While apple pie is my favorite dessert, crumble toppings are my favorite.
Of everything. Ever.
Apple pie knows no seasons and that is exactly why I don’t wait around for Fall every year to enjoy it. I wanted to share something a little different that still embodies everything I love about traditional apple pie and definitely deserves a spot in your favorite Thanksgiving pie recipes. Today’s apple crumble pie:
- Has a buttery, flaky crust.
- Has a rich apple filling that’s juicy, compact, sweet, and cinnamon-spiced.
- Is topped with a brown-sugary, buttery, toasty walnut crumble.
- Is the perfect spot for vanilla ice cream.
- Is the purpose of life.
Video Tutorial
Preparing it? Well, that’s a piece of cake pie.
Start with my go-to pie crust. ← Pie crust recipe, video, step-by-step photos, and tips included! The apple filling is nothing out of the ordinary. Very, very simple. Fresh lemon juice, apples, flour, spices, and sugar. For a more complex, interesting flavor, I suggest using a variety of apples. I always use a sweeter apple like Fuji, Pink Lady, or Honeycrisp and a tart variety like Granny Smith. Here is a complete list of the best apples for baking.
- My #1 tip? Make sure your apple slices are around the same thickness. You don’t want some super thick apples (that won’t really cook) and some super thin apples (that will become mushy). Aim for around 1/4-inch thickness.
The crumble topping is a bunch of ordinary ingredients like brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter that, when combined, make something extraordinary. The whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts.
Baking = chemistry.
And now apparently, philosophy too.
The crumble topping complements the apple filling perfectly. What really makes it stand out are all of the toasty walnuts. I’ve been using Diamond of California walnuts since I was little. It’s all my mom kept in the pantry to throw into her oatmeal raisin walnut cookies. Though I much preferred chocolate chips in my oatmeal cookies when I was 10, I’m all about nuts in desserts now. And you’ll LOVE what the toasted walnuts* add to this pie.
*They toast as the pie bakes!
I do not skimp on the crumble topping. This is serious.
The more buttery, crisp, sweet topping = the more you have to enjoy with melty vanilla ice cream. This crumble topping also makes a wonderful substitute to streusel toppings made with oats, you can cut this topping recipe in half to use on caramel apple cheesecake pie!
Something you’ll notice about most pie recipes. Not all, but most. Most pies begin at a higher oven temperature. Putting a pie into a very, very hot oven helps the crust brown. After 20 minutes or so, reduce the temperature. This helps allow the pie’s filling to cook thoroughly before the crust burns. Cool, huh?
See that beautiful decorative edge on the pie? So simple to create by fluting the extra pie dough that overhangs the edges. See my full how to flute pie crust tutorial for all the details.
PrintApple Crumble Pie
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours, 50 minutes
- Yield: one 9-inch pie
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Deep dish apple crumble pie is heavy on the crumble topping!
Ingredients
- Homemade Pie Crust (recipe makes 2 crusts; you can halve the recipe or freeze the 2nd half)
- 8–10 cups apple slices (1/4-inch slices, see note)
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) lemon juice
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Crumble Topping
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup (94g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3/4 cup (95g) chopped walnuts
- 5 Tbsp (71g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
Instructions
- The crust: Prepare my pie crust recipe through step 5.
- Make the filling: In a large bowl using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir the apples, lemon juice, flour, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla extract together until thoroughly combined. Set filling aside as the oven preheats; this time allows the apples to begin letting off their juice.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (if you made the entire pie dough recipe, you can freeze the other half of the dough at this time). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9×2 inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Spoon the apple filling into the crust, leaving some of the liquid in the bowl—you don’t want all that in the pie. Use a small paring knife to trim excess dough off the edges. Flute the pie crust edges.
- Make the crumble topping: In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and walnuts. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the butter. The crumble topping will be thick and crumbly. Sprinkle over apples.
- Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 375°F (190°C) and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I place a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.
