Easy Apple Crumble (Apple Crisp) is foolproof! A delicious syrup with tender apples baked underneath a buttery oatmeal cookie topping.
Apple Crumble is a dessert you wouldn’t care if you ate for every meal of every day! Full of soft cinnamon spiced apples, brown sugar, and buttery crispy baked oats. The easy answer to apple pie with all of the flavour and minimal effort.
APPLE CRUMBLE OR APPLE CRISP
Most apple crumbles we’ve had in the past (or apple crisp depending on where you are in the world), are either too dry on the inside, OR too watery creating a super soggy crumb topping instead of a CRISPY topping.
A soft apple pie filling bakes in a naturally occurring syrup topped with an incredible oatmeal cookie-like crumble. Serve with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream and watch it melt all over your hot crumble.
There’s SO MUCH delicious THICK SYRUP on the INSIDE it’s crazy delicious!
HOW DO YOU MAKE APPLE CRUMBLE?
First, you’re going to slice up your apples. For a soft, tender apple filling, slice your apples thinly to ensure they cook right through. You can use a mandolin to get them perfectly thin. They become so tender and soft, melting in your mouth.
For a slightly crunchier filling, slice them thicker.
Once you’ve mixed your crumble together, sprinkle it over your apple filling and bake until the topping golden and crispy! Underneath the cookie crumble, that apple pie filling will be bubbling in its delicious syrup.
HOW DO YOU MAKE APPLE CRISP TOPPING?
Prepare your crumble topping with ingredients I KNOW you have in your kitchen cupboards:
- Quick cooking oats are the best. For a chewier topping, use rolled oats.
- Flour — plain or all purpose. You can also use whole wheat or wholemeal.
- Light brown sugar. For a stronger molasses taste you can use dark brown sugar.
- Ground cinnamon. You can also add in ground cloves and/or all spice.
- Baking powder — please don’t leave this out. This helps recreate the cookie in your topping!
- Melted butter — just as important!
Mix your crumble until the butter soaks through your dry ingredients before topping the apples.
BEST APPLES FOR APPLE CRISP
I always use red apples because we prefer the taste and sweetness. Red Delicious, Fuji, Ambrosia, Cortland or Gala apples are perfect.
However, if you prefer a more tart crisp, use Golden Delicious or Granny Smith Apples.
You could also use canned if that’s all you have on hand, but I do recommend homemade purely because you can flavour it as much as you want.
BEST APPLE CRUMBLE RECIPE
I do have a final warning. Start eating by yourself before anyone realises what you’re doing, because the whole pan WILL be gone in seconds. Just watch your portion. Save it. Hide it. Pretend there’s none left. Listennnnnn to meeee. A desperate woman that misses out on this crisp every time.
If you love crisps, you might fall in love with this Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (Crumble)Â or this Easy Mango Blueberry Crumble (Crisp).
Celebrate and give three cheers to no dough making/chilling/rolling and kinda cheating on apple pie with this easy apple crumble (crisp).
CAN YOU MAKE APPLE CRISP IN ADVANCE?
Absolutely! Apple crumble is easy to prep and get a head start on it. Assemble it in your baking dish, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days before cooking.
Love Apples?
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Churro Apple Pie Bowls + Caramel Sauce
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED OCTOBER 7, 2016.
Apple Crumble (Apple Crisp)
Ingredients
APPLE FILLING:
- 8 medium apples (or 10 small apples), peeled, cored and sliced*
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup water
CRUMB:
- 1 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats (or rolled oats for a chewier crumb)
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup (180 g) unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Arrange the sliced apples into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Add the sugars, flour and cinnamon over the apple slices. Pour in the water and mix everything through until apples are evenly coated.
- In a bowl, combine the oats, flour, sugars, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and melted butter. Mix well using a metal spoon or your fingertips, until the butter has soaked through the dry ingredients (about one minute of mixing or less). Sprinkle evenly over the apple filling.
- Bake in preheated oven for 40 - 45 minutes, or until the crumb is golden and crisp and the apples are cooked to your liking.
Donna says
I have been making Apple Crisp for decades. But this one is the BEST.
THANKS SO MUCH. I made it for Canadian Thanksgiving. It’s a winner!
Sabrina says
Wish I could upload a picture! This came out amazing! Used red delicious, quick oats, and followed recipe exactly. Served w chocolate/vanilla and whipped cream!! It was a hit and disappear quickly! First time baking a dish with apples as well, quite easy!
Trish says
So yummy! this was simple and easy to make and so delicious! I used an extra wide pie plate to maximize the crumbly surface area and it was divine! Thank you!
Lindsay says
This was just amazing. The crumble was perfect, the apples just right. Not too sweet. Huge hit!!!! Thank you!!!
Amanda says
Wonderful apple crumble and so easy to make, cannot wait to make again. I used my own apples from my own backyard. Son love it too.
KK says
I used quick steel cut oats and it still came out delicious. I also used a mandolin for thin cut apples.
Nicole says
5 stars! Incredibly delicious just like every single one of the other recipes that I’ve tried from this website. Thank you!
megan mylov says
This is the best apple crisp I have ever had!!!
