This apple crumble tart is made with a tender sweet tart crust, filled with spiced apples, and topped with a buttery brown sugar oat crumble topping. Using mostly pantry staples, this apple tart is the sleek, easier version of a dutch apple pie and is the perfect fall dessert for Thanksgiving.
Cinnamon apples and streusel topping are a caramelized match made in heaven. If you love this apple crisp tart, try your hand at Apple Crumble Bars, Cinnamon Apple Crumble Muffins with Oats,Apple Blueberry Crisp, Apple Crumble Cheesecake, or Apple Streusel Coffee Cake.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Fall flavors - Cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, apples! Baking all of these flavors together create the most incredible aroma in your kitchen (and then get enjoyed by your taste buds).
- Ideal holiday treat - Not only is this a perfect crumble tart for Thanksgiving, but it's also great for Christmas or any fall and winter holiday gatherings. It transports and stores well, making it the best option to bring as a party guest.
- Easier than pie - Really! This apple crumble tart is much easier to assemble than an apple pie. The pâté sucrée is far more forgiving than a flaky pie crust, the bake time is less, and it uses fewer ingredients!
Ingredients
- Sweet tart dough. This dough uses butter, sugar, eggs, and flour and needs to be made at least 1 hour prior to rolling out and assembling.
- Apples. Tart baking apples like Granny Smith, Braeburn, Gala, or Fuji are the best options for this apple crumble tart.
- Brown sugar. Used as part of the base for the streusel.
- Rolled oats. These provide great texture to the crumble topping. Quick cooking oats can also be used, but I love the chewiness the old-fashioned oats add.
- Spices. Cinnamon and nutmeg are tossed with the apples.
- Unsalted butter. Used in both the sweet tart crust and streusel topping.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Omit the oats, if desired or use quick cooking oats in place of rolled oats.
- Substitute or add berries (blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, strawberry).
- Use relatively firm stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, cherries) in summer months.
- Add a drizzle caramel over top after baking.
- Make them in mini tart pans or a muffin tin for smaller individual versions.
How to Make This Recipe
Begin by making the sweet tart dough at least two hours in advance to let it hydrate in the fridge prior to rolling it out to assemble the apple crisp tart. Follow the detailed blog post (linked above) to create the pastry dough and line the tart pan.
- Step 1: Roll out the sweet tart dough until it's at least two inches wider than the tart pan.
- Step 2: Transfer the dough to the tart pan and gently press the dough into the sides and bottom of the pan. Patch any spots that rip with excess pastry.
- Step 3: Use a rolling pin to roll over the top of the tart pan to remove the excess pastry. Freeze the tart shell during the next step.
- Step 4: Use a fork to mix together the ingredients for the crumble topping until small to medium crumbles form.
- Step 5: Sprinkle ⅓ of the streusel into the bottom of the tart dough.
- Step 6: Peel, core, and slice the apples to ¼" thickness.
- Step 7: Toss the apple slices with sugar and spices and carefully toss to coat completely.
- Step 8: Arrange the apple slices in a concentric pattern starting from the outside and working your way in to the center. Gently press down all over.
Hot tip! Fill any gaps with extra apple slices at the end. You'll be surprised how many you can fit in there!
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- Step 9: Cover the apples with the remaining crumble topping, then bake until set. Cool to warm, or room temperature before slicing in and enjoying.
- Step 10: Top the apple crumble tart slices with ice cream, whipped cream, or a dollop of powdered sugar.
Expert Tips
- Use excess pieces of dough to patch any weak spots or tears in the pastry dough.
- Freeze the tart crust in the pan while you slice and prepare the apples.
- Use all of the apple slices, tucking them in and gently pushing them down at the end.
Recipe FAQs
It should be a mixture of crunchy and chewy. Any outer baked portions will be slightly crispy, and the insides of any larger chunks should remain chewy.
A 9" tart pan with a removable bottom will be the easiest to remove the tart. If you don't have a tart pan, any pan (metal, glass, ceramic) with a slightly fluted edge will work.