- Allow the pie to cool for 3 full hours at room temperature before serving. This time allows the filling to thicken up. Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired. Cover pie leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: This a great pie to make 1 day in advance—after it cools, cover tightly and keep at room temperature. The pie crust dough can also be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Baked and cooled pie freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. Prepared filling can be frozen up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Rubber Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Rolling Pin | 9-inch Pie Dish | Pie Crust Shield
- Apples: You need about 5-6 large peeled apples. Peel then slice apples in a uniform thickness, about 1/4 inch thick. You don’t want some solid apples and some thin, mushy apples. For best flavor, use a variety of apples such as Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Fuji, and/or Pink Lady.
- Adapted from Salted Caramel Apple Pie.
Hi Sally. I love your recipes. I tried this pie today and everything turned out perfectly except the bottom of the crust was not cooked nearly enough. Any tips will be greatly appreciated.
P.S. I am trying your Banana Cream, Pie next.
Hello Sally! I wonder if I could use oatmeal instead of all purpose flour?
Thank you!
Hi Rebeca, For a topping made with oatmeal instead you can follow the crumble topping for this Blueberry Crumble Pie. Enjoy!
Hello from Italy!
Thank you so much for this recipe. As an Italian girl with an American boyfriend, I’ve decided to surprise him for his bday with his favorite pie. He absolutely loved it!!!
I’m excited to try many more recipes of yours, thank you for being so hardworking and for making such delicious food 🙂
The clove was too pronounced at 1/4 tsp. Next time i will cut it in half.
Hi Sally,
Can I make the crumble without any nut?
Hi Tina, You can make a streusel topping which uses oats instead of nuts. Follow the instructions for the topping on my Apple Pie Bars.
Hi Sally,
When baking the pie, does the crust have to be poked with a fork when it is in the pie dish before the filling goes in?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Rachel, I don’t usually take that step unless I’m pre-baking the pie crust. (You don’t need to pre-bake it here.)
Okay great! Thank you
I have made two of your pies (strawberry rhubarb and Apple crumble pie) and my family has not stopped raving about them. They are so easy and delicious.
Great pie recipe! I never tried homemade apple pie with crumble topping. Not my thing – I think I still prefer the double crusted variety. I think if I made this again – I would hold off on the walnuts and maybe tent with foil sooner to keep from overcooking on the top.
I made the apple crumb pie for the first time and it turned out amazing! Thank you for adding tips and thorough instructions!! I’m getting back into baking and this is my favorite ‘go to’ website. Thanks Sally!!!
Hi Sally … This is a superb recipe. My family loves it so much.
Overall the pie turns out well. However, i would like to ask if the base of the crust is meant to be a little soggy from the juices. The side of crust turns out well – flaky and buttery.
Would almonds or pecans work as well as walnuts? I don’t have walnuts on hand.
I would use pecans, but either would work!
Hi! Just made your peach crumble pie the other day and everyone loved it! Attempting this today for my father who is coming over for tea. Do you have any recommendations on re-heating the pie just a bit so the icecream melts on top?
Hi Elisa, I’m so happy the peach pie was a hit! You can warm up individual slices of pie in the microwave or if you are warming up the entire pie just place it in a warm oven until it reaches your desired temperature.
Hi Sally! you are my go to baker for all things baking. I have made so many recipes of yours that turned out great. For some reason when I made this apple pie, it came out really watery! I used granny smith apples and followed the steps/instructions to a T. What am I doing wrong?! How can I avoid a watery pie?!
Hi Brittany, When you spoon the apple filling into the crust be sure to leave the liquid that has seeped out of the apples in the bowl – you don’t want all of that liquid in the pie.
Yummy yummy 😉
What a fantastic recipe.
My wife told me this was far the best desert she had for a very very long time.
Thank ya!
Yum! I do have a tip for every baker who likes fruit pies. Buy yourself a box of tapioca and put 2 tablespoons of tapioca in every fruit pie you make! You’ll never end up with a pie floating in juice. The tapioca is hidden and completely indiscernible but the pie holds a wonderful shape.
