Today we’re making a variation of classic apple pie, but instead of a top crust, we’re piling on a thick, buttery brown sugar crumble. This apple crumble pie is the definition of fall comfort, and you don’t need to fuss with a decorative pie crust on top.
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
Today we’re giving classic apple pie a twist—same cozy flavors, but instead of a top crust, we’re piling on a thick, buttery brown-sugar crumble. This apple crumble pie is pure fall comfort, and bonus: no need to fuss with a decorative top crust.
Homemade pie is my all-time favorite dessert, and if you’ve made my classic apple pie before, this one will feel very familiar: warm spices, a mountain of apples, and a buttery crust… just a little easier, thanks to that crumble topping.
This version captures everything you love about a traditional double-crust apple pie, but with a crunchy-tender walnut crumble topping that makes it especially perfect for your Thanksgiving spread.
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
…and most of all, it’s the best version I know!
Here’s everything you need to get started:
Start by Making the Pie Dough
Start with the all-butter pie dough. The recipe below makes 1 single crust, so it’s perfect for today’s pie, when we are doing a crumble on top instead of latticing a second crust on top like we do with this salted caramel apple pie.
It’s buttery, flaky, and sturdy enough to hold all those juicy apples. You can also use 1 of the crusts from my flaky pie crust recipe instead (that recipe yields 2 crusts). I like the version below because it yields *slightly* more dough for a single-crust pie. Lots of dough to work with to flute that pretty edge. It’s actually what I use when I make an apple galette.
Make the dough, then chill it before rolling it out and adding the filling.
Crumble Topping
While the dough is chilling, make the crumble topping. You want the crumble topping to also chill in the refrigerator a bit to firm up, so the crumbs hold their shape in the oven.
The crumble may look humble, but it’s truly the star here. Brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, melted butter, and walnuts… simple pantry ingredients that bake into something extraordinary!
The walnuts toast in the oven as the pie bakes, adding a warm, nutty crunch that contrasts beautifully with the soft apple filling. If you prefer to skip nuts, use the crumble topping from my apple cranberry crumble pie instead.
Stir the dry ingredients together and then pour melted butter on top. Mix until it looks thick and crumbly—not wet, not sandy. Just like this:
Once your pie dough has chilled for at least 2 hours, roll out the crust and tuck it into a 9-inch pie dish. Flute or crimp the pie dough edges. See my full how to flute pie crust tutorial for all the details.
Brush the edges of the crust with egg wash (just an egg beaten together with a little milk), which is key for the crust to develop that beautiful golden sheen when it bakes. Refrigerate the shaped crust while you make the filling.
Apple Pie Filling
This is the easiest part. It’s such a simple, classic mix: apples, lemon juice, sugar, flour, spices, and a bit of vanilla for extra flavor.
I always use a variety of apples for the best flavor. A tart apple like Granny Smith mixed with a sweeter one like Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Pink Lady. That balance of tart and sweet delivers perfect apple pie flavor in every bite. 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.
Even slices mean tender apples with just the right amount of bite.
Stir everything together, then spoon it into the crust, trying to make sure there are no big gaps between all the apple slices:
Add the cold crumble topping. It’ll seem like an absolute mountain of topping, but it bakes down perfectly:
Something you’ll notice about the baking instructions for this apple crumble pie: begin baking 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 allows the pie’s filling to cook thoroughly before the crust burns.
How Do I Know When Apple Crumble Pie Is Done?
A visual cue is helpful when determining the pie’s doneness. If the crust is golden, and the filling is bubbling up around the edges, the apple crumble pie is done. If you want to be precise, the internal temperature of the filling taken with an instant-read thermometer should be around 200°F (93°C) when done.
Before digging in, you’ll have to let the pie cool down. The longer you let apple pie cool, the more the filling will set. I recommend cooling for at least 3 full hours before slicing and serving. I know, it’s nearly impossible to wait!
Looking for an apple pie-like treat in a fraction of the time? Try my apple crisp, apple cobbler, or apple galette instead.
