When the week has been long and the family is hungry, this spiced apple cranberry crumble recipe is the answer I reach for again and again. It comes together in about forty minutes with one pan and a single mixing bowl, so there is barely any washing up afterwards. The tart cranberries and sweet, cinnamon-spiced apples bubble under a golden oat topping that smells like a proper autumn kitchen, even in the middle of June.

Recipe Overview

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 30 minutes
• Total time: 40 minutes
• Servings: 6 generous portions
• Difficulty: Easy — suitable for beginner cooks and busy parents

Why You’ll Love This spiced apple cranberry crumble recipe

• It is genuinely a weeknight dish, just like our Quick Weeknight Easy Sheet Pan Harvest Chicken. You do not need to pre-cook anything separately or dirty three pans. Everything happens in one skillet and one bowl.
• The fruit does the work. Frozen cranberries and everyday apples need no peeling if you use soft-skinned varieties, which saves a solid five minutes on a Tuesday evening.
• It reheats beautifully. I often make a double batch on Sunday and warm portions through the week for an after-school treat, or for a different kind of make-ahead dessert, try these Easy Make-Ahead Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars.
• It uses store-cupboard staples. Oats, flour, butter, sugar and warm spices — nothing exotic, nothing that requires a special trip.
• It looks impressive without effort. The ruby-red fruit peeking through the golden topping makes it look like you spent far longer than you did.

spiced apple cranberry crumble recipe

15 min prep  ·  33 min cook  ·  4 servings

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Ingredients You’ll Need

• 700 g apples (about 4 medium), such as Braeburn or Cox, cored and cut into 2 cm chunks
• 250 g frozen cranberries, no need to thaw
• 80 g light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 150 g plain flour
• 100 g rolled oats
• 100 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 60 g demerara sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp cold water (only if needed)

Tip: Keep your butter properly cold until the moment it goes into the bowl. Warm butter melts into the flour and gives you a dense, cakey topping rather than the crisp, craggy rubble we are after. If your kitchen is hot, pop the cubed butter in the freezer for five minutes while you chop the apples.

Equipment You’ll Need

• Large frying pan or skillet
• Sharp knife and cutting board
• Mixing bowls
• Wooden spoon or spatula

How to Make spiced apple cranberry crumble recipe

1. Heat the oven and the pan. Set the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas mark 6) and place a large ovenproof frying pan over medium heat. Let it warm for two minutes — you should feel a gentle heat radiating when you hold your palm above the surface.
2. Start the apples. Add the apples to the dry pan and cook for four minutes, stirring now and then. They will soften slightly at the edges and pick up a little colour, and you will hear a soft sizzle rather than a fierce crackle.
3. Add the cranberries and spice. Tip in the cranberries, brown sugar, cornflour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and lemon juice. Stir for two minutes until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries begin to release their deep red juice. The mixture should look glossy and smell warmly spiced.
4. Simmer to thicken. Lower the heat and let the fruit bubble gently for five minutes, until the juices have thickened enough to coat the back of your spoon. If it looks dry, add the cold water a tablespoon at a time.
5. Make the topping. While the fruit simmers, combine the flour, oats and demerara sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and rub them in with your fingertips until you have a rough, clumpy mixture the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. Stir through the vanilla extract.
6. Assemble. Scatter the topping evenly over the hot fruit — do not press it down, or you will lose that lovely airy crunch. You should still see patches of red fruit peeking through.
7. Bake. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. The topping is ready when it is deep golden brown at the edges and you can hear the fruit bubbling up around the sides.
8. Rest and serve. Leave it to sit for five minutes before serving. The filling will be molten straight from the oven, and those five minutes let it firm up just enough to spoon out neatly.

Tips From My Kitchen

• Choose apples that hold their shape. Bramley apples collapse into mush, which turns the filling into a purée. Braeburn, Cox, Gala or Pink Lady keep their bite, so you get distinct chunks of fruit rather than a jammy layer. This is the single biggest difference between a good crumble and a great one.
• Do not thaw the cranberries. Frozen berries go straight into the pan. Thawing them releases water that dilutes the sauce, and you will end up with a soupy filling that soaks the topping from below.
• Cornflour is not optional. Cranberries are high in pectin and release a lot of liquid as they burst. The cornflour thickens those juices into a proper sauce. Skip it and you will be spooning crumble into a bowl of pink liquid.
• Use an ovenproof pan you trust. A cast-iron or stainless steel skillet with a metal handle is ideal. If your pan has a plastic handle, wrap it in foil or transfer the filling to a baking dish before adding the topping. I learned this one the hard way, and the smell of melting plastic is not one I want to repeat.
• Make the topping ahead. The crumble mix keeps in the fridge for up to three days in an airtight container, or in the freezer for three months. On a hectic evening, I just cook the fruit, tip the chilled topping over, and bake. It shaves ten minutes off the whole process.
• Reheat gently. A portion warmed in the microwave for 45 seconds is lovely, but the topping softens. For a crisper finish, reheat in a 180°C oven for eight minutes, covered loosely with foil for the first five.

