Caramel Apple Crumb Pie

Name: Caramel Apple Crumb Pie
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 unbaked pie crust; 5 apples, peeled and thinly sliced; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 3 tablespoons flour; 3 tablespoons brown sugar; 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 cup old fashioned oats; 1/2 cup flour; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed; Caramel sauce for drizzling on top

November 9, 2020 by Danae 29 Comments

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This Caramel Apple Crumb Pie gets requested every holiday season! The sweet cinnamon apple filling, buttery oat crumb topping, and caramel drizzle are complete apple pie perfection!

Caramel apple crumb pie in a glass pie plate with a piece cut out and a black spatula in it's place.

This recipe and photos have been updated since the original post on 12/1/2014

It’s not Thanksgiving unless there’s apple pie on the table and this Caramel Apple Crumb Pie to be exact! I’ve been making this pie nearly every Thanksgiving for at least the last 10 years and every year someone wants the recipe. I don’t blame them. It’s loaded with apples, lots of cinnamon, a crumbly oat topping and then drizzled with caramel sauce. It’s truly the perfect apple crumb pie in my opinion.

If you’re not into a double crust pie and prefer a buttery, sweet oat, streusel topping then this is the pie for you. If you’re like me and find yourself picking at the streusel, then you may want to make extra so that people aren’t wondering about the bare spots when the pie makes it’s way to the table.

Ingredients used to make the caramel apple crumb pie. Red and green apples, caramel sauce, oats, brown sugar, flour, butter, vanilla, spices and pie crust.

Ingredients Needed to Make Caramel Apple Crumb Pie

Pie Crust
Apples
Lemon
All purpose flour
Brown sugar
Cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice
Vanilla Extract
Rolled Oats (old fashioned oats)
Unsalted butter
Caramel sauce or salted caramel sauce

Photo of a spoon pouring caramel sauce into a jar. Apple pie in front of the jar.

How to Make Caramel Apple Crumb Pie

Start by peeling, coring and thinly slicing the apples and placing them in a large bowl. Sprinkle flour, brown sugar, salt, lemon juice, vanilla and spices over the apples and stir everything together until all of the apples are coated.

In a smaller bowl combine the oats, flour, cinnamon. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and work it into the oat mixture with your hands or a pastry cutter until crumbles form.

A slice of caramel apple crumb pie on a white plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a fork next to it.

Roll out the pie dough and place it into a 9 inch pie plate and crimp the edges to make the crust. Pour the apple filling into the unbaked pie crust and top it with the oat crumb topping. Bake the pie for 45-55 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. You will likely need to place a piece of foil over the pie halfway through the baking time to prevent the crust and crumb topping from getting too brown.

Tips and FAQ

Time saving tips – Use store bought pie dough. Making homemade pie dough can be stressful for some people, save your sanity and buy some from the grocery store. If you are feeling ambitious, I love this extra-flaky pie crust recipe. Buying caramel sauce will also save you time, but if you make your own I’ve made this salted caramel sauce several times and it’s delicious.

Overhead photo of two white plates with slices caramel apple crumb pie and vanilla ice cream on them. A jar of caramel sauce between them and the pie in the background.

What kind of apples are best for apple pie?

I like to use a mix of a couple different varieties. Granny Smith, Golden Delicious and Honeycrisp are my favorite varieties to use. They stand up well to baking and have great flavor.

How thin should the apples be sliced?

I like to slice the apples very thin, no more than 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick. I think the filling bakes better when the apple are thin. If you do thick slices, you’ll risk the apples not being cooked and the crust getting over baked.

A slice of caramel apple crumb pie with a piece on a fork and a scoop of vanilla ice cream next to the pie.

Gluten-free substitutions

If you need to make the apple pie gluten-free you’ll want to look for a gluten-free pie crust or recipe for one. Replace the flour in the filling and crumb topping with a gluten-free all purpose flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking flour. Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats as well.