Leslie Sullivan says
Hubby said this was the BEST apple crisp he has ever had and that’s a HUGE compliment coming from a boy who grew up in an orchard! (shhhh… don’t tell his mama!) 😉 But seriously… I can’t wait to wow some future dinner guests with this! I did make 1.5x the crumble, cuz you can never have too much crumble in my mind! IT WAS AMAZZZZZZZING!!!!!!
Christi says
I made this today for Thanksgiving & it was great!! I’m really glad I doubled the recipe!!? It was a lot of apple peeling & slicing, but totes worth it! I used Granny Smith apples, which were delicious and their tartness was a good balance with the sweet oatmeal cookie topping. I also used apple pie spice. I’m going to try it with honey crisp apples next time. And there will most definitely be a next time! ?
Joann says
Hi Karina, This looks so good and I cannot wait to try it. I do have a question. You said this could be frozen? Would you freeze before or after cooking it? Thanks for any help you can give me. Have a wonderful and blessed day. 🙂
Janie says
Loved the topping, I baked it for 55mins for an extra crispy top. I didn’t know red delicious could be so yummy! Can’t wait to ad lib this recipe with other fruits!
Barb says
I’m making you crispy wings in my NuWave dome oven and may find some of my home canned pie filling to make this also. Oh boy, going to need elastic waist pants! Lol
Mari says
So this weekend I made two of your recipes for the first time and I must say my family loved everything. This Apple Crisp recipe is amazing!!!! Definitely a keeper.
Derina O'Connor says
Hi this looks great. I can’t eat flour (very gluten jntolerant) but can eat organic porridge oats no problem, how could i change the topping do you think
Thanks
D
Judy W says
Katrina, can I freeze this ahead of time before baking it? Would I thaw it before baking? Thank you.
Maria B Rugolo says
So, this is the 2nd recipe I’ve made today from this website. This morning I made the most insanely fluffy and delicious pancakes – an easy 5 stars!! Tonight, this apple crumble/crisp. Another easy 5 stars. It is everything Karina promises it will be! Karina you are going to make a great cook out of me yet! Thank you for making today and very delicious day! My husband thanks you too 🙂
Linda says
What temperature did you set the oven to? Also, how long did you bake it? I plan to make it today for the first time.
Janet says
This is the second time we have made this recipe and have enjoyed it immensely each time. I added sliced almonds into the topping for an extra crunch. We have tried a few of her recipes and have found them to be easy, tasty and very enjoyable
Karina says
Thank you for your feedback Janet!
tatyana says
Thanks, Karina! The smell alone is to die for — the kids flocked to the kitchen all evening. Changed the recipe a bit by substituting wheat flour with the oat one and cutting down the amount of sugar. Turned out absolutely delicious! Easy, fast, inexpensive and super-good – – this one is definitely a keeper!
Kara says
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was wonderful! It was easy and it took me 1 1/2 hours start to finish which was perfect. Thank you!
Rachael Burnau says
Can you do this recipe in a pressure cooker?
Karina says
I have not tried it but that sounds great! Let me know how it turns out! XO
IreneI says
Can use canned apple pie filling to be lazy. I guess it would take about 4 cans. Please answer.
I really want to make this. Thanks
Karina says
Yes, that sounds great! I am not sure how many cans but that sounds like a great idea! Let me know how it turns out! XO
Weronika says
Can you freeze the leftovers? It’s just me and my husband and we don’t eat sweets very often but sometimes it’s good to have something ready ?
Karina says
Yes, that should work great! Thanks for choosing one of my recipes to make! Enjoy your cinnamon apple crumble! XO
Weronika says
It looks so delicious. Can you freeze it? There are just 2 of us.
Karina says
Yes, that should work great! Enjoy!
Brenda Wade says
Hi can you use self rising flour and omit the baking powder?
Karina says
Yes, that should work great! Let me know how it turns out! XO
Katherine says
Ki Karina all of your Recipes look so yummy. I will be trying the Apple Crumble for Thanksgiving. You mentioned in notes that you use red apples.
Do you mean red delicious or another red apple?
Thank you Happy Thanksgiving
..
Karina says
I love red delicious apples. That is perfect. In this pie crumble it is more of your preference on a red apple. Hope that helps! XO
Sue says
With the crumble mix I prefer to cook on a tin lined with baking paper for about 15min in a hot over. It makes it nice and crunchy. You can store it in a container for future use. Just sprinkle over the prepared fruit prior to baking.
Elizabeth says
This is one of the best apple crisp recipes I’ve found! Melted butter works so much better in my opinion. The recipes I’ve made the topping is too dry or just doesnt tase right, unless I work with melted butter. Oh and the inside of this is perfectly gooey! Thank you for sharing!
Dina Simmons says
Hi Karina, Is it ok to make this ahead and bake the next day? or should it be baked right away and warmed up? I would like to make it tonight for Thanksgiving
Marnie says
This was amazing! My family loved it! Highly recommend with 2 thumbs up
Mary says
You have inspired me to learn to cook – every recipe is great!!
Cook with Tina says
What a delicious treat! Great recipe shared!