Delicious. First time baking it, but definitely not the last. However, next time I’ll blind-bake the crust first, as it was too hard and not baked under all the filling. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Do you have another crumb topping receipe for those of us unfortunate enough to be allergic to nuts? I can’t wait to try this apple pie reciepe for “Pi” Day!
Hi Kirstie, You can make a streusel topping which uses oats instead of nuts. Follow the instructions for the topping on my Apple Pie Bars.
i made the crumble without nuts . since i can’t eat them and it was great
This is the best apple pie recipe out there. Never need to search for another recipe again. The crumble topping is so good and easy!! Thanks- Sally!
I just made your quiche recipe with the homemade pie crust. Delicious! I did the full batch, so next up I’m going to try your apple pie. I’ve never made a fruit pie before. Do I need to blind bake the crust before I put the filling in and bake fully?
Hi Kim! You only need to blind bake (pre-bake) the pie crust if a recipe calls for it. This recipe does not require blind baking.
I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for bringing my family joy at the holiday table yesterday! This pie was phenomenal! The hint of clove (which i almost omitted) was the topper! w some vanilla ice cream – drooling. I also made your recipe for cranberry sauce which was a hit as well. Thank you so much 🙂
Sally, I am a such novice baker and when I follow your recipes I feel like I’m creating masterpieces! Thank you for sharing your recipes and making them easy to follow!!! Sally’s baking addiction has become my “go to” for all recipes 🙂
Hi!
I have never made a pie before, of any kind…EVER! I can make and decorate a massive Disney castle cake all day long, but pies and pastries intimidate me. I’ve decided I’d like to attempt three pies for Thanksgiving; and they turn out, I’m going to make them for Christmas as well. My problem is….I don’t know what kind of apples to use. Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
Hi Stephanie! Happy to help. Use a mix of sweet and tart apples. I always recommend using half Granny Smith and half a sweeter variety like Jazz, Pink Lady, Fuji, or Honeycrisp. Avoid soft, mealy apples like Red Delicious.
Can the crumb topping (made with rolled oats instead of walnuts) be made in advance and frozen?
Absolutely, I’d say up to 3 months is just fine. You can add to the unbaked pie when still frozen or thaw the crumble topping in the refrigerator before adding to the pie.
If substituting oats for walnuts, Which type? And do I use the same amount?
Hi Nancy, use the same amount of oats. I recommend whole oats.
Such a delicious pie! The combination of the different apples and the walnut crumble topping is amazing. I will definitely be adding this to my dessert table for the holidays.
We’re craving an Apple Crumble! Of course, this is the ONLY blog I’m going to consult! 😉 I’m planning to make this last minute for dessert tonight for my teen daughter and few friends that will be halloweening in our neighborhood 🙂 Any changes I should make if I’m simply making this without a base pie crust? Thanks in advance Sally!
No, you can bake this without the bottom crust for an apple crisp. Enjoy!!
Can’t wait to make this! My last deep dish pie pan got broken so I have to wait until I get paid and can buy a new one. Unfortunately for me I’m now Allergic to Cinnamon so I will have to leave that out. Can’t wait to try your recipe! Plus the peach one and the Blueberry one! Oh heck I don’t know witch one to start with!
Best apple pie recipe! I’ve made it a few times. The only thing I alter is cutting the sugar amount in half in the pie (I grew up eating apple pie that didn’t have sugar added, so now I’m attached to the tart taste!). The topping on this is the best crumble/dutch topping I’ve ever had for apple pie. Literally one of the best things I’ve ever made or tasted!
This recipe was a hit!!! I opted for the butter in my homemade crust and the buttery taste made the difference for me. I will be making this again!!
Hi!
I’m so excited to make this. One question, would the bake time or temperature change much if I tried doing this with a lattice topping instead of the crumble?
Marisa, The bake time would still be the same. I hope you love it!
Why are you using melted butter for Crumble topping? Does it become crispy, with melted butter? – I use cold butter for crumble.
I find it stays a little softer when using melted butter.