The Best Apple Crumb Pie Ever!
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Apple Crumb Pie is a delicious and easy pie that everyone absolutely raves over.
A tender flaky crust filled with sweet juicy cinnamon kissed apples all topped of with a delicious crumb topping.
This is the perfect apple pie to serve after any meal!
How to Make The Best Apple Crumb Pie Ever!
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“The Best” is a pretty big statement and not one I take lightly… and “The Best” fits this Apple Crumb Pie perfectly!
I first served this apple pie Thanksgiving many years ago and it was a HUGE hit… and a pie that has been requested over and over again but never lasts long!
If you’ve ever read my blog, you’ll know I’m a HUGE fan of apple desserts… you’ll find everything from Apple Pie Tacos and Baked Apple Pie Roll Ups to Apple Pie Egg Rolls.
This apple crumble pie is in my top 2 for sure! It’s always perfect!
What is the Best Apple for a Pie
The base of a perfect apple pie starts with choosing the right apples.
You’ll want an apple that is crisp and slightly tart but will hold it’s shape while baking.
When baking apple pie, I recommend using a Granny Smith apple as I’ve used in this apple crumb pie recipe.
While you certainly can use any apple, some apples have a more mealy texture or are less crisp meaning your pie could become mushy.
How Many Apples are Needed for a Pie
This will vary based on the recipe you’re using and the topping, this particular recipe uses a delicious crumb topping so the apples are really piled sky-high.
For this apple crumb pie, you’ll need 8 medium Granny Smith apples which will be approximately 6-7 cups of apples.
How Many Cups is a Sliced Apple?
Generally you can expect 3 medium apples (approximately 1 pound) to create about 2 1/2 cups of sliced apples.
Be sure to cut your apples fairly thinly and in this apple crumble pie recipe, you’ll want to stack them nice and high because they will shrink down a bit as they bake!
Always be sure to peel your apples for pie as the skin can become tough and chewy once baked.
I use an apple peeler/corer/slicer to make this job extra quick.
They’re not that expensive and they will literally save you hours!
One of the most delicious parts of this Apple Crumb Pie is the topping! The crumble is easy to make and this pie has lots of crumble topping!
If you notice the topping starts to brown too early, place a small square of foil over the middle.
I use a nice deep dish pie plate and always set the pie plate on a parchment lined baking pan to bake.
The pan not only makes it easier to get in and out of the oven but it catches any drips or spills should your pie bubble over!
Once the pie has cooled we store it at room temperature uncovered for up to 24 hours.
If you bake this apple crumb pie ahead of time, you can warm it in the oven again before serving.
We leave it at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes (heated from room temperature).
We serve this with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped topping and caramel sauce!
“The Best” fits this Apple Crumb Pie perfectly, sweet juicy apples with a light apple crumble topping!
- 1 frozen (or homemade) pie crust
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter
- 8 Granny Smith apples
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon rind (optional)
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
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Combine all topping ingredients using a fork until completely mixed and crumbly.
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Peel, core, and slice apples into thin slices (approximately 1/8 inch). Toss apple slices with sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour.
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Layer apple slices in pie shell (it will be really full) and pour any leftover juice over the apples. Top apple slices with topping and pat it down over the apples. Place pie pan on a cookie sheet (they tend to drip over if really full, this will save your oven).
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Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 45-55 minutes. (Poke the center of the pie to make sure the apples are soft all of the way through).
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Serve warm or room temperature.
Be sure to keep an eye on your crumble topping. If it starts to brown too early, place a small piece of foil on top to keep it from burning.
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
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Holly
Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
I’ve made this pie a few times and it is delicious but topping always ends up hard. I did put tin foil on top for the last 15 min or so. Any tips?
I haven’t had a problem with it being too hard. You could try adding it part way when it’s baking instead of at the beginning. Let us know how it goes.
Best Apple Crumble EVER!!!!
Done it twice and its a total hit!
Thanks for sharing!!
You’re welcome Belen! Glad you love it.
