Apple Crumble Pie is a delicious and easy pie that everyone requests time and again.
A tender flaky crust filled with sweet juicy cinnamon kissed apples all topped of with a delicious crumb topping. This is the perfect apple pie to serve after any meal!
Why This Is the Best Apple Crumb Pie Ever!
“The Best” is a pretty big statement and not one I take lightly… and “The Best” fits this Apple Crumb Pie perfectly! I first served this apple pie Thanksgiving many years ago and it was a HUGE hit, it has been requested over and over again!
- Great to make ahead, bakes up perfectly every time.
- Simple to make with homemade pie crust or store bought to make it fast.
- Can be served warm, room temperature, or chilled.
- Simple ingredients you probably have on hand.
The Best Apples for Pie
The base of a perfect apple pie (or apple crumble) starts with choosing the right apples. You’ll want an apple that is crisp and slightly tart but will hold its shape while baking.
When baking apple pie, I recommend using a Granny Smith apple as I’ve used in this apple crumb pie recipe.
While you certainly can use any apple, some apples have a softer texture or are less crisp meaning your pie could become mushy or the apples won’t hold their shape. Find more info on apples for baking here.
How Many Apples are Needed for a Pie
This will vary based on the recipe you’re using and the topping, this particular recipe uses a delicious crumb topping so the apples are really piled sky-high.
For this apple crumb pie, you’ll need 8 medium Granny Smith apples which will be approximately 6-7 cups of apples. Always be sure to peel your apples for pie as the skin can become tough and chewy once baked.
How Many Cups is a Sliced Apple?
You can expect 3 medium apples (approximately 1 pound) to yield about 2 1/2 cups of sliced apples.
Cut the apples fairly thin (about 1/8″) and, in this apple crumble pie recipe, you’ll want to stack them nice and high because they will shrink down a bit as they bake!
An apple peeler/corer/slicer can make this job extra quick if you use a lot of sliced apples, it’s a great investment that will save you hours!
Crumb Topping for Apple Pie
What sets this pie apart from a classic apple pie recipe is the topping! The crumble is easy to make and this pie has a generous portion!
It’s a simple mixture of:
- butter
- brown/white sugar
- flour
- cinnamon
Tips for a Perfect Pie
- Use an apple that holds up well like Granny smith.
- Pile the apples high, they’ll shrink a bit as they bake.
- If your crumb topping is powdery, it hasn’t been mixed enough. Use your hands to really mix it together until bigger crumbs form.
- If you notice the topping starts to brown too early, place a small square of foil over the middle.
- I use a nice deep dish pie plate and always set the pie plate on a parchment lined baking pan to bake. This makes it easier to get in and out of the oven and will catch any drips or spills should your pie bubble over!
Storage/Leftovers & Reheating Apple Crumb Pie
Once the pie has cooled it can be stored at room temperature uncovered for up to 24 hours.
If you bake this apple crumb pie ahead of time, you can warm it in the oven again before serving. Reheat at 325°F for about 20 minutes (heated from room temperature).
We serve this with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped topping and caramel sauce!
You can freeze this pie either before or after baking. If frozen before baking, the pie can be baked from frozen. To bake from frozen, preheat the oven to 425°F and cover the pie loosely with foil. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue baking for an additional 45-55 minutes.
More Apple Favorites
I love apple everything from Apple Pie Tacos, Apple Crumble, and Baked Apple Pie Roll Ups to Apple Pie Egg Rolls.
Did you love this Apple Crumble Pie? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!
The Best Apple Crumb Pie
Ingredients
- 1 frozen pie crust (or homemade)
Topping
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup butter chilled and cubed
Filling
- 8 Granny Smith apples
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
Topping:
- Combine all topping ingredients using a fork until completely mixed and crumbly.
Filling:
- Peel, core, and slice apples into thin slices (approximately ⅛ inch). Toss apple slices with sugar, flour, lemon juice, lemon zest (if using), cinnamon, & nutmeg.
- Layer apple slices in pie shell (it will be really full) and pour any leftover juice over the apples. Top apple slices with topping and pat it down over the apples. Place pie pan on a cookie sheet (they tend to drip over if really full, this will save your oven).
- Bake at 450°F for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350°F and bake an additional 45-55 minutes. (Poke the center of the pie to make sure the apples are soft all of the way through).
