Easy Vegan Apple Crumble with Oats (4 Ingredients, No Flour)

This easy vegan apple crumble with oats has a tangy apple filling and a crispy streusel topping. Made with 4 ingredients, no flour. Gluten and dairy free.

Easy to make with just 4 basic ingredients and no special equipment, this vegan apple crumble recipe features a crunchy streusel-style topping.

Gone are the days of soggy crumble, in this recipe we’re sharing with you the secrets to a good English apple crumble and revealing how to achieve a crisp crumble topping that stays crisp.

Making a great crumble is not a difficult process, but it does require specific steps – I’ll be walking you through the process, including crucial success tips and the best 4 ingredients to use. Keep reading to find out the secret to a good crumble!

Happy cooking, Tara x

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Updated on:  17 June 2026

Here are some more vegan recipes for autumn/fall that I think you’ll love:

• Use up the glut of apples by making our Apple Cinnamon Rolls (complete with vegan caramel sauce!)
• Our Gluten Free Pumpkin Loaf has 7g of protein per slice and a deliciously sweet pumpkin-spice flavour (but no refined sugar!).  It’s served with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
• Our Hot Chocolate with Oat Milk recipe is the perfect cosy treat for a cold and rainy autumn evening.

WHAT IS APPLE CRUMBLE AND WHERE DOES IT ORIGINATE?

Apple crumble, a British dessert dating back to World War II, traditionally showcases stewed or sliced apples beneath a golden crumbly topping made with flour, sugar, and butter. Often paired with custard or ice cream, it remains a staple in British cuisine, often gracing pub menus and English homes during autumn and winter.

A classic crumble topping, with its fine breadcrumb texture, transforms into a biscuit-like layer when baked atop the dessert. Over the years, various adaptations have emerged, including apple crisp which tends to have a streusel-style topping with crunchy clusters, and apple cobbler which is crowned with round scones. The terms ‘crisp’ and ‘crumble’ tend to be used interchangeably across the world to describe a similar dessert.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS 4 INGREDIENT APPLE CRUMBLE RECIPE

You need 4 simple ingredients. The only ingredients you need to make this easy dessert are apples, oats, brown sugar and vegan butter. So many recipes out there use unnecessary added ingredients – keep it simple! Apple crumble doesn’t need a lot of extras, it’s delicious as it is.

It’s got a beautifully crisp topping. This easy vegan apple crumble recipe has been developed with a crisp topping in mind. We’ve created a streusel-style topping for optimal crispness and use a cooking method that removes the excess water from the apples before the crumble is added. These are two of the secrets to keeping crumble topping crisp!

The crumble topping is made using my 3 Ingredient Oatmeal Crumble Topping – if you’d like to use it on other desserts or make a batch in advance to keep in the freezer, head there for the full method and tips.

Simple beginner-friendly recipe. Apple crumble is a brilliant beginner-friendly recipe. We’ve made ours extra simple, cutting out any unnecessary ingredients and steps.

The ingredients are customisable. This 4 ingredient apple crumble recipe can be whipped up with ingredients that you have in your pantry.

• If you have sweet apples rather than tart cooking apples, you can use those instead (just add less sugar).
• Short on oats?  You can substitute the oat flour for plain flour (all purpose flour) if you’re not gluten free.
• If you’ve only got white sugar or Demerara sugar, you can use this instead of light brown sugar.
• The only ingredient we don’t recommend substituting is the vegan block butter – this is important for creating those streusel-style clusters for the topping.

HOW TO MAKE THIS 4 INGREDIENT APPLE CRUMBLE

Here’s a summary of the ingredients needed and the steps involved in making this 4 ingredient vegan apple crumble with oats (but no flour!).

Make sure to head to the recipe card below for the full recipe, ingredient quantities and detailed instructions.

INGREDIENTS

We’ve created this recipe with just 4 simple ingredients (yes, you read that right!). This classic British dessert is at its best when it’s kept simple, so that’s exactly what we’ve done. To create this recipe you’ll need:

Apples. The most important ingredient of course! We used tart apples in the form of Bramley cooking apples, as is traditional in England. But you can use pink lady, Granny Smith apples or whatever is your favourite! If you’ve been busy apple picking this autumn, feel free to use whatever type of apple you have on hand.

Important note:  If you are using sweet apples, you’ll need around 1/2 of the sugar that the recipe calls for.  Taste the apple mixture once it’s partially cooked on the hob and add more sugar if needed.

Sugar. We use soft light brown sugar to give a beautiful caramel flavour to this sweet and delicious vegan apple crumble recipe. You can substitute for dark brown sugar for a more intense caramel flavour, coconut sugar or white sugar. We don’t recommend maple syrup for this recipe because you need a dry sugar (as opposed to liquid) for making the crumble topping.

