Apple Crumble with Muesli – Easy English Dessert Recipe

Warm up from the inside out with this deliciously easy Apple Crumble recipe. Filled with juicy, soft baked apples, cinnamon and muesli transformed into a crunchy biscuity crumble, this nourishing English dessert (also known as Apple Crisp) is so easy to prepare!

Why We Love This Recipe

• This is such a nourishing, comforting, old-fashioned dessert recipe. The aroma of freshly baked muesli apple crumble will fill your whole house even before it leaves the oven. Is there anything better?
• (Almost) No pre-planning required, it’s possible to whip up this easy apple crumble with simple ingredients you have stashed in the pantry and fridge already. Especially handy for those spontaneous dessert cravings. 
• When you’re looking for something quick and easy to make for dessert, that’s full of simple, healthy ingredients (and yes – a dash of sugar!), that’s guaranteed to satisfy a table full of guests… this rustic apple crumble recipe has you covered.

Where Does Apple Crumble Come From?

Today’s humble apple crumble recipe reaches back English origins. We’ve heard it said that apple crumble with oats first became popular in World War II when food rations forced people to be extra creative with the ingredients they had on hand. And when, no doubt, people were in need of a little warmth and comfort to boost their morale. 

Nowadays it’s still just as popular because, while it’s super simple to prepare, it still brings all that wonderful nourishing warmth, just like a big hug from nan.

All you need to master this basic apple crumble recipe is a handful of ingredients, and a little know-how.

What You’ll Need

For the filling:

• Apples – we love green granny smith apples for the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavour, but you really can use any apples you like. 
• Lemon juice
• Raw sugar
• Cornflour – aka cornstarch
• Cinnamon

For the crumble top:

• Muesli – we adore Table of Plenty’s Pink Lady Apple & Almond Muesli mix, but you can use regular oats or granola
• Plain flour
• Butter 
• Raw sugar

How to Make Apple Crumble With Muesli

• Preheat the oven to 180˚C (356˚F)
• Take a deep, circular baking dish or cake dish and line it with half of your apple slices (in a whimsical pattern or just thrown in – your choice!) Splatter the apple with lemon juice, dust with half of the cinnamon, half of the raw sugar and half of the of cornflour. Once that’s done, top with all your remaining apple slices, then sprinkle over the rest of your cinnamon, raw sugar and cornflour.
• Next, pop the muesli (or oats, or granola) in a mixing bowl along with raw sugar and 1 cup of the flour. Melt the butter in a small dish then pour it over the dry ingredients. Give everything a good stir until the crumble mixture starts to combine. If needed, you can add a little extra flour until you end up with a slightly moist, mostly crumbly texture where the mixture holds its shape but isn’t too sticky.
• Spoon the crumble mixture over the top of your apple slices. Press down with a spoon til it’s nice and even, or keep it rough for extra crunch once baked!
• Garnish your crumble with a little extra raw sugar, then pop in the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown. 

Best enjoyed smothered with cream or ice cream!

What Else Can You Use for Crumble Fillings?

If you’re keen to mix things up with your crumble filling, you could always substitute apple for other sweet fruits or even mix a few together into new delicious combinations.

Some alternatives we’ve seen include:

• Blackberry – how can dessert not be luxurious with blackberries!
• Peach – sweet and just a little bit tart
• Persimmon – the subtle, sweet vanilla flavour of persimmon pairs perfectly with apple – check out our p’apple pie here!
• Rhubarb – soft and wonderfully delish, especially paired with apple slices or apple sauce
• Gooseberry – we haven’t come across this fruit in Australia – yet – but we’re keen to experiment if we can find it
• Plum – actually mouthwatering just contemplating this

While researching for our apple crumble recipe we noticed a few versions recommended including flour in the filling mixture. This is meant to help gives the dish its luscious, thick texture once cooked. In our recipe we used cornflour in place of regular flour, because it’s what we normally use to thicken sauces and gravies. And we’re pleased to report it works just as well for this sweetly spiced apple crumble filling!

P.S. Did you know crumbles can be made with savoury ingredients too – instead of fruit, meat and vegetables are used for the filling, and cheese replacing the sugar in the crumble mix. Have you ever tried a savoury crumble?

How to Make Apple Crumble Topping

What is any self-respecting crumble without a crunchy biscuity topping?? After all, freshly baked fruit served soft and warm from the oven is delicious, but… if you’re anything like us, the toasty crumble CRUNCH is what you’re here for!

A little flour, sugar, butter, and oats, and you’ll be well on your way…

If you want to up the crunch factor even further, we recommend substituting regular oats for a crunchy blended muesli. We made our crumble topping with Table of Plenty’s brand new Pink Lady Apple & Almond muesli – we LOVE their blend of raw oats, pink lady apple, almond flakes, and pepitas – it really brings the CRUNCH to our crumble. We also love it because this blend is completely vegan,  free from dairy and made with natural ingredients (so no GMO in sight!).

