There are so many delicious recipes to make with apples, but one of our favorites is this tasty Apple Crumble. Our recipe is super easy to follow and results in a delicious, comforting dessert with a crumbly oat topping and sweet caramel drizzle!
Apples are a great choice for desserts because they are naturally sweet and have a pleasant texture. They also cook down well, so they have the perfect texture in the final dish. And, of course, they pair well with all sorts of flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, and caramel!
This apple crumble with oats is similar to our Rhubarb Crisp and Fresh Cherry Crisp. It features a layer of seasoned apples, topped with a crunchy oat mixture, and then baked until everything is warm and bubbly.
This dessert is warm and comforting and perfect for a chilly evening or for any time of the year.
How To Make Homemade Apple Crumble
For the Apple Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F, and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, toss the diced apples with the lemon juice and place them in the baking dish in an even layer.
- Add the brown sugar, melted butter, flour, vanilla, and cinnamon. Toss with the lemon juice-coated apples until well combined.
For the Oat Topping:
- In a small bowl, stir together the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon until fully combined.
- Use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your hands to incorporate the cold butter until a crumbly damp sand texture is formed. Sprinkle the oat topping over the apples.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender.
- Drizzle caramel on top of the apple crumble, then serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Use a combination of tart and sweet apples or use your favorite baking apple. We used Gala and Granny Smith apples, but you can also use Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, or Rome.
- Dice your apples depending on how you like the texture. Smaller diced apples will result in a softer cooked apple. Thicker-cut apples will remain a little firmer.
- If you don’t have any lemon juice, you can use apple cider vinegar to keep the apples from browning.
- The recipe can easily be doubled to feed a larger crowd. Just adjust the baking time accordingly and make sure the apples are tender and the top is golden brown.
- When it comes to caramel sauce, a thicker sauce will work better to top this dessert, but any is good!
Variations
- Instead of cinnamon, try using pumpkin pie spice to add a warming fall flavor to the dish.
- For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free oats and gluten-free all-purpose flour to make this dish.
- If you don’t like apples, you can easily swap them out for pears, berries, or stone fruit like cherries or plums. Just adjust the cooking time accordingly since these fruits will be softer than apples.
Storing, Freezing and Reheating
Storing: This apple crumble with oats is best served warm out of the oven, but cooled leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Reheating: To reheat, place the crisp in a 350°F oven until warmed through, about 15-20 minutes.
Freezing: Freeze the apple crisp in an airtight container for up to three months. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as directed above.
Apple Crumble (with Oats)
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Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
Filling
- 6 cup(s) apples, peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoon(s) lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup(s) brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
Oat Topping
- ½ cup(s) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup(s) old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup(s) brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup(s) unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks
Caramel Drizzle
- ½ cup(s) caramel sauce
- Optional: Vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
For the Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F, and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, toss the diced apples with the lemon juice and place them in the baking dish in an even layer.6 cup(s) apples2 tablespoon(s) lemon juice
For the Oat Topping:
- Add the brown sugar, melted butter, flour, vanilla, and cinnamon. Toss with the apples until well combined.¼ cup(s) brown sugar3 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter2 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour½ teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract½ teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
- In a small bowl, stir together the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your hands to incorporate the cold butter.½ cup(s) all-purpose flour½ cup(s) old-fashioned rolled oats½ cup(s) brown sugar½ teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon⅓ cup(s) unsalted butter
- Sprinkle the oat topping over the apples. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender.
For the Caramel Drizzle:
- Drizzle caramel sauce over the baked apple crisp and serve with vanilla ice cream if desired.½ cup(s) caramel sauceOptional: Vanilla ice cream for serving
- See post for storage options.