Best Apple Crumble Tart
This apple crumble tart combines a buttery shortcrust pastry with a juicy spiced apple filling and a crisp crumble topping. It’s simple to make, uses basic ingredients, and bakes up into a beautiful fall dessert everyone loves. If you enjoy apple pie but want something a little more elegant (and easier), this tart hits the sweet spot.
If you love apple pie and a buttery crumble topping, this Apple Crumble Tart will become your new fall favourite. It’s everything you want in a cozy apple dessert — tart Granny Smith apples, warm cinnamon and pumpkin spice, a crisp shortcrust pastry, and a golden crumble baked right on top.
I make this tart every year when apple season hits. It’s the dessert I take to friends when I want something beautiful but not fussy. The pastry stays crisp, the apple filling stays tender (never mushy), and the crumble adds the perfect buttery crunch. And the best part? Most of the components can be made ahead, so the whole dessert feels surprisingly simple.
This is the apple dessert that always disappears first. Every. Single. Time.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Crumble Tart
- Classic fall flavor — tart apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, buttery pastry.
- Three components, all easy — shortcrust pastry, apple filling, crumble topping.
- Make-ahead friendly — pastry + crumble can be prepped 1–3 days ahead.
- Better than an apple pie — crisp tart shell + juicy apple center + crunchy crumble.
- Uses basic ingredients — apples, flour, butter, sugar, spices.
- Perfect for holidays — Thanksgiving, Rosh Hashanah, or any Sunday dinner.
What Makes This a Tart (Not a Pie or Crumble)
This dessert has three layers: a shortcrust pastry tart shell, a juicy apple filling, and a buttery crumble topping. Unlike an apple pie, this tart uses a thinner crisp pastry base instead of pie crust, and unlike a classic apple crumble, it holds its shape beautifully in a tart pan. The combination of flaky tart shell + tender apples + crunchy crumble makes it unique.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Apples – Granny Smith apples hold their shape and give the perfect tart balance. Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Braeburn also work — mixing varieties adds great flavor.
- Brown Sugar – Adds caramel notes to the apple filling. You can use white sugar, but brown sugar gives the best depth.
- Pumpkin Spice or Cinnamon – Use your homemade pumpkin spice or swap with cinnamon + ground ginger.
- Nutmeg – Freshly grated nutmeg really enhances the flavor of the apples.
- Shortcrust Pastry – This tart uses rich shortcrust pastry (pâte sucrée) which bakes crisp and buttery. Sweet shortcrust also works.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter for both the pastry and the crumble topping.
- Flour – Helps thicken the apple filling and gives the crumble structure.
- Lemon Juice – Prevents apples from browning and keeps the filling bright.
Step-by-step: Apple crumble tart
1. Make the Shortcrust Pastry
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl), cream the butter and sugar just until combined — don’t over-cream. Add the flour, salt, vanilla extract, and egg yolk. Mix until the dough forms clumps.
Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
Pro Tip: The flatter the disc, the faster it chills.
Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface (or between parchment paper) to fit a 9-inch tart pan. Press gently into the tart pan, trim the edges, and chill again for 15–30 minutes.
Pro Tip: A well-chilled tart shell won’t shrink in the oven.
2. Make the Apple Filling
Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C / Gas 5.
Peel, core, and slice apples about ⅛ inch thick. Toss the apples with lemon juice, brown sugar, pumpkin spice, nutmeg, salt, and flour.
Pro Tip: Slice just before mixing — apples oxidize quickly.
Pour the filling into the chilled tart shell. It will look like a lot of apples — good! They shrink as they bake.
3. Make the Crumble Topping
In a food processor, pulse flour, white sugar, brown sugar, salt, and chilled cubed butter until the mixture forms large breadcrumbs.
Spread the crumble evenly over the apples.
Pro Tip: You can make the crumble up to 5 days ahead and keep it chilled.
4. Bake the Tart
Bake for 45–50 minutes, until the crumble is golden and the apples are bubbling.
If the crumble browns too much, tent with aluminum foil. If the edges of the tart darken, use a pie shield or foil.
Cool at least 15 minutes on a wire rack before slicing — the filling sets as it cools. Serve warm, room temperature, or with vanilla ice cream for peak comfort.
Tips for Success
- Keep the pastry cold at all stages for a crisp, flaky tart crust.
- Don’t prepare the apple filling too early — apples release juices and can make the tart soggy.
- Slice apples thinly and stack them high; they shrink significantly.
- Bake on a tray lined with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- For extra crumble lovers (everyone!), double the crumble topping.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Quick Fix |
|---|---|
| Crust shrank | Dough wasn’t cold. Chill before rolling and after lining the tart pan. |
| Soggy bottom | Apples released too much juice. Slice right before mixing + add flour. Bake on lower oven rack. |
| Crumble not crisp | Butter was too soft. Use cold butter and bake until lightly golden. |
| Crumble melts into the apples | Mixture over-processed. Pulse only until coarse crumbs form. |
| Apples too soft/mushy | Wrong apple variety. Use Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Fuji, Honeycrisp. |
| Edges too brown | Tent with foil halfway through baking. |
| Tart breaks when sliced | Still too hot! Let it cool 10–15 minutes first. |
Frequently asked questions
This tart will keep at room temperature for about 2 days. You can also keep it in the fridge for up to a week if wrapped well.
It’s fine at room temperature for 24 hours. After that, refrigerate up to 4 days.
Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, and Braeburn all hold their shape well.
