This recipe for Quick & Easy Apple Crumble uses basic ingredients and a simple method. With cinnamon stewed apples and crispy oat crumble topping, this is the best and easiest apple crumble recipe you can make at home.
Table of Contents
🍏 Why You Will Love This Recipe
- It’s a simple and quick apple crumble recipe that uses basic ingredients and a fast method.
- Easy stewed apples take 10 minutes to cook.
- The oat crumble topping comes together fast in one bowl.
- Bakes in 45 minutes, ready in time for dessert!
- Perfect for all ages.
- Makes the best leftovers.
With old-fashioned stewed apples that are spiced with ground cinnamon, vanilla, and a touch of sugar, this quick and delicious apple filling cooks in 10 minutes.
The quick crumble topping is created with oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and melted butter in one mixing bowl. There is no need to rub the butter into the flour and oats, just melt and mix!
This basic apple crumble recipe is perfect to serve as a warm dessert with scoops of vanilla ice cream. It makes the best leftovers too! Simply warm your desired amount back up in the oven or microwave and it’s ready to enjoy again.
If you’re interested in more quick crumble recipes, try my popular Strawberry Jam Crumble Slice. For more delicious and easy dessert recipes, this Apple, Cinnamon & Cardamon Galette, Classic Lemon Tart, and Sticky Date Pudding are all easy at-home desserts.
📋 Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Here are the ingredients that you need to make this quick and easy apple crumble:
- Apples: The most popular apples to use for apple crumble are Granny Smith apples. Alternatively, use Pink Lady Apples or Royal Gala Apples.
- Sugar: Use either golden or white granulated sugar. There is a small amount of added sugar in the apple filling as I find apples offer plenty of natural sweetness.
- Vanilla: A vanilla extract or vanilla bean extract is perfect.
- Cinnamon: Use ground cinnamon, not a cinnamon stick.
- Water: Use room temperature filtered or tap water.
- Plain flour: A plain all purpose flour works best. For a gluten-free option, use a plain all purpose gluten free flour from the supermarket.
- Rolled oats: Use old-fashioned whole rolled oats. Do not use steel cut or quick oats. For a gluten-free option, use certified gluten-free oats.
- Brown sugar: Use light brown sugar and not dark brown sugar. It needs to be measured by lightly packing it, see my how-to guide here.
- Nutmeg: Use a ground nutmeg spice.
- Unsalted butter: You can also use salted butter if you don’t have unsalted.
- Ice cream: to serve with your warm apple crumble. Use your favorite ice cream flavor of choice, classic vanilla is scrumptious!
🥣 Step By Step Instructions
How to make this apple crumble recipe from scratch in 4 easy steps!
There is a full and detailed recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step one: In a medium-sized pot, add cubed apples, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and water. Mix to coat the apples. Place over medium heat and bring the liquid to a simmer, mixing occasionally.
Step two: Once simmering, continue to cook for 10 minutes until apples have softened and they’re fork tender, mixing occasionally so they don’t stick to the base of the pot. Remove the pot from the heat and pour the mixture into the greased pie dish. Set aside.
Step three: In a large mixing bowl, add flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix until well combined. Pour over melted butter and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until it forms a crumbly dough. You can also use your hands for this step.
Step four: Sprinkle the crumble over the apple filling. Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until the crumble is golden all over and the filling is bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool slightly. Serve warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream or allow it to completely cool and warm up later in the oven.
💭 Tips For Recipe Success
- Use Granny Smith, Pink Lady, or Royal Gala Apples.
- Make this apple crumple gluten-free by using gluten-free plain all purpose flour and certified gluten-free rolled oats.
- Use old-fashioned whole rolled oats and not steel cut or quick oats.
- Stew the apple until they're fork-tender, not mushy.
- Make this easy apple crumble in advance by making and assembling the apple crumble, setting it aside until the filling has cooled, and then cover it with cling film or foil and refrigerate for 24 hours before cooking it.
⏲️ Storing Instructions
Store apple crumble by cooling it completely and keeping it in the pie dish, covered with a layer of plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate for 2-3 days. Or transfer to an airtight container, refrigerated, for 3-4 days.
Freeze your apple crumble in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the oven or microwave to serve.
💬 Recipe FAQ's
Use your favorite apples or in-season apples such as Granny Smith Apples, Pink Lady Apples or Royal Gala Apples.
Yes, make and assemble the apple crumble, set it aside until the filling has cooled, and then cover it with cling film or foil and refrigerate for 24 hours before cooking it.
Yes, make the crumble topping beforehand and store it in an airtight container, in the fridge for 24 hours before adding it to your apple filling and cooking it.
Try using quinoa flakes as an alternative to oats for your crumble topping.
Yes, they both use cooked fruit fillings and are topped with some sort of rough pastry dough. Traditionally, crisps contained oats and crumbles did not. However these days, they’re both used interchangeably.
🥄 Related Recipes
If you enjoy this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️ star rating and a comment review below. I love to hear what you think and it's much appreciated. Thank you! Your email address will not be published. Sam x
Recipe Card
Quick & Easy Apple Crumble Recipe
Ingredients
Stewed Apple Filling
- 6 medium-large apples, approx. 1kg, Granny Smith or Pink Lady Apples
- 2 tablespoon golden or white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup water, room temperature tap or filtered
Oat Crumble Topping
- 1 cup (150g) plain all purpose flour, scoop & leveled
- 1 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar, how to pack brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 150 g unsalted butter, melted
- Vanilla ice cream scoops, to serve
Instructions
Stewed Apple Filling
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Grease a 25cm (10-inch) round pie dish with butter and set aside.
- Peel and core the apples. Cut into small cubes, about 1.5cm in size.
- In a medium-sized pot, add cubed apples, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and water. Mix to coat the apples.
- Place over medium heat and bring the liquid to a simmer, mixing occasionally.
- Once simmering, continue to cook for 10 minutes until apples have softened and they’re fork tender, mixing occasionally so they don’t stick to the base of the pot.
- Remove the pot from the heat and pour the mixture into the greased pie dish. Set aside.
Oat Crumble Topping
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix until well combined.
- Pour over melted butter and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until it forms a crumbly dough. You can also use your hands for this step.
- Sprinkle the crumble over the apple filling.
- Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until the crumble is golden all over and the filling is bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool slightly.
- Serve warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream or allow it to completely cool and warm up later in the oven.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in January 2018. It was republished in December 2022 with new images and helpful information.
Terry says
Best and easiest dessert ever. I omit the nutmeg and used whatever apples I had. We all love it! Thanks so much!
Samantha says
Hi Terry, you're most welcome! I'm so happy to hear you all enjoyed this easy apple crumble recipe! Fantastic that you whipped this up with the apples you had on hand and I'm sure it tasted just as delicious without the nutmeg, that's the beauty of this recipe. Thanks for sharing! Sam 🙂