There’s nothing more comforting than a bowl of apple and blueberry crumble with its golden, crunchy topping and juicy, bubbling fruit. Ready in just 45 minutes, it’s the ultimate winter warmer (though I’d happily eat it year-round!). Serve with ice cream, custard or cream for a family dessert everyone will love. If you enjoy classics like my Lemon Delicious or Golden Syrup Dumplings, you’ll adore this fruity twist.
This recipe is incredible! My family and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Super easy to follow and quick to make! Tastes phenomenal!
- Bonnie
This easy apple blueberry crumble is a twist on the classic, with bursts of sweet blueberries nestled among soft, spiced apples. Topped with a buttery oat crumble that bakes golden and crisp, it’s cosy comfort food that still feels a little fancy—yet fuss-free enough for weeknights.
The best part? You can make it your own. For a healthy apple blueberry crumble, swap in almond meal and reduce the sugar. For a gluten-free apple blueberry crumble, use GF oats and flour. Or try it as an apple blueberry cobbler with just a tweak to the topping.
If you love fruit desserts like my Apple Sponge Pudding or Apricot Danish, this one will quickly become a favourite.
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Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Quick & easy – just 10 minutes of prep before the oven does the work.
- Family friendly – the perfect dessert for school nights, Sunday dinners, or when guests pop over.
- Customisable – swap fruits, adjust sweetness, or make it GF/vegan with simple tweaks.
- Crowd-pleaser – warm, comforting and always served with a big scoop of ice cream!
- Make-ahead friendly – prep in advance or freeze for later.
Crumble Ingredients
You only need simple, budget-friendly ingredients to make the best apple blueberry crumble. Here are a few notes to get it just right:
- Apples – Granny Smith apples are tart apples which hold their shape, while Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Jazz or Gala apples add sweetness and are all good options. A mix works beautifully for the ultimate flavor.
- Blueberries – I use frozen blueberries (straight from the freezer, no need to thaw), but fresh will work too.
- Butter – cold butter straight from the fridge is essential for clumping into that crunchy, crumbly topping.
- Rolled oats – for that rustic texture. Use GF oats if needed.
- Spices – cinnamon and nutmeg add warmth and depth to the filling.
Variations
- Gluten free blueberry apple crumble – use gluten-free oats and swap plain flour for almond meal or GF flour blend.
- Vegan apple blueberry crumble – replace butter with a dairy-free spread or coconut oil.
- Apple pear and blueberry crumble – replace half the apples with pears for a softer, sweeter filling.
- Berry swap – raspberries, blackberries, or even mixed frozen berries all work a treat.
- Nutty apple blueberry crumble – add nuts such as chopped almonds, pecans or walnuts to the topping for extra crunch and flavour.
How To Make Apple and Blueberry Crumble
This recipe is as easy as it gets. Here’s how to make it:
- Step 1: Cook the apples – simmer peeled, sliced apples with water, sugar, lemon juice and spices for 5–10 minutes until just tender. Drain off excess liquid.
- Step 2: Assemble the fruit layer – spread apples in the dish, scatter blueberries over the top.
- Step 3: Make the crumble – rub oats, flour, brown sugar and butter together with your fingertips until you get coarse crumbs with a few clumps.
- Step 4: Bake – sprinkle crumble over fruit and bake 35 minutes, until golden on top and bubbling underneath.
Serve with warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, custard or drizzle of cream.
Top Tip
For the crispiest crumble, leave a few buttery clumps in the topping mixture—those golden nuggets are the best part!
Recipe Tips
- Butter temperature – keep it cold for the best clumps.
- Make-ahead – assemble the crumble and refrigerate (unbaked) for up to 24 hours. Bake when ready.
- Storage – leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing – freeze baked or unbaked crumble for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
- Serving ideas – pair with ice cream, custard or cream (all three if you’re feeling fancy).
- Fruit swaps – pears, peaches, raspberries or blackberries all work beautifully.
