best write recipes and structure posts so that they can be as informative as possible, so I am excited to re-share some of my favourites with you with my new website format!

This Apple Crumble (or apple crisp if you are in the US, we call it crumble in NZ) Recipe has been making an appearance in our house for a while now so I decided it was finally time to publish it here! I actually have an apple crumble pie recipe here on the site that is SUPER similar to this recipe, so it made sense to make a separate post with a few wee tips and tricks here for you. Apple crumble is the perfect cozy apple dessert. It comes together super quickly and is great for making ahead, and leftovers are just as good as the freshly made dessert. We love this one so much, and I know you will too! xx

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How to make the best apple crumble

Apple Crumble is super, super simple, and comes together quickly. There are really only two components - the filling and the topping!

• Make the Crumble Topping - To me, this recipe is the best topping for apple crumble. All you need to do is combine the dry ingredients - I like to add in ground almonds / almond flour for some flavour and texture, but have included a sub in the recipe if you don't have that on hand or are in a nut free house. Oats are then added, and then butter is rubbed into the mixture to create a clumpy, crumbly apple crumble topping.
• Make the Apple Filling - This is super easy to make - you just combine sliced apples with some sugar, flour, vanilla bean paste and salt, then toss together. I use a mandolin for my apples but you can slice them thinly by hand if you like. They get packed into a pan of your choice.
• Add the Apple Crumble Topping - The Apple Crumble topping goes onto the apples. It may seem thick but it will cook down in the oven.
• Bake the Apple Crumble - The crumble cooks with foil on top for the first 20 minutes to prevent the topping from browning too much. Then the foil is removed and the crumble finishes cooking until the filling is cooked through and bubbly.

Large Batch or Small Batch Apple Crumble

The best part about this recipe is that it can be easily scaled. You can make a larger one for a group. Or, you can also make it in a loaf pan for a small batch apple crumble. To scale the recipe, you can use the guide below.

• For a large Apple Crumble: double the recipe using the scale button in the recipe card, then assemble in a 9"x13" (23cm x 33cm) pan or something similar sized. Leave the foil on for the first 25 minutes then bake a further 40 to 45 minutes until topping is golden and filling is bubbling.
• For small batch Apple Crumble: Halve the filling ingredients
  • 550g apples
  • 40g turbinado sugar
  • 15g flour
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • Pinch of salt
• And then, do a ⅔ quantity of the Crumble Topping
  • 65g almond meal
  • 65g all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 30g turbinado sugar
  • 65g brown sugar
  • 50g old-fashioned oats
  • Big pinch of kosher salt
  • 80g unsalted butter
• Assemble in a 9"x5" loaf pan. Bake for 20 min with foil on, then remove and bake for a further 30 to 35 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.

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How to reheat Apple Crumble

The best part about apple crumble is how well it reheats! I often make a big one and then we will eat it throughout the week. Apple Crumble also makes a great breakfast. Either you can microwave it, which is our usual method, or you can cover with foil and reheat at 350°f / 180°c in the oven until warmed through. Usually we tend to just warm up individual servings as needed though in the microwave. Apple crumble is also amazing cold!

The best apples to use for Apple Crumble

I like to choose a mixture of apples when I am making an apple dessert. For this apple crumble I grabbed a few Granny Smith apples, then some fuji and honeycrisp. This recipe is also great for using up any fruit that might be slightly tired - you can cut off any really bruised bits.

Can I add other Fruit to this crumble?

Absolutely. The great thing about this apple crumble recipe is that it is super versatile. You can add in a handful of berries, some chopped rhubarb, or some stone fruit. If it's super sloppy you may need to adjust the starch in the filling a little bit but this dessert is VERY FORGIVING so add all the things!

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How to prepare Apple Crumble ahead of time

There are a few ways that you can make Apple Crumble ahead of time. If you are making it on the same day as you are planning to serve, I like to just assemble the whole thing, then cover with foil and place into the fridge until I am ready to bake it. You may need to add on 5 or so minutes with the foil on (so increase to 25 min) to account for the cold fruit, but this works perfectly and I have done it loads of times.

To get a head start on making this a day or more before you plan to serve it, you can make the crumble topping and store it in the fridge in an airtight container up to 2-3 days ahead of time. Because the apples will start to oxidise once sliced and go a little brown, I prefer to slice them the day that I am making this.

Frequently Asked Questions for Apple Crumble

Can I leave out the Almond Meal?
Yes, if you need to, you can replace it with more All-purpose flour, or you could use a flour such as rye or spelt to give it some flavour. Just watch how it comes out though - if it seems super dry and isn't holding together when you squeeze it, you can add in a little more butter.

What can I use in the place of the turbinado sugar?
If you don't have turbinado (also called demerara or raw sugar), you can use brown sugar in it's place.

Can you make Apple Crumble without Oats?
Yes! You will need to add a little more flour or almond meal if you are using it - about 40-50g in the place of the oats. I used Old Fashioned oats (rolled oats) here, but you can use the lightly shredded ones too if you like! Again, make sure you check the consistency of your crumble and add a little more butter in if it is seeming too dry without the oats.

Can this be made Gluten Free?
I personally haven't tried it, but I am sure that it would be easy to make a Gluten Free Apple Crumble. You would just need to switch the flour in the filling for either corn or tapioca starch (I have seen a recipe using custard powder too). Remember corn starch and flour are not a direct sub so you will have to search the conversion. You can replace the All-purpose flour in the crumble with a cup4Cup type Gluten Free flour and it should work great! Again, you may need to adjust the butter quantity - the crumble topping should hold together when you squeeze it.

Do I need to peel the apples?
You don't have to peel the apples if you don't want to. I usually do, but if you can't be bothered and don't mind some apple skin in your apple crumble, you can leave the apples unpeeled!

Can I use a different sized pan?
You can use whatever size pan you like. An oval baking dish will work great here too. I used an 8" (20cm) square cake pan.

For more apple recipes, check out:

• Apple Crumble Pie with Rye Crust
• Basic Apple Pie
• Apple Butter Macarons with Spiced Swiss Meringue Buttercream
• Apple Slab Pie

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