Sweet persimmon and crunchy green apple team up under a crispy crumble topping in this deliciously simple dessert. This easy persimmon crumble pie only takes 5 minutes to prepare. The hardest part is waiting for it to bake!
In this post you’ll learn
Why We Love This
With just 5 minutes prep time, persimmon crumble is a breeze to make. It’s perfect whether you’ve planned to make dessert in advance, or impulsively decided you just want a delicious home-baked treat right now! No need for a fiddly pastry base or pie crust necessary (although you can add one if you prefer).
While crumble is traditionally a dessert, given that it’s made with fruit and oats, we think it’s amazing anytime of the day. Breakfast? Snack? Afternoon tea? Yes, please!
Related: Apple Crumble with Muesli / Sticky Date Pudding
Persimmon and Apple Crumble
We love persimmon season – those darker nights, warmer meals and the smell of this crumble in the oven – divine.
For the filling we’ve infused the vanilla and apricot flavours from the persimmon, tartness from the green apple and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a spicy burst . Topping it off is the crispy biscuit crumble made with flour, oats and golden butter – super easy to make with pantry staples!
This is a family favourite at our dinners, it’s great because we can have it in the oven while we’re eating dinner so it’s piping hot when we’re ready for dessert!
Ingredients and substitutes
- Persimmons – Persimmons are in season in Autumn/Winter, so look for them from late February to mid June in Australia, or October through February if you’re in the United States. We use sweet fuyu persimmons rather than hachiya persimmons.
- Apples – Green apples or Granny Smith apples are perfect for pies and crumbles because of their tart flavour and firm texture. You can use any variety of apple that is suitable for baking, as they’ll have a firmer texture that won’t turn too mushy once cooked. Pink Lady or Golden Delicious are also great options for this reason.
- Oats – We used quick oats, but regular rolled oats or even muesli is fine.
- Cinnamon – We love ground cinnamon for its warming, sweetly spiced flavour.
- Cornstarch – Sprinkle in with the sumac and this will thicken up any juices into a nice sauce upon serving.
Let’s get cooking!
- Preheat oven to 180˚C / 360˚F. Pop your persimmon and green apple in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and cornstarch / cornflour and toss in the dish before leveling it out ready for the topping.
- Place plain flour / all purpose flour, oats, sugar and butter in a mixing bowl and stir until nice and crumbly.
- Spoon the crumble mixture onto persimmon and apple and lightly press, or leave extra crumbly.
- Bake in the oven for 30-40 mins until crumble top is golden brown.
- Serve while hot by itself or with ice cream / whipped cream.
Quick Tips
Storage
Persimmon crumble pie will last for a few days in the fridge, so feel free to bake it the night before and reheat in the oven just before serving if you need. Pop aluminium foil over the top to prevent the top burning on the reheat.
If you want to prepare it in advance but still have that fresh-baked experience, you can assemble all the ingredients in a freezer proof/oven safe dish and freeze before baking. On the day, just pop it in the oven straight from the freezer. Note: It may need a few more minutes in the oven to cook through fully.
FAQs & Troubleshooting
Fuyu persimmons are best for pies and crumbles because of their sweet flavour and firm texture. It also makes them much easier to slice. Look for persimmons that are yellow-orange through to dark orange in colour and slightly firm or a little soft to the touch.
Our families love this with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream! It would also be amazing with a dollop of vanilla custard.
Variations & Substitutes
- Fruit – Swap for slices of pear, peach or plum, or leave them out and double the amount of apple.
- Add Texture – We often use fruit & nut granola instead of quick oats as a great way to add extra texture to the crumble. You could use your favourite nuts (such as crushed almonds, walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts). Or add a handful of dried fruits (such as sultanas, raisins or currants).
- Add Flavour – Add a splash of your favourite essence / extract such as almond or vanilla for an extra flavour twist.