Yes. Bake fully, cool completely, then freeze. Reheat at 160°C / 320°F until crisp.
Yes! The pastry and crumble can be made 1–3 days ahead. Assemble and bake fresh.
Best EVER Apple Crumble Tart
This apple crumble tart is the perfect combination of tart apples and sweet crumble. If you love apple pie you will love this tart even more. Apple filling baked in a rich buttery shortcrust pastry topped with buttery crumble topping is a dessert no one is going to refuse. The recipe is surprisingly simple and easy to make too.
Video
Ingredients
- 190 g (1½ cup) All-purpose flour
- 113 g (½ cup) Unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 50 g (¼ cup) Sugar
- 1 Egg yolk
- 60 ml (4 tbsp) Chilled water as needed
- ½ tsp Vanilla extract
- 750 g (6 cups) Apples (6 to 8 apples chopped)
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 100 g (½ g) Sugar
- 1 tsp Pumpkin spice or cinnamon
- ½ tsp Nutmeg fresh grated
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp All-purpose Flour
- 190 g (1½ cup) All-purpose flour
- 113 g (½ cup) Butter
- 55 g (¼ cup) Brown sugar
- 55 g (¼ cup) White sugar
- ½ tsp Pumpkin spice or ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Salt
Method
- In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar for just a minute until well combined. Add the flour and combine. Then add the vanilla extract, salt, and egg yolk. Combine well.190 g All-purpose flour, 113 g Unsalted butter, ¼ tsp Salt, 50 g Sugar, 1 Egg yolk , 60 ml Chilled water, ½ tsp Vanilla extract
- Make a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least two hours until firm to roll. I prefer to chill overnight.
- Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to the size of a 9-inch tart pan. Transfer the dough to the tart pan. Gently press the dough into the tart pan, making sure to press down into the shape of the pan. Then, remove the excess dough and neaten the edges of the tart pan. Chill the crust in the fridge for 15 minutes up to 48 hours.
- Preheat oven at 375°F/ 190°C / Gas Mark 5
- Peel, core, and chop apples into small slices about 1/8 inch. Add lemon juice and toss to combine well. Next, add the pumpkin spice, salt, sugar, and nutmeg, followed by the flour. Combine well. Pour the apples in the chilled pastry shell – spread them evenly.750 g Apples, 2 tbsp Lemon juice, 100 g Sugar, 1 tsp Pumpkin spice, ½ tsp Nutmeg, ½ tsp Salt, 2 tbsp All-purpose Flour
- In the same food processor, add the flour, salt, sugar, and chilled cubed butter. Pulse until it is a large breadcrumb consistency. Spread the crumble over the apples, making sure it evenly coats the entire tart.190 g All-purpose flour, 113 g Butter, 55 g Brown sugar, 55 g White sugar, ½ tsp Pumpkin spice, ¼ tsp Salt
- Bake the crumble tart in the preheated oven for about 45 to 50 minutes or until the crumble on top looks lightly golden. If the crumble on top starts to get too brown – tent with a piece of aluminum foil
- When baked, cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes, as the crumble is very hot. You can serve this warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Keep the pastry cold at every stage — that’s the secret to a crisp tart shell.
- Don’t slice the apples too early. They oxidize and release juice.
- Mix apple varieties for better texture and flavor.
- Bake on a tray lined with parchment — apple juices bubble over (they always do).
- Stack the apples high; they shrink a lot during baking.
- If you love extra crumble, double the recipe. No one has ever complained.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
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I made 2 of these tarts the day before Thanksgivng. The crumb topping held up perfectly after cooling and covering at room temp overnight. They were absolutely phenomenal. Delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback – I am so happy your family enjoyed this tart.
I am making 2 of these tarts for Thanksgiving 11/27/25. I will be baking these the day before. Can I leave them at room temperature covered overnight without becoming soggy or should I refrigerate them? Thanks!
You can absolutely bake them the day before! Just let the tarts cool completely, then keep them covered at room temperature. The crumble actually holds up really well and won’t go soggy overnight. No need to refrigerate unless your kitchen is very warm, but it’s not necessary in cooler weather. They’ll be perfect for serving the next day! Happy Thanksgiving.
Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving to you also.
My favourite apple tart! I made it many times and I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit. For the apple filling I use only half of the sugar and only half of the quantities for the crumble as it is too much for one tart. I also blind bake the shell so it is more crunchy. I also seal it by brushing some egg yolk in the last minute of blind baking. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback Daniel
I plan to make this; it’s looks delicious! I have an eleven inch tart pan; will I need to adjust the pastry ingredients?
You can use 1.5X times this recipe for a 11-inch pan, Sue.
Hi Veena,
I made this tart Saturday. The tart was extremely delicious. I used Granny Smith, green apples. The textures were perfect, crisp melt in the mouth pastry, soft apple and the crunchy crumble. The tart apples coupled with the lemon gave it a sharp flavor, the nutmeg and cinnamon followed with a cooling sweetness at the end. Truly delightful. I did blind bake the short crust and have not really made sweet short crust pastry. The methods and ratios were different and all was well. Good recipe, I will surely make this again.
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback, Stephen.
This looks fantastic. I plan on baking soon. Just checking. Are apple cut in 1/8″ slices or chunks
You can cut them into 1/8 thin slices or small pieces, do not make large chunks. Large chunks will not fit all the apples and when baked the tart won’t have a full look to it as the apples do reduce significantly after baking. Let me know how it was.