A very warm hallo all the way from Greyton, South Africa.I made this lovely pie yesterday,my son’s class went on an school outing to an apple farm nearby and he brought a backpack full of grannysmiths home.Very pleased to say that this is one of the best recipes EVER!Came out perfect.x
That made my day Anke! So glad to hear it was perfect for you!
Just put the pie in the oven. I may of made a boo-boo because the directions didn’t say what the butter consistency should be for the topping. I melted the butter, so my topping was a little dough-like. I guess, we’ll see how it turns out!
I am anew cook, you mention flour in this recipe, is it plain flour or self raising flour?
This is plain all purpose flour.
do you bake crust first?
You do not need to pre-bake the crust.
Delicious!! I did paint the crust with eggwash to seal against a soggy bottom. In addition to directions I deleted 1 Tbs flour and Added 1 Tbs corn starch mixed in with the apples. Had to bake for 70 minutes to ensure 3 lbs of Granny Smith’s softened.
So happy to hear you loved it Rob!
Such an easy recipe I was inspired and made two. My teenage daughter and her grandad even helped out! She peeled/cored with the peeler/corer my husband had bought years ago and grandpa took the peels and cores to his turtles! Nothing wasted!! Thanks!!
Sounds delicious, I am glad you loved this recipe Diana!
This is an apple crisp pie! The topping reminds me of a recipe I used to use for apple crisp. It’s a fun idea to combine both desserts! The crisp topping is much tastier than pie crust, so it’s no wonder it you get a better pie.
Ive made this pie 3 times now! I love it and so does my hubby. Make sure you use softened butter yall – and no matter how high the pie is piled, it will bake down just right. Thank you!
I’m happy to hear this is such a big hit for you!
Delicious and easy recipe, I like that the crust is not overly sweet like other Dutch apple pies, will definitely make it again!
Glad you loved the pie Magda!
loved this recipe! the topping was so good it reminds me of the apple crumble in Dominos that we really liked! thank you for the recipe!
I made this recipe twice over the holidays (with homemade crust) and it was absolutely to-die for. Best apple pie I’ve had. And many many compliments. Thanks for the great recipe!!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Emily!
Love this! I have made it twice and gotten rave reviews – serve with salted caramel sauce and ice cream!!
I am so glad that you have enjoyed this recipe Clarissa!
My husband is very picky about his pies but he loved this one! I’ve made it 3 times in the last 2 months! Never a leftover piece! Followed your recipe to the tee and it was awesome! Thanks!
I am so glad that your family has enjoyed this recipe Lisa!
Made this tonight with honey crisp apples, other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. It turned out amazing. Even my husband and daughter, who don’t like apple pie, inhaled it and raved in between bites. The crumble topping was crunchy and delicious. I will definitely be making this one again.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Made this tonight with honey crisp apples, other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. It turned out amazing. Even my husband and daughter, who don’t like apple pie, inhaled it and raved in between bites. The crumble typing was crunchy and delicious. I will definitely be making this one again.
I made this for Thanksgiving. The best apple pie I ever made!! Everyone absolutely loved it.
I’m so glad everyone loved it, it’s a favorite around here too!
This was delicious. I think I’ll make my apple pies this way from now on (instead of two crusts).
PS: I use Tapioca in the filling instead of flour – 2 TBSP).
I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to try it for Thanksgiving to accompany the Pumpkin Pie that my daughter insists we have. I have to say, this pie rocked my dessert menu. It was full of apples, flavorful (I always double the cinnamon) and the crumb topping (my favorite part) was amazing!! Def a keeper!
Made this with gala apples and tasted great! Def making again but will half the topping recipe. Wicked sweet but delish. Thanks for sharing this!
This was the Best! I made this for Thanksgiving and my daughter loved it! It is fabulous will definitely be my go to for Apple pie. I made no changes. Thanks for a great recipe.
started making this recipe for every thanksgiving! Love it and so does the family!
I made this pie last night but it was late so i left it on the counter to cool. I did cover it but does it have to be refrigerated?
I don’t refrigerate it,I leave it at room temperature.
I made this pie and my Crumble came out really hard! Not sure if it’s supposed to be this way. It’s not burned. It browned beautifully. The entire pie looks absolutely amazing but the Crumble is just very hard. Nevertheless everyone seems to like it. Thanks !