- Serve warm or room temperature.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert, Pie
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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This pie is a show stopper! I made 2 for our family and the 1 thing I did different is use 3 types of apples instead of just the granny smith’s. SO AMAZING!!!
This was pretty darn perfect! Yummy! After reading other comments, I went a couple spoonfuls light on the white and brown sugar. The instructions to cut the apples thin and piling high was great! I had 3 very large apples and 2 large apples – 2 varieties for taste and texture. Added 1/3 cup of walnuts to the crumble topping. Yeah, it was the best apple pie I have ever made. Thanks for making it easy to wow my fam and friends.
Maybe I squeezed more than a tbs of lemon juice. I must admit that I did eyeball it. I found it to be a little too tart and missing some sweetness. Also, did I miss some notes? I found it impossible to get all those apples in one… Happily I doubled the crumble recipe and made 2… This was my first time making an apple pie from scratch, but overall very delicious.
The crumble crust did not stick together very well, I cut the butter in with a pastry cutter then mixed it by hand and it came out quite powdery. What did I do wrong?
You can find this information in the notes of the recipe as well.
I would suggest that you continue mixing it longer with your hands.
Easy to make and absolutely delicious!
Came out great! Easy to follow. Thank you!
Just attempted my very first ever apple pie using your recipe and it just came out of the oven. Looks and smells delicious! Can’t wait to taste it! Great tip on using your hands to make the crumble top all stick together. Worked out perfectly!!
The crumble didn’t work out well, but so far it smells amazing!!
OK, so this pie was amazing! A bit sweet, but everything turned out great! I used red apples, just because I don’t like Granny Smith ones. Also, as an afterthought, I could’ve put chopped walnuts in the crumble to give it an extra bite. This recipe is a keeper!❤️
Wow Joanne! I thought it was just me… I like the idea of some nutty crunchy goodness… Was thinking about some candied pecans… Pecan Apple Pie yummmm
Hi – hoping you can help – I made this for thanksgiving and it was very delicious but the crumble topping became very wet. Did the filling need more flour? I’d like to make it again for Christmas. Thanks!
Happy that you enjoyed the taste of this delicious pie Kay! Did you fluff and spoon the flour when measuring? That comes to mind as a possible reason why the crumble may not have been as crumbly. And did make sure the butter was chilled and cubed? Softened/melted butter could make the topping more wet.
Wow , first time pie maker here and this recipe was so easy and delicious will make again!
Really good. Its a Thanksgiving worthy.
Sorry, but there is WAY too much topping with this recipe. Like another commenter, it also would not hold together no matter what I did. Wish I had read that comment before trying it! It’s in the oven now…so we’ll see if it’s even edible but I have my doubts about the topping.
I hope you enjoyed the taste of this delicious pie Robin! Did you fluff and spoon the flour when measuring? That comes to mind as a possible reason why the crumble may not have been as crumbly.
Store out of apple pie!!! My granddaughter wants this, so Nonie is making it for her dolly! looks great. Thanks for the recipe.
I couldn’t get the topping to become crumbly no matter what I did. I had a big bowl of powder with lumps of butter in it. I finally gave up and put a top crust on instead.
Should this pie be stored in the refrigerator or on the countertop? Thanks.
Once the pie has cooled it can be stored at room temperature uncovered for up to 24 hours.
is the pie crust supposed to be baked or partially baked before filling it with apples?
The crust is not pre-baked.
Okay, thanks! BTW, the pie came out of the oven about two hours ago. It looks fantastic. I was surprised and glad to see that as it cooled it continued to shrink. At first, I thought the pie was going to be ginormous (and I was nervous about that) but now I see it shrinks into a normal size and looks perfect. :)
Can I put this together and put it in the fridge overnight and bake tomorrow?
Yes, this can be prepared 24 hours in advance.
What do you recommend is the best method in terms of making ahead? Is it better to bake the pie, refrigerate, and then reheat the next day? Or should I make the pie, freeze it unbaked, and then bake the next day? Trying to plan ahead for Thanksgiving. Thank you!
You could do either, but I would make the pie, freeze it unbaked, and then bake right before serving. Enjoy!
I have made this pie many times now. By far the best recipe I’ve tried to date. I did, however, find that slicing the apples instead of cutting into chunks worked much better, as the chunks are a bit too crunchy. Also I’m going to blind bake the crust for a bit before filling. That’s just me. No complaints, this is a lovely recipe!