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This Apple Cherry Crumble has the perfect combination of sweet apples and juicy cherries, topped with a rich and buttery hazelnut crumble topping. A simple vegan recipe with flavours that elevate the traditional British crumble dessert.
If you’re searching for a simple dessert that’s packed with fresh and fruity flavours, this Apple Cherry Crumble is the one for you. Juicy, colourful cherries are paired with sweet apples and elevated with hints of almond and vanilla, before being topped with a buttery, golden hazelnut crumble topping.
Offering a delightful twist on the British classic ‘apple crumble’ this dessert is perfect for cosy evenings or gatherings. With no need for complicated techniques or ingredients, it’s approachable enough for any home cook. Both the fruit filling and crumble topping can be made in advance, ensuring this dish is as practical as it is delicious.
Whether you’re looking to use up a glut of homegrown apples, or simply craving a comforting dessert, this Apple and Cherry Crumble should really hit the spot. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or warm dairy-free custard for the ultimate cosy pudding. Let’s get started!
Quick Links:
- The full recipe
- Why you’ll love this recipe
- Ingredients needed
- Step by step instructions with photos
- How to serve and store
- Success tips
- FAQs
- Other delicious recipes like this one
Love this apple and cherry crumble but would prefer a streusel-style topping for more of a cherry apple crisp? Try our 3 Ingredient Oatmeal Crumble Topping instead!
Here are some more cosy vegan desserts that might take your fancy – jammy Blueberry Thyme Crumble, EASY 4-Ingredient Apple Crumble and Rhubarb and Strawberry Pie.
Why you’ll love this Apple Cherry Crumble
Simple to prepare. This easy cherry apple crumble recipe takes around 25 minutes to prepare and get into the oven, including chopping the fruit and making a quick and easy 5-minute crumble topping. No complicated steps required!
Bursting with fruity flavour. Fresh apples and cherries are enhanced with zingy lemon juice and a touch of aromatic vanilla and almond extract for depth of flavour. The roasted hazelnuts in the crumble topping add a delicious, buttery and nutty twist that pairs beautifully with the fruit filling.
Vegan-friendly. This recipe is completely plant-based, so it’s ideal for vegans and those looking for a dairy-free dessert.
Perfect for make-ahead cooking. Both the fruit filling and crumble topping can be prepped ahead of time, making it a great recipe for dinner parties or meal prep. Simply assemble and bake when you’re ready to serve.
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How to make this Apple Cherry Crumble
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients that you’ll need to make this cherry and apple crumble:
Eating apples. You can use any variety of sweet eating apple (Pink Lady, Cox, Gala or Braeburn, to mention a few). If you’d prefer to use cooking apples (Bramley), that’s totally fine but we recommend adding extra sugar to the fruit filling, to taste.
Fresh cherries. We use sweet cherries which typically have a darker purple colour and sweeter flavour than tart cherries. In the UK, the cherries on offer in supermarkets are almost always sweet cherries.
Sugar. We use demerara sugar but soft light brown sugar also works well. You can use caster or granulated white sugar if this is what you have to hand.
Lemon juice. Fresh or bottled is fine.
Cornflour. Cornstarch is also fine.
Almond extract. Adds a little bit of almond flavour, which pairs beautifully with the cherries.
Plain flour. Also known as all purpose flour.
Vegan butter. Ideally the firmer block kind rather than spreadable margarine.
Roasted chopped hazelnuts. You can usually find them ready roasted and chopped in UK supermarkets. If not, dry fry (no oil) some whole hazelnuts for 3-5 minutes in a frying pan over medium heat. Once golden and aromatic, transfer to a chopping board and once cool, chop finely.
Equipment
To make this cherry and apple crumble recipe you’ll need:
- a large saucepan
- a large deep pie dish (around 20-22cm /8” in diameter)
- a medium or large bowl
- basic utensils (knife, spoons, chopping board). If you’ve got a cherry pitter, all the better!