This is my first Thanksgiving I was delegated “desserts” & I am held to high expectation when it comes to bringing dishes!
My daughter requested an apple pie out of nowhere and I’ve always bought my son his very own apple crumble pie every November (it’s a thing).
I found your recipe & knew it had to be the one! This is my very first “from scratch” pie and so far so good- my stepdaughter helped me prep it and we had so much fun. (And by fun, I mean nibbling on the filling prior to baking:-)
Just have 10 minutes to wait, and I’m sure my children are going to think I turned into supermom overnight.
Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!
Happy Thanksgiving Kelly!! I made this pie again this week, it is so good! :)
Hi Holly I just made this pie tonight for Thanksgiving. My house smells fantastic! Do you store in the fridge until it is ready to serve or do you just keep it lightly covered at room temperature? I’m excited to showcase it tomorrow, I hope it will rival even my grandmother’s famous pies.
I store it uncovered at room temperature (to keep the topping from getting soggy or moist). Happy Thanksgiving!
I just put the pie in the oven and I’m going to use it for thanksgiving tomorrow. Do I put it in the fridge and cover it and do I need to let it cool before putting in the fridge? The pie smells amazing and the extras left in the bowls tasted amazing also!! Can’t wait to eat it.
I would suggest cooling the pie and leaving it at room temperature until tomorrow! Happy Thanksgiving!
Love this pie! I made it last year for Thanksgiving and making it again for tomorrow per my families request! I just realized though that I forgot to buy lemon juice and wondered if it’s possible to do without it and still have the same great taste? Really trying to avoid going to the store on Thanksgiving Day.
For sure, this pie is still great without lemon. :)
I have made this recipe twice now, turned out perfect both times! I used the crust from the link, and it is now the only pie crust recipe I use!!
do you have any tips to make the apple filling ahead of time and place in the freezer?
I’ve never left a review but this pie was so absolutely fantastic I had to say something. I followed recipe exactly and it was perfect! Thanks for sharing this lil “slice” of heaven:))
Thank you for the review! So glad you loved it!
Made it and I love it. Could have cooked it a little longer. The mountain created, didn’t go down much, but tasted great. I’ll get the pie together first then crumble next time. Thanksgiving maybe…..
Just put the mountain in the oven…….. first time trying..
Will post later
Made this fantastic pie yesterday for company. Everyone loved it. Taste like apple crisp. Will definitely make again as I have apples in my freezer harvested from my generous neighbors yard.
I am so glad this recipe was a hit with your guests!
Best apple pie I have ever made! Super easy as well. Didn’t have lemons so I used an orange instead .
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I LOVED IT!!! I did use pumpkin pie spice instead of just cinnamon in the topping. I also divided it in to 2- 9 inch regular pans. ( I didn’t have deep dish shells. I splurged on organic pie crusts. What a difference. I am going to try your friends all butter pie crust recipe next time. No trouble baking. I put it in the center of the oven. The crust was crisp on the bottom and top was perfect golden. IT WAS AWESOME! !!
So glad to hear that Leah!
I just put this pie in the oven. It was a very easy to follow recipe and I am anxious to taste soon! The filling intimidated me a bit so I reserved some of it and made a small cobbler to go beside the pie. Also the topping had plenty to also top the “cobbler”. I will let you know how they both turn out. I did go ahead and cover mine with foil after the first 15 minutes because the top was already quite brown.
This is the first pie recipe I baked and it’s so perfect! Turned out to be heavenly delicious!!
Awesome! So glad you loved it! :)
I have an Emile Henry Ceramic pan that is 10 inches; is that too big for this recipe?
That should work just fine.
This recipe is divine!!! The best I have ever made. I made small pies in my cupcake tins and they were a huge hit!!!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi! Should I bake the crust before filling it?
Can you cook the night before?
I bake it the day before and refrigerate overnight. I take it out in the morning and either serve at room temperature or slightly heat.
My crumble top looked like a cake mix with a little butter… oh welll, in the oven and we will see how it turns out.
Man this was GOOD!!!
