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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Love it! The only changes I made was I used gluten free flour and I used allulose white sweetener and monk fruit brown sugar to make it sugar free. Absolutely delicious!!
Hi Holly,
Can you provide metric version for the receipt? How many apples do you use?
I do not have a metric conversion button on my site however Holly’s cookbook does include metric for all recipes and variations!
Made this twice, absolutely delicious! With some cream cheese, it’s like guilt fee carrot cake!
oh my gosh this is an amazing recipe. I just got finished making it and I made the eat . the whole thing! If I could give it more than five stars I would. If I could leave a picture of the finished product I would.
Hello,
This recipe is fantastic! I have made it a few times! Can you make a video of this Apple Crumble Recipe? I teach Middle School Home Ec. I am making this recipe with my class! I would love to have them watch you make it!
Have a great day and thank you in advance!
Hi M! That is so fun. We won’t be able to make a video at this time but we will add it to our list! Thank you for sharing our recipes with them! I hope they enjoy this one!
One of the best desserts I’ve made. Just so wholesome and warm. Hard to beat this one!
Holly, first of all I have tried many of your recipes and they are my go to recipes now, thank you
I just made the apple crumble and the topping came out hard like candy
I followed the recipe I thought very carefully but would like to know what I did wrong. The apple part is great
Can i do anything to soften the topping?
This is a first for me
Hi Linda, I have never had that problem before but make sure you mix the topping ingredients really well and use unsalted cold butter to help the topping stay softer.
This was so so so good. I made for a group event and did not even have to wash the dish. Hahaha
Made it for a Labor Day get together and got rave reviews!
my family just loved it! thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe of yours. 5 stars!
Looks like apple crumble is the recipe to commemorate the day of being ‘locked up’ with the passport girls ;) This comment will be absurd to most people reading it haha.
Pleasure serving time with you today Holly ! All the best to your team and you! Looking forward to your book !
LOL, your comment made my day!! And what a day – so glad I got to pass the time with you and the other passport girls Enjoy the wedding and I hope we get to meet again soon!
Just thought I’d come back and see if you read it – haha – Thanks!
LOL! I sure did. :)
Can I swap the apples for any other fruit? Say six cups of peaches?
While the crumble will work with any fruit, the fruit may need a different amount of sweetener or thickener. 6 cups of peaches are juicy so you might need a little more flour. Let us know how it goes!
I have been trying to find the right apple crumble recipe and have been unsuccessful until now! This is a keeper!! I’ll be making this for Passover this year. Thanks so much!!
I did make this for Passover. I doubled the recipe and cooked for about 45 min and it came out perfectly. I kept it warm and served it with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. Everyone commented on how good it was and wanted the recipe!
Great recipe and very easy. I added chopped pecans to the crumble. From now on I’ll add chopped pecans to crumble toppings. It gives the best crunchy texture to the topping. Thanks for this recipe Holly!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious ! thank you!
Heaven sent melt in your mouth deliciousness. I’ve already made it twice in two weeks. You’ve created a monster – I cannot stop!
I’ve made this recipe several times and my family loves it
Delicious! I made this for Thanksgiving and the whole family LOVED it. My new go to for dessert!
Oh my goodness, this was incredible. I didn’t have a pastry cutter so I used a fork and it did the same thing. I think I’ll omit the ginger next time. But oh my gosh I will be making this for years to come. 10 out of 10
Love , Love, Loved this recipe first try at an apple crumble and it was so good I made a smaller batch in a small square pan and I squoze used the same amount of sugar in the apple filling using half white /half brown I added a drizzle of vanilla flavor an 2Tbs of butter and instead of just Cinnamon I added half tsp of nutmeg.
How about using Gluten Free flour blend to make this a gluten free dessert?
Definitely! An all-purpose gluten free flour would work great in this recipe, Marian.