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
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This pie was good but a little too sweet. Next time I will use more cinnamon and less sugar in both the filling and the topping, and I might add rolled oats to the crumb topping as well or use just brown sugar instead of both sugars.
This is the best Apple crumb ever ! I’m so glad this was the first recipe I ever tried for my first apple crumb pie . I will never use any other recipe !
Just made this with honey crisp apples from Michigan. It was excellent. Definitely a keeper recipe and will make again. Saw the comment about grating the butter and worked like a charm without softening. Highly recommend. My topping browned almost immediately so I covered with foil about 10 minutes in until the pie was finished.
Wow, so glad you loved this recipe Andrea! :)
What brand of frozen pie crust did you use? Thank you!
Hi Christine, I’m not sure what brand of frozen crust was used in this recipe (it was a while ago) but any brand will work great. Let us know how it turns out for you!
If we are using a refrigerated pie crust (similar to homemade), does crust need to be pre-cooked? Or do you just put all the apples, etc. in the raw dough crust and pop it into the oven? Thx.
The crust does not need to be pre-baked. Simply line your pan with the raw pastry and fill with the apples. Enjoy!
This pie was simple to make and so very delicious. Not to sweet just the perfect balance of flavors.
Haven’t made it yet but was wondering if you could pit to topping on at the last ten minutes od baking?
The beeeeeest apple pie I have ever had. I just added a little more cinnamon, but it was amazing. It only lasted a day in my 3 people house. I am in love with this pie.
I just wanted to say Thank you for a wonderful recipe. I have a 15 year old son with Autism and I let him cook and bake so that he learns some very important Life lessons. Especially following directions.
Your recipe is precise and clear and he loves the outcome.
Thanks again,
Proud Mom in California
That is so wonderful to hear Angie! Thank you for sharing that with us :)
You didn’t specify that the crust needs to be blind baked first. This is the first time I’ve made a fruit pie and didn’t realize the crust was raw on the bottom until after I pulled it out of the oven and cooled. Trying to salvage it by cooking it more but not hopeful.
The crust does not need to be pre-cooked. The apples should go into uncooked dough.
If that is the case simply put tin foil on the top and keep on baking. No harm done.
Any chance I can sub blueberries in this recipe? I have a couple pints that are going to go bad. I’ve made this with the apples before and it is amaaaazing by the way!
We have never tried subbing in blueberries Molly, but would love to hear how it turns out. Alternatively, you could try our blueberry crisp, blueberry cobbler, or homemade blueberry pie!
Yep. Definitely the best Apple Crumb Pie Ever! My picky, picky family loved it! The tart filling combined with the crunchy topping is divine. Best pie crust ever? Try using a Trader Joe’s pie crust.
I am diabetic and used Slenda and Slenda brown sugar and it turned out awesome
Best apple pie. I used a cheese grater for the butter as another reviewer had recommended and mixed the crumb topping with my hands since I struggled with a fork. I used 7 apples since my pan wasn’t very deep and baked for 5 minutes less. I covered with foil after only 10 minutes in the oven so the crumbs didn’t get too dark.
My topping is a paste, not a crumble. What did I do wrong?
Hmm, did you use butter or margarine Allison? Also when mixing your toppings together did you melt the butter or was it room temperature? If using melted butter it may turn your topping into more of a paste than a crumble.
The crumb topping was good, only if you use softened butter. But the filling was very dry.
made it last night, a big hit with my husband! i used a bit more cinnamon and nutmeg, and a wee bit less sugar, coz we love strong flavors. thanks for the recipe :)
I made the night before. The apples have a lot of liquid. Do I add that as well?
Hi Sylvia, I would definitely trust your gut. You do want to pour the excess liquid over the apples as indicated in step two but if it feels like you have an excessive amount of liquid you may want to drain a bit off.
I messed it up, I accidentally kept it at 400 degrees for 50 minutes and it became a CARAMEL Apple Pie :'( My bad, still good.
Oh no!! Glad it was still good… and who doesn’t love caramel? ;)
Great pie! I play with the spices a little bit cause I like a bit extra spice in mine, and I use five different apples. Gives it a great taste! Also, for the crumble I find if you shred cold butter in it it turns out AMAZING!!
Hi, Holly- Just made your apple crumb pie – I followed your directions and put the pie in a 450 oven. I know you warned about watching the topping, but I figured I was safe for the 15 minutes. Nope. When I checked after 15 minutes, the crumb topping was burned. I would suggest that either the starting temp should be 425, or put the foil topping on from the get – go.
Haven’t tasted it yet – my husband is busy picking off the burned pieces. I’m sure it will be delicious otherwise.
Thanks!
Hi, I split this recipe up between 2 pies since it was a lot of apples. I have 2 deep dish pies and the crumb topping still seems very floury and doesn’t have that crumby brown texture. Any recommendation??
I am not sure Shari, we have never had that problem with this recipe. But if you followed the topping recipe is should turn out fine. Happy Thanksgiving!
Add cold butter and kenaf it with your fingers
The crumb topping just melted. Did everything right, but it did not work. So bummed since I am serving this for Thanksgiving
Oh no, I am so sorry to hear that Deborah. I have never had that happened when making this pie, so I am not sure what went wrong either. Did you use butter (or margarine) in the topping?