I am a pie maker and I did a few minor alterations, but I LOVED IT!!
I used a little more lemon juice, no rind, a bit more flour in the filling
and less cinnamon (cause hubby doesn’t like too much), and just a small pinch of nutmeg.
YUMMY!!
That is so awesome!! Happy to hear it! Thanks for commenting :)
Would it be ok to use store bought refrigerated pie crust?
Absolutely (and it doesn’t need to be prebaked).
I’m making this for my husband tomorrow. One major thing I don’t see here is whether the pie crust is baked before placing the filling and topping or not. I’ll be using a frozen crust. Please tell me what I need to do.
You do not need to pre-bake the pie crust. Enjoy!!
This has to be the best apple pie I’ve made in a while… It was super easy and Delish… My son, daughter husband and myself all enjoyed it so much!!! Thank you!!
Happy to hear that your whole family enjoyed it! The apple pie is one of my favorite desserts!
I love make pie and cakes
Made this tonight and we and our guest loved it! This will be my go-to apple pie recipe from here on out. It was so sweet and soft, yet had some crunch to it. Served warm with ice cream of course! Recipe calls for 8 GS apples, I only had room for 6. Turned out perfect :) Thank you Holly!!!
I’m so glad your family loved this pie, it’s one of our favorites too!!
Made this pie two nights ago and there is only a small slice left! Best Apple Pie ever!!! I made it with only 6 Granny Smith apples (bc I was tired of peeling and slicing) and it turned out wonderful! Thank you so much for this recipe!! I will be making again for guests! And, I love all of your recipes!! Making your coconut cream pie next!!
I’m so glad your family loved this one!! :) Enjoy the coconut cream pie, it’s so yummy!
This pie was great! I haven’t made one in years and this came out beautifully. My husband even bragged about how goodie was on FB:D This recipe is a keeper:)
Awesome! I’m glad the pie was a hit!
What size apples did you use? I have made apple pies before and the most I have used is 6 apples. I just bought a bag of granny smith apples at the store and they are on the small size so I am not sure how many of them I should use?
I would suggest using 6 small apples.
Hi! This looks amazing! I was wondering if I could use MacIntosh apples instead. I have a HUGE bag so I’d use what I have here. Thank you !
I’m sure they’d work just fine. They will definitely be a little bit softer but still delicious!
Oh my goodness!! I made this last night and it was amazing!!! Huge hit and now my new favorite apple pie recipe.
I’m so glad you loved it Ginger!
This pie was a BIG hit this Thanksgiving! Absolutely delicious.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Never made a crumble apple pie, it is Amazing! Glad it turned out so good for Thanksgiving!
I’m so glad you loved it Kelli, this is one of our favorite pies!
I am afraid of how this pie is going to turn out. I ended up getting 2-9″ deep dish pies out of this. They were both heaped up quite high. Did I use too much caution when filling the shells? They are in the oven now so I am hoping that they turn out nicely. I will say that my husband loved the topping and the few bits of apple left in the bowl!
Was planning to make this this morning-just realized that I don’t have real butter, just margarine- will that work for the topping?
As long as the margarine is solid (and not a tub or spreadable) it should work ok.
For the topping, do you melt the butter?
I don’t melt the butter, it is just softened and mixed in.
Hi! Looking to make this for thanksgiving. When you mentioned you made it the day before, did you just assemble it or also bake it and then re heat it the next day?
I bake it the day before and refrigerate overnight. I take it out in the morning and either serve at room temperature or slightly heat.
Hi Holly, Making this today. Do I put the filling directly into the frozen pie crust? No thawing or prior baking?
You do not need to prebake your pie crust.
Hi,
Can you prepare and freeze the pie before baking?
Yes, this can be frozen.
Hi there. Recipe looks delish. Can this be made ahead of time and frozen?
Yes, this can be frozen.
I baked it for the 45 minutes suggested and the crumble burned. It’s a bummer because the pie would’ve been great otherwise. Also I would half the recipe if you don’t have a deep dish pie crust.
How disappointing! Did you have it on the center rack in the oven?
I hope this turns out! It was pretty high! I felt like I was making a sandcastle putting the crumble on, lol! We sampled the apples and crumble, so far so good.