Oats. We make this apple crumble without flour, instead using oats (both whole and blended).  Keep it simple and use either rolled oats or porridge oats. You’ll be blending the majority into an oat flour and retaining some whole to stir into the crumb topping (rolled oats are perfect for this due to their wonderful chewy texture).

Vegan Butter. We recommend using cold vegan block butter (either unsalted or salted is fine). For this dairy-free apple crumble recipe, we would not recommend using coconut oil or spreadable vegan margarine. Make sure your butter is cold, not at room temperature.

That’s it – no lemon juice or vanilla extract needed! The only additional ingredient that we recommend is cinnamon in the apple layer; it’s optional but well worth adding if you’ve got it to hand.

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Make sure to head to the recipe card below for the full recipe and instructions for how to make this 4 ingredient apple crumble!

Gather together your ingredients – tart Bramley cooking apples, rolled oats, soft light brown sugar and vegan block butter.

STEP 1.  Preparation.  Preheat the oven to 170°C fan (190°C conventional / 375°F / gas mark 5). Peel, core and chop the apples into 1-2cm pieces. Add the apples to a large saucepan along with 50g brown sugar.

Note:  If you’re using sweet eating apples, rather than tart cooking apples (Bramley), reduce the sugar by about 1/2.

STEP 2.  Cook the apples on the hob until they’ve broken down by around 50%. They’ll release water and then the mixture will thicken (this usually takes around 10 minutes), at which point they’re ready for the next step.

Tip: If you’ve got ground cinnamon, it’s a great optional addition. Stir 1 tsp into the apple mixture at this stage of the recipe.

STEP 3.  Add the partially cooked apple filling to a 20cm/8” ovenproof pie dish.

STEP 4.  Blend oats into oat flour.  Transfer 200g of the oats to a blender (a Nutribullet works well for this) and pulse for around 10-20 seconds to create oat flour.  Add the oat flour to a large bowl along with the vegan butter and 75g brown sugar.

STEP 5.  Rub everything together between your hands until the mixture is the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs, with some larger clusters in it.  The clusters go deliciously crispy when they’re baked!

STEP 6. Stir the remaining whole oats through the crumble topping.

STEP 7.  Sprinkle the crumble mix on top of the partially cooked apple filling in the pie dish.

Tip:  Got an oven proof saucepan/cast iron?  You can leave the stewed apples in the pan, sprinkle over the topping and pop it straight in the oven for less washing up!

STEP 8.  Bake the apple crumble in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the crumble topping is lightly golden brown. Serve warm with vegan ice cream or custard.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH APPLE CRUMBLE

A classic apple crumble is hard to beat with a generous scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream – the contrast between the hot, tangy filling and the cold, melting ice cream is half the joy of this dessert.

If you’re after something more old-fashioned, warm vegan custard is a traditional British pairing and works beautifully.

For an extra indulgent touch, try a drizzle of vegan caramel sauce over the top, or a dollop of coconut whipped cream if you want something lighter than ice cream, but still creamy and rich.

HOW TO STORE

Fridge.  Allow the crumble to cool completely before covering the baking dish in eco cling film (or transferring it to an airtight container) and storing it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezer.  Once cooled, transfer the leftover crumble to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.  Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Reheating:

• Oven (best for restoring crunch).  Cover the baking dish loosely with foil and reheat at 160°C fan for 15-20 minutes until piping hot through.  Remove the foil for the last 5 minutes to crisp up the topping.
• Microwave (quickest).  Reheat in 1 minute bursts until piping hot.  The topping will be soft rather than crispy (but still perfectly delicious).  Serve with a generous scoop of vegan ice cream or custard to compensate!

VARIATIONS

Apple and blackberry. A classic British combination — add 150g of fresh or frozen blackberries to the apple filling at the same time as the sugar. No need to pre-cook them separately; they’ll break down beautifully alongside the apple.

Apple and pear. Swap up to half the apple for ripe pear for a sweeter, more floral filling. Reduce the sugar slightly as pear adds natural sweetness.

Apple and cinnamon with warming spices. Take the optional cinnamon further — add 1/2 tsp ground ginger and a pinch of nutmeg alongside it for a warmly spiced filling that works beautifully in autumn and winter.

Individual ramekin crumbles. Divide the filling and topping between 4-6 individual ramekins for a more elegant dinner party presentation. Reduce the baking time to around 15–20 minutes.

