This post may contain affiliate links.

Slow Cooker Apple Crumble is a hearty, comforting favourite that’s so easy to prep and makes the house smell so good – bonus! 

It’s also the perfect way to bake ahead so you don’t have to think about dessert while the main course is being eaten.

A slow cooker with Apple Crumble cooked inside.

With just a little prep and then cooking that takes care of itself, this Slow Cooker Apple Crumble is then ready to dish straight up, making it so convenient when you’re spending time cooking a special meal for guests or to finish off a Sunday roast. 

Even if you’re a novice baker, you’ll be able to whip up this homemade pudding perfectly fine as it’s so easy. You can also make a double batch and freeze the rest for another day!


Why you’ll love this Slow Cooker Apple Crumble recipe

⭐️ Classic, comforting winter-warmer

⭐️ Simple, low-cost ingredients

⭐️ Easy but impressive


Close up of Slow Cooker Apple Crumble ready to be served.

How we came up with this recipe

You know I’m a fan of easy desserts, and a traditional, comforting classic that is Apple Crumble really lends itself to slow cooking, which is perfect for those days when you want to make something homemade but you don’t have the time to slave in the kitchen for hours on end cooking loads of courses. 

With just a quick fruit mixture and the topping to prepare, the trusty slow cooker does the rest of the work for a few hours, leaving you with plenty of time free before serving.

There is even a trick to getting the topping firm, as you’d want a crumble to be!

If it’s a slow cooker dessert your after, you could also try out my mouthwatering Slow Cooker Chocolate Orange Pudding or Slow Cooker Mini Egg Chocolate Pudding!


Slow Cooker Apple Crumble Ingredient Notes

  • Cooking apples – I used frozen for this but fresh work too. A cooking apple variety is important as it keeps shape as it cooks. Bradley apples are cooking apples
  • Unsalted butter – Use this straight from the fridge
  • Oats – I used Jumbo for texture but regular rolled oats are fine too
  • Remaining ingredients – Caster sugar, cinnamon and plain flour

How to make Slow Cooker Apple Crumble

slow cooker apple crumble recipe

1. Peel and core the apples and cut evenly. Put in the bottom of the slow cooker and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon.

2. Rub flour and butter between your fingers to make a sandy texture.

3. Stir sugar and oats into the crumble mixture and sprinkle over the apples.

4. Cook on HIGH for 3 hours with a clean tea towels under the lid. Remove towel and cook for a further 30 mins with the lid ajar.

Hint: If your slow cooker is not non-stick, you could wipe sunflower oil around the inside of it to grease it before adding the ingredients.


Leftovers

In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat fully before serving.

In the freezer This recipe freezes well. Just wait until it’s totally cold and then put into a freezer proof container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating in the microwave or oven.

Top tips

Non-stick

If your slow cooker is ceramic or NOT non-stick, you may want to wipe the inside edge of it with some sunflower oil before you add it to the pan so that the crumble doesn’t stick.

Covering

The trick to this dessert is the tea towel and lid tactic… put a clean tea towel under the slow cooker lid for the duration of the cooking time, then remove it (it will be damp) and put the lid back on, slightly ajar, for 30 minutes so the moisture can escape. This allows it to firm up.

FAQs

Is slow cooker apple crumble as good as regular apple crumble?!

Honestly? I’d say the topping is DIFFERENT. It’s a little more fudgy and cake rather than light and sandy? The tea towel trick is really important to try and help the topping to stay as light as possible. The slow cooked apples are totally delicious and gooey underneath.

Can I make the crumble topping in a mini food processor?

You can easily make this crumble mixture in a mini food processor, but I do think the texture is slightly better if you make it by hand as the texture is more.. interesting?! I promise it only takes 5 minutes!

Can I do this recipe in a large slow cooker?

This is best made in a smaller slow cooker if you have one as the fruit is deeper, is stays more juicy. If you only have a large (say 6.5 litre) size slow cooker, you may want to make double the recipe and freeze the rest for another day.

Can I use eating apples rather than cooking apples?

You can, but the bottom of the filling will be very smooth and not have good apple chunks. Also they are a lot sweeter so you may need to reduce the sugar measurement.

Can you recommend a slow cooker?

The Morphy Richards Sear & Stew Slow Cooker is my all-time favourite because you can use it for initial browning on the hob and it’s really light. For induction hobs, I recommend the Lakeland Digital 6.5l Slow Cooker instead.

Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.

Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).

5 from 22 votes

Slow Cooker Apple Crumble

This delicious and hearty Slow Cooker Apple Crumble is the easiest way to make our favourite hot dessert ahead of time – a comforting classic that can be left alone for three hours then served straight up.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients 

For the fruit mixture:

  • 1 kg Cooking apples, See notes
  • 50 g Caster sugar
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon

For the topping:

  • 175 g Plain flour
  • 100 g Unsalted butter, Cut into cubes, straight from the fridge
  • 100 g Caster sugar
  • 25 g Oats

Instructions 

  • If using fresh peel and core your apples and cut each one into 3 even-sized pieces. (If they have seeds, scoop them out with a teaspoon.)
  • Put the apples into the bottom of the slow cooker and sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon.
  • In a small bowl, put the flour and butter. With clean hands 'rub' the butter in. You do this by putting both hands into the bowl and lifting up some butter cubes with some of the flour and rubbing between your finger tips, letting the mixture fall through back down into the bowl. Repeat until the mixture looks like damp, lumpy sand!
  • Stir the sugar and oats into the crumble mixture and sprinkle over the apples.
  • Put the lid on the slow cooker, with a clean tea towel covering the top of the slow cooker, under the lid. Cook on HIGH for 3 hours.
  • After the cooking time, remove the damp tea towel and put the lid back on the slow cooker, but sit it on the cooker ajar so the moisture can escape. Cook for a further 30 minutes to allow the crumble mixture to firm up.

Notes

Cooking apples: This is the PEELED and CORED weight. I used 2 x 500g bags of Aldi Frozen Bramley Apples which worked brilliantly. The quantity would be about 6 – 8 Bramley cooking apples if you’re using fresh
Oats: I used Jumbo for texture but regular rolled oats are fine too
Non-stick: If your slow cooker is ceramic or NOT non-stick, you may want to wipe the inside edge of it with some sunflower oil before you add it to the pan so that the crumble doesn’t stick
To serve: Dish up on its own or with your favourite accompaniment (cream, custard or ice cream)
 

Nutrition

Calories: 425kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 4gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 5mgPotassium: 231mgFiber: 5gSugar: 42gVitamin A: 507IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 24mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Family Food
Like this? Leave a comment and rating below!Mention @myusername or tag #myhashtag!

new cookbook!

Featuring 100 delicious recipes that can be cooked in one pot, you can open any page in this book and find something that will give you not only a meal that the whole family will eat and enjoy, but also one that makes your life a little simpler in the process.

More Recipes

Sarah Rossi founder of TamingTwins.com and author of 'What's for Dinner?' books.

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Sarah. I help busy people decide 'What's for Dinner?' Find hundreds of recipes here, and also in my bestselling recipe book. Hope my recipes make your life easier ❤️

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Made this for my family yesterday and it went down a treat! I couldn’t get Bramley apples so went with granny smith and they worked just as well. Delicious with custard!