Vegan Apple Crumble

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Filled with cozy apples and a delicious crumbly topping, this easy vegan apple crumble is comfort food for your soul! This dairy-free vegan dessert recipe has simple ingredients and soft cinnamon spiced apples with a streusel topping.

Super easy-to-make vegan crumble is the perfect fall dessert! This vegan crumble is lightly spiced with cinnamon. Add chopped hazelnuts or walnuts to make this easy recipe even more delicious. 

This recipe offers a flawless combination of tart, sweet, crunchy, and fall spice flavors. In addition, this recipe is dairy-free by changing traditional butter to vegan butter. In the simplest form, this is a vegan apple pie without the pie crust!

This vegan apple crumble is best served warm, preferably with a large scoop of ice cream. Enjoy the beautiful combination of flavors and textures as the vegan vanilla ice cream melts.

Jump to:

• What is a Crumble?
• What Type of Apples Should I Use?
• Why You Will Love This Recipe
• Ingredients, Variations, and Equipment
• Instructions
• Expert Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Great British Baking Show Bake
• Recipe

What is a Crumble?

Crumbles is an easy dessert made with seasonal fruits and limited ingredients. They originated in the UK during WWII. During this time, ingredients were rationed, and obtaining the ingredients used to make a pie was difficult. As a result, crumbles became a way to make a dessert with limited ingredients and seasonal fruits such as apples, rhubarb, and plums, which were readily available during the war.

A crumble is baked seasonal fruit topped with a crumbly mixture of flour, sugar, and butter. The fruit is usually sliced and mixed with sugar, cinnamon, and sometimes other spices or flavors, such as nutmeg or lemon juice. The crumble topping is made by mixing flour, sugar, and sometimes oats or nuts, with cold butter to create a crumbly texture. The mixture is then sprinkled over the apples and baked in the oven until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is tender. Crumbles are often served warm and can be enjoyed alone or with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.

Why Veganize a Crumble?

There are many reasons to veganize food; some are personal, while others support health or social causes. While my reasons span many areas, I think a great reason to veganize this recipe is that it is so easy to do so. Simply by swapping one ingredient, butter plant-based butter, a wider audience can enjoy this dessert.

Is this Apple Crumble really an Apple Crisp?

Crumbles and crisps are similar desserts that share many of the same ingredients and characteristics, but there are some differences between the two:

Topping: Apple crumble toppings are typically made with flour, sugar, and butter and can sometimes include oats, nuts, or spices. In contrast, crisp toppings are usually made with oats, flour, sugar, and butter and can sometimes include nuts or spices.

Texture: Crumbles toppings are usually denser and have a more crumbly texture than apple crisp toppings, which are typically lighter and more granular.

Origin: Crumbles are a British dessert, while crisps are a North American dessert.
Despite these differences, the terms "crumble" and "crisp" are often used interchangeably, and both are delicious desserts with baked fruit.

What Type of Apples Should I Use?

When making an apple crumble, you want to choose apples that are firm enough to hold their shape during baking but also tender enough to become soft and juicy when cooked. I find that granny smith apples work best. They hold their shape better than other apples when baked and are easily found at grocery stores in the US. Here is a chart of five apples that also work well when making an apple crumble.

Apple Variety	Flavor	Texture	Sweetness	Best Use
Granny Smith	Tart	Firm	Low	Holds their shape when baked
Honeycrisp	Sweet-tart	Crisp	Medium	Retains shape and flavor when baked
Braeburn	Sweet-tart	Crisp	Medium	Holds its shape when baked
Jonagold	Sweet-tart	Tender	High	Softens when baked, good for a smoother texture
Pink Lady	Sweet-tart	Crisp	High	Retains shape and flavor when baked

Ultimately, the best apple for baking any dessert depends on personal taste preferences and availability. Some people prefer sweeter apples, while others prefer tart varieties. Experimenting with different apple varieties to find your preferred type is always a good idea.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Quintessential Fall Dessert: This recipe perfectly uses all those delicious fresh apples during apple season.
• Quick and Easy to Make: Easy apple dessert made in 60 minutes, 45 of that is in the oven.
• Rustic:  Apple crumble has a casual and rustic presentation.
• Affordable Ingredients: This recipe is made with simple ingredients most of you probably already have!
• Easily Converts into a Gluten-Free Dessert Recipe

Ingredients, Variations, and Equipment

• Apples - 6-7 cups of sliced apples - I recommend granny smith, honey crisp, or gala apples.
• Brown Sugar - 1 cup, divided - You can use coconut sugar or any other vegan granulated sugar as an alternative to brown sugar. Using brown sugar in streusel topping and the apple filling will give warm, sweet, and comforting flavors.
• Cinnamon - 1 teaspoon - A must! Use ground cinnamon.
• All-Purpose Flour - 1 cup + 2 tablespoons - I recommend using all-purpose flour. To make this recipe gluten-free, try almond flour or oat flour. Refer to this post about oat flour substitutes for more gluten-free flour substitutions.
• Vegan Butter - 10 tablespoons, divided. (4 tablespoons at room temperature and 6 tablespoons melted) - You can use any good-quality vegan or plant-based butter.

In The Mood For Something Else?

• Vegan Brown Sugar Pop-Tarts
• Vegan Strawberry Cake
• Vegan Apple Honey
• Vegan Pizza Dough
• Vegan Baklava
• Easy Apple Curd Recipe

Instructions

Step One: Prep -

Preheat the oven to 350F/175C degrees and prepare a 9×13 inch baking dish. Peel, core, and slice 6-7 cups of apples.

Step Two: Filling -

In a large bowl, mix the brown sugar, plant-based butter, flour, and salt together in a large bowl. Mix in the apples and toss well to coat evenly coat. Set aside.

Step Three: Streusel Topping -

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the melted butter and mix with a wooden spoon. The streusel will be thick. Sprinkle on top of the apples.

Step Four: Assemble and Bake -

Evenly distribute the sliced apple filling in your baking dish. Sprinkle the streusel crumble mix topping over the top of the apples. Place into the preheated oven and bake for about 40 - 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Use a fork to test if the apples are tender. If the apples are not tender, continue to bake until you can gently pierce the apples. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve warm with vegan vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Expert Tips

• Only Use Crisp Apple Varieties: You must use crisp apples that can stand the baking process. I always recommend using Granny Smith apples; I think they bake better than other varieties.
• Room Temperature Butter - allows for even mixing of all the streusel ingredients to create a consistent texture. If your butter is cold, place it in the microwave, reduce the power to 3, and heat in bursts of 10 - 15 seconds until the butter is smooth. However, do not melt the butter. That will create a texture similar to a soup that will melt into the apples instead of being a topping.
• Topping: Apple crumble taste best when warmed up and topped. You can try many vegan ice creams; I recommend So Delicious vanilla ice cream with this recipe. Another option is homemade whipped cream. I like this version from the blogger chaos and wine homemade maple whipped cream. The maple adds the perfect fall flavor touch!

Money Saving Tip: Vegan butter at my local Kroger is barely under $6.00. On the other hand, Walmart sells the Blue Bonnet brand for less than $2.50 for a standard-size package. I always stock up and store it in the refrigerator and freezer to always have some on hand.

Frequently Asked Questions

Great British Baking Show Bake

Season 4, Episode 5, Signature - Tray Bake

This is part of my personal challenge to bake my way through the Great British Baking Show.

Count: 36 down, 244 to go!

Recipe