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Where to buy the ultimate apple crumble
We’ve scoured the shelves to test ready-to-eat crumbles and find the ultimate pudding!
What’s not to love about an apple crumble?
The crumble is a quintessential British pudding. With its crunchy, buttery topping and soft, tangy, Bramley apple filling, it is also perfect comfort food.
The dish originated in Britain during World War 2 when rationing meant that the ingredients for a pie crust weren’t always available. Using considerably less flour, fat and sugar, the crumble was created and the rest is history.
What is in a crumble?
Apple crumble traditionally contained four ingredients, tart Bramley apples, sugar, flour and butter or margarine. Today’s recipes contain everything from alternative fruits such as plums, dried fruit and sweet spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg in the filling, to tasty additions like oats, nuts, biscuits and desiccated coconut in the topping.
If you’re after a quick and comforting pudding without the washing up though, the supermarket shelves are packed with ready to eat crumbles and we’ve tasted them to find you the best.
Whether you’re topping your apple crumble with custard, cream or ice cream, we’ve found the pudding for you.
How we test
Our panel of 10 testers nibbled their way through nine ready to eat apple crumbles, to find the best. Each product was assessed on appearance, aroma, flavour and texture. Our testers were looking for a well-balanced, tangy stewed apple base with a buttery, soft and crunchy crumble topping.
JOINT WINNER: Waitrose & Partners Bramley Apple Crumble
Overall score: 83/100
This pleasing pudding has a very fine golden crumb which tops a generous compote with small apple chunks.
Our panel unanimously enjoyed the sweet, cinnamon and stewed apple aromas with just a hint of buttery, roasted oat.
The crumble has a vanilla and cinnamon flavour with beautifully sweet and sour apple filling. This is well balanced and perfectly cooked with a crunchy crumb.
BUY NOW Waitrose & Partners £3 for 500g
JOINT WINNER: Morrisons Bramley Apple Crumble
Overall score: 83/100
A very appealing, thick and buttery-smelling crumble tops the sweet, jammy apple in this tasty dish.
The large apple pieces are in a sweet sauce, with well-balanced acidity and are perfectly cooked. Our panel thoroughly enjoyed the crumbly, crunchy topping.
BUY NOW Morrisons £2.50 for 500g
RUNNER UP: Aldi Twin Apple Crumble
Overall score: 80/100
These tempting, individual apple crumbles have a golden, oaty topping and plenty of juicy apple filling.
The aroma is biscuity with a delicate, sweet cinnamon spice.
The sweet apple filling is well balanced with just a touch of tanginess and a crunchy yet sticky, oaty crumble topping.
Aldi, in store only £1.49 for 2 x 135g
Aunt Bessie’s Bramley Apple Crumble
Overall score: 77/100
A slightly pale, yet evenly sized crumb tops a golden apple filling with large sized pieces.
The aroma of the dessert has appealing buttery, cinnamon and tangy apple notes followed by a sweet and sour apple and subtle oaty crumble.
Some testers found the filling a little tart, whilst others enjoyed the tanginess.
BUY NOW Tesco £1.50 for 500g
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Apple and Oat Crumble Dessert
Overall score: 75/100
This golden crumble has an oaty topping and a glossy, apple filling.
The aroma is sweet and biscuity with a tangy note to the filling.
The large slices of apple are soft and juicy and the granola-style topping had a pleasant crunch.
BUY NOW Sainsbury’s £4 for 600g
M&S Bramley Apple Crumble
Overall score: 71/100
With its moist and glossy apple compote and appealing, golden crumble this pudding looks enticing.
It smells buttery with a sweet apple tang although some testers found the aroma slightly cheesy.
It has a very good apple to crumble ratio and our testers enjoyed the crunchy, sugary texture and flavour of the crumble, thanks to its well-balanced sweet and sour apple compote although a few also noted a slight cheesiness to the flavour too.
M&S, in store only £3 for 500g
Asda Apple Crumble
Overall score: 69/100
A pale, powdery crumble tops the juicy, golden apple pieces in this crumble.
The aroma is very subtle with just a hint of apple and raw flour.
The crumble is simple in flavour and buttery with a pleasant oaty note, but some testers found the filling a little unbalanced and oxidised.
BUY NOW Asda £0.90 for 500g
Tesco Apple crumble
Overall score: 66/100
This dessert has a thin layer of apple topped with a fine-grained crumble topping.
The aroma is understated with a tangy green apple note and soft butteriness.
The flavour of the crunchy apple filling is subtle, sweet and well balanced but testers found the topping a little dry and bland.
BUY NOW Tesco £2.80 for 540g
Co-op Bramley Apple Crumbles
Overall score: 58/100
These individual crumbles have a good crumble to apple ratio with a toasted biscuit-y topping.
The aroma is subtle but slightly doughy with a sweet, syrupy flavour to the apple filling. Some testers found this bland and slightly cloying.
Co-op, in store only £2.10 for 250g (2x125g)
Food and wine enthusiast Alex joined the Good Housekeeping Institute in 2015 following seven years in the wine trade. In addition to her passion for oenology and Diploma in Wine & Spirits, she is a dedicated home cook and baker with skills learnt whilst working alongside the likes of Michel Roux Jr and Antonio Carluccio.
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