Apple Crumble Pie
- Prep Time: 3 hours (includes pie crust)
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 7 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: one 9-inch pie
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is a variation of classic apple pie, but instead of a top crust, we’re piling on a thick, buttery brown sugar crumble. This apple crumble pie is the definition of fall comfort, and you don’t need to fuss with a decorative pie crust on top. Make sure to chill each component as directed. Cold pie dough and a cold crumble topping hold their shape much better during baking.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for work surface
- 1 Tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/4 cup (60g/ml) ice-cold water, plus more as needed
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15g/ml) milk
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 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
Filling
- 10 cups (1.25kg) 1/4-inch-thick apple slices (about 8 large peeled and cored apples)*
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 Tablespoon (15g/ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the pie dough for the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 forks, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse pea-sized crumbs. Add the water and stir until the flour is moistened. Add 1–2 more Tablespoons of water if the dough seems dry. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using your hands, work the dough into a ball. Flatten it into a thick disc. Wrap the dough disc in plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, and up to 3 days.
- Make the crumble topping: In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and walnuts. Using a silicone spatula, stir in the melted butter. The topping will be thick and crumbly. Place it in the refrigerator while you continue.
- Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out the disc of chilled dough. 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-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Use a small paring knife to trim excess dough off the edges. Flute the pie crust edges and brush them with egg wash. Place the pie crust in the refrigerator.
- Make the filling: In a large bowl using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, combine the apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla extract, stirring until the apples are all coated.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Place a baking sheet on the bottom oven rack to catch any juices that may bubble over.
- Spoon the apple filling into the crust, making sure there are no large gaps between the slices. It’s a lot of filling! Sprinkle the cold crumb topping evenly over the top of the apples.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Add a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from browning too quickly, and reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (191°C). Bake for an additional 35 to 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling around the edges. If needed toward the end of bake time, remove the pie crust shield and tent a large piece of aluminum foil over the entire pie if the crumb topping is getting too brown.
- Allow the pie to cool for at least 3 full hours at room temperature before serving. This time allows the filling to thicken up. Serve with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce, if desired. Cover leftover pie 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 for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Pastry Cutter | Rolling Pin | 9-inch Pie Dish | Pastry Brush | Apple Peeler | Pie Crust Shield | Cooling Rack
- Apples: You need about 8 large 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, Honeycrisp, Fuji, and/or Pink Lady. If you’re interested, check out this post: Here Are the Best Apples for Baking.
- Aluminum Foil Pie Crust Shield: You can purchase a pie crust shield or make one from aluminum foil. Cut a 14-inch square of aluminum foil. Fold in half. Cut out a 5-inch semi-circle on the folded edge. Unfold. Carefully fit the aluminum foil over the pie crust edges, securing down on the sides as best you can (careful, the pie is hot!), leaving the center of the pie exposed.
- Update in 2025: After a decade of baking this pie, we’ve made a few small improvements. The original version used half of a double-crust pie dough, fewer apples (8–10 cups), and 2 Tbsp lemon juice. The updated recipe now uses a single all-butter pie crust, slightly more apples, and less lemon juice. If you prefer the original method, make this pie crust recipe (saving the second half for another pie), reduce apples to 8–10 cups, and increase the lemon juice to 2 Tbsp.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I’m a huge fan of Dutch apple pies. Love me some crumbles. Seriously. I made this bad boy about two weeks ago. I was out of walnuts and did not want to go to the store/madhouse. I rifled through my pantry and found some hazelnuts in there, so I decided to give em a try. They were super yummy on this pie. Needless to say, shortly after making it, there was nothing left. Keep coming up with new stuff. I will keep making it. 🙂
I made this pie for our Thanksgiving yesterday (I’m Canadian), and it was delicious. I usually lattice my apple pies, but now that seems silly. Crumble is less fussy and soooo tasty. Everyone loved it so I think it’s my new apple pie for turkey day! Thanks!
Anyway I can make this with a frozen pre made pie crust? Sounds SO delish but I don’t have time to make the crust :/
Yes, absolutely!
Sally!!!! I made this pie today, and it is EVERYTHING!!!!!!! Oh my goodness, that brown sugar crumble with the apples is delicious!!!! I actually made the pie for my sister-in-law who recently came to the States from India, and she was blown away by this pie!!! Thank you so so much for ANOTHER great recipe!! 🙂
I made this pie for my Mom for Mother’s Day. It was the best apple pie I’ve ever made. The crust held its edge, was flaky and tasted great. I love crumble topping also…used dark brown sugar for the deeper flavor. I used all Granny Smith apples and lots of them for a deep dish pie. This is now my go to recipe. Thanks Sally!
Hi Sally!
