This apple crumble pie recipe puts a fresh spin on homemade apple pie! Make this easy pie from scratch with fresh fall apples, cozy spices, and a buttery crumble packed with oats and brown sugar. It makes a wonderful Thanksgiving pie or holiday dessert.
Whenever I’m not up to the task of weaving a traditional lattice crust on my classic apple pie, I turn to this easy apple crumble pie recipe. You might also love this mini pie version!
This apple crumble pie recipe falls somewhere between a traditional pie and a homemade apple crisp. It has sweet, spiced cinnamon apple pie filling made from scratch, and the buttery oat streusel takes the place of a second crust. I love the contrast between the juicy filling and crunchy topping.
A cozy apple crumble pie would make a perfect Thanksgiving dessert. And since I’ll bake apple pie any time of the year, I love that this fuss-free option doesn’t require pre-cooking the filling or weaving a top crust.
Why I Know You’ll Love This Apple Crumble Pie
- There’s only one crust. You don’t need to bother with preparing a double pie crust since this pie recipe only calls for one. Or, if you have a crust to spare, easily double the filling and streusel to bake two pies instead.
- Quicker than classic pie. This crumble apple pie is low-effort and full of incredible autumn flavors. It’s a beginner-friendly way to bake a delicious homemade pie.
- Great for fall. This apple crumble pie is easy to make for casual gatherings, Thanksgiving, and Christmas dessert.
Ingredient Notes
Here are some quick ingredient notes for this homemade apple crumble pie recipe. Be sure to scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full amounts and recipe directions.
- Pie Crust – I include the recipe for my easy homemade pie crust. You can also use your preferred store-bought crust.
- Flour – Measure the flour correctly for the most consistent results.
- Apples – Use your choice of firm baking apple. I include suggestions below. I use a mixture of Granny Smith and Gala apples for this pie recipe.
- Lemon Juice – The acidity brightens the apples and keeps them from browning. You can also use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Spices – Ground cinnamon and nutmeg, and you can add extra spices like ginger, allspice, and cardamom if you’d like. Or, use apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice in place of the individual spices.
- Brown Sugar – Light or dark brown sugar. If you use granulated white sugar, the pie and crumble won’t have quite the same rich, caramelized flavor.
- Maple Syrup – Pure maple syrup, and not artificial pancake syrup. This can be substituted with additional brown sugar or another sweetener, like honey.
- Butter – Make sure the butter you use for the crumble topping is cold from the fridge.
- Oats – Old-fashioned, rolled oats are best for crumble recipes, as instant oats tend to get overly mushy. You could also make a crumb topping without oats, like I use for my apple coffee cake.
Best Apples for Baking
Any firm, crisp apples are the best choice for baking. Tart apple varieties, like Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples, and sweet varieties like Honeycrisp, Gala, and Fuji apples are all fantastic in apple pie filling. I recommend using a mix of sweet and tart apples for a more complex, balanced flavor.
Slice the apples so they’re similar in thickness and size. This is my #1 tip for the best, evenly-cooking apple pie filling. I usually cut my apples to about a ¼-inch thickness, which creates a tender yet compact pie filling.
The Perfect Pie Crust
All great pies start with a great pie crust! My favorite homemade pie crust recipe takes minutes to make in the food processor (you’ll find step-by-step instructions in that post for how to make the dough and prepare a pie crust for baking). I also have a gluten-free pie crust.
Both recipes are easy to make with simple ingredients like butter and vinegar for a perfectly flaky crust. If needed, you can prepare the pie crust in advance and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to fill and bake your pie.
You can also use your favorite refrigerated or frozen pie crust from the store. In this case, be sure to follow the thawing and handling directions on the package.
How to Make Apple Crumble Pie, Step-By-Step
It couldn’t be easier to make an apple pie with a crumb topping. The whole process is quick, since there’s no need to blind-bake the pie crust for this recipe. Let’s get started:
- Prepare the pie crust. Start by pressing your pie crust into a 9” pie plate, then prick the bottom of the crust with a fork. This is called “docking” a pie crust. This gives the steam somewhere to escape while the pie bakes. Optional chill time (see notes below).
- Prepare the apples. While the oven preheats, peel and slice the apples for the filling and toss them in lemon juice. Add the sliced apples to a bowl with the flour, sugars, and spices and toss to coat. Drizzle in the maple syrup.
- Fill the crust. Now, transfer the filling to your prepared pie crust. If you’re not making your crumble right away, place the pie in the fridge until you’re ready to add the topping and bake.
Julianne’s Tip
If you want the crust to hold the best shape, then I recommend chilling it again before baking for 30-60 minutes in the pan (before filling).
Thicken the Pie Filling
As you can see, I don’t pre-cook the pie filling for this apple crumble pie. Since some apples are juicier than others, this can lead to more liquid in the filling. If you find your apples are holding a lot of moisture, add an extra teaspoon of cornstarch in with the other dry ingredients (flour, sugar, and spices) when you toss them with the apple slices.
Add the Crumble Topping
I use this easy oat crumble topping for my blueberry crumble pie and cranberry apple pie, too. You can absolutely customize this classic crumble to include chopped pecans or walnuts. They’ll toast while the pie bakes.
- Mix the crumble topping. Next, use a pastry cutter or two forks to cut cold, cubed butter into a mixture of brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. The texture should be coarse and crumbly. Then, fold in the oats (I like to use my hands for this part) and pinch the crumble mixture together so you have a variety of crumb sizes.