Granny smith apples are a classic, but other tart baking apples such as Pink Lady, Braeburn, or Honey Crisp are also the best apples to use.
Because this tart is not par-baked, a longer bake time is needed. It's good practice to move the tart to the bottom third of the oven for the last 10-15 minutes to ensure a fully baked crust.
No. If you prefer to have peeled apples, go right ahead. However, it's not necessary, as the bake time ensures a very tender peel.
Storage
Store the tart lightly covered with foil at room temperature for up to 5 days.
To freeze, wrap the apple tart (or slices) tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and place in a zip top bag. Freeze for up to three months.
To thaw, unwrap the tart completely and thaw at room temperature. Re-crisp in a 350℉ for 10 minutes, if desired.
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📖Recipe
Apple Crumble Tart
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer
- 9" tart pan with removable bottom
Ingredients
Sweet Tart Crust
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Filling
- 3 tart apples peeled, cored, and sliced ⅛” thick
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Crumble Topping
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), cream together the butter, sugar and salt until smooth. Add in the egg and mix until incorporated, then scrape down the sides. Add the flour and mix on low until just incorporated.6 tablespoon unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 large egg, 1 ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and flatten it into a 1-inch thick disc. Place in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
- Peel, core and slice the apples to ⅛” thick. Add to a large mixing bowl and toss with cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour. Set aside.3 tart apples, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- In another mixing bowl, melt the butter, then add the brown sugar, flour, rolled oats and kosher salt and mix together with a fork until crumbles form.6 tablespoons unsalted butter, ¾ cup light brown sugar, ⅔ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup rolled oats, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Remove the dough from the fridge and plastic wrap and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Flour your work surface and rolling pin and roll out the dough until it’s ⅛-¼" thick. This dough is very forgiving, so if it cracks, you can patch it later. Roll the dough so it’s about 2 inches wider than the tart pan.
- Transfer the dough to the pan and press it into the bottom, corners, and sides of the tart pan. Roll the rolling pin over the top of the pan to remove the excess dough, then use any of the scraps to patch holes or weak spots.
- Transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes, and preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Scatter ⅓ cup of streusel to the bottom of the frozen tart shell.
- Layer the apples, overlapping slightly, in a spiral pattern starting from the outside and moving inwards, then fill any gaps with leftover apple slices. Gently press the apples down with your hands.
- Sprinkle the remaining streusel over top of the apples, then bake in the center rack for 40-50 minutes until the edge of the crust is golden brown, apple filling is bubbling, and crumble topping is golden brown.
- Note: check the tart around 30 minutes. If it is browning too quickly, lightly tent the entire tart with foil.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool completely, then remove from the tart pan, slice, and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Taylor says
Can you make the dough crust a day before?
Callan Wenner says
Totally! You can either leave it in the fridge overnight wrapped in plastic wrap, or you can roll it out and set it into the tart pan and then cover that tightly and keep it in the fridge. Either will work!
Barb says
Made this for Thanksgiving this year. It was so beautiful and so delicious! I will definitely be making this again. Simple elegance.
Callan Wenner says
Ahh thanks so much for this glowing review, Barb! Thank you for trying it 🙂
Ktjeeper says
Please check your metric to us customary conversion. 165 g of flour makes much more than 1/4 cup.
Callan Wenner says
Thanks for pointing this out - definite conversion error! Should be 45g - I've just corrected it in the recipe card.
Bobby J says
I actually had to start from scratch here when I realized 45g is nowhere near the correct amount for a proper crust. It yielded a dough all roughly the size of four marbles. 125g is what I used and it came out perfect.
Callan Wenner says
Bobby - I'm so sorry for my error in the recipe card...it should have been 165 grams! I'm glad you were able to recreate it on the second round using 125g. I never want bakers to have to start from scratch due to my errors...thanks so much for trying again! I appreciate it.
Doris says
Was wondering if you need to grease the tart pan before putting the5 pie Crust in it
Callan Wenner says
Hi Doris - no greasing needed, just add the dough in!