Apple Crumble Pie is a delicious and easy pie that everyone requests time and again.
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!
Why This Is the Best Apple Crumb Pie Ever!
“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, it has been requested over and over again!
- Great to make ahead, bakes up perfectly every time.
- Simple to make with homemade pie crust or store bought to make it fast.
- Can be served warm, room temperature, or chilled.
- Simple ingredients you probably have on hand.
The Best Apples for Pie
The base of a perfect apple pie (or apple crumble) starts with choosing the right apples. You’ll want an apple that is crisp and slightly tart but will hold its 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 softer texture or are less crisp meaning your pie could become mushy or the apples won’t hold their shape. Find more info on apples for baking here.
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. Always be sure to peel your apples for pie as the skin can become tough and chewy once baked.
How Many Cups is a Sliced Apple?
You can expect 3 medium apples (approximately 1 pound) to yield about 2 1/2 cups of sliced apples.
Cut the apples fairly thin (about 1/8″) 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!
An apple peeler/corer/slicer can make this job extra quick if you use a lot of sliced apples, it’s a great investment that will save you hours!
Crumb Topping for Apple Pie
What sets this pie apart from a classic apple pie recipe is the topping! The crumble is easy to make and this pie has a generous portion!
It’s a simple mixture of:
- butter
- brown/white sugar
- flour
- cinnamon
Tips for a Perfect Pie
- Use an apple that holds up well like Granny smith.
- Pile the apples high, they’ll shrink a bit as they bake.
- If your crumb topping is powdery, it hasn’t been mixed enough. Use your hands to really mix it together until bigger crumbs form.
- 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. This makes it easier to get in and out of the oven and will catch any drips or spills should your pie bubble over!
Storage/Leftovers & Reheating Apple Crumb Pie
Once the pie has cooled it can be stored 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. Reheat at 325°F 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!
You can freeze this pie either before or after baking. If frozen before baking, the pie can be baked from frozen. To bake from frozen, preheat the oven to 425°F and cover the pie loosely with foil. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue baking for an additional 45-55 minutes.
More Apple Favorites
I love apple everything from Apple Pie Tacos, Apple Crumble, and Baked Apple Pie Roll Ups to Apple Pie Egg Rolls.
Did you love this Apple Crumble Pie? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!
Ingredients
- 1 single pie crust prepared or homemade
Topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter chilled and cubed
Filling
- 8 granny smith apples
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
Topping:
- Combine all topping ingredients using a fork until completely mixed and crumbly.
Filling:
- Peel, core, and slice apples into thin slices (approximately ⅛ inch). Toss apple slices with sugar, flour, lemon juice, lemon zest (if using), cinnamon, & nutmeg.
- 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).
- Bake at 450°F for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350°F 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).
- Serve warm or room temperature.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert, Pie
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.
Seriously!! The BEST apple pie ever! This recipe will never be lost in our kitchen. Must try!
Thank you so much Julie! You have made my day!
Sorry, so disappointed, top crust was hard and apples tasted sour, definitely needed more sweetner. So very disappointed.
I’m very sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy this pie Gerald. It’s one of our favorites, as well as many readers as you can see by the ratings and comments. Thank you for trying the pie.
Made this today. It was delicious. Instead of 8 apples, I used 6 and it was plenty. Was not watery, the apples were not too soft nor too hard. Temp stated was too much, I did have to cover with foil.
Can you please tell me if the nutrition information is per slice or whole pie? Also if per slice, rough size of the slice please. Thank you.
So glad you loved it! The nutrition is per slice.
Do I have to use lemon juice? I only have lime juice
I have only tried it with lemon juice, but lime juice may work as a substitute. Let me know how it turns out!
Video only shows the first few seconds of apple cutting. :( Would love to see the whole thing!
Hello! I am new to baking pies…what rack should I use?
To ensure even cooking, use the middle rack in your oven. Enjoy!
I made this yesterday. It is probably the best apple pie I have ever had. My kids and I loved it. I will save and use this recipe again. I was out of brown sugar so I used coconut sugar for the crumble. It tasted great.
We love this pie too, so glad you loved it Jennifer!
I have to ask … where could I get one of those apple coring/slicers? Best I’ve ever seen and with arthritis apples are no longer an easy task. Great recipe by the way too!
Thank you Tammy! The one I have is for my Kitchenaid Mixer and you can find it on Amazon here or at some Kitchen Stores.
You can also get hand peelers/corers that cost less than $20 on Amazon.
The flavor was great; however the pie was a little runny.
sometimes apples are juicer than at other times … after tossing apples with ingredients let it set for half hour for juices to leach out then only pour as much of the syrup as needed over the apple slices
Great recipe, enjoyed it as part of our Thanksgiving dessert. My husband is an apple pie traditionalist and he even admitted the crumb topping was delicious.
I’m so glad your family enjoyed it, Happy Thanksgiving!
Can you make the filling a day ahead of baking?
You can make the filling ahead of time.
Does the butter need to be softened first or do i just use refrigerated butter?
Hi, refrigerated butter will work for this recipe.
CAN A DEEP DISH IE CRUST BE USED?
Yes, a deep dish pie crust will work just fine.
I have made this pie so many times now. I’m not a huge fan of apple pies but this apple crumble with vanilla ice cream is delicious. For holidays, I am specifically asked if this will be included for dessert. Thank you so much for the recipe, it is one of my favorites!
I am so glad you love it Alyssa, it is one of our favorites too!
It was very easy to make, but it’s too sweet. I’m a person who loves sweet desert and food so I was surprised I found it too sweet. I’d suggest cutting back on the loads of sugar in this recipe. For the crust, it browns too early so after the first 15 mins at 450, I covered it with foil. The crust is still a little too stiff for my liking, but tastes great. I dislike using foil in baking however.
Sorry you didn’t love it as much as we do Stefania!
This was my first time ever making any type of pie, so I was a little nervous that I was going to mess it up. I did not have any Granny Smith apples so I used Ida Reds instead. I love how easy and simple this recipe was to follow. I added the foil like you suggested and the pie came out perfectly! I could not believe how amazing it tasted. I had to go back for seconds. This was by far the best apple pie I have ever had!
I’m so glad you loved it as much as we do!
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!