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Ingredients
- 375 g persimmon around 2 persimmons, chopped
- 400 g green apple around 2 apples, chopped
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cornstarch / cornflour
- 225 g plain flour / all purpose flour 8 oz / 1 ¾ cups
- 45 g oats 1.6 oz / ½ cup
- 80 g sugar 2.8 oz / ½ cup
- 150 g butter 5.3 oz
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180˚C / 360˚F.
- Pop your 375 g persimmon and 400 g green apple in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp cornstarch / cornflour and toss in the dish before leveling it out ready for the topping.
- Place 225 g plain flour / all purpose flour, 45 g oats, 80 g sugar and 150 g butter in a mixing bowl and stir until nice and crumbly.
- Spoon the crumble mixture onto persimmon and apple and lightly press, or leave extra crumbly.
- Bake in the oven for 30-40 mins until crumble top is golden brown.
- Serve while hot by itself or with ice cream / whipped cream.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Add Citrus – We like to sometimes add sumac (pronounced soo-mak) for a hint of citrus. If you don’t have sumac, you can also use a splash of lemon juice or a 1/2 tsp of freshly grated lemon rind for a little zing.
- Chunks or Half Moons – You can either chop the fruit into chunks or slice into half moons. We recommend slicing them around 1/2 cm / 0.2 inch thick, which helps them to cook through evenly, although it’s not essential.
- Fruit Peel – To peel or not to peel the fruit? It’s up to you! Peeling the fruit can help the slices bind together once baked. Leaving the skin on adds pops of colour throughout your crumble along with a little extra nutrition.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in April, 2016. It has since been republished with new content, photos and an updated recipe.
14 Comments
Regina
01/05/2016 at 3:13 amGot to try this pie. My husband loves persimmon but most give me a strange mouth feel. I bet they are amazing in pie though
Wandercooks
02/05/2016 at 9:11 amOh interesting about the persimmons. Do you eat them raw/whole or peel them first? We’ve only just come across these and totally love them, but they are definitely amazing cooked as well. Their flavour softens a bit and you’re left with a soft, sweet, almost vanilla taste which goes amazingly with the apple. Hope you guys enjoy!
Jessica {Swanky Recipes}
29/04/2016 at 2:41 pmWow, this sounds insanely delicious right now! Can’t wait to make it!
Wandercooks
29/04/2016 at 3:37 pmYessssss, go make it right now! You won’t regret it. 😉
Mahy
29/04/2016 at 9:48 amOh this looks beautiful! And I absolutely love persimmon –this will be on my to-do list!! Brilliant!
Wandercooks
29/04/2016 at 9:52 amExcellent, so glad to hear! Persimmons are so gorgeous aren’t they? We can’t wait to try our hands at a few more recipes with these sweet little fruits!
Joy @ Joy Love Food
29/04/2016 at 6:55 amI love persimmons too, this sounds wonderful and papple pie is a great name!
Wandercooks
29/04/2016 at 8:06 amAccidental brilliance haha 😛 But seriously, how good are persimmons?? I can’t believe we’d never tried them before. They’re our new favourite fruit!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
28/04/2016 at 7:11 pmWhat a unique twist on an apple crumble. Apple crumble is my ultimate comfort food.
Wandercooks
28/04/2016 at 7:52 pmThere’s just something about that sweet soft crunch isn’t there? A big bowl + a dollop of whipped cream = a night made!
Kristy @ Southern In Law
22/04/2016 at 10:26 amThis looks insaneeeeeeely good! We are going apple picking tomorrow and they sometimes have persimmons to so I may have to pick some up to try this! Yum!
Wandercooks
22/04/2016 at 11:49 amWhy thaaannk you 😀 Good plan Kristy, that sounds like so much fun! Let us know how you go. 😀
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
21/04/2016 at 9:00 pmYUM!! We do have persimmons here in Indiana and my friend gave me her recipe for persimmon pudding. Everyone raves about it! I haven’t really tasted anything persimmony — I’ll have to try your pie. I love your shots of the dish.
Wandercooks
22/04/2016 at 9:51 amOh persimmon pudding sounds fantastic! We still have a whole bowl left of them – so you’ll have to pass along the recipe, we’d love to give it a go! Thanks Marisa 🙂