Why You’ll Love This Apple Cinnamon Crumble Skillet

• It’s incredibly cozy and satisfying. The warm spices, soft apples, and buttery crumble topping create a dessert that feels like a warm blanket on a chilly day. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and spiced.
• The texture is absolutely dreamy. You get the tender, juicy apples underneath and that crisp, crunchy topping that holds its own against a scoop of ice cream. It’s a fantastic contrast in every single bite.
• It’s deceptively simple to make. Honestly, there’s no fancy pastry work involved here. The filling comes together quickly, and the crumble is just a matter of rubbing butter into flour with your fingers. It’s a low-stress, high-reward kind of dessert.
• It’s wonderfully versatile. You can use different types of apples, add a handful of berries or nuts, or even switch up the spices. It’s a fantastic base recipe that you can make your own over time.

Ingredients & Tools

• For the Apple Filling:
• 6-7 medium apples (a mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp is ideal)
• 1/4 cup (50 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tbsp (28 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp (8 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp (14 g) fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• For the Crumble Topping:
• 3/4 cup (94 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup (45 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (113 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed

Tools: A 10-inch cast-iron or oven-safe skillet, a large mixing bowl, a medium mixing bowl, and a pastry cutter or your fingers.

The quality of your apples really makes a difference here—using a mix of tart and sweet varieties gives you a more complex flavor. And that cold butter for the topping is non-negotiable; it’s the secret to getting those lovely, craggy bits of crumble.

Nutrition (per serving)

• Calories: 380 kcal
• Protein: 3 g
• Fat: 14 g
• Carbohydrates: 65 g
• Fiber: 5 g

Serves: 6 | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes

Before You Start: Tips & Ingredient Notes

• Choose your apples wisely. You want a mix for the best flavor and texture. Tart apples like Granny Smith hold their shape well, while sweeter ones like Honeycrisp break down a bit more and create a saucier filling. Using just one type can make the texture a bit one-dimensional.
• Keep everything for the topping cold. I can’t stress this enough. Cold butter is what creates steam in the oven, leading to a flaky, crisp topping instead of a greasy, dense one. If your butter starts to soften, pop the whole bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes.
• Don’t skip the lemon juice. It’s not just for flavor—the acidity helps balance the sweetness and also prevents the apples from browning too much while you’re prepping everything else. It’s a little trick that makes a big difference.
• Why a cast-iron skillet? It retains heat beautifully, which means you get a fantastic, crispy edge on your crumble and the apples cook evenly from the bottom up. If you don’t have one, any oven-safe baking dish will work, but the skillet really does add something special.

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Crumble Skillet

Serving Suggestions

Complementary Dishes

• A simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette — The crisp, acidic greens cut through the sweetness of the crumble beautifully, making the whole meal feel more balanced.
• Slow-cooked pulled pork or a roast chicken — The savory, hearty main pairs wonderfully with the spiced, fruity dessert, creating a really satisfying comfort food menu.

Drinks

• A hot mug of spiced chai tea — The warm spices in the chai echo the cinnamon in the crumble, making for a cozy, aromatic pairing that feels like a true treat.
• A glass of cold, crisp hard cider — It reinforces the apple flavor in a fun, bubbly way and the dryness helps cleanse the palate between those rich, buttery bites.

Something Sweet

• A generous scoop of high-quality vanilla bean ice cream — The classic choice for a reason. The cold, creamy ice cream melting into the warm crumble and soft apples is a textural dream come true.
• A dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream — For when you want something a little lighter than ice cream but still decadent. A little vanilla or a pinch of cinnamon in the cream takes it to the next level.

Top Mistakes to Avoid

• Using warm butter for the crumble. This is the number one reason for a soggy, greasy topping. The butter must be cold so it creates steam pockets as it melts in the oven, which is what gives you that lovely, flaky texture.
• Cutting the apples too thinly. If your apple slices are paper-thin, they’ll release too much water too quickly and turn into applesauce. You want nice, substantial chunks that soften but still hold their shape.
• Over-mixing the crumble topping. Once the butter is incorporated and you have a mix of small and pea-sized crumbs, stop! If you keep going, you’ll develop the gluten in the flour and end up with a tough, cookie-like topping instead of a delicate crumble.
• Skipping the rest time after baking. I’ve messed this up before too, because it’s so hard to wait! But if you serve it immediately, the juices will be too thin and runny. Letting it sit for 10-15 minutes allows everything to set up perfectly.

Expert Tips

• Tip: Grate your frozen butter. If you want an even easier time making the crumble topping, try grating a stick of frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater directly into the flour mixture. It distributes the butter perfectly with minimal effort.
• Tip: Add a handful of nuts for extra crunch. Toss in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts into your crumble mixture before sprinkling it on. They toast up in the oven and add a wonderful nutty flavor and extra textural contrast.
• Tip: Par-cook your apples for a firmer texture. If you prefer your apple filling with more bite, you can sauté the spiced apple mixture in the skillet for 5-7 minutes before adding the topping and baking. This cooks off some of the initial liquid and keeps the apples from becoming too soft.
• Tip: Make it ahead for easy entertaining. You can assemble the entire crumble in the skillet, cover it tightly, and keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking. Just add a few extra minutes to the baking time since it will be going into the oven cold.

FAQs

Can I use a different type of fruit?
Absolutely! This recipe is a fantastic template. Pears work wonderfully with the cinnamon, and you can even try a mix of peaches and berries in the summer. Just keep the total fruit volume roughly the same—about 6-7 cups of chopped fruit. You might need to adjust the sugar depending on the sweetness of your fruit, and berries might require a touch more flour to thicken their extra juices.

Can I make this gluten-free?
Yes, it’s a very easy swap. Use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend in place of the regular flour in both the filling and the topping. Make sure your oats are certified gluten-free as well. The texture might be slightly more delicate, but it will be just as delicious and have that same satisfying crumble crunch.

Why is my topping not crispy?
This usually happens for one of two reasons. First, the butter might have been too soft when you made the topping, causing it to absorb into the flour instead of creating steam. Second, the crumble might be under-baked. Make sure the top is a deep, golden brown and you can see the fruit juices bubbling thickly around the edges—that’s your visual cue that it’s done.

How should I store leftovers?
Once completely cooled, cover the skillet tightly with foil or transfer any leftovers to an airtight container. It will keep at room temperature for a day, but for any longer, I’d refrigerate it for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or the whole thing in a 350°F oven until warm. The topping will soften in the fridge, but reheating in the oven will help crisp it up again.

Can I freeze the baked crumble?
You can, though the topping will lose a bit of its crispness upon thawing. Let the baked crumble cool completely, then wrap the entire skillet tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap and foil. It will freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through to help revive the texture.