This apple pie with crumb topping uses a store-bought pie crust but is loaded with apples and topped with a delicious crumble.
I'm all about pies - from homemade cherry pie to lemon meringue pie to strawberry blueberry pie.
But apple pie has always been one of my favorite desserts. To most, it is the quintessential American dessert. Although surprisingly it was created in England!
However we definitely adopted it and for most Thanksgiving meals, it is required! And I'm no different. So I figured it appropriate to actually share this pie recipe on Thanksgiving, as I'm giving thanks every day to have this apple pie with crumb topping in my life.
It was about 15 years ago, maybe more, when my Dad made an apple crumb pie for Thanksgiving. At the time, I had just good old regular apple pie, not one with a crumb topping.
After one bite, I turned to him and said it was the best pie I've ever had. Since then, we've had it for every Thanksgiving and I don't plan on that stopping anytime soon.
I'll be honest, I don't make homemade pie crust. To me, there just isn't much difference between store-bought and making it at home. But if you feel like making your own crust, be my guest! Otherwise this recipe is pretty simple to whip together.
It is important to use Granny Smith apples as they hold their shape while baking and give a sweet-tart flavor that is known with apple pies. So while you might not make this apple crumb pie for today's Thanksgiving, hopefully you save it for the next one. Oh and consider making some apple cider caramel sauce to drizzle on top!
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Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour - mixed with oats to make crumble.
- Old-fashioned oats - the main ingredient in the crumble.
- Light brown sugar - sweetens the crumb topping.
- Unsalted butter - helps form the crumble.
- Granulated sugar - sweetens the apple filling.
- Corn starch - helps thicken the filling.
- Cinnamon - can't have apples without cinnamon.
- Granny Smith apples - best apples for pies.
- Lemon - adds just a touch of acidity.
- Vanilla extract - enhances the flavor.
- Store-bought pie crust - can also make your own.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. For crumb topping, mix flour, oats and brown sugar in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir until mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Mix sugar, corn starch and cinnamon in large bowl.
- Add apples, melted butter, lemon juice and vanilla extract, tossing to coat.
- Place pie crust in 9 inch pie dish. Spread filling evenly throughout.
- Top with crumb topping.
- Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 375°F. Cook for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling. You will have to cover pie halfway through with aluminium foil so it doesn't brown too much. Let the pie rest for an hour before serving.
FAQs
I mentioned earlier but to me store-bought pie crust is just easier to deal with than making your own.
I have nothing against making a pie crust however, so if you want to make one I suggest this recipe from Live Well Bake Often. Again though, I call this an easy apple pie for a reason!
Granny Smiths are best for apple pies as they hold their shape and give the filling a great sweet-tart flavor. However if you like your pie sweeter, you can go apples like Galas, Pink Ladies or Honeycrisps.
You bake this pie a long time to cook the apples and brown the topping so you'll need to eventually cover the pie crust. Use a pie shield or aluminum foil to make sure the crust doesn't get too dark. I usually cover about halfway through.
Most times you blind bake but this pie bakes too long for that to work. Two ways to avoid this to brush with some egg wash or place on a baking tray that is in the heated oven.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Use corn starch as filling thickener. It works better than flour with apples in creating the syrupy texture you want.
- Don't overdue it with the cinnamon. A little goes a long way. Remember it is an apple pie so you want it to taste like apples.
- Don't fret over pie filling rising above the dish as it will collapse as the pie cooks.
- Let the pie rest for at least an hour so it won't be runny and wet when you slice into it.
- Finally serve with some vanilla ice cream. Vanilla ice cream and apple pie are meant to be together.
Other Dessert Recipes
- Apple Pie Cupcakes
- Jam Bars with Crumble Topping
- Blueberry Crisp
- Pumpkin Lava Cakes
- Strawberry Lemon Bars
If you’ve tried this apple pie with crumb topping or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup old fashioned oats
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Apple Pie Filling
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon corn starch
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 ½ lbs Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut in half inch slices
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pie crust
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. For crumb topping, mix flour, oats and brown sugar in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir until mixture resembles coarse meal.
- For filling, mix sugar, corn starch and cinnamon in large bowl. Add apples, melted butter, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Toss to coat.
- Place pie crust in 9 inch pie dish. Spread filling evenly throughout. Top with crumb topping. Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 375°F. Cook for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling. You will need to cover the pie with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent it from browning too much. Let the pie rest for an hour before serving.
Notes
- Use corn starch as filling thickener. It works better than flour with apples in creating the syrupy texture you want.
- Use Granny Smith apples for the filling. They are the best for apple pies as the tartness complements the sugar but they also don't release a ton of moisture.
- Don't overdue it with the cinnamon. A little goes a long way. Remember it is an apple pie so you want it to taste like apples.
- Don't fret over pie filling rising above the dish as it will collapse as the pie cooks.
- Use a pie shield or aluminum foil to make sure the crust doesn't get too dark.
- Let the pie rest for at least an hour so it won't be runny and wet when you slice into it.
- Finally serve with some vanilla ice cream. Vanilla ice cream and apple pie are meant to be together.
Chris says
This looks delicious!
Karly says
I love apple crumb pie!! Pinning!