I made the apple crumb pie and it tastes sooooo good!!! I just have a question about how to get it cooked though without the crumble getting too dark? My crust is barely baked on the bottom towards the middle but my crumble got too dark…any ideas? Thank you for all your amazing recipes!
Hey Kelly! How about (1) lowering the oven rack and/or (2) adding the crumble about halfway through baking the pie? I’ve never tried the latter but I don’t see it being an issue. You can always loosely cover the pie with a sheet of aluminum foil. This prevents the top from getting too brown while the center of the pie cooks through.
This is a fantastic pie! I have already done it dozen of times and all the times it’s a huge success. I just want to know if, besides the crust, the apple filling can be refrigerated overnigh or for one or two days,
Thank you so much for thia wondefull recipe!
Raquel
Hi Sally! I made this awesome recipe and everyone loved it!! The only problem was that the pie crust wasn’t cooked on the bottom. What can I do to ensure that the crust gets fully cooked on the bottom?
Btw I love every single one of your recipes and that chocolate chip cookie sandwich with cookie dough buttercream is mine!
Thanks,
Danny
Hi Danny, you can pre-bake the pie crust using pie weights before filling it. I would pre-bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes. This should help!
SBA is my new favorite baking blog. I made this amazing Apple Crumble concoction last week, serving it to 16 dessert loving ladies. It received rave reviews. I’m all about the traditional two crust pie, BUT if you are ready for some intense crumble action, make this. And the pie crust with vodka. Delicious!!!
My brother suggested I may like this blog. He was once totally
right. This put up actually made my day. You can not imagine just how much time I
had spent for this info! Thank you!
I made these at a dinner party and everyone loved it! There wasn’t any left by the end of the night! Thanks for the great recipe Sally!
I made this pie for T day and for my White Elephant party this year and everyone LOVED it! I do not bake at all so I felt very accomplished. Thank you for such an easy and tasty pie 🙂
This was by far the best pie i have ever tasted!
I loved the filling and ate tons of it before i even baked it. Crumble is also superb.
My only comment would be that my base was soggy, maybe a bit uncooked. next time i would definitely pre-bake the base then add the filling
This apple Pie trumped my family homemade apple pie recipe!
It is truly an amazing pie. I sticked to the recipe only used pecan nuts in stead of walnuts, 4 large apples and dark brown sugar for the crumble topping which was therefore quite a bit darker. Luckily I had one of your (1/2) pie crusts lying in the freezer, first time from frozen and works indeed great.
Thanks so much!!
I made this for Thanksgiving and everyone went crazy for it. What a fantastic, easy recipe. I made it with your pie crust recipe, which was also delicious. Thank you!
Hi! I am planning on making this for Thanksgiving (we are going to a friend’s house). I’d like to serve the pie warm. How long and at what temperature would you suggest for warming after already fully cooked?
300 for about 20-25 minutes
Sally, I will be making this for T/day – is there a way to make the crumble a bit “oatey”? I love the texture of oats in my streusel but am not sure if it may throw off the taste of this particular pie? Am not opposed to making this as is but thought I would ask anyway 🙂 Thank you in advance!
Feel free to sub in oats for the flour Faye.
I made this last weekend and was AMAZING!!!! It was gone in one day! Will be making again soon❤️
WOW ONE OF THE BEST APPLE PIES I EVER MADE, MY HUSBAND LOVED IT…EASY TO MAKE AND DELISH THANK YOU GREAT RECIEPE!!!!! LOOKING FORWARD TO MAKE THIS PIE FOR THE HOLIDAYS.
I made this pie earlier this week with apples that I picked! I’m not typically a fruity dessert gal- I tend to lean more towards chocolatey things, ha! But, I have to say I was totally blown away by this pie, this crumble topping is TO. DIE. FOR. I used a mix of pecans and walnuts, delish. I just made a second pie and its in the oven I’m planning on freezing it for Thanksgiving! Cant wait to WOW my family with this pie!! Thanks Sally!!! 🙂
I made two of these pies yesterday for dinner with our neighbors. The crumb topping turned out a little darker than yours. The butter was melted and cooled but I think next time I will just use soft butter pieces so it doesn’t get dark. I tented after 20 minutes and that was a must. The taste was spot-on; everything you want from apple pie. I will definitely make this for Thanksgiving.
Oh as a P.S. I also made your pumpkin cheesecake squares a couple weeks ago and they were excellent too. Thanks!
