Old-Fashioned Apple Crumble with Oat Topping

This Old-Fashioned Apple Crumble with Oat Topping has the flavor of butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and apples. This dessert is one your grandma made back in the day and will still have your family begging for more.

Old-Fashioned Apple Crumble with Oat Topping Recipe:

Homemade apple crumble is a humble dessert made with simple ingredients – oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, butter and apples. All of the ingredients used in this fruit crumble were traditionally found in Grandma’s pantry, and they are in ours as well which makes it an easy recipe to whip up for last minute guests.

One bite or even one whiff of this cinnamony, buttery, sugary dessert transports you back to the olden days.  It gives me a nostalgic feeling of those carefree days of my childhood just sitting in Grandma’s kitchen catching up and playing cards. Sigh…weren’t those the good old days?

Have a hankering for this yummy apple dessert but aren’t feeding a crowd? Try our Easy Apple Crisp for One recipe where we took this recipe and pared it down to a size perfect for one or two people.

Ingredient List

• Apples
• Oats – either old-fashioned rolled or instant oats work
• All Purpose Flour
• Brown Sugar
• Salt
• Ground Cinnamon
• Melted Butter

How To Make Old-Fashioned Apple Crumble

Step by Step Instructions

1. Peel and slice apples. Arrange apples in a baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add melted butter, and mix until well blended (it will be crumbly).
3. Spread oatmeal mixture over the sliced apples.
4. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for approximately 35 minutes or until fruit is tender and the top is golden brown.
5. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Storage Instructions

Let leftover cool completely. Cover tightly or transfer to a airtight container. I recommend storing it in the refrigerator to prevent mold growth. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven if you stored it in the original container.

Full recipe for homemade apple crumble with oats is at the bottom of this page.

Recipe FAQs

• We use old CorningWare baking dishes. This recipe fits in a 1 1/2 or 2 quart CorningWare or a 9 x 9 inch baking dish.
• You can easily convert this apple crumble recipe with oats to use other fruit. Old-fashioned recipes are really versatile like that. Try it with peaches!
• The oats and the flour in this recipe will help keep the filling from getting runny.  The crumble topping sinks down to the apples and it all becomes one delicious concoction. Try eating it hot served with vanilla ice cream!
• We love this easy recipe so much that we made it an entrée by adding pork chops. Try Crock Pot Apple Crisp Pork Chops.

Other Apple Dessert Recipes

• Grandma’s Apple Sour Cream Bars
• Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce
• Apple Crisp for One
• Grandma’s Apple Crisp without Oats
• Apple Pudding Cake
• Baked Apple Surprise
• Spiked Apple Pie Punch

What is the best type of apple is to be used for apple crumble?

You’ll get a lot of different answers depending on who you ask. We like to think about how Grandma would answer this, and she would say to use whatever apple you have on hand. During the fall, you can get apples really cheap, so feel free to use whatever is cheapest. It all tastes good blended with cinnamon, brown sugar and butter.

Should I peel my apples for my apple crisp recipe? 

If you are in a hurry, then you could leave the peels on; however, this does change the texture of the crumble. If you have time, go ahead and peel them.

Is streusel topping the same as crumble topping?

No, these two types of toppings are different. Streusel topping is typically made with butter, flour and sugar while a crumble topping usually has oats, butter, flour and sugar. Oats are the main ingredient that differentiates a crumble from a streusel.

Can I use old fashioned oats for apple crisp?

Yes, either instant oats or old fashioned oats are suitable for an apple crisp (or crumble). The larger rolled oats might yield more crunch if that’s what you prefer.