Step-By-Step Instructions
Here is a basic summary of the steps involved in this vegan cherry crumble recipe. Make sure to head to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and detailed instructions.
PREPARE THE FRUIT FILLING
STEP 1: Core and chop the apples into small pieces. Remove the cherry pits and stems and cut half into halves and half into quarters.
STEP 2: Add the fruit to a large saucepan with the sugar (50g) and lemon juice. Cook for 10 minutes or until the fruit has released its liquid.
STEP 3: In a small bowl, stir together the cornflour and water to make a white paste. Add this to the saucepan along with the vanilla extract and almond extract. Cook for 2-5 minutes until the fruit has thickened.
This is the consistency you are looking for:
MAKE THE CRUMBLE TOPPING
STEP 4: Add the butter and flour to a medium bowl and rub between your fingertips to make a light breadcrumb mixture.
STEP 5: Stir in the sugar and chopped roasted hazelnuts.
MAKE AND BAKE THE CRUMBLE
STEP 6: Put the part-cooked fruit mixture into a pie dish that is around 20-22cm (8”) in diameter. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fruit, to remove any excess liquid.
STEP 7: Sprinkle the crumble topping on top of the fruit filling.
STEP 8: Bake for 25-30 minutes in an oven preheated to 170°C fan (190°C conventional / 375°F / gas mark 5), until the topping is golden brown.
How to Serve
Serve warm. Remove from the oven and let the crumble rest for 5-10 minutes before serving for optimal enjoyment.
What flavours pair well with this Apple Cherry Crumble? The ingredients for this apple and cherry crumble have been carefully picked to create a harmonious combination of flavours, so serve with a simple vanilla ice cream or warm custard for best results.
How to Store
Crumble is a dessert that re-heats well. Here’s how to store and reheat it:
BAKED APPLE CHERRY CRUMBLE:
To refrigerate. Once any leftover crumble has cooled to room temperature, cover the dish with eco-cling film or place the crumble into an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
To freeze. Let the baked crumble cool completely. Place it into an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month, for best results.
To reheat baked crumble. Reheat leftover crumble in the oven for best results. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan (180°C conventional / 350°F / gas mark 4) and bake as follows:
- If baking from refrigerated: 15-20 minutes, uncovered
- If baking from frozen: 25-30 minutes, covered in foil, removing the foil for the final 10 minutes of baking to crisp up the topping.
- Ensure the filling is bubbling and hot through before serving.
UNBAKED APPLE CHERRY CRUMBLE:
To refrigerate. If you’d like to make the filling and crumble topping in advance you can do this. Make both elements separately as per the recipe but don’t add them to the pie dish. Place the filling and topping in separate airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 2 days before assembling in the baking dish and baking as per the recipe.
To freeze. Prepare the crumble as per the recipe and assembled into the baking dish. Cover the dish in eco cling film and then aluminium foil. Freeze for up to 1 month, for best results.
To cook unbaked crumble from frozen. Preheat the oven to 170°C fan (190°C conventional / 375°F / gas mark 5) and bake, covered in foil, for around 50-60 minutes, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes. Ensure the filling is bubbling and hot through, and the topping is golden before serving.
Success Tips
Drain excess liquid from the fruit. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fruit filling (apple and cherry mixture) from the saucepan to the baking dish, once it has been pre-cooked. This will drain off any excess liquid so that your crumble does not become soggy during baking. You might find that there is no excess liquid, it can vary between fruit varieties.
Use toasted hazelnuts in the topping for extra flavour. If you’re not using pre-roasted hazelnuts, lightly toast them in a dry frying pan (no oil) beforehand to bring out their rich, nutty flavour.
Don’t omit the extracts! The almond extract in particular is a key element for adding flavour to the crumble and the vanilla extract adds a subtle warmth and sweetness.