- Add the topping and bake. Lastly, sprinkle the oat crumble generously over the top of the apples in the pie crust. Bake your apple pie at 375ºF for 50-60 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. For neat, thick pie slices, cool the pie completely before slicing and serving.
Julianne’s Tip
Save time by preparing the crumble topping ahead of time and let it chill in the fridge while the pie crust is chilling.
Serve this apple crumble pie topped with homemade whipped cream or a la mode with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, homemade apple pie ice cream, or pumpkin ice cream.
Baking Tips
- Use COLD butter. You’ll need cold butter to make your pie crust from scratch and also for cutting into the crumble topping. Make sure it’s chilled from the fridge.
- The pie crust will need time to chill. Different pie crust recipes require different chilling times. My homemade blender pie crust only needs about 60 minutes in the fridge. If you’re using another recipe or a store-bought crust, remember to pay attention to the chilling time.
- Add the oats after the butter. This way, the oats in the topping won’t break down too much. Work the oats in with your pastry cutter for a few twists of the wrists, then use your hands to press the mixture into large clumps.
- Avoid a dry crumble. If your apple crumble topping bakes up dry and floury, this could be because you didn’t use enough butter, or the butter wasn’t evenly distributed. Using your hands to bring the final crumble together helps to work in the butter without overmixing.
How to Store
- Fridge. Let your pie cool to room temperature, then cover it tightly and store it in the fridge for 4-5 days. If you’d like, warm slices in the microwave before serving.
- Freezer. Let your apple crumble pie cool to room temperature, then wrap it tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap. Freeze the pie for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight or at room temperature before serving.
More Fall Baking Recipes
Apple Crumble Pie
- Prep Time: 120 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 8-10 slices
- Category: Pie
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Make this apple crumble pie recipe with fresh fall apples tossed with cinnamon, sugar, and maple syrup, baked beneath a buttery crumb topping. It’s an easy spin on classic homemade apple pie!
Ingredients
For the crust:
- ½ cup (113g) Unsalted butter, cold
- 1 ½ cup (210g) All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) Distilled white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Ice cold water (additional as needed)
For the filling:
- 4 medium Granny Smith apples
- 2 medium Gala apples
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) Lemon juice
- ¼ cup (35g) All-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (48g) Granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55g) packed Light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon (7.5g) Ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg (optional)
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) Maple syrup
For the crumble:
- 6 tablespoons (85g) Unsalted butter, cold
- 1/3 cup (46g) All-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (55g) packed Light brown sugar
- 2/3 cup (54g) Rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon (2.5g) Cinnamon
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Cut the cold butter into 1/2-inch thick cubes. It should be fresh from the fridge.
- Combine the flour, salt, and butter in a food processor. Pulse several times until the mixture is crumbly, but still has large chunks of butter.
- Add the egg, vinegar, and 2 teaspoons of ice-cold water. Pulse until the dough begins to hold together. If needed, add additional water 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Turn the dough out onto the counter. Press it into a ball, then flatten it into a disc about 5 inches wide. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a minimum of 60 minutes.
- Roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface, rolling from the center to the edges and rotating occasionally. Roll it out so it’s about 11” in diameter, leaving you at least 1 inch on each side of the pie plate.
- Place the dough into a 9-inch pie plate and fold under the excess edges, then crimp the edges. Refrigerate the dough while you prepare your pie filling up to 60 minutes is best after rolling.
- Preheat to oven to 375°
Make the filling:
- Peel and slice the apples about 1/8” thick and toss with the lemon juice.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients, and then toss the apples thoroughly in the dry ingredients. Finally, drizzle the maple syrup over top and add to the prepared crust.
Assemble the topping and bake:
- Dice the butter into small pieces and combine with the flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Use a pastry cutter or two forks and press the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles a crumbly mixture and the butter is broken down into smaller pieces.
- Next, add the rolled oats and cut them into the flour mixture. Once it’s roughly combined, use your hands to start pressing the mixture into larger pieces.
- Sprinkle over prepared pie filling once it’s been added to the crust.
- Bake at 375°F for 50-60 minutes. Cool before serving. Once cooled, keep covered.
Notes
- Make it gluten-free. You can easily make this pie gluten-free by swapping out the all-purpose flour with a measure-for-measure gluten-free flour and using gluten-free oats in the topping. Try my easy gluten-free pie crust recipe.
- The original recipe had 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, which seemed to be too much for most people, so I’ve reduced it to 1 tablespoon.
- Save time by preparing the crumble topping while the pie crust is chilling.
- Chill the crust- For optimal crust shape, chill the dough a second time for up to 60 minutes after shaping in the pan.
Storage
- Fridge. Let your pie cool to room temperature, then cover it tightly and store it in the fridge for 4-5 days. If you’d like, warm slices in the microwave before serving.
- Freezer. Let your apple crumble pie cool to room temperature, then wrap it tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap. Freeze the pie for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight or at room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 492
- Sugar: 34g
- Sodium: 163mg
- Fat: 21/4g
- Carbohydrates: 70.5g
- Fiber: 6.2g
- Protein: 5.8g
- Cholesterol: 76mg
This crust is good. The pie has way too much cinnamon! I love cinnamon, but 2 T.! I should have known it would be too much. If you reduced it by 2/3, you may have a good pie.
Hi Bj- Thanks for the feedback.