- Thermomix shortcut – blitz the crumble topping in seconds on Turbo for a no-fuss mix.
- Healthier twist – reduce sugar, swap in almond meal for flour, or use coconut oil instead of butter.
Apple & Blueberry Crumble FAQs
Yes! Just reduce the cooking time slightly, as fresh blueberries release less liquid than frozen.
Granny Smiths for tartness, Pink Lady for sweetness, or a mix for balance.
Yes – prep the fruit and topping separately, refrigerate for up to 24 hours, then assemble and bake.
The top should be golden and crisp, with the fruit bubbling around the edges.
Yes – swap oats for extra flour or almond meal for a smooth crumble topping.
More Winter Dessert Recipes
If you're after even more comfort food... look no further than these delicious desserts!
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Apple and Blueberry Crumble
Ingredients
- 5 apples large apples, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup (250g) water
- ½ cup (115g) caster sugar
- 2 tbs lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 500 g blueberries frozen
Crumble
- 1 ⅓ cups (120g) rolled oats
- ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
- 50 g plain flour
- 115 g butter
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius (180 if using fan-forced). Grease a large oven-proof baking dish with butter and set aside.
- Place the peeled and sliced apples into a medium saucepan with the water, caster sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a low simmer for 5-10 minutes or until just softened. Drain off the excess liquid.
- Place the stewed apples into the baking dish. Sprinkle over the frozen blueberries.
- To make the crumble, place the oats, brown sugar, plain flour and butter into a bowl. Use your fingers to squeeze and break up the lumps of butter until crumbs have formed and all of the oats and flour are completely combined with the butter.
- Sprinkle the crumble over the apple and place into the preheated oven.
- Cook for 35 minutes or until the crumble is golden and crunchy.
Thermomix Method
- Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius (180 if using fan-forced). Grease a large baking dish with butter and set aside.
- Place peeled and sliced apples into the TM bowl. Add water, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice. Cook for 5 minutes, 90 degrees on Reverse, Speed 1.
- Drain the excess liquid from the apples and place into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the frozen blueberries over the top.
- Rinse and dry the TM bowl.Place the oats, flour, butter and sugar into the TM bowl. Press Turbo a few times until you have achieved a consistent crumble mixture (and all of the dry ingredients have been completely combined with the butter.
- Sprinkle the crumble over the apple and place into the preheated oven.
- Cook for 35 minutes or until the crumble is golden and crunchy.
Notes
- For the crispiest crumble - leave a few buttery clumps in the topping mixture—those golden nuggets are the best part!
- Butter temperature – keep it cold for the best clumps.
- Make-ahead – assemble the crumble and refrigerate (unbaked) for up to 24 hours. Bake when ready.
- Storage – leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing – freeze baked or unbaked crumble for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
- Serving ideas – pair with ice cream, custard or cream (all three if you’re feeling fancy).
- Fruit swaps – pears, peaches, raspberries or blackberries all work beautifully.
- Thermomix shortcut – blitz the crumble topping in seconds on Turbo for a no-fuss mix.
- Healthier twist – reduce sugar, swap in almond meal for flour, or use coconut oil instead of butter.
shaun says
super easy and delicious I add some cushed almonds in the topping
thanks for the recipe
Bonnie Tuckett says
This recipe is incredible! My family and I thoroughly enjoyed. Super easy to follow and quick to make! Tastes phenomenal! Thank you BakePlaySmile
Lucy says
Yay! Thank you!!
Shirley Reed says
Do you have a recipe for apple and blueberry streusel pie please
Lucy says
Hi Shirley, oh I don't sorry! But I'll certainly add it to my list!
Fatema says
Hi! Can I use fresh blueberries rather than frozen?
Lucy says
Absolutely!
Rachael says
Can I substitute the flour for almond meal in the crumble? If so, how much almond meal? TIA
Lucy says
I can't see why not! I haven't tried it though so wouldn't be able to recommend an amount!