This delicious Apple and Blueberry Crumble is super quick and easy to make. The soft apples combined with the juicy blueberries and crunchy oat crumble creates an amazingly comforting dessert!
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Why we love this recipe
Adding blueberries to your apple crumble is a simple way to take the classic dessert to the next level. The juicy blueberries bring a delicious flavour and gorgeous natural pink colour to the dessert.
This apple and blueberry crumble recipe is great because:
- It is super quick and easy dessert to make. No mixer required!
- The crumble topping can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge for a day before baking the dessert.
- You can use both fresh or frozen blueberries, so this dessert can be enjoyed all year round!
- It is an incredibly comforting dessert that is family friendly. Perfect to serve with ice cream or custard.
If you love crumbles, make sure to also check out:
Apricot Crumble | Apple and Pear Crumble!
Ingredients
Scroll down to recipe card below for all quantities
For the Oat Crumble:
- Plain / All-Purpose Flour, Brown Sugar & Cinnamon. You could also add a little bit of salt and any of your favourite spices in addition to the cinnamon.
- Rolled Oats: use old fashioned rolled oats, not quick oats or instant oats that won't keep their crunchy texture when baked.
- Butter: unsalted butter, melted. Yes, melted! That's the secret to make a super crunchy crumble topping without the fuss.
For the Apple and Blueberry Filling:
- Blueberries: this recipe will work with both fresh blueberries and thawed frozen blueberries.
- Apples: I peeled mine but you could keep the skin if preferred. I used a combination of two apple varieties for a better balance of flavour and texture. See FAQs section below for the best apples for crumble.
- Brown Sugar: you can use either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar - whichever you prefer. The recipe will work with white sugar as well, but I like the flavour the brown sugar brings to the dessert.
- Cornstarch: essential to thicken the juices of the fruits when they bake and avoid getting a soggy, wet apple blueberry crumble. You could substitute it with plain / AP flour or another type of starch like tapioca starch.
Variation
- Add some chopped nuts to the crumble topping with extra crunch and flavour. This dessert would be delicious with some pecans or walnuts for example.
- Substitute the blueberries for other berries like raspberries, strawberries or blackberries.
- Replace the butter with coconut oil or margarine / plant-based butter to make this dessert dairy-free.
How to make Blueberry Apple Crumble
1. Make the Oat Crumble Topping
- Preheat your oven on 180 degrees Celsius / 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prepare the crisp topping:
- Melt the Butter and set aside to cool down.
- Photo 1: Place the rolled oats, Flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir until evenly combined.
- Photo 2: Add the cooled down melted butter.
- Photo 3: Mix with a spatula until all of the mixture is covered with the melted butter and you get small crumbs. You can use your hands to make the crumble topping if preferred. Set aside.
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I actually find that the textures of the crumble are better when prepared in advance, and the topping can be kept in the fridge for 24 hours before using it! Store it in an airtight container or cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
- Photo 4: Peel, core and chop the apples into small chunks.
I personally like to cut the apples into irregular chunks. That will give you more textures as the small chunks will get soft while the larger one will retain some crunch. For a smoother texture, try to cut the apple into even size.
2. Prepare the apple and blueberry filling
- Photo 5: Place the diced apples in another mixing bowl. Add the blueberries and mix to combine.
- Photo 6: Add the brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and cornstarch.
- Photo 7: Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently stir to until all of the ingredients are evenly combined.
- Photo 8: Place the blueberry apple filling into a baking dish. I used a 20 x 28 cm (8 x 11,5-inch) ceramic dish. Cover the fruit filling with the crumble topping.
- Bake the blueberry apple crisp for about 45 minutes. The topping should be crispy and golden brown, and the filling should be juicy.
- Place on a wire rack to cool down slightly then serve lukewarm. If made in advance, place in the fridge then re-heat before serving.
