Apple Slab Pie with Crumble Topping
This apple slab pie with a buttery crumble topping feeds a crowd with flaky pie crust, cinnamon-spiced apples, and a crisp streusel finish. An easy fall dessert everyone will love.
The Easiest Way to Feed a Crowd This Fall
If you love the flavors of a classic apple pie but dread rolling out a perfect lattice top, this apple slab pie is about to become your new favorite fall dessert. It takes everything wonderful about traditional apple and pie crust recipes and turns it into a sheet pan version that's easier to make, easier to slice, and somehow even easier to devour. With a buttery, oat-studded crumble topping instead of a second layer of dough, this is one of the most forgiving homemade apple desserts you'll ever bake.
Think of it as an apple crisp with pie crust underneath, all baked together in one pan so every bite gets that contrast of flaky crust, soft cinnamon apples, and a crunchy, golden crumble. It's the kind of easy apple pie crust dessert that disappears fast at potlucks, holiday tables, and weeknight dinners alike.
Before we get cooking, the right tools and ingredients make a real difference here. A good rolling pin, a sturdy rimmed sheet pan, and a reliable pastry cutter will save you a lot of frustration, especially when working with cold butter for the crumble.
Why You'll Love This Apple Slab Pie
This recipe checks every box for anyone searching for fall pies recipes easy enough for a weeknight, yet impressive enough for guests.
- It feeds up to 16 people from a single pan, making it perfect for parties
- No lattice weaving or fussy top crust required
- The crumble topping adds texture you just don't get from a traditional double crust
- It slices into neat squares instead of wedges, so portioning is effortless
Chef's Tip: Let the pie cool for a full hour before slicing. I know it's tempting to dig in right away, but the cornstarch needs time to set the filling, or you'll end up with a beautiful but soupy square.
A Few Notes on the Apples
When you're making any recipe with pie filling this substantial, the apples do all the heavy lifting, so choose wisely. A mix of tart and sweet varieties, like Granny Smith paired with Honeycrisp, gives you the best balance of structure and flavor. Firm apples hold their shape during the long bake time, so avoid softer varieties like McIntosh, which tend to turn mushy.
Tossing the apples in lemon juice does double duty here. It brightens the flavor and helps prevent browning while you prep the rest of the ingredients. The cornstarch is essential too, since it thickens the natural juices released during baking so your apple tarts with pie crust style filling stays sliceable rather than runny.
Building the Crumble Topping
Unlike a one crust apple pie with just a plain top, this crumble version uses cold butter cut into a mixture of flour, brown sugar, and rolled oats. The goal is coarse, pea-sized crumbs, not a smooth dough. Cold butter is the secret here, since it creates those irresistible craggy pockets that turn golden and crisp in the oven.
If your kitchen runs warm, pop the butter cubes in the freezer for 10 minutes before you start. It makes cutting them into the flour mixture much easier and keeps your topping nice and crumbly instead of pasty.
Ready to make it? Here is the full step by step recipe:
Apple Slab Pie with Crumble Topping
This apple slab pie with a buttery crumble topping feeds a crowd with flaky pie crust, cinnamon-spiced apples, and a crisp streusel finish. An easy fall dessert everyone will love.
Ingredients
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts, store-bought or homemade, for a double pie crust base
- 8 cups apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced, a mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp works best
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed, divided between filling and topping
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 3 tbsp cornstarch, to thicken the apple filling
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, for the crumble topping
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cubed, for the crumble topping
- 1/2 cup rolled oats, old-fashioned, for texture in the crumble
- 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash on the crust edges
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instruction
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and line a 9x13-inch baking sheet or rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper, letting the edges hang over slightly.
Roll out both pie crusts on a lightly floured surface and press them together into one large rectangle to fit the bottom of the pan, patching seams as needed. Press the dough into the pan and up the sides slightly.
In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with half the granulated sugar, half the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, lemon juice, and cornstarch until evenly coated.
Spread the apple mixture evenly over the crust in the pan.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, remaining brown sugar, remaining granulated sugar, and oats. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture forms coarse, pea-sized crumbs.
Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the apples, covering the filling completely.
Brush any exposed crust edges with the beaten egg for a golden finish.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the apple filling is bubbling at the edges.
Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing into squares to allow the filling to set.
Slice into 16 squares and serve warm or at room temperature.
Equipment
- 9x13-inch rimmed baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Rolling pin
- Pastry cutter
- Large mixing bowls
- Wire cooling rack
Notes
Serving and Storing Your Slab Pie
This apple slab pie is fantastic served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the crumble, or at room temperature alongside a cup of coffee. Because it's baked in a sheet pan, it's also incredibly practical for slicing into neat squares to pack in lunchboxes or bring to a potluck.
Store any leftovers covered at room temperature for up to two days, or in the refrigerator for up to five. A quick reheat in the oven brings the topping back to life beautifully. This is one of those homemade apple desserts that honestly tastes even better the next day, once the flavors have had time to settle.
Whether you're a longtime fan of apple crisp with pie crust combinations or just looking for a fuss-free way to celebrate apple season, this slab pie delivers all the cozy, spiced comfort of a classic pie with a fraction of the effort. Once you try it, it might just become your go-to for every gathering this fall.