This looks delicious! Have you ever made this ahead of time? Like the night before?
Thanks!
Yes, I have made this the day before serving and reheated it in the oven for a few minutes before serving.
What size pie dish does this recipe call for
I use a 9″ deep dish pie plate.
Just put this in oven,will let you know how it turned out. . A couple of people gave me apples what’s a girl to do
So I attempted this pie because it looked so delicious and mine turned out hideous. It tastes good, but all of the crumble topping melted down in the oven making it a non crumble pie. I don’t understand how you go yours so perfect. Did you not mix the crumble super well? Cuz mine was kind of doughy when I was done mixing it… any suggestions?
Did you use butter (or margarine)? What temperature was you butter when you mixed the topping (soft or melted)?
Made this pie last nite, it was fantastic. We ate half of it as soon as it cooled. Will definitely make this again.I did add chopped walnuts to the topping and I cooked the whole thing on 400 for just under an hour. No burning topping, just browned and pie was completely cooked.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this pie, I love the addition of walnuts! Sounds great!
I don’t normally leave comments but the pie is really good! reduced the sugar level because i don’t really like sweet things and thats the only alteration i made. great recipe! thank you :)
Thank you so much for your comment, I’m glad you enjoyed this pie!
Hands down the BEST pie I have ever made. The hubby thought so as well. :)
I’m so glad you and your husband loved it!
Trying this recipe for the first time and my pie is quite piled up. I had to leave some of the filling out and I couldn’t use all the topping. Am I being too careful or should I use the rest of the topping? Right now my pie looks like a hill.
Yes, mine looks like a hill before baking, the apples do shrink down somewhat. I just pile the topping on top.
My pie didn’t really sink at all! I have a very hot oven so I baked it at 425 for the first 15 minutes but then I baked it at 350 for 55 minutes and it’s just as high as it was when I put it in the oven. I made sure to keep the apple slices very thin, too. Not sure what happened. I hope it tastes good. We’ll see!
Ok I’m happy to report that it significantly went down and looks normal! And tastes absolutely delicious!!!! I made it exactly how the recipe called for & am thrilled with the turn out! Thank you for this fantastic recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it Francesca!
I am new at baking so does all of the ingredients include making the crust too? How do I make the crust?
This recipe doesn’t include the ingredients for pie crust. You can buy a premade frozen crust or make one homemade.
If you’re looking for a great recipe, my friend Dorothy at Crazy for Crust has a perfect pie crust recipe.
I made this tonight with my children and the topping was more the consistency of cookie dough! (it didn’t exactly crumble) It hasn’t finished baking so I’m unsure how it turned out, bit is this be a use of something I should have done, and didn’t??
The top is a little bit like a cookie dough (but slightly more crumbly) so it sounds like it was right. I hope you enjoyed it once it finished baking!
Holly, i made this recently and the first 15 minutes @ 450° started burning the crumble.
What i do wrong?
I had to cover it with foil to keep it from burning the remainder of the time!!!
Which rack in the oven did you have it on? It could also be that your oven runs a little bit hotter than mine. Hopefully the foil fixed the problem and your pie was still delicious.
I want to fix this today, but I’m not sure how I’m suppose to use the butter. Is it suppose to be cold, room temp., or melted?
The butter should be softened (room temperature).
Would a 9in pie pan work for this? I’m eyeing these 8 apples with suspicion and trepidation…
The apples will cook down so a 9 inch pan should be okay!
Just made this pie with my 5 and 3 yr old, can’t wait to try it!
:) Enjoy! We love this recipe!
I tried out this recipe last night! It came out great! Not to be that person that says “I made this and changed a bunch of things” (those comments make me giggle), but I did make some changes because of what I had on hand. I didn’t have any nutmeg, so I used a pinch of cloves and a dash of ginger. I also added some chopped pecans to the crust (because I am a pecan fiend). The consistency of the pie was great and the recipe was simple. I will surely follow (a probably bastardized version of) this recipe again!
Gonna try more of your recipes
Thank YOU
Yum! Can’t wait to make this pie. :)