Tips

• Play with texture… press the crumble mixture down with a spoon til it’s nice and even, or keep it rough for extra crunch once baked!
• Adjust your baking time for shorter or longer depending on the crunch factor you’re after. Shorter cooking times lead to softer crumble tops, just like a soft baked cookie. 
• Sprinkle the top of your crumble with a little extra raw sugar juuust before you pop it in the oven. The raw sugar caramelises on the top in sugary crunchy perfection.

FAQ’s

Will apple crumble freeze?

Yes, you can freeze apple crumble before or after baking. It’s a great way to be prepared for an upcoming party or save leftovers for later.

Does apple crumble need to be refrigerated?

Yes, you should always store apple crumble in the fridge until you’re ready to eat. This helps keep the flavour fresh and avoids the ingredients spoiling fast at room temperature.

Can apple crumble be made in advance?

If you need to make apple crumble in advance, the best thing to do is pre cook the apples, then pop them (covered) in the fridge overnight until you’re ready to bake. Store the crumble separately and assemble just before cooking.  

Apple Crumble vs Apple Pie

While apple crumbles are covered with the crumbly mixture of oats, butter, flour and sugar, apple pies are usually covered with a layer of pastry. The flavour and texture are totally different, but equally delicious!

More Delicious Dessert Recipes

• Persimmon Apple Oat Crumble Pie
• Easy Australian Pavlova Meringue
• 4 Ingredient German Chocolate Mousse
• Strawberry Ice Cream with Creme Fraiche
• Burmese Semolina Cake

★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating below!

Apple Crumble with Muesli – Easy English Dessert Recipe

Warm up from the inside out with this deliciously easy Apple Crumble recipe. Filled with juicy, soft baked apples, cinnamon and muesli transformed into a crunchy biscuity crumble, this nourishing English dessert (also known as Apple Crisp) is so easy to prepare!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: English

Servings: 1 crumble

Calories: 2776kcal

Author: Wandercooks

Cost: $5-$10

Equipment

• ▢
  Baking dish
• ▢
  Mixing Bowl(s)
• ▢
  Knife

Ingredients

For the filling:

• ▢ 4 green apples medium sized, thinly sliced
• ▢ 1 tsp lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tsp raw sugar
• ▢ 1 tsp cornflour
• ▢ 1 tsp cinnamon

For the Crumble Top:

• ▢ 1 cup muesli Table of Plenty Pink Lady Apple & Almond Muesli or oats
• ▢ 1 cup plain flour plus 55 g in reserve
• ▢ 3/4 cup butter room temperature
• ▢ 1/2 cup raw sugar

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180˚C (356˚F)
• Take a deep, circular baking dish or cake dish and line it with half of your apple slices (in a whimsical pattern or just thrown in – your choice!) Splatter the apple with lemon juice, dust with half of the cinnamon, half of the raw sugar and half of the of cornflour. Once that's done, top with all your remaining apple slices, then sprinkle over the rest of your cinnamon, raw sugar and cornflour.
• Next, pop the muesli (or oats, or granola) in a mixing bowl along with raw sugar and 1 cup of the flour. Melt the butter in a small dish then pour it over the dry ingredients. Give everything a good stir until the crumble mixture starts to combine. If needed, you can add a little extra flour until you end up with a slightly moist, mostly crumbly texture where the mixture holds its shape but isn't too sticky.
• Spoon the crumble mixture over the top of your apple slices. Press down with a spoon til it's nice and even, or keep it rough for extra crunch once baked!
• Garnish your crumble with a little extra raw sugar, then pop in the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown. 
• Best enjoyed hot, smothered with cream or ice cream!

Recipe Notes

Tips

• Play with texture... press the crumble mixture down with a spoon til it's nice and even, or keep it rough for extra crunch once baked!
• Adjust your baking time for shorter or longer depending on the crunch factor you're after. Shorter cooking times lead to softer crumble tops, just like a soft baked cookie. 
• Sprinkle the top of your crumble with a little extra raw sugar juuust before you pop it in the oven. The raw sugar caramelises on the top in sugary crunchy perfection.

FAQ's

• Will apple crumble freeze? Yes, you can freeze apple crumble before or after baking. It's a great way to be prepared for an upcoming party or save leftovers for later.
• Does apple crumble need to be refrigerated? Yes, you should always store apple crumble in the fridge until you're ready to eat. This helps keep the flavour fresh and avoids the ingredients spoiling fast at room temperature.
• Can apple crumble be made in advance? If you need to make apple crumble in advance, the best thing to do is pre cook the apples, then pop them (covered) in the fridge overnight until you're ready to bake. Store the crumble separately and assemble just before cooking.  
• Apple Crumble vs Apple Pie - While apple crumbles are covered with the crumbly mixture of oats, butter, flour and sugar, apple pies are usually covered with a layer of pastry. The flavour and texture are totally different, but equally delicious!

Nutrition

Calories: 2776kcal | Carbohydrates: 371g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 145g | Saturated Fat: 89g | Cholesterol: 366mg | Sodium: 1425mg | Potassium: 1367mg | Fiber: 28g | Sugar: 206g | Vitamin A: 5112IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 141mg | Iron: 15mg

Hey hey – Did you make this recipe?We’d love it if you could give a star rating below ★★★★★ and show us your creations on Instagram! Snap a pic and tag @wandercooks / #Wandercooks