Recipe FAQs
The secret is to use a combination of sweet apples and tart apples. I used a mix of Pink Lady apples and Granny Smith apples, which gives you a great balance of sweet and tart flavours with soft yet crunchy texture.
You could also use Braeburn, Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious Apples. Check out my " best apples for baking " guide for more information!
Yes, one of the thing I love the most about this recipe is that you can simply use frozen and thawed blueberries instead of fresh ones. That means that this apple blueberry crumble can be made all year round!
Simply make sure that the blueberries are fully thawed and well drained before using. We want to avoid adding unnecessary juice / water to the filling.
Absolutely, simply substitute with more all purpose flour. You can then re-add some texture with chopped nuts for example.
I used to make my crumbles the old fashioned way, which is by rubbing cold butter into the dry ingredients. But after trying with melted butter instead, I am never going back!
Not only using melted butter is much easier (and less messy), I also find that it provides a great crunch and even crumb size to the topping. The melted butter will rehydrate the flour slightly, giving it a great texture and flavour.
Tips & Troubleshooting
- How do you make a crumble not soggy? The key is to thicken the juices of the fruits while they bake so that they don't make the topping go soggy. Don't skip on the cornstarch that will allow to thicken a lot of those extra juices! If underbaked, the crumble can feel a bit soggy as well so make sure to bake the dessert until very golden.
- Why is my crumble topping not crumbly? You need the right ratio of butter to dry ingredients to make the perfect crunchy crumble. I use a basic 1:1 ratio of butter, flour, oats and brown sugar for a great crunch. Using melted instead of cold butter will insure all the ingredients are well combined and you get the perfectly crumbly topping.
- Why is my crumble so wet? The blueberries will release a lot of juice when baked, especially when using frozen ones. Make sure to fully thaw and drain the blueberries before baking them.
Serving Suggestion
I love this apple and blueberry crumble served with a simple vanilla ice cream or vanilla custard. Top it with my homemade applesauce for extra apple flavours. And for more berry, you could also serve it with my Blueberry Coulis or Blueberry Compote!
Storing & Freezing
This apple and blueberry crumble is best served straight out of the oven. It will last in the fridge for up to three days. You can re-heat individual portions in the microwave.
To make in advance, slightly under-bake the crumble then re-heat in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes before serving. Cover with aluminium foil if the topping is browning too quickly.
I don't recommend freezing this dessert.
Made this recipe?
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Recipe
Apple and Blueberry Crumble
Ingredients
Oat Crumble Topping
- 100 gr (6 1/2 tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, melted
- 100 gr (2/3 cup) Plain / All-Purpose Flour
- 100 gr (1 cup) Rolled Oats
- 100 gr (1/2 cup) Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Apple and Blueberry Filling
- 4 large Apples, equivalent to 500 gr once diced
- 300 gr (10,5 oz) Blueberries, fresh or frozen & thawed
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) Lemon Juice
- 70 gr (1/3 cup) Brown Sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tablespoon Cornstarch
Instructions
Oat Crumble Topping
- Melt the Butter and set aside to cool down.
- In a large bowl, stir together the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the slightly cooled down melted butter and mix with a spatula (or your hands) until all of the dry mixture is coated and you get a small crumbs (see note 1). Set aside.
Apple and Blueberry Filling
- Preheat your oven on 180 degrees Celsius / 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Peel, core and chop the apples into small chunks (see note 2). Place in a mixing bowl with the blueberries and stir to combine.
- Add the lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Gently mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until the fruits are evenly covered with the other ingredients.
Assembling the crumble
- Place the fruit filling into a 20 x 28 cm (8 x 11,5-inch) baking dish. Cover with the crumble topping.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the crumble topping is crispy and golden, and the filling is soft and juicy. Place on a wire rack to cool down slightly then serve lukewarm.
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Notes
- The crumble topping can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge for 24 hours before baking the dessert.
- I used a mix of granny smith and pink lady apples. I like to cut the apples into irregular chunks to create more textures within the filling. For a smoother texture, cut the apple into even size chunks.
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