This apple and blueberry crumble is the dessert I make when I want everyone to go quiet at the table for five whole minutes.
Juicy apples and blueberries bubbling away under a golden, buttery oat crumble - it's a proper crowd pleaser, and it pairs beautifully with my homemade custard or a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you're after more cosy fruit desserts, my peach crumble is another one on high rotation in my house.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
🍎 Recipe Name: Apple and Blueberry Crumble
⏰ Ready In: 45 minutes
🍽️ Serves: 8
🔥 Calories: See recipe card below for full nutrition info
🫐 Main Ingredients: Apples, blueberries, oats, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon
🌱 Dietary Info: Vegetarian friendly, Thermomix method included
💛 Why You'll Love It: Warm, juicy fruit under a golden buttery crumble - ready in under an hour with barely any washing up
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
"Best recipe ever, I have made it several times at several occasions for many years."
Femke Can
This one gets made on repeat in my kitchen too, especially once the weather turns cold. Let's get into it.
Jump to:
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Only one bowl for the crumble topping. Less washing up, more time to actually eat dessert.
- It's the ultimate way to use up apples that are starting to go a bit soft and sad in the fruit bowl.
- Fresh or frozen blueberries both work - so you can make it whenever the craving hits, not just in blueberry season.
- Comes with a Thermomix method too, if you'd rather let the machine do the chopping for you.
Crumble Ingredients
Apples - I use granny smiths because they hold their shape and don't turn to total mush, but any firm cooking apple works.
Blueberries - fresh or frozen both work well. If you're using frozen, don't bother thawing them first - just toss them in straight from the freezer so they don't bleed too much liquid into the filling.
Rolled oats - these give the crumble topping its texture. Don't swap in quick oats or they'll turn a bit mushy instead of crunchy.
Brown sugar - for the topping, this gives it that deeper caramel flavour instead of plain white sugar.
Variations
- Swap the fruit. Try apple and raspberry, or pear and blueberry if that's what you've got.
- Add crunch. A handful of chopped almonds or pecans through the crumble topping is delicious.
- Make it gluten free. Use certified gluten free oats and swap the plain flour for a gluten free blend.
- Spice it up. A pinch of nutmeg or mixed spice along with the cinnamon adds a bit more warmth.
How To Make Apple and Blueberry Crumble
- Step 1: Cook the apples. Place the chopped apples, a splash of water and the cinnamon into a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until just starting to soften.
- Step 2: Add the blueberries. Drain off any excess liquid from the apples, then stir through the blueberries and tip everything into your baking dish. Draining the liquid first stops the crumble topping from going soggy.
- Step 3: Make the crumble. Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar and melted butter in a bowl until it looks like damp sand.
- Step 4: Bake. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the fruit and bake at 180°C for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden and the fruit is bubbling at the edges.
Recipe Tips
- Drain the fruit before topping it. Both apples and blueberries release liquid as they cook - draining the apples and using frozen (not thawed) blueberries keeps the crumble topping crunchy instead of soggy.
- Let it sit for 5-10 minutes after it comes out of the oven so the filling can set slightly before you serve it.
- To store: Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave.
- To freeze: You can freeze it either baked or unbaked. Baked crumble freezes well for up to 3 months - just thaw and reheat in the oven. Unbaked, assemble the crumble in a freezer-safe dish, freeze, then bake straight from frozen (add an extra 15-20 minutes to the cook time).
Apple and Blueberry Crumble FAQs
Definitely - the tartness of the apple balances out the sweetness of the blueberries beautifully, and the colours look gorgeous bubbling away together under the crumble topping.
I like to give mine a quick 5 minute head start in a saucepan so they're not still hard in the middle once the topping is golden. You can skip this step if your apple slices are thin, but I find it gives a much better texture.
Yes, and you don't even need to thaw them first. Frozen blueberries actually release less liquid into the filling than thawed ones, which helps keep your crumble topping crisp.
Don't overmix it. You want it to look like clumpy damp sand, not a smooth paste - those little clumps are what give you a crunchy, not cakey, topping.
Yes - assemble the whole thing (fruit and crumble topping) up to a day ahead, cover and keep it in the fridge, then bake it fresh when you're ready to serve.
More Fruit Crumble Recipes
If you're a crumble family like mine, here are a few more that are worth adding to the rotation.
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!