Apple and blueberry crumble with gentle hints of baking spices is a great dessert all year round. This easy crumble recipe can be made with fresh or frozen blueberries and it’s oven-ready in 20 minutes.
This quick and easy apple and blueberry crumble is a wonderful way to deviate from a traditional apple crumble.
Although crumble is seemingly an ever-popular pudding, it’s always satisfying to surprise people with a flavour they are not expecting. The marriage of apples with blueberries and a subtle hint of sweet baking spice in this rendition certainly makes it noteworthy.
Try serving this blueberry and apple crumble warm with vanilla ice cream. Alternatively, opt for blueberry ice cream if you can find some or have the inclination to make your own.
Love interesting crumble recipes? Try my recipes for gooseberry crumble, pineapple crumble and blackcurrant crumble too.
Why you should try this blueberry and apple crumble recipe
- It’s an enchantingly colourful crumble.
- And it tastes sensational – tart apples are luscious alongside the sweet and floral blueberries.
- It’s a quick and easy recipe to prepare that can be oven-ready in around 20 minutes.
- This pudding serves 6 people generously.
- And this recipe for blueberry and apple crumble is easy to turn vegan and/ or gluten-free.
Ingredients notes
Apples: I recommend using a mixture of eating and cooking apples. Cooking apples breakdown during cooking, turning saucy, whereas eating apples usually hold their shape.
Two small cooking apples and 3 large eating apples should take you to the weight listed in the recipe. I also opted for a mixture of eating apples, incorporating 1 Granny Smith and 2 Pink Lady Apples for a tasty blend of sweet and tart fruit.
The choice of apple used in the crumble will affect the taste and texture of the crumble, so give it some thought and pick according to your own taste preferences.
Butter: use proper butter for the best-flavoured crumble topping. If dietary restrictions prevent this, use a dairy-free alternative but add in an extra pinch of salt to boost the flavour.
Flour: always use plain flour (all-purpose flour) when making fruit crumble. Self-raising flour contains raising agents that are out of place in crumble recipes.
Sugar: you’ll need both white sugar and demerara sugar in this recipe. I used caster sugar in the fruit mix and the topping as it is what I had in my pantry. Granulated sugar works well too. The demerara sugar adds depth of flavour and a little extra texture to the crumble topping.
Oats: these are not a traditional ingredient in a typical British crumble recipe. However, I think a smattering of oats really livens up the texture of the topping. They can be small or jumbo oats, but don’t use instant oats such as Ready Brek as they could turn the topping mushy.
Spices: these are optional, but they do enhance the fruit layer in this apple and blueberry crumble recipe. I went with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, but you could use pumpkin spice or chai spice instead.
Instructions
There are three easy stages to making this apple and blueberry crumble recipe:
- Prepare the topping
- Prepare the fruit
- Assemble the crumble and bake it
All stages are quick and simple though. In fact, this pudding should be oven-ready in less than 20 minutes.
Prepare the crumble topping:
- Put the flour, caster sugar and salt into a mixing bowl and stir briefly.
- Cube the butter, add to the bowl and rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Mix in the oats and demerara sugar.
Prepare the fruit:
- Mix the cornflour, sugar and spices together in a bowl.
- Peel and core the apples then chop roughly.
- Place the apple chunks in a large mixing bowl and mix them up (this is very important if using a variety of apples).
- Add the blueberries and the sugar mixture and stir well.
Assemble and bake:
- Lightly grease a large baking dish with butter.
- Tip the fruit into the dish, scattering any leftover sugar & cornflour mixture over the top.
- Spoon the crumble topping over the fruit, ensuring it is all covered.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes until the top is golden.
- Let stand for 15 minutes then serve.
Expert tips
- Measure ingredients accurately – using digital scales along with gram measurements is much more precise than using cup measurements.
- Use a large, deep-sided oven-proof bowl to cook the crumble in.
- Ensure all apple skins, cores and pips are removed – if left on when the apples are chopped, once cooked, they will be unpleasant to chew.
