When we were young, my mom always made fruit crumbles and crisps. Made with tender, sweet cinnamon apples under a buttery brown sugar crumble, they’re a taste of home and comfort.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Most importantly, it’s super delicious!
- It’s easy to make and uses ingredients you likely have on hand.
- It’s budget-friendly, making it a great dessert to prepare for a crowd.
- Apple crumble can be served warm or chilled – we even enjoy the leftovers for breakfast with yogurt.
Ingredients for Apple Crumble
- Apples: I use Granny Smith apples, as I love their tart flavor and they hold their shape well. Other great options include Honeycrisp, Gala, Braeburn, or Pink Lady.
- Flour: All-purpose flour thickens the juices in the filling and is also the base of the crumble topping.
- Sugar: A sprinkle of cinnamon sugar sweetens the filling, and a combination of white and brown sugar is used in the topping for flavor.
- Butter: Cold butter is mixed into the topping for flavor and a buttery texture. Margarine can be used in place.
- Variations: Feel free to add some finely chopped pecans or walnuts for some extra crunch.
How to Make Apple Crumble
- Prepare Topping: Place topping ingredients (recipe below) in a bowl and cut with a pastry cutter until they form large crumbs. Refrigerate while preparing apples.
- Prepare Apples: Peel and slice them, and then toss them with sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
- Bake: Add the apple filling to a baking dish and sprinkle with the topping. Bake until golden brown.
Save It for Later!
Once baked, store the crumble in the fridge or on the counter for up to 2 days. It can also be frozen either before or after baking. Thaw in the fridge overnight and bake as directed, adding about 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time
More Apple Desserts You'll Love
Did your family love this Apple Crumble? Leave a rating and comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups diced apples peeled and diced 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon or apple pie spice
Crumble Topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger optional
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold, cut into cubes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- To make the topping, in a medium bowl, combine 1 cup flour, ⅓ cup white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and ginger if using. Add the cold butter and use a pastry cutter to cut in butter until the mixture starts to stick together and form crumbs the size of large peas, about 3 to 4 minutes. Place in the fridge while preparing the apples.
- Place the sliced apples in a 2qt baking dish and toss with ¼ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon.
- Sprinkle the prepared crumble topping over the apple mixture. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until golden and the apples are soft.
- Serve warm or room temperature with vanilla ice cream if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
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This recipe is amazing! Prep time is super quick and the instructions are very easy to follow. AND it tastes incredible. I’m obsessed!
Can I skip the ginger I do not have any I never ever use it
You can omit the ginger or substitute it for more cinnamon, and while it will slightly change the flavor it will still be delicious! Enjoy Christine!
Very very nice Holly. Your apple crumble was delicious!
All your other recipes were good and we did enjoy them. Happy cooking and baking!
I saw this recipe last fall. Easy to make & delicious. I have made it several times this fall. Several friends & family now have this recipe because once they have eaten it, want to make it
I am such a Krazy fan of your’s ! all of your recipes look and sound amazing….I’m not a “chef ” per say but I absolutely love love love to cook and you are the very first page I go to…..I was a cook at a catering company for 9 years and loved it, your recipes jump out at me every time I am looking for something new, old, intuvative…you are amazing….THANK YOU!!!!
Love this recipe
That is sweet of you to say, Kat! I am glad you are enjoying our recipes so much.
I’ll be so excited to try this yummy recipe. Anything this easy, I’ll definitely make. I’m getting a turkey breast soon. That would be a great time to try this. Thank you, Holly.
This is so delicious! Plan on making it for Thanksgiving.
Delicious!! Used a variety of apples and a little allspice instead of ginger. Definitely a keeper!
Can you freeze the apple mix and bake it later? Not the tipping of course. But the apple mix.
Both the apple mix and the topping freeze well before or after baking!
This was delicious and easy. We had guests over and they loved it. My only concern is the amount of sugar in the recipe. Next time I make this, I’ll try halving the sugar. Thanks for the tasty recipe.
Whenever I want a great recipe, which is always, I go to Spend With Pennies. This time was no different. Great apple crumble!
That is so sweet of you, Joyce! It makes us so happy to hear you are loving our recipes! ❤️
I LOVE this recipe! I made this for my family last 4th of July and it was rave reviews all around!
I see in earlier comments that you can make this a day ahead and just leave it at room temp. My question is, could you put it all together and then bake it the next day?
Sure you can! You’ll want to ensure you toss the apples with a bit of lemon juice (a couple teaspoons should do) so they don’t brown too much. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
Sometimes simple recipes are the best. When I first made this recipe, I made it as printed and was amazing. My husband loves apple stuff, and will buy pie and turnovers almost continuously. It’s the best apple thing we’ve had in ages, even though we consume a lot of them. We ate all this in under 48 hours.
Since the first time, I have doubled the apple portion (and the coating) and used a sprinkle of nutmeg instead of ginger in the topping. That’s just a personal preference, the ginger was great, too. With the apples and the coating ingredients doubled, it makes a full 9″x13″ sheet cake pan worth. The topping is still enough to cover the pan, and doesn’t need doubling unless you’re more in love with the crumble than the apple. The cook time goes up to about an hour for me with such a big pan.
PS- It is October and I’m using in-season cosmic crisp apples. They’re a sweet and tart, firm but not quite “baking apple” firm. Similar to braeburns, fuji, or honeycrisps. I chop the apples into chunks much like in the photo in your post, and don’t have problems with them becoming too mushy. Maybe it would be worth emphasizing that 1″ pieces part.
I’m so glad you both loved it Zee, thank you for sharing your tips!
Absolutely delicious and easy to make.
It was a lovely dessert and a huge hit. For some reason the granny smiths I used definitely cooked down to more of an applesauce consistency. It was still super tasty!
I’m so glad you loved it Brook!
Could I make this a day ahead? This sounds like a delicious alternative to apple pie. Thank you!
Yes it can. You can leave it at room temperature overnight. Enjoy Jenny!
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes it can. You can leave it at room temperature overnight.
As I live in Australia and we have Self raising flour and plain flour a lot of your recipes just say “Flour” so which one does it refer to?
This would be all-purpose flour.
Have you tried using breadcrumbs instead of flour ? My late father made his version of Danish Apple Crumble with sugar and breadcrumbs, and maybe bit of cinnamon (? – don’t remember noticing cinnamon taste, but would make sense) stirred in a frypan then tipped over the apple, then into oven for a bit . But it was along time ago, I was but a boy and didn’t take much note of amounts and times.
I haven’t tried this with breadcrumbs but it does sound delicious.
Tried this tonight. It came out quite dry like it needed some liquid or sauce
I’m sorry to hear that Sami. I can’t say why that happened, as we have not had it turn out dry when we’ve made it. Thank you for trying it!
how many apples do you use
You will need 5-6 apples depending on the size. Enjoy June!
My son wants me to make a pineapple crumble using pineapple tidbits. Will it work with this recipe .
Hi Sherry, we have only made this recipe as written but I think it should work if you drain the pineapple tidbits. Cooking times may have to be adjusted accordingly, too. Let us know how it turns out! :)