Home » Course » Desserts

Apple Crumble Pie

As the crisp fall air ushers in our love for warm, comforting desserts, there seems no better way to celebrate than with a slice (or two) of Apple Crumble Pie.

This classic dessert is also called Dutch Apple Pie. It combines a flaky, buttery pie crust with a cinnamon-spiced apple filling and a delectably streusel crumble topping.

Of course, you have the option of topping that delicious slice of apple pie with vanilla ice cream, turning it into Apple Crumble Pie a la mode, which I whole-heartedly recommend. ❤️

A sliced of apple crumble pie topped with vanilla ice cream

Love pies? Don’t forge to also check out my Oreo Cream Pie, Best Easy Pumpkin Pie and Mini Chocolate Chess Pie recipes!

Apple Crumble Pie – A Dutch Apple Pie

Apple Pie is such a traditional American dessert, enjoyed by millions especially during this Thanksgiving and Christmas season.

Today we take the traditional pie and instead of covering the top with the same crust pastry, we are generously sprinkling it with crumble topping instead. Some people can this streusel topping type of apple pie Dutch Apple Pie.

I thought Apple Pie was amazing, but let me tell you, Apple Crumble Pie takes amazing to the next level.

Lifting up a slice of Dutch apple pie out from the pie pan

Why I love this apple crumble pie recipe (and why you will too!):

  • I get both the crumbly (from the crumb top) and flaky textures (from pie crust).
  • More foolproof compared to regular apple pie. The top layer of crust in the apple pie is always the trickiest part to perfect, but crumbles are pretty easy to make and bake.
  • I love crumbles and get to sneak it in! Lots of crumble recipes in my life: Easy Apple Crisp, Blueberry Crumb Bars, Mango Crumble Bar etc among others. It is crumbly (pun intended), sweet and gives a nice gritty texture.
  • Apples are pre-cooked – so they are perfectly tender and coated in cinnamon infused sauce. I’ve tried many different ways and this is truly the best way to go about it! Apple filling that isn’t precooked is a little less tender that I would have desired in my apple pie. The flavor isn’t as bold and well-rounded either.
  • Short cuts that still produce an incredible apple pie: to cut short the process, use store-bought unbaked pie crust!
Taking a slice out of a round apple pie in a pie dish topped with crumble topping

How to make Apple Pie with Crumbles

Enough talk about how good this Apple Crumble Pie is, let’s get to the part where we are actually making it. 🙂

Pie Crust

Start by making the pie crust. Or skip this step and use store-bought unbaked pie dough instead. There is no shame in using store-bought!

If you are making the dough from scratch, you’ll need to consider the refrigeration time for the pie crust (at least 2 hours). So plan accordingly!

An important step in the pie-crust-making process is to cut cold unsalted butter into the dry ingredients. You can use either a pastry cutter or food processor (‘pulse’ setting) to do this.

Pie crust in the making in food processor

The goal is to create a crumbly mixture where some of the butter is still in cold chunks and not melted. See picture above.

After that add cold water and then knead the dough. Dough should begin to stick together but it should not be sticky to the touch.

Wrap dough with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or up to 24 hours.

Pie crust dough wrapped in plastic wrap
Pie crust dough should stick together but it should not be sticky and wet to the touch

Then flour the surface and flatten dough using a rolling pin.

Place unbaked pie crust onto a 9″ pie dish.

Rolling out a pie crust dough, then flattening it using a rolling pin, then shaping it into a pie dish

Apple Pie Filling

When I first published this recipe, I did it without pre-cooking the apples.

When I retested and have expanded on my apple pie repertoire, I’ve decided that pre-cooking the apple pie filling yields the best flavor apple pie, especially with this Dutch Apple Pie.

A large bowl of sliced apples

To pre-cook the filling, bring together the ingredients below on a stovetop.

  • sliced apples…well duh
  • brown sugar
  • lemon juice
  • ground cinnamon
  • ground nutmeg
  • vanilla extract
  • cornstarch
  • water
  • salt
Sliced apple in a pot topped with brown sugar and spices

Cook for 12-15 minutes or until apples are soft and the sauce thickens

Let apples cool for 10-15 minutes before building up the pie.

Apple pie filling in a pot

Build your pie!

Fill the pie crust with the apple pie filling, then top with crumble mixture.

Pro tip: If there is too much liquid in the apple pie filling, don’t pour all the liquid in there. It will over-soak the bottom of the pie crust and crust will be soggy.

Pie crust dough in pan dish filled with apple cinnamon filling, then topped with streusel topping

Crumble mixture is made by cutting cold butter into the flour mixture. Similarly, use a pastry cutter or food processor (pulse it) to do that.

We are baking this at 350℉ for about 25 minutes.

Once the edges of the crust are golden brown, bring it out from the oven and let it rest.

The beautiful thing about precooking the apple pie filling is that you don’t have to worry about waiting for the apples to be tender and potentially burning the edges of the crust.

And that’s it!