Just made this and it was SO good. My only confusion was that I made the apple filling first as directed, only it sat on my counter for about 30-45 minutes while I was waiting for the pie dough to chill in the fridge. By the time I was ready to spoon the filling on the crust, there was quite a bit of apple juice at the bottom of the bowl (perhaps 1/4 cup). I wasn’t sure if I should pour all of the juice in, or leave it behind and just spoon the apples in. On the one hand, nobody likes a watery pie….on the other, maybe the juice would thicken up in the oven? What do you think?
Went apple picking last weekend and picked extra just to make this apple crumble. Why have i never tried crumble before?!!! ordinary crust will not cut it anymore ! I will never go back ! So crumbly, sugary and buttery–drooling. It barely lasted two days in my house. Everyone loved it, thanksgiving dessert will never be the same- thank you sally <3 see you when you come to NYC ! Thank you for all the effort, detailed instructions and entertainment you give us 🙂
Hi Sally,
I have finally found the time to make apple crumble pie. I have never had much success making pastry, but I followed your instructions and my pie is delicious. It is worth taking the time to make, although I did have trouble when rolling out the dough it kept breaking as I went to place it over the pie dish it took me 3 attempts. When I did get it in the dish I needed to fill in some gaps but it worked out ok. I put it back in fridge for 10 minutes before cooking it as it took longer to roll out. The pastry cooked lovely, did not shrink and is crisp and crumbly. Thank you for your brilliant instructions I never thought I would be able to make such lovely pastry. I really enjoy your blogs they always inspire me.
Hi Sally!
I first want to tell you that I am a HUGE fan. I found your blog about two to three years ago and I have been a fan ever since. The first recipe I tried was your Caramel Surprise Snickerdoodles and it was one of the best decisions that I could have possibly made. My boyfriend and I are lovers of all things peanut butter, caramel, snickerdoodle and sprinkles (particularly me) so finding your blog was like hitting an epically sweet and delicious mother load; like finding a Golden Ticket to Wonka’s factory. I know that he is eternally grateful that I found your site. I bake at least three of your recipes once a month. I’m stoked that you’re going to be at TCNJ and Whisk for your book tour, I’m looking forward to meeting you.
Now that I’ve thoroughly embarrassed myself by fangirling, I do have a question. I saw your response to a comment about making this sans crust however, how would I go about doing that? Would I keep the apple (cutting them in half) and crumble ingredients at the same measurements and bake in a pie plate? Should I still bake for 20 minutes at 400F then an additional 30-35 minutes at 375F? Or is the added time necessary to properly cook the crust?
Thanks in advance!
LOVED reading this Jordana– thank you so much for taking the time to comment and tell me how much you love my recipes. I can’t wait to meet you!
So yes– make the filling, but cut the apple slices smaller. Spoon it into a pie dish. Top with the crumble. Bake it at 375– no need for the 2 temps. Unsure of the exact bake time. Just until browned and bubbly. 40ish minutes I’d say? Let me know how it goes!
Can I add the caramel (like you do in your salted caramel apple pie) to this recipe? Or would the caramel coming into contact with the crumb topping cause it to soften too much? I wouldn’t want the crumb toping to become mushy! Thank you.
I wouldn’t add it to the filling. I’d serve the cake with it drizzled on top instead.
Sally, this is a new fav recipe. The crumble, ahh the crumble! I would like to know if I need to change the recipe at all if I were to prepare, freeze and then lets say, take out for the holidays to bake? I have bunches of fresh apples waiting…. your sense of humor combined with food keeps me coming back
Thanks Louise! Wouldn’t need to change a thing– prep, immediately freeze, then bake. I’d let it thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
Could you sub peaches for the apples? If so, Would you change the amount of sugar in the filling?
I’d leave out the lemon juice and adjust the sugar to your taste.
I love this recipe!!! I love your salted caramel apple pie, but my favorite is the blueberry peach pie! Do you think I could put this crumble on top of the blueberry peach pie? I LOVE crumble!
Absolutely! That would be soooo good.
O.M.G. I’m in love with this recipe. I’ve only made 2 pies ever, and I found this recipe (and your pie crust recipe) incredibly easy to follow. My fiancé is allergic to nuts so I couldn’t add the walnuts so I just changed the recipe to a simple cold butter/flour/sugar crumble but everything else I followed to a T. Even measured grams! Thank you for your hard work in making recipes that everyone can replicate. You’re awesome Sally!