- Don’t forget the cornflour – this is needed to turn the liquid from the fruit into a scrumptious sauce around the fruit. If left out there will be a thin, unappetising liquid in the base of the dish.
- The spices are optional. You can make a straight blueberry and apple crumble without them if desired.
- Make vegan blueberry crumble by replacing the butter with vegan block butter and adding in an extra ¼ teaspoon of salt to the crumble topping.
- Or make gluten-free apple and blueberry crumble by using gluten-free plain flour. There is no need to replace the cornflour as this is naturally gluten-free. However, take care with the oats since although they are technically gluten-free, oats are often processed in factories also handling gluten-based products, so cross-contamination can occur. If in doubt, leave the oats out of the recipe.
Frequently asked questions
Opinions on this subject are very individual. Some people will swear by using only cooking apples, others will rave about using just eating apples.
What’s the difference? Cooking apples break down into a sauce when cooked. They are also relatively tart so require plenty of sugar to sweeten them. Eating apples, on the other hand, hold their shape when cooked and are typically sweet enough to eat without the addition of too much extra sugar.
What type of eating apple to use is, again, down to personal preferences. Opt for Granny Smiths if you like your crumble with plenty of sharp tanginess to it. Pink Lady apples are a good bet if you’re not so into sharp fruit. Avoid Gala, Fuji and Red Delicious apples as these often turn a little mushy and watery when cooked.
Yes, you definitely should peel your apples for this blueberry and apple crumble recipe. Leaving the skin on could result in a fruit base that is difficult to chew. Sometimes apple skin can be tough when cooked. Avoid the risk and peel your fruit.
Yes. This apple and blueberry crumble recipe is a fantastic option if you are looking for a make-ahead dessert. Once cooked it can be cooled, covered and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to serve it, simply reheat it in a low oven (140C/ 275F/ GM 1) for 20-25 minutes.
It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to use it, let the crumble defrost fully before reheating it in the oven as instructed above.
When this crumble is adequately cooked the top will be gorgeously golden and you may even see a little of the dark juice from the fruit bubbling away around the side of the baking dish.
Serving suggestions
Blueberry and apple crumble can be served hot, warm or cold. It also pairs with all the usual suspects including:
- Ice cream (vanilla or blueberry)
- Custard
- Single cream
- Whipped cream
- Clotted cream
- Evaporated milk
Alternatively, a spoonful or two of this colourful blueberry crumble just on its own will never go amiss.
Variations
- Swap the blueberries for raspberries.
- Omit the spices for a simpler version of this apple and blueberry crumble.
- Use frozen blueberries instead of fresh ones. There’s no need to defrost them, just toss them into the apples and proceed with the recipe.
- Add some chopped nuts to the crumble topping for added texture. Almonds are a great option.
Where do blueberries come from?
Blueberries are often associated with North America because, as they grow pretty much across the entire country, it’s an incredibly popular and commonplace fruit to consume.
However, they are also prolific in Canada, Peru, Mexico, Chili, Argentina and parts of Europe including Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany and France.
Why does the UK import blueberries?
Although blueberry plantations are now being established in the UK, the vast majority of this fruit is imported from other countries as our supply simply cannot match the demand at present. Perhaps because our climate isn’t ideal for reliably growing this fruit successfully and, historically, it’s not a fruit that was on the radar for most consumers.
Given that the UK struggles to grow blueberries, it’s unsurprising that it’s only in recent times, when importing fresh goods has become a viable option, that this fruit has really captured the heart of the UK consumer. Apparently, demand for them has increased 10-fold over the last decade.
In fact, I have flimsy anecdotal proof that as recently as 1996, blueberries were an uncommon sight in typical UK supermarkets. It was in 1996 that I spent 4 months studying at an American university. As it was the mid-1990s nobody I knew had email, so I regularly wrote letters home to my parents. And I had the foresight to ask my mum to keep those letters for me.
Last year I rediscovered them. They made me laugh and cry and exhale some nostalgic sighs. I was so young and carefree.
