Perfect Apple Crumble

This apple crumble recipe is really the best! Cozy and classic, it stars a golden, crunchy topping over a layer of warm-spiced fruit.

Apple crisp or apple crumble? For us, it’s this perfect Apple Crumble recipe! No need to find that recipe card Grandma scribbled down: this one is just as classic. Golden, crunchy brown sugar crumbles top a sweet tart filling of warm spiced fruit, seasoned with cinnamon, allspice and ginger. Bake this one on repeat all fall and winter, and you’ll never tire of it. It’s sublime as is, but with a scoop of melty vanilla ice cream: it’s heaven.

Ingredients in this apple crumble recipe

This apple crumble recipe is our go-to, and a family favorite that we’re excited to unveil to you. How is it different from apple crisp? Technically, a crisp has oats or nuts in the topping, whereas a crumble only uses butter, flour and sugar. While the lines have blurred in modern definitions, we’ve stuck to the classic definition with this crumble topping. It has the perfect texture and flavor (which we’ve also used in our blueberry crumble and peach crumble). Here’s what you’ll need for this apple crumble recipe:

Crisp, sweet tart cooking apples
Lemon juice
Cornstarch
Granulated sugar and light brown sugar
All purpose flour
Butter
Cinnamon, ginger and allspice
Baking powder
Salt

Best apple varieties for apple crumble

Here’s the key to the best apple crumble recipe: use the right apple variety! The best type of apples for cooking are any firm, crisp sweet tart apple variety. A sweet tart apple yields the best flavor, because the acidity makes the flavor pop. A firm, crisp texture is crucial for baking, otherwise the fruit becomes mushy and grainy. Here are a few of the varieties that shine in a basic apple crumble recipe:

Pink Lady
Honeycrisp
Golden Delicious
Granny Smith
Jonathon or Jonagold
Ida Red

There are lots of other great varieties of apples for cooking and baking: ask your grocer or at your apple orchard for what they recommend. What apples to avoid for cooking? Pass on varieties like Gala, Fuji or Red Delicious: they don’t perform well in crisps and crumbles.

Diet variations

Want to make this apple crumble recipe vegan or gluten-free? Here are a few tips on diet substitutions:

Vegan: Use vegan butter instead of butter. You can also use refined coconut oil, but we prefer vegan butter because it gets the topping crispier.
Gluten-free: Use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour. The texture is slightly different, but it bakes up crispy. Almond flour cooks faster than all-purpose, so start checking the crumble at 40 minutes. Or, go to Gluten Free Apple Crisp.

Toppings for apple crumble

This apple crumble recipe tastes perfect right out of the pan. But like most crumble recipes, it’s even better topped with vanilla ice cream! But don’t stop there: there are lots of other topping ideas for this tasty treat:

Vanilla ice cream: purchased or homemade
Whipped cream: homemade or yogurt whipped cream (or vegan whipped cream)
Creme fraiche: purchased or homemade
Cream sauce: try Creme Anglaise

Leftover storage

Crisps and crumbles hold up well as leftovers. If you don’t eat the whole pan at once, here’s how to store the leftovers:

Store at room temperature 1 day loosely covered. This helps to maintain the crispy crumble texture.
Refrigerate for up to 4 days. It holds up pretty well in the fridge, and tastes even better when reheated.
Freeze up to 3 months. Freeze for up to 3 months in a sealed container. Reheat it in a 350 degree oven until bubbly.

More apple recipes

This apple crumble is one of our favorite desserts…of all time! Here are a few more apple recipes and apple desserts to try:

Go for Apple Crisp or Classic Apple Pie
Grab Sauteed Apples (a la Mode!)
Opt for Apple Muffins
Start the day with Apple Pancakes or Apple Baked Oatmeal

This apple crumble recipe is…

Vegetarian. For vegan and gluten-free, see the Diet Variations section above.