Air Fryer
Air Fryer Apple Crumble
Crisp oat topping and soft Bramleys in 35 minutes. Why the apples go in on their own first, and why jumbo oats give you a dry, loose top.
Ingredients
- 700g Bramley apples
- 25g caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tbsp water
- 100g plain flour
- 100g rolled oats
- 100g light brown sugar
- 100g butter, melted
Method
- Check your dish fits inside the air fryer basket before you start. A 1.5 litre dish suits most models.
- Peel and chop the apples into rough chunks and put them in the dish with the caster sugar, cinnamon and water. Toss together.
- Air fry the apples ON THEIR OWN at 170°C (340°F) for 12-15 minutes, until softened.
- Meanwhile, stir the flour, oats and light brown sugar together, pour the melted butter over and mix until it clumps into rough crumbs.
- Spoon the crumble evenly over the softened apples, right to the edges.
- Air fry at 170°C (340°F) for another 15-20 minutes, until the topping is deep golden and crisp and the juices bubble at the edges.
Notes
- Cook the apples first, on their own. Put raw apples and crumble in together and the topping is burnt long before the fruit has softened. This is the whole reason air fryer crumble goes wrong.
- Rolled or porridge oats, not jumbo. Jumbo oats do not absorb the melted butter and you end up with dry loose oats on top instead of crumble.
- Melted butter stirred in, rather than cold butter rubbed in. It clumps faster and it is what gives you the craggy texture.
- Bramleys collapse into sauce, which is what you want under a crumble. Granny Smiths hold their shape more if you prefer chunks.
- The dish has to fit with room for air around it. A dish wedged into the basket will leave you with a pale topping.
- Air fryer models vary. Treat the times as a guide, go by colour and crispness, and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Watch it
More Air Fryer Desserts
Air fryer models vary in power and basket size, so treat the times here as a guide — go by colour and crispness rather than the clock, and adjust the seasoning and glaze to your taste.
Recipe source: Quantities and method from Effortless Foodie (effortlessfoodie.com): 700g Bramley apples with 25g caster sugar, half a teaspoon of cinnamon and 1.5 tbsp water, topped with 100g each of plain flour, rolled oats, light brown sugar and melted butter, in a 1.5 litre dish at 170°C (340°F) — apples alone for 12-15 minutes first, then 15-20 minutes more with the topping on. Corroborated against Recipe This and Sew White, who also cook at 170-180°C (340-355°F) and also cook the fruit before adding the crumble. All sources specify rolled or porridge oats rather than jumbo, which do not absorb the melted butter.