The delicious, spectacular Apple Crumble Pie, a.k.a. Dutch Apple Pie, a.k.a. BEST apple pie ever.

Whole Apple crumble pie in a pie dish, with apples in the background

Here’s the thing: do not be intimidated by this apple crumble pie recipe! Take it step by step, follow the instructions, and you’ll be making apple pies from scratch before you know it!

Don’t forget to serve with a scoop (or two) of vanilla ice cream.

That warm pie/crumble combination with cold vanilla ice cream is a dream come true. My foodie heart just skipped a beat thinking about it.

I’ve worked really hard on this recipe – tested, retested, republished multiple times, to get the perfect apple pie. I think we have finally arrived. ❤️

Tips and Tricks

Here are a few notes to ensure success when making this apple crumble pie recipe:

  • When making the dough for the pie crust, use cold butter from the fridge! Do not melt the butter or leave it out in room temperature before using it.
  • Pie crust dough should stick together after kneading but it should not be sticky to the touch. If it has a hard time sticking together add more water a teaspoon at a time.
  • Pie crust dough needs to be refrigerated immediately after kneading into a ball to prevent the butter from melting.
  • Use store-bought pie crust dough to save time! When you get a high quality dough, it’s really just as good as homemade crust…and much easier!
  • Slice apples into thin slices and keep them about the same size so that they cook evenly. You can choose to peel or not peel the apples!
  • Let apple pie filling cool before adding to the pie crust.
Top down view of a slice of apple crumble pie

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best apples to use for baking?

I like using Granny Smith (this is more tart than sweet, if you like that), Pink Lady (what I typically use), Honey crisp, or Jonagold etc. Honestly, most apples work really well. Using a combination of apples will give it a unique flavor too!

Can you freeze unbaked pie crust?

Yes! Roll the unbaked pie dough into a ball, flatten the top slightly, then wrap it before freezing.

How do I make this ahead?

You can make the pie crust ahead of time (I typically recommend that), but you can also make the whole pie ahead of time, freeze or refrigerate, and then bake it when you are ready. Make sure to seal it before storing, and bring it to defrost completely before baking.
You can also bake the pie and then refrigerate it until ready to heat. You can heat it using the oven (cover the top for some of the time to avoid burning the outsides while heating up the insides) or slice them into serving pieces and microwave to heat it up.

DID YOU ENJOY THIS RECIPE? Please comment below and give us a 5-star rating! This will help others find this recipe on Google and Pinterest. We very much appreciate your help! 🤍

Baking with Apples

Here are other yummy baking recipes that use apples!

Apple Crumble Pie

Cinnamon apple filling wrapped with flaky pie crust and topped with a delicious buttery brown sugar crumble. The perfect holiday dessert!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 424kcal
Author: MinShien

Ingredients

Pie Crust

  • 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup iced water

Apple Filling

  • 6-7 cups apples sliced (~1/2 inch thick)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • cup brown sugar
  • cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp water

Crumble

  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter

Instructions

Pie Crust

  • Combine flour and salt then using pastry cutter or food processor ('pulse' setting), cut cold butter into flour mixture. Butter should be cold and not soft.
  • Add iced water and knead dough into a ball. Dough should not be wet and sticky to the touch but would stick together when kneaded. Add more iced water a teaspoon at a time if dough is too dry.
  • Knead dough into a ball, flatten it slightly on the top, and seal with saran wrap. Then refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

Apple Filling

  • Combine cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Set aside.
  • Add sliced apples to a medium sized pot over low heat. Add the remaining apple pie filling ingredients including the cornstarch slurry.
  • Cook for 12-15 minutes or until apples are soft.
  • Let cool before adding to pie crust.

Crumbles

  • Combine all purpose flour, brown sugar, ground cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.
  • Cut butter into mixture using a pastry cutter. Or move everything into a food processor to pulse butter into mixture. Mixture should be slightly crumbly when done. Butter should not be melted. Store in refrigerator until it is needed again.

Bringing everything together

  • Pre-heat oven to 350℉.
  • Remove pie crust from saran wrap and place on floured surface.
  • Using a rolling pin, roll out pie crust until it is flat and ~11-12 inches wide in diameter.
  • Place pie crust into a round 9 inch pie pan, and fold over the sides as needed.
  • Add apple filling to pie crust, then top with crumble mixture. If apple pie filling has a lot of liquid, do not add all the liquid into the pie dish. Too much liquid can make the bottom of the pie soggy.
  • Bake for 25 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let it cool for 15 minutes.
  • Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Notes

This recipe/post was first published on November 2020 and updated December 2024 with new photographs and revised, new & improved recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 424kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 446mg | Potassium: 170mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 584IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Take a pic and tag me at @joyous.apron, or hashtag #joyousapron on Instagram!

Similar Posts

5 from 1 vote

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Apple crumble pie is the best especially with a big scoop of ice cream on top! I would love this for dessert.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Agree! It’s amazing! Thank you so much! 🙂