Mini Apple Crumble in Individual Ramekins

There’s something so comforting about a warm apple crumble, especially when it comes in its own little ramekin. These Mini Apple Crumbles are cozy, simple, and full of delicious fall flavor. I love making individual desserts because everyone gets their own warm serving with tender apples and a golden, crumbly topping.

They are perfect for a quiet evening at home, a family dinner, or a fall gathering when you want something homemade and inviting. Serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and you have an easy dessert that feels wonderfully special.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• No sharing required: This single serving apple dessert recipe lets you protect your corner piece from everyone else.
• Zero crust anxiety: You skip pie dough, so nothing tears, shrinks, or makes you cry.
• Quick gratification: The ramekins bake in about 30 minutes, which gives you time to clean the kitchen and pretend you have your life together.
• Customizable: You serve the desserts in individual dessert ramekins and let everyone add their own ice cream or caramel.
• Holiday-friendly: These individual apple crumbles in ramekins work well when a whole pie feels unnecessary.

Tools You’ll Need

Nothing fancy, I promise.

• 6-ounce oven-safe ramekins: You need six small dishes to hold the goods.
• Mixing bowls: One bowl holds the apples, while another holds the topping.
• Baking sheet: The sheet catches buttery drips when the filling bubbles over.
• Fork: A fork combines the topping without turning it into paste.

Ingredients

For the Apple Layer

• 1 Tablespoon melted unsalted butter – For greasing the dishes so you do not need a jackhammer to clean them later.
• 3 large apples – Cut into 1-inch chunks. Use something firm like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp, or check out the list of apple cultivars if you want to get nerdy about fruit varieties.
• 3 Tablespoons packed brown sugar – Light or dark, whatever is currently hardening in your pantry.
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon – Because it isn’t an apple dessert without it.
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg – Just a pinch to make it taste like a holiday candle, in a good way.

For the Topping

• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar – Yes, more sugar. Do not question the process.
• 1 cup all-purpose flour – Spooned and leveled if you are responsible, or just scooped straight from the bag if you live on the edge.
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon – The backbone of this apple streusel dessert.
• Small pinch salt – To balance out the absurd amount of sugar we just dumped in.
• 6 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter – Slightly cooled so you do not burn your fingers mixing it.

How To Make Mini Apple Crumble

Set it, walk away, and pretend you did not just outsource dessert to a tiny ceramic dish.

1. Prep the oven and pan: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line six 6-ounce ramekins on a baking sheet. Do not skip the baking sheet unless you enjoy the smell of burning butter on your oven floor.
2. Grease the dishes: Brush 1 Tablespoon of melted butter into the ramekins to grease them. If you skip this, you will be soaking these dishes until the next presidential election.
3. Mix the filling: In a large bowl, stir the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together, then divide the apples between the ramekins. If some chunks fall on the counter, just eat them—nobody saw.
4. Make the topping: Mix the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt for the topping in a medium bowl, then gently fold in the melted butter with a fork. Keep the mixture as large crumbles and do not over-mix, or you will accidentally create a weird paste instead of a topping.
5. Assemble: Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples, pressing down slightly so it fits. It is totally fine if the topping is piled ridiculously high; it shrinks as it bakes down.
6. Bake: Bake for 32-36 minutes or until the topping is toasted and the apples are soft. Serve warm, preferably while wearing sweatpants.

Make It Yours

You can add chopped pecans or walnuts to the topping for crunch. You can use a mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples for a more balanced filling. You can finish each ramekin with caramel, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

This apple streusel dessert turns simple pantry ingredients into a warm individual treat without requiring a pie crust.

Perfect Pairings

These go perfectly with:

• A massive scoop of vanilla bean ice cream melting over the hot topping.
• Salted caramel, because stopping at butter and brown sugar feels unreasonable.
• Strong black coffee for a questionable but satisfying holiday breakfast.
• A cold glass of milk, obviously.

Mini Apple Crumble

This mini apple crumble combines cinnamon apples and buttery brown sugar streusel in six easy ramekins. The recipe gives you a single serving apple dessert recipe without pie crust, complicated techniques, or a huge pan of leftovers. Bake these individual apple crumbles in ramekins for weeknight cravings, fall dinners, or a mini apple crisp for Thanksgiving. Each warm mini apple crumble tastes even better with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Apple Layer

• 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter melted
• 3 large apples cut into 1-inch chunks that are 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick (about 4 cups or 480g chunks)
• 3 Tablespoons (38g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping

• 2/3 cup (135g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• small pinch salt (about 1/16 teaspoon)
• 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
• optional for serving: ice cream & salted caramel

Equipment

• 6-ounce oven-safe ramekins
• Mixing bowls
• Baking sheet
• Fork

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line six 6-ounce ramekins on a baking sheet.
2. First, brush the 1 Tablespoon of melted butter into ramekins to grease them. In a large bowl, stir the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Divide apples between ramekins.
3. Use a fork to mix this crumb topping. Mix the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Fold in the melted butter. Keep the mixture as large crumbles and do not over-mix. (If over-mixed, this will turn into a thick paste.) Sprinkle evenly over apples, pressing down into the apples if necessary so it fits. (It’s fine if crumble topping is still piled high on the apples because it bakes down.)
4. Bake for 32-36 minutes or until topping is lightly toasted and apples appear softened.
5. Remove from the oven and serve warm. If desired, serve with ice cream and salted caramel on top.
6. Cover and store leftover crumbles in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven if desired before enjoying. (See next for reheating in oven instructions.)

Recipe Notes

Make Ahead & Freezing:
Prepare the crumbles through step 3, cover, and refrigerate unbaked for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before baking. You can also bake them 1–2 days ahead, refrigerate covered, and reheat covered at 300°F (149°C) for 15 minutes. Freeze baked and cooled crumbles for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as desired.

Greasing the Ramekins:
Use melted butter, nonstick spray, a spoon, or your fingers to grease the ramekins.

Apples:
Use 3 large firm apples for baking. Granny Smith, Jazz, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Fuji work well. Peel them if desired.

Ramekin Size & Bake Time:
Use oven-safe 6-ounce ramekins. Smaller ramekins need less baking time, while larger ones need more. Bake until the topping is toasted.

One Large Apple Crumble:
For one large crumble, use a greased 9-inch pie dish or square pan. Skip the pie crust and nuts if desired, and follow the baking time from the apple crumble pie recipe.