Delicious Variations to Try

• Spicy Version: Add a generous pinch of cayenne pepper and an extra quarter teaspoon of ground ginger to the fruit. The heat builds slowly behind the sweetness of the apples and gives the crumble a lovely warming finish on a cold night.
• Vegetarian/Vegan Option: Swap the butter for a plant-based block margarine and use coconut oil if you prefer. The method is identical — keep the fat cold and rub it into the flour the same way. The topping will be slightly less rich but still crisp and golden.
• Different Protein: Crumble is naturally a fruit dessert, but if you want to turn it into a more substantial pudding, stir 100 g of cooked, shredded chicken into the fruit mixture before baking. It sounds unusual, but the mild savoury note balances the tart cranberries beautifully.

What to Serve With spiced apple cranberry crumble recipe

• Warm custard, poured generously at the table
• A scoop of vanilla ice cream for contrast against the hot fruit
• Thick Greek yoghurt with a drizzle of honey for a lighter finish
• A pot of strong tea or coffee to cut through the sweetness
• For a fuller family meal, serve it after a Classic Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe or a Cheesy Tuna Pasta Bake

Still hungry for ideas? You might also love Creamy Apple Crumble Cake Recipe from our sister kitchens.

Frequently Asked Questions

spiced apple cranberry crumble recipe

A delightful and warmly spiced apple cranberry crumble featuring tender fruit simmered with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, topped with a crunchy oat and demerara sugar topping. Perfect as a comforting dessert.

Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 33 minutes mins

Total Time 53 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Dessert

Calories: 420

Ingredients
Method
Notes

Ingredients

  

• 700 g apples about 4 medium, such as Braeburn or Cox, cored and cut into 2 cm chunks
• 250 g frozen cranberries no need to thaw
• 80 g light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 150 g plain flour
• 100 g rolled oats
• 100 g cold unsalted butter cubed
• 60 g demerara sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp cold water only if needed

Method

 

1. Heat the oven and the pan. Set the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas mark 6) and place a large ovenproof frying pan over medium heat. Let it warm for two minutes — you should feel a gentle heat radiating when you hold your palm above the surface.
2. Start the apples. Add the apples to the dry pan and cook for four minutes, stirring now and then. They will soften slightly at the edges and pick up a little colour, and you will hear a soft sizzle rather than a fierce crackle.
3. Add the cranberries and spice. Tip in the cranberries, brown sugar, cornflour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and lemon juice. Stir for two minutes until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries begin to release their deep red juice. The mixture should look glossy and smell warmly spiced.
4. Simmer to thicken. Lower the heat and let the fruit bubble gently for five minutes, until the juices have thickened enough to coat the back of your spoon. If it looks dry, add the cold water a tablespoon at a time.
5. Make the topping. While the fruit simmers, combine the flour, oats and demerara sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and rub them in with your fingertips until you have a rough, clumpy mixture the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. Stir through the vanilla extract.
6. Assemble. Scatter the topping evenly over the hot fruit — do not press it down, or you will lose that lovely airy crunch. You should still see patches of red fruit peeking through.
7. Bake. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. The topping is ready when it is deep golden brown at the edges and you can hear the fruit bubbling up around the sides.
8. Rest and serve. Leave it to sit for five minutes before serving. The filling will be molten straight from the oven, and those five minutes let it firm up just enough to spoon out neatly.

Notes

Ensure the butter for the topping is cold for the best crumbly texture. Do not press the topping down before baking to maintain its airy crunch. The crumble is best served warm, allowing the filling to set slightly after baking.

I hope this spiced apple cranberry crumble recipe becomes as much of a weeknight staple in your home as it is in mine. It is the kind of dish that asks very little of you and gives back far more than you expect — tart, sweet, warm and quietly comforting. If you make it, I would love to hear how it turned out, so please leave a comment below and tell me what you served it with. And if you are planning a fuller family dinner, this crumble sits beautifully alongside something like my Flavorful Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe or a Cheesy Beef Enchiladas Dinner.

spiced apple cranberry crumble recipe – Quick Weeknight Spiced Apple Cranberry Crumble

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