With a nutty topping. Stir a handful of roughly chopped pecans or walnuts through the crumble topping before baking for an extra crunch and a nutty depth of flavour.  Or try our Hazelnut Crumble Topping for a deliciously unique finish.

TIPS FOR MAKING APPLE CRUMBLE WITH OATS

Here are our top tips for making this 4 ingredient apple crumble:

Pre-cook your apples

This recipe calls for you to part-cook your apple chunks in a saucepan before adding them to the baking dish. By doing this, the apples will begin to break down and release any excess water which is then simmered off. This is one of the secrets to a good crumble because it keeps the crumble topping crisp by not adding it to an overly wet filling.

Keep your butter cold

It’s essential to use cold vegan butter for this recipe in order to form those delicious clusters in the topping.  Softened or melted butter will give completely different results, causing the mixture to spread in the oven and potentially burn (so you’ll miss out on all of those lovely clusters!).

Making it gluten-free

Use certified gluten-free oats to make this topping gluten-free (as long as you can tolerate oats).  Just be sure to check the packet of your other ingredients, to make sure they’re gluten-free too.

Keeping your crumble topping crunchy

The oat streusel topping for this east vegan apple crumble is designed to be crunchy and it does a pretty good job of that. By pre-cooking the apples before adding the crumble topping, you’ll be removing the excess water, thus ensuring the crumble topping stays crunchy.

For the crunchiest crumble, you can cook the topping separately (please see the recipe card for how to do this) and sprinkle it on top of the filling on serving.

To make it in advance

If you would like to make this dairy-free apple crumble a day in advance, stew the apples until mostly broken down (approximately 15-20 minutes on the hob in a saucepan) and bake the crumble topping separately (see the recipe card for how to do this). Store both parts separately in airtight containers.

When you’re ready to serve, warm the apple filling up in the microwave (or on the hob) and pop the pre-baked crumble topping on a baking tray and bake for 3-4 minutes to warm it through. Serve the warm apple filling sprinkled with the crisp topping.

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID

Using melted or soft butter

This is the single most common reason a crumble topping turns out flat and greasy, rather than with crisp clusters.  Cold butter is non-negotiable here – if your kitchen is warm, pop the butter in the freezer for 10 minutes before you start.

Skipping the pre-cook step

It’s tempting to chuck raw apple straight into the dish, but skipping the saucepan stage is the most common cause of a soggy, watery crumble.  That ten minutes on the hob does a lot of work to reducing the liquid!

Overfilling the dish

If your apple filling comes right up to the rim, it can bubble over in the oven – so leave a little room at the top.  (9 times out of 10 I overfill my dish… don’t be me!)

Using a sweet apple without adjusting the sugar

In England we often use tart Bramley apples for making apple crumble, which require sugar to counteract the tartness.  You can absolutely use regular sweet eating apples (like Gala or Pink Lady), but you need to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe in the stewed apples by about 1/2 before tasting it and adding more sugar if desired.

HOW WE TESTED THIS RECIPE

Pre-cooking the apples vs adding them raw. We tested both methods and found pre-cooking on the hob makes a significant difference. Raw apples release a lot of liquid during baking which can make the crumble topping soggy. Pre-cooking for 10 minutes allows that excess water to evaporate and the filling to thicken before the topping goes on — one of the most important steps in the recipe.

Tart cooking apples vs sweet eating apples. Both work well — Bramley cooking apples give a classic tangy filling that contrasts beautifully with the sweet topping, while eating apples like Pink Lady or Granny Smith give a slightly sweeter result. We explain how to adjust the sugar quantity depending on which variety you use in the recipe notes.

The crumble topping ratio. We tested different quantities of oats, butter and sugar before landing on the right balance. Our first test was too dry and not sweet enough — increasing the butter and sugar gave us those satisfying crunchy clusters and a properly sweet topping that complements the tart apple filling.

Sugar types. We tested soft light brown sugar, coconut sugar and white sugar. Soft light brown sugar gave the best result — a subtle caramel flavour that enhances without overpowering. Coconut sugar was our least favourite for this recipe as it has quite a strong flavour, but it still works if that is what you have to hand.

Oat flour vs plain flour. Both produce a good crumble topping. We went with oat flour (made by blending oats) for two reasons — it keeps the recipe gluten free when using certified gluten free oats, and it reduces the ingredient count to just 4, keeping things as simple as possible.

With and without cinnamon. We much prefer it with — a teaspoon of ground cinnamon in the apple filling adds a warmth that feels quintessentially autumnal. It’s listed as optional in the recipe because it works well either way, but we’d always add it.

Cook time. We tested various oven temperatures and timings to find the sweet spot — 25–30 minutes at 170°C fan gives a topping that’s lightly golden and crispy.

