A delicious slow cooker apple crumble recipe made with tart Bramley apples and a sweet oat crumble topping.
An easy one-pot slow cooker dessert recipe that can be prepped ahead of time and left to cook away in your crockpot! Serve with custard, clotted cream, or honeycomb ice cream!
I love making this slow cooker apple crumble (apple crisp) for dessert on Sundays after our roast dinner.
The tart Bramley apples are sliced thinly and topped with an easy flapjack-style crumble topping, made by pouring melted butter onto flour, oats, and sugar. There is no tedious rubbing in required, nor pre-cooking of the apples, which means it literally takes minutes to assemble.
The apples cook slowly in the slow cooker basin and become gloriously jammy and tender, with the oat crumble topping cooking at the same time on top. To crisp up the topping, all you need to do is take the lid off for the last 45 minutes of cooking! It really is that easy.
👩🍳 Love crumble? Try my oven-baked blackberry crumble next!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Easy slow cooker dessert.
- Perfect for apple season.
- Delicious with cream, custard, caramel sauce, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Prep ahead and get on with other things whilst it cooks.
🛒 Ingredient notes
Apples - use tart Bramley apples which contrast nicely with the sweet buttery crumble topping. If you can't get hold of cooking apples, use a tart eating apple like Granny Smith. There is no pre-cooking of the apples, so the apples should be peeled, cored, and sliced thinly.
Cinnamon - ½ teaspoon of cinnamon gives the crumble a lovely warmth. You could also add a pinch of nutmeg or mixed spice.
Caster Sugar - Cooking apples, like Bramleys, need a little bit of sweetening. I use a small amount of caster sugar to offset their tartness. You could also use granulated sugar.
For the crumble topping
Flour - plain white flour is needed for the crumble topping.
Oats - use rolled porridge oats but not jumbo oats as they don't absorb the melted butter very well.
Light Brown Sugar - to give the crumble topping a wonderful caramel sweetness. Substitute with caster sugar or demerara sugar.
Butter - unsalted butter is best for this recipe. The butter needs to be melted before being mixed into the dry crumble ingredients.
🥄 Equipment
Which slow cooker? I use a Morphy Richards Sear and Stew 6.5 litre slow cooker, which means I can brown and slow cook in the same pot! The 6.5 litre capacity serves 6-8 main portions, so it’s ideal for large families and those that like batch cooking. There is also a 3.5 litre version for smaller households.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Place the flour, oats, and light brown sugar in a large bowl and pour over the melted butter. Mix until crumbles form.
Two: Butter the slow cooker basin and place the thinly sliced apples, cinnamon, and caster sugar in it. Give it a good mix with a spoon.
Three: Top the apples with the crumble topping and lightly press it down with the back of a spoon or your hand.
Four: Put a tea towel under the lid then flip up the edges of the tea towel over the lid so they don't hang down over the slow cooker.
Five: Slow cook on a high setting for 2.5 hours then remove the lid (and tea towel) and cook for a further 45 minutes to crisp up the crumble topping.
💭 Expert tips
- As there is no pre-cooking of the apples in this recipe, be sure to slice the apples as thinly as you can, so they cook evenly and become soft and tender.
- Instead of buttering the slow cooker basin you could spray it with a light cooking oil to save calories.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the apple crumble with whipped cream, ice cream, or vanilla custard for the ultimate baked apple dessert! You could also try my blackberry & apple crumble recipe in the slow cooker!
📖 Variations
- Add 1 peeled and sliced pear to the recipe for an apple and pear crumble or fresh berries such as raspberries or blueberries.
- Add a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans to the crumble topping for added crunch and texture.
- Add a handful of dried cranberries or raisins to the apple filling for an extra fruity taste.
- Add half a teaspoon of ground ginger to the apple filling for warmth and spice.
- Swap the crumble topping for a streusel topping.
🥡 Storage
Store: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat: Reheat in the microwave until hot. Crumble can also be eaten at room temperature.
Freeze: The slow cooker apple crumble can be frozen for up to 3 months.
❓ Frequently asked questions
There’s not a big difference between the two. The terms crisp and crumble are mostly interchangeable.
I would advise peeling the apples, especially if you are using cooking apples like Bramleys. They tend to have thicker tougher skin than ordinary eating apples.
Usually plain is used for a crumble topping, but use self-raising flour if that's all you have got.
😋 More fruit crumble recipes
- Blackberry Crumble
- Mixed Berry Crumble
- Strawberry Crumble
- Cinnamon Apple Crumble
- Rhubarb and Ginger Crumble
- Apple and Blueberry Crumble
More slow cooker recipes
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Recipe
Easy Slow Cooker Apple Crumble
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Butter for greasing
- 6 Bramley Apples (roughly 1kg) peeled, cored and sliced
- 50 g Caster Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
For the crumble
- 125 g Plain Flour
- 125 g Porridge Oats not jumbo or quick cook oats
- 125 g Light Brown Sugar
- 125 g Unsalted Butter melted
Instructions
- Place the flour, oats, and light brown sugar in a large bowl and pour over the melted butter. Mix until crumbles form.125 g Plain Flour, 125 g Porridge Oats, 125 g Light Brown Sugar, 125 g Unsalted Butter
- Butter the slow cooker basin and place the thinly sliced apples, cinnamon, and caster sugar in it. Give it a good mix with a spoon.1 tablespoon Butter, 6 Bramley Apples, 50 g Caster Sugar, ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- Top the apples with the crumble topping and lightly press it down with the back of a spoon or your hand.
- Put a tea towel under the lid then flip up the edges of the tea towel over the lid so they don't hang down over the slow cooker.
- Slow cook on a high setting for 2.5 hours then remove the lid (and tea towel) and cook for a further 45 minutes to crisp up the crumble topping.
Notes
- As there is no pre-cooking of the apples in this recipe, be sure to slice the apples as thinly as you can, so they cook evenly and become soft and tender.
- Instead of buttering the slow cooker basin you could spray it with a light cooking oil to save calories.
- Add 1 peeled and sliced pear to the recipe for an apple and pear crumble or fresh berries such as raspberries or blueberries.
- Add a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans to the crumble topping for added crunch and texture.
- Add a handful of dried cranberries or raisins to the apple filling for an extra fruity taste.
- Add half a teaspoon of ground ginger to the apple filling for warmth and spice.
Ieva
Delicious! First time I made a crumble in a slow cooked and I will definitely make it this way from now on! Loved it with some extra spices in the crumble and vanilla custard on top! 10 out of 10!
Ned
I loved this recipe served with whipped cream! Thank you!
Dannii
My favourite way to make apple crumble. So easy and comforting.
Janessa
This apple crumble was delicious! And I love that it was made in the slow cooker as it freed up oven space for me and made the house smell amazing.
Jen
Such an amazing dessert!! It is totally irresistible!