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.
Made this tonight as requested by my husband and his friends..they LOVED it! I was able to make 3 pies from my apples they were fairly large i guess! But a big hit with our friends! I can’t wait to use this recipe again with the holidays coming up!!
This pie was making me crack up as I built it, the height it reaches before being baked it pure comedy. And the amount of crumble purely insane.
That being said, it of course cooked down, it did spill out so follow the instructions to use a sheet pan under.
I doubled the recipe, they came out beautifully, tasted wonderful, how could they not with all that sugar, butter, and apple? Tallest apple pies I’ve ever made. Very good!
I used 2/3 orchard picked suncrisp and 1/3 Washington Juici.
I am very glad to have found this recipe. I did everything as stated except used Braeburn and Fugi apples because I grow them. This turned out amazing! I had the apples piled high and the crumb stayed domed and made a caramel like crust around the edge of the pie plate. So good! I make apple everything because of my abundance of apples. I think I might try the crumble on top of the apples in a casserole dish also. Thank you for this recipe!
Oh this one is goooooooooood. I happened to have all the ingredients so it was fairly easy to throw together. I used Mark Bittman’s pie crust recipe, and it all came together beautifully. The only change I made was to add a little bit of King Arthur Flour’s boiled cider into the filling. I will definitely make this recipe again!
Not my favorite recipe…Followed every direction and it came out extremely watery. Honestly, it was apple crumb soup. I had to dump out all the water and there was still a lot left. I even checked over everything 2x. But I can’t lie…the crumb topping was reallyyyy good!
Thank you very much for this recipe. A few years ago I searched for a solid apple crumble pie recipe, but found nothing. I searched again this year hoping something new would pop up, and your recipe pulled through.
Salted or unsalted butter?
Either will be fine Lauren, but I use unsalted butter.
came out delicious.. nice easy recipe
How long and what temp if the pie is already backed and frozen
Hi Bonnie, 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. Enjoy!
Just made this today, came out great, but next time I will cut the baking time down by 10 minutes. Awesome recipe.
Just enrolled on your list for weekly recipes. I have however tried out some of your recipes and find them easy, tasteful and a keeper.
Granny Smith apples vary in size, how many cups of sliced apples is 8 apples?
You can also find this info in the post:
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?
You can expect 3 medium apples (approximately 1 pound) to yield about 2½ cups of sliced apples.
Cut the apples fairly thin (about ⅛″) 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!
How do you recommend baking time and temperature if I use a pillsbury pie from the refrigerator section?
Hi Tiffany, we have made this recipe with frozen or homemade pie crusts following the same instructions and it turns out great so that should work just fine. We would love to hear how it goes for you!
Had the rack too high and semi-burned the top in the first 15 minutes. Covered with foil for the rest of the cook. I’m sure it will be fine. Oh, new oven too.
If you notice the topping starts to brown too early, we definitely recommend placing a small square of foil over the middle to help prevent that. Hope you enjoyed it, Jim!
Such a great pie! I used fujii and gala apples. I ended up cooking it at least 20 minutes longer than recipe calls for. My crumb topping was getting dark after first 15 min. so I put a piece of foil over it. Left it on for a good while. I used a Pillsbury pie crust in my own pie pan, so it really wasn’t “homemade”, I guess. It did spill over so I’m glad I put it on a cookie sheet covered with foil. My husband loves it and so do I. Super easy. Only my 4th apple pie ever – and I’m older, lol – and I’ll use this recipe again.
ps: My cinnamon and turmeric have the same blue lid, so you guessed it…I sprinkled it on the apples and….WHAT?? Oh, geez. I rinsed the slices real well in cold water and dried them. No lingering turmeric taste. Phew!
LOL good save on the turmeric, clever to just give them a rinse!! So glad you loved the pie.
I just sampled this version and was delighted with the result. I followed dirrctions carefully and the tesult wad a delicious pie that was easy to make. Yes, it is the best apple crumble pie!
Hi there! Will this pie hold over night uncooked in the fridge? I plan on baking it the following day.
Hi Lauren, we usually bake it fresh and then store it in the fridge once fully cooled but I think it should work to be prepped ahead of time. You could also prep the topping and filling separately and assemble before baking. Let us know how it turns out!
Pie was really nice, but for some reason my crumble wouldn’t crumble and it was like a powder, so as soon as I cooked it, the crumble just melted. Next time, I think I will put more butter, I’m not sure what I could do to fix the consistency of it.
If the crumble didn’t hold together, it likely needed to be mixed longer. Hope that helps.
A family favorite. I used 5 large Granny Smith and 2 Macintosh apples. Changed sugar for filling to 1/2 cup and flour to 4 tablespoons.
Followed the recipe to the letter, but had grave doubts as I was mixing the topping. I think your 1 cup of flour should have been no more than 1/2 cup, it was WAY too much flour.
Sorry to hear that, Laura! This recipe is usually a reader favorite. You can reduce the flour in the crumb topping if you prefer. We would love to hear how it turns out for you.
Make sure you spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping it with the measuring cup. Scooping compacts it.
This turned out perfect!
Made it for Thanksgiving, I’m not a HUGE fan of Granny Smith apples, so I used 2 granny Smith and 4 Honey crisp, it turned out perfect.
I definitely recommend throwing on some gloves and mixing the crumble topping with your hands, I was unable to get it as a crumble until I mixed with my hands.
To the reviewer who said it was mush, I can’t help but wonder if perhaps you used the wrong kind of apples? Some apples are not suited for pies bc of the high temp and long baking time, and they do turn to mush. Maybe give it a second go with a granny Smith or honey crisp apple.
I used gloves to mix topping as well. I would’ve been forking it for hours, lol!