FAQs

What is the secret to a good crumble?

The secret to a good crumble relies on three things.

1. Use cold block butter to create a crisp crumble topping.
2. Pre-cook the fruit filling to eliminate excess water and avoid a soggy crumble.
3. Choose a tart apple, like Bramley, because this gives a delightful contrast with the sweet crumble layer.

If you use melted vegan butter or softened margarine to create the crumble topping you run the risk of the topping spreading and burning. Cold vegan butter, on the other hand, helps to create those little crunchy clusters that are so delicious in a crumble topping because it holds everything together.

Pre-cooking the fruit filling in a saucepan for around 10 minutes, allows the apples to release any excess water which is then simmered off as the filling thickens. Once the water has gone and the apples have started the break down and soften, the thick apple mixture can be added to an oven proof dish, topped with crumble mixture and baked.

Which apple is good for apple crumble?

Traditionally in England we use the tart cooking apple variety ‘Bramley’ for apple crumble. Combined with a little sugar it creates a filling with a tangy flavour, which balances the sweetness of the crumble topping beautifully. If you use a sweet apple variety instead, reduce the amount of sugar added to the apple filling, or you may find you don’t need any at all.

If you’re lucky enough to have an apple tree, use whichever variety it produces for optimal freshness and flavour.

How do you cut apples for apple crumble?

To cut apples for apple crumble, peel, core and then cut them into small chunks (1-2cm / 0.5-1”). Add them to a saucepan and pre-cook for 5-10 minutes until softened, before transferring the filling to an oven proof dish, adding the crumble topping and baking.

Can I make this apple crumble gluten free?

Use certified gluten-free oats to make this crumble gluten-free (as long as you can tolerate gluten free oats). Just be sure to check the packet of your other ingredients, to make sure they’re gluten-free too.

Looking for a gluten free sweet treat with a healthy twist?  My Healthy Millionaire’s Shortbread has a date caramel centre and oat biscuit base – and you can eat it straight from the freezer for a quick snack.

Can I use whole wheat flour or regular flour to make this crumble?

We make this apple crumble without flour, instead using oats (both whole and blended), however, you can substitute the blended oats (oat flour) for whole wheat or regular flour if you prefer.  Use a 1:1 ratio (i.e 200g of regular flour instead of 200g of blended oats/oat flour).

Can I use dark brown, Demerara or white sugars in this recipe?

Yes, you can substitute the soft light brown sugar for dark brown, Demerara or white sugar, although they’ll all give slightly different results and subtle flavour differences.

How do you keep crumble topping crisp?

Keeping a crumble topping crisp relies on three things. First, use cold block butter rather than melted butter or margarine. Second, pre-cook the fruit filling to eliminate excess water. Third, store the crumble in an airtight container. For a really crisp topping, cook the crumble layer separately and sprinkle it on the fruit filling on serving. See our recipe card for how to do this.

If you use melted (or softened) vegan butter or margarine to create the crumble topping you run the risk of the topping spreading and burning. Cold vegan block butter, on the other hand, helps to create those little crunchy clusters that are so delicious in a crumble topping.

Pre-cooking the fruit filling in a saucepan for 5-10 minutes, allows the apples to release any excess water which is then simmered off as the filling thickens. Once the water has gone and the apples have started the break down and soften, the mixture can be added to an oven proof dish, topped with crumble mixture and baked.

How do you know when apple crumble is done?

You’ll know when apple crumble is done when the filling is bubbling and thick and the topping is lightly golden and crisp. Typically, this takes around 25-30 minutes in the oven at 170°C fan (if you’re using a part-cooked filling that you started off on the hob).

How long does apple crumble last?

You can refrigerate apple crumble for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Cool the crumble completely before transferring it to an airtight container and putting it in the fridge or freezer.

To re-heat the crumble, defrost it fully in the refrigerator, and then microwave or oven bake it until hot through. Re-heated crumble will likely not retain a crispness to the topping, particularly if microwaved, however, slather it in some vegan custard and it’ll still taste great.

If you’re after more vegan British comfort food, my Vegan Toad In The Hole has golden, crispy batter and is on the table in under 1 hour – perfect for a cosy night in.

Loved this 4 Ingredient Apple Crumble? Here are some more delicious vegan desserts to try

I hope you LOVE this vegan apple crumble recipe! Please share this recipe with someone who’ll love it because it’s our goal to encourage as many people as possible to try plant based eating.

Also, don’t forget to tag @aveganvisit on social media when you make this recipe. I absolutely love seeing your re-creations! Enjoy 🙂 x

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