Recipe Rundown: Vegan Apple Crumble

• Texture: with a fine streusel topping, crumbles have a lighter texture than crisps (which are made with oats). The apples should keep some of their body and not cook down into sauce so you have a bit of bite in the fruit base as well. Added starch thickens the filling so you don’t have a watery texture.
• Flavour: lightly sweet, with a bit of spice from the cinnamon and nutmeg. I recommend using a raw or brown sugar, or something like maple or coconut sugar, for an extra flavour boost in the topping. The type of apple used will have an impact here (see more below).
• Difficulty: like most crumbles, very easy. Simply chop some apples and mix a topping with your hands and you’re good to go.

Ingredients

• Apples: choose a good slightly tart baking apple like Belle de Boskoop. I don’t recommend granny smith or something that’s just sour with no flavour. For the very best flavour, use a heritage variety.
• Sugar: pictured is turbinado sugar. As mentioned above, for the best taste use something that’s less processed so that it adds more than just sweetness to the crumble.
• Honey: while honey isn’t strictly vegan, I choose to use it because it’s the most environmentally friendly choice (local to me – so no shipping needed – and organic, packaged in reusable glass jars, no additional energy needed for processing). Honey, if from a good source, is overall much better for animals than something like agave if you live in the global north. If you’re very strict you can use maple syrup instead.
• Flour: the recipe calls for whole grain spelt flour. You can use whole wheat flour if preferred, or sifted spelt or white flour. Another ancient grain like einkorn works well. I haven’t tried this recipe with gluten-free flour.
• Oil: if you prefer to use a non-dairy butter alternative, add an extra tablespoon and omit the milk from the topping. Choose a vegan butter that comes in block or stick form rather than a tub.

If you have lots of apples to use, try my unsweetened applesauce recipe, vegan apple muffins, and vegan apple cake.

Step by Step Photos

Step 1: mix the crumble topping and set aside.

Step 2: add the apple filling ingredients to a baking dish and mix to combine.

Step 3: add the topping in an even layer.

Step 4: bake until bubbly around the edges.

Storage and Make Ahead

Storage: cool and keep leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to five days. I recommend reheating in the oven to re-crisp the topping rather than a microwave, which will make the crumble soggy.

Freezing: transfer full cooled crumble to an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating in the oven until heated through.

Make Ahead: prepare the crumble and refrigerate, unbaked, for up to one day. Make sure it’s tightly covered with something like beeswax wrap. Bake as instructed directly from the refrigerator and add an extra five minutes to the baking time. The unbaked crumble can also be frozen for up to one month and thawed in the refrigerator before baking. If making ahead, you can mix in about a tablespoon of lemon juice to the apple filling to prevent browning.

Expert Tips

• Bake until bubbling: the starch needs to come to a boil in order to thicken the apple filling properly. If the crumble isn’t bubbling around the edges, it’s not fully cooked yet (it will definitely bubble by the 50 minute mark – if it hasn’t at all, your oven is probably running very cold).
• Don’t peel the apples: you won’t notice the peel on a good eating apple – again, don’t use granny smith, they are the worst – and you’ll save time and prevent food waste too.
• Try add-ins: if you like a nutty crumble, add a handful of finely chopped walnuts or sliced almonds to the streusel topping. Raisins and dried cranberries are good mixed in with the apples but make sure they’re covered in the crumble or they’ll burn.

More Crisps and Crumbles

Hazelnut Pear Crisp with chocolate
Plum Crisp
Gluten-Free Apple Crisp
Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

If you make this Vegan Apple Crumble recipe or any other vegetarian dessert recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.