But those letters are a stark reminder that life has changed so much in a quarter of a century – and not just because email (not letters) now rule the world. You see, in one letter I was wide-eyed in wonder at tasting blueberries. Yes, wide-eyed. I was excitedly telling my mum about trying them.
My teenage kids guffawed when I mentioned (1) the importance of sending letters along with the loveliness of receiving letters and (2) my blueberry excitement! In fact, they asked where I’d been living – under a rock, perhaps? No… but it seems that in their eyes I do officially date back to the olden days.
My kids have been eating blueberries at least once a week since they were toddlers. And of course, we often have not just fresh ones in the house but a few stashed away in the freezer too for smoothie-making. For their generation, life without blueberries in the supermarket is akin to life without email or mobile phones – an alien concept. So, it seems the UK is destined to carry on importing blueberries to keep up with the high demand.
Enough idle mind meandering though, now be off with you. Go and enjoy some good-for-the-soul homemade apple and blueberry crumble regardless of your geographical location.
More cosy crumble recipes
If you make this blueberry and apple crumble recipe I’d love to hear how you got along with it. Please consider leaving a comment or rating for it. You can also tag me on Instagram @jane_littlesugarsnaps if you take a photo and want to show me your epic dessert!
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Recipe
Apple and Blueberry Crumble
Ingredients
For the Fruit Layer
- 800 g Apples mix of cooking and eating apples (see notes)
- 300 g Blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1½ tablespoons Cornflour (cornstarch)
- 60 g White sugar caster or granulated
- ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
For the Crumble Topping
- 125 g Butter
- 150 g Plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 60 g White sugar caster or granulated
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 60 g Oats
- 45 g Demerara sugar
Instructions
Make the crumble topping
- Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ GM 4
- Put the flour, caster sugar and salt into a mixing bowl and stir briefly.
- Cube the butter, add to the bowl and rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Mix in the oats and demerara sugar.
Prepare the fruit
- Mix the cornflour, sugar and spices together in a small bowl.
- Peel and core the apples then chop roughly.
- Place the apple chunks in a large mixing bowl and mix them up (this is very important if using a variety of apples).
- Add the blueberries and the sugar mixture and stir well.
Assemble and bake
- Lightly grease a large baking dish with butter.
- Tip the fruit into the dish, scattering any leftover sugar & cornflour mixture over the top.
- Spoon the crumble topping over the fruit, ensuring it is all covered.
- Place on a baking sheet (to catch any drips if the fruit bubbles over the edge) and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes until the top is golden.
- Let stand for 15 minutes then serve.
Notes
- Measure ingredients accurately – using digital scales along with gram measurements is much more precise than using cup measurements.
- Use a large, deep-sided oven-proof bowl to cook the crumble in.
- Ensure all apple skins, cores and pips are removed – if left on when the apples are chopped they will be unpleasant to chew.
- Don’t forget the cornflour – this is needed to turn the liquid from the fruit into a scrumptious sauce around the fruit. If left out there will be a thin, unappetising liquid in the base of the dish.
- The spices are optional. You can make a straight blueberry and apple crumble without them if desired.
- Make vegan blueberry crumble by replacing the butter with vegan block butter and adding in an extra ¼ teaspoon of salt to the crumble topping.
- Or make gluten-free apple and blueberry crumble by using gluten-free plain flour. There is no need to replace the cornflour as this is naturally gluten-free. However, take care with the oats since although they are technically gluten-free, oats are often processed in factories also handling gluten-based products, so cross-contamination can occur. If in doubt, leave the oats out of the recipe.
- Cooking apples break down into a sauce when cooked. They are also relatively tart so require plenty of sugar to sweeten them.
- Eating apples, on the other hand, hold their shape when cooked and are typically sweet enough to eat without the addition of too much extra sugar.
- Opt for Granny Smiths if you like your crumble with plenty of sharp tanginess to it.
- Pink Lady apples are a good bet if you’re not so into sharp fruit.
- Avoid Gala, Fuji and Red Delicious apples as these often turn a little mushy and watery when cooked.
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