Adjust the sweetness to taste. Taste the fruit before adding it to the baking dish and add more sugar if desired. Bear in mind that the topping will add sweetness, but you may still like to add a little more sugar to the filling, since the natural sweetness of fruit can vary.
Serve with a topping. Fruit crumble is one of those desserts that is made for a creamy topping! Serve it with vegan custard, dairy free cream, or a scoop of plant-based ice cream for the perfect pairing with this apple and cherry crumble.
FAQs
Can I use frozen cherries in this Apple Cherry Crumble?
Yes, however they tend to give off far more liquid than fresh cherries. Let them defrost first and then drain any excess liquid before adding them to the saucepan to pre-cook as per the recipe.
Can I make this crumble gluten-free?
Whilst we haven’t tried it, you should be able to make this crumble gluten free. Swap the flour for a gluten-free alternative and check that there isn’t any gluten hidden in your other ingredients before making.
Do I have to pre-cook the fruit?
Yes, pre-cooking the fruit ensures that any excess water is released and can be drained off before the crumble topping is added. This prevents the crumble from becoming soggy.
How long will leftovers keep?
Store any leftover crumble in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days for optimal results. Reheat in the oven for a few minutes to restore the crisp topping and heat through. Check out our storing and reheating instructions above.
More delicious vegan desserts to try
I hope you LOVE this recipe for Apple and Cherry Crumble! Please share this recipe with someone you think will love it because it’s our goal to encourage as many people as possible to try plant based eating.
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The Written Recipe:
Easy Apple Cherry Crumble (+ Vegan Hazelnut Topping)
Ingredients
For the fruit filling:
- 400 g eating apples (approx 4, cored weight)
- 700 g fresh cherries (sweet not tart variety, pitted weight)
- 50 g demerara sugar (sub: soft light brown sugar)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
For the hazelnut crumble topping:
- 200 g plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 100 g vegan block butter (cut into small chunks (soy free if required))
- 175 g demerara sugar (sub: soft light brown sugar)
- 60 g roasted hazelnuts (finely chopped (*see note 1))
Instructions
- PREHEAT. Turn the oven on to preheat at 170°C fan (190°C conventional / 375°F / gas mark 5).
- PREPARE THE FRUIT. Core the apples and cut them into small chunks (1-2cm) (no need to peel them). Remove the stems and pits from the cherries and cut half of them into halves and half of them into quarters.400 g eating apples, 700 g fresh cherries
- COOK THE FRUIT. To a large saucepan, add the prepared cherries and apples with the sugar and lemon juice. Cook on the hob over medium heat for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit has started to release its liquid.Note: Some varieties of fruit will release more liquid than others.50 g demerara sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice
- FINISH THE FRUIT FILLING. In a small bowl, stir together the cornflour and water to make a white paste/liquid. Add this paste to the saucepan with the part-cooked fruit, along with the vanilla and almond extract. Stir together and then cook for a further 2-5 minutes until the mixture has thickened.2 tbsp cornflour, 2 tbsp water, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp almond extract
- MAKE THE CRUMBLE. Whilst the fruit is cooking, make the crumble topping by adding the butter and flour to a medium bowl. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips, to make a light breadcrumb mixture.200 g plain flour, 100 g vegan block butter
- Add the sugar (175g) to the ‘breadcrumb’ mixture, along with the chopped roasted hazelnuts. Stir together.175 g demerara sugar, 60 g roasted hazelnuts
- COMPILE THE CRUMBLE. Add the fruit filling to an oven proof dish that is around 20-22cm in diameter (8”). Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fruit so that any excess liquid is drained off before the fruit is added to the pie dish.
- BAKE. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top of the part-cooked fruit filling and bake for 30 minutes or until the topping is golden and the fruit mixture bubbling.
Notes
Nutrition
Tara
Hi, I’m Tara! I’m taking you on a trip around the world in vegan cuisine and bringing the world’s most delicious dishes to your kitchen.
