When I first saw this recipe I couldn’t imagine it making a nice apple crumble. I thought the crockpot would turn it all into a apple porridge type mush. But my curiosity got the best of me before too long and I gave it a try. I was delighted to find that you can make a beautiful apple crumble in a crockpot! The crumble comes out crisp and crumbly, the apples are cooked beautifully, and since you’re cooking in a crockpot it couldn’t be easier.
Ingredients:
4-5 cooking apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup flour (leave out for wheat free version)
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 teas ground nutmeg
1 teas ground cinnamon
4 T butter, softened
Directions:
Lightly butter the crockpot and lay the apple slices at the bottom of the crock. Combine the sugar, flour, rolled oats, nutmeg and cinnamon, and cut in the butter. Sprinkle the topping over the base of apples. Cook on low or auto for 3-5 hours.
Wheat Free Variation:
I’ve also made this without the flour and it still turned out perfect. It was quite by accident that I left the flour out, but my wheat allergy was starting to come back, so it’s good to find another delicious gluten free dish.
Important note for those on a gluten-free diet
Amanda, a reader of The Healthy Eating Site, made an important comment about wheat-free and gluten-free that I wanted to include here:
Just a little FYI. Technically, even though there is no flour/wheat, it is still not gluten free as it has oats. SO…this is good if you have a wheat allergy, but for people with celiac more modifications still need to be made in order for it to be gluten free.
just about to make this
Enjoy it! Let us know how you like it
This apple crumble sounds very yummy and very easy to prepare. Gotta go shopping for some nice apples
.-= Cheryl from thatgirlisfunny´s last blog ..Apply the 5 Second Rule and Stay Young from the Inside Out =-.
Hi Cheryl! It is so yummy. Sometimes I’ve just had a big bowl of it for dinner in the winter… sitting by the wood stove. The simple pleasures! I love cooking in the slow cooker because it’s so forgiving. You don’t have to watch it so closely in those crucial moments between perfectly done and burnt. I hope you enjoy it, let me know how it goes!
Ohh wow! I love apple crumble and my first thought when I saw this was yuck too. But I can’t wait to try it. I love my crock pot! I would be lost and hungry with out it!
Yeah crockpots are great aren’t they? I haven’t had mine for a while now because the ceramic crock got a crack in it and started leaking.
I need to get a new one. They are absolutely great for making a meal for you when you are at work or school (are you a college student?) I had one when I was in college, and I even cooked brown rice with it, it did a fantastic job.
Let me know what you think of the crock pot apple crumble!
Yumm! I just finished eating my first batch and it was very satisfying. I used what I had, 3 apples that were getting older, two packets of instant oatmeal (brown sugar and maple and cinnamon & sugar) so I cut back on the brown sugar. I had some aniseseed powder and cardomon along with the nutmeg and a little more cinnamon. I only had cheap margarine. But it still turned out delish! Thanks for the recipe. I will be looking forward to making it again with real butter next time.
~H
Hey Heather, I’m glad you liked it. Sounds great with the maple flavor in the instant oatmeal and the extra spices you added. Thanks for posting back and letting us all know. One of the most valuable kitchen skills to learn in my opinion is improvisation – using what you’ve got. I love it when readers try recipes, add their own twist and then write a comment about it. It’s inspiring, thank you!
I’m so glad I found this recipe. I needed a yummy way to use up a few apples. I can’t wait to try it out in a few hours!
Hi Katie, thanks for stopping by. Let us know how it turns out!
Just a little FYI. Technically, even though there is no flour/wheat, it is still not gluten free as it has oats. SO…this is good if you have a wheat allergy, but for people with celiac more modifications still need to be made in order for it to be gluten free.
Hi Amanda, thanks for adding that. You are so right. I have a gluten-free category as well as a wheat-free category, and I’ve put this only in the wheat-free category, but that doesn’t explicitly point out the fact that there is still gluten in it for those who are still learning about gluten intolerance. Do you mind if I move your comment up into my article as well? I think it is important, and it’s something I overlooked when I wrote that recipe. Thanks again!
I do not mind at all. I just wanted to point that out. I am going to check out your GF section now! Always looking for yummy GF alternatives for my kids! Thank you!
I doubled the batch for a Halloween potluck I’m having at work tomorrow. Can’t wait to see how it comes out!
Hi Jessica, what a great idea for a potluck! So appropriate for Autumn too, if you’re in the cooler parts of the Northern hemisphere. You must have a huge crockpot! Let us know how it turns out… and how well it goes down
Yum, I just made this and it was delicious! I have a tiny crock pot so I had to halve the ingredients, but it still turned out wonderfully
I ended up substituting a pack of instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal for the rolled oats, and then I poured the apple crumble over pancakes for dinner. It didn’t turn out crispy and crumbly per se, but the consistency was perfect for pancakes! Thanks for the great recipe!
Awesome, thanks for posting back your feedback and the alterations you used. I love it when people take the recipes here and create new variations and uses for them. Thanks Shannon!
This recipe was wonderful, I cannot wait to make it again! I was looking for Plum crumble for a slow cooker since I don’t have an oven. So I used 4-5 soft plum, 2 old apples, and a handful of fresh cherries. I placed a paper towel under the top to collect the condensation to prevent it from getting soggy. Thanks for sharing it!
Thank you Kayte! Your plum crumble version sounds delicious, thank you so much for sharing that! Great tip about the paper towel to soak up the moisture. I love it when people post back their variations of my recipes! Thanks again
Crock pot!! awesome idea. not sure i’ll go back to the old version now!
Yeah, the great thing about crock pots is that you don’t have to always keep checking to make sure it’s not burning or getting too overcooked. It does make it so easy.
Can truvia or splenda b used in place of brown sugar if so how much & is there a substitution for the butter? I am on a strict diet for a competition & would <3 a healthier version! Thanks!
I used some pears that I had that were getting a little over-ripe and it was awesome!!! I don’t bake, so I was super excited to have my house smell so delicious!
Wow, I never would have thought of pear crumble! Thanks for sharing that Tina. It’s such an easy way to bake too isn’t it?
I have a variation for the apple crumble.
I use almond flour instead of regular flour, other flakes like quinoa flakes to replace oat flakes and instead of sugar I use maple syrup. it takes about 10 more minutes in the oven I’ve tried it in the slow cooker before and it turns out fine.
Oh that sounds really nice Joan, thank you! I bet it’s even nicer than this original version.
Sounds great to me plus the fact that you can make it wheat free is great at my other half can’t eat the wheat. Thanks for this