Baked Apple Crumble with Ice Cream
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Warm, cozy, and incredibly simple, this Apple Crumble with Ice Cream is a classic fall dessert you can make in minutes. Tender baked apples nestle under a buttery cinnamon-oat crumble topping that turns beautifully golden in the oven. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate autumn treat.
If you love apple desserts, try this microwave apple crisp for a quick treat, or this slow cooker apple crisp when you have time!
Recipe Overview
- Taste: warm cinnamon apples, buttery oat crumble
- Texture: soft baked apples + crisp, golden topping
- Time: 15 minutes prep, 45 minutes bake
- Serves: 6-8
- Perfect for: fall gatherings, Sunday dinners, easy weeknight desserts
What I Love About This Apple Dessert
This is one of those nostalgic desserts that feels like home - simple, comforting, unfussy, and endlessly delicious. The topping bakes into crisp, golden clusters thanks to the oats and melted butter, while the apples stay soft and fragrant with cinnamon.
It's the kind of dessert that invites people into the kitchen before it's even out of the oven, and it pairs beautifully with ice cream, whipped cream, or a drizzle of caramel.
Apple Crumble, also known as Apple Crisp, is a staple in my family's kitchens. My father grew up in an apple orchard in the Yakima Valley of Washington state.
I love warm-from-the-oven fall desserts, from homemade pies to Plum Cake, Pumpkin Bread, Apple Cider Donuts, and even simple baked pears.
Jump to:
Ingredients
For the Apples
- Apples - Any firm baking apple works; Honeycrisp and Granny Smith are favorites.
- Sugar - Sweetens the filling; use granulated or brown sugar.
- Flour or cornstarch - Lightly thickens the juices as the apples bake.
- Cinnamon - Warm spice that brings everything together.
- Lemon juice - Brightens flavor and helps prevent browning.
- Salt - Just a pinch to balance sweetness.
For the Crumble Topping
- Old-fashioned oats - Give the crumble its classic crisp texture.
- All-purpose flour - Helps form buttery clusters.
- Brown sugar - Adds sweetness and caramel-like flavor.
- Baking powder - Lightens the topping slightly.
- Cinnamon - Warm, cozy flavor throughout.
- Salt - Balances the sweetness.
- Butter (melted) - Brings the topping together and creates golden, crisp crumbs.
How Many Apples Do I Need?
You'll need about 6-7 cups of sliced apples, which usually equals 6-8 medium apples. The exact number varies slightly with apple size, but this range works perfectly for a crumble-style dessert.
How to Make Apple Crumble
This is such a simple recipe to make. Step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here's a quick overview of how to make this easy apple crumble.
- Make the crumble topping by combining the ingredients in a bowl and stirring with a fork until crumbly.
- Make the apple filling by slicing the apples and tossing them with sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch or flour, and cinnamon. Transfer to a square baking dish and top with crumble.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the apples are tender and the topping is crisp.
Crumbles vs. Crisps
While both desserts feature baked fruit with a sweet, buttery topping, an apple crisp typically includes oats for extra texture, while a crumble traditionally does not. This recipe uses oats for a classic crisp-style topping, but the method is rooted in the classic crumble technique.
Variations
- Add nuts: Stir ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts into the crumble.
- Maple version: Swap ¼ cup of the brown sugar for pure maple syrup.
- Spiced crumble: Add nutmeg or cardamom to the topping for a warmer flavor.
- Berry crumble: Add 1 cup blueberries or cranberries to the filling.
- Gluten-free: Replace the flour with a 1:1 GF baking blend + certified gluten-free oats.
Serving Ideas
- With vanilla ice cream (classic!)
- Warm with whipped cream and cinnamon
- Drizzled with caramel sauce
- As a dessert for Sunday dinners or fall gatherings
- On Thanksgiving, as an easy make-ahead dessert
- Served in mini ramekins for portioned desserts
Helpful Kitchen Tools
This apple peeler, corer, and slicer makes quick work of any apple dessert, like a classic apple pie recipe, crisps, tarts, baked apples... even peeling potatoes. It's one of my favorite fall kitchen tools that transforms a somewhat tedious chore into a quick, easy, and fun chore!
I purchased mine at Amazon, but I would highly recommend getting one wherever you buy your kitchen tools.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Prep the apples and topping separately, refrigerate, and assemble right before baking. You can also bake the entire crumble earlier in the day and warm it before serving.
Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, or a mix. Firmer apples hold their shape better during baking.
It works, but the topping won't be as textured or crisp. Old-fashioned rolled oats are best.
Refrigerate for up to 4 days, then warm in the oven to re-crisp the topping.
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Baked Apple Crumble Recipe
Ingredients
Crumble Oat Topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup brown sugar I prefer light brown sugar
- ½ cup butter 1 stick melted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Apple Filling
- 2½ pounds baking apples peeled and sliced
- 1 tablespoon flour or cornstarch
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and spray an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
For the crumble
- Whisk the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl. Pour in the melted butter and stir with a fork until crumbles form. Set aside.
For the apples
- In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples, granulated sugar, lemon juice, flour or cornstarch, and cinnamon. Transfer the apples to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the apples.
Baking
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the apples are tender (I like to check this with a fork) and the topping is nicely browned and crisp. Let cool for a few minutes before spooning warm apple crumble into bowls. Top with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Oats: Use old-fashioned rolled oats for the best crumble texture. Quick oats will soften and lose their structure.
- Apples: A mix of tart and sweet apples gives the best flavor.
- Make-Ahead: Assemble and bake up to 1 day ahead, then warm in a 300°F oven before serving.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Are there oats in this? It says an cinnamon-oat topping.. where are the oats?
Hi Kyra, there are oats in the recipe. I didn't make it very clear in the recipe card, but I've updated the post. Thank you for your question!
The recipe mentions baking powder but that is not listed in the ingredients. How much?
Thank you- it should be 1 teaspoon and I’ve updated the recipe!
Hi this looks delicious! One question- in the directions you mentioned salt. However, there is no ingredient listing for salt and how much to put in. Could you add this to the recipe? Thanks in advance.
Thank you, Dawn! I've been using salted butter lately and so eliminate it from the crumble. If you're using unsalted butter, I will add between 1/4 tsp and 1/2 tsp to the crumble, depending on how salty you like sweets. I will correct that in the recipe-- thanks for catching it!