Slow Cooker Pumpkin Apple Crisp
This Slow Cooker Pumpkin Apple Crisp is an easy dessert that’s made completely in your crock pot!
You guys love slow cooker recipes. They are consistently among the most viewed recipes on this site, day after day. The top 3 reader favorites are this Slow Cooker Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole, my ultra-easy Slow Cooker Taco Chicken, and this favorite Crockpot Blueberry Peach Cobbler.
Based on the popularity of my Apple Crisp Recipe and Slow Cooker Apple Crisp, I wanted to create a slow cooker pumpkin dessert for all of you who love both pumpkin and your slow cooker. I tested a few different recipe ideas, and this Slow Cooker Pumpkin Apple Crisp was the clear winner!
It’s everything a fall dessert should be: full of warm spices, easy to make, on the healthier side, and it has both pumpkin and apples! If you’ve tried my apple pumpkin smoothie, you know this is a delicious combination. In this crisp, the apples are tossed in a mixture of pumpkin, pure maple syrup, cinnamon, and other spices.
Then you crumble on a simple whole grain crisp topping. While it cooks, the apples soften and absorb the flavors of pumpkin and cinnamon. The topping crisps up, and, if you take a peek you’ll see that the filling gets all deliciously hot and bubbly. The end result? An irresistible combination of pumpkin pie and apple crisp!
I can’t believe I’m about to write this, but… it’s just about time to start thinking about our Thanksgiving menus! This Slow Cooker Pumpkin Apple Crisp would be just the thing to make for dessert for Thanksgiving and other holiday gatherings. It takes only a few minutes to prep, which is important when you have lots of other dishes to prepare for a big meal. Plus, when oven space is at a premium, using your slow cooker to cook part of the meal is super convenient. And it solves the pumpkin pie or apple pie dilemma. You don’t have to choose, and you don’t have to make both… you can make this Slow Cooker Pumpkin Apple Crisp!
If you’re in the market for a slow cooker and need a recommendation, I have this one and love it. 🙂
As I write this post, I’m finishing off the last of our current batch of this dessert. And let me tell you, I’m already thinking about when I’ll make it again. The crisp was perfect yesterday right after I made it, but the leftovers are even better now that the flavors have had more time to develop. Topped with freshly whipped cream, it’s dessert heaven!
How I made this Slow Cooker Pumpkin Apple Crisp a guilt-free (yummy!) dessert:
- I sweetened the crisp with pure maple syrup rather than refined sugars. It’s not overly sweet, and it’s just perfect with a little freshly whipped cream or ice cream on top.
- The crisp topping is 100% whole grain, made with white whole wheat flour and oats.
- We’re using real butter in the topping! I have no problem baking with real butter. Even when used sparingly, it adds great flavor to the finished product.
- Pumpkin and apples are both full of nutrients and fiber.
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Apple Crisp
Ingredients
For the pumpkin apple filling:
- 15 ounce pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), (1 ¾ cups)
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch thick slices
For the crisp topping:
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- ¾ cup white whole wheat flour, or all-purpose or whole wheat per preference
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
For serving:
- freshly whipped cream or ice cream, if desired
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, ½ cup pure maple syrup, spices, and salt until well combined. Stir in apple slices. Transfer the mixture to your slow cooker insert.
- In a medium bowl, stir together oats, white whole wheat flour and cinnamon. Use your fingertips to work the butter into the oat mixture until the mixture clumps together and the butter pieces are small. Stir in the ¼ cup maple syrup. Crumble the topping evenly over the filling in the slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 2 to 2 ½ hours or on low for 3 to 3 ½ hours, until the apples are soft. Turn off the heat and let stand for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour before serving (keeping the lid on). Serve with freshly whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.
Slow cooker dishes are my favorite, and you make some delicious ones, Kristine! This pumpkin apple crisp looks amazing! Desserts made in the slow cooker are pretty much the best, especially when it involves yummy fall flavors. I wish I had this for breakfast right about now!
I have yet to try a slow cooker crisp and definitely need to! This looks delicious and I love the pumpkin apple combo. This looks way too easy to resist!
Love how you combined the two staple fall flavors into one seasonal dish! And this is so healthy and hands-off too 🙂
I love my slow cooker too but I’ve never used it for dessert! This pumpkin apple crisp sounds amazing though – I love the pumpkin apple combo. Two of my fall faves 🙂 so delicious, Kristine!
Can anything be substituted for the maple syrup?
Hi Barbara, you can substitute brown sugar for the maple syrup.
How do you make this? The site shows the ingredients but doesn’t say how to make it. Do you just put it all in the crock pot together or do you add stuff in steps?
Try scrolling down a little more. I just looked the recipe up on my mobile site and an ad loaded in the middle of the recipe box. Below the ad are the directions. Sorry about that! Enjoy!
Can I double this and just increase the cooking time a bit?
Yes, this recipe should double fine. The cooking time shouldn’t change much, but you are smart to plan for a little extra cooking time just in case. Enjoy!
Hi, do you think if you cook at home, and then travel for about 30-45 minutes, with the lid on, and then have the whole afternoon/dinner, you should re-heat a bit on low before serving this dessert? Or do you think a second wave of heat would do more harm than good?
If it was me, I would prep this at home and then cook it once I arrived at my destination (assuming you’ll be there long enough before dessert time to do so). That makes it easy! Otherwise, I think your plan would work. Enjoy and have a very happy Thanksgiving!
Can this be made with a crock pot liner/bag? Or should I just plan on scrubbing my crock pot liner??
I don’t use crockpot liners but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. This cleans up pretty easy in my crockpot.
What size should the slow cooker be for these recipes?
I use a 5 quart slow cooker. This pumpkin apple crisp could be made in a 4 quart as well.
Apples can be different sizes. Any idea how many pounds of apples one should use?
Hi Diane, I would recommend about 2.5 pounds of apples. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Can they be any type of apple?
Yes, you can use just about any kind of apple. Crisp apples are best because they will keep their shape while cooking.
Can you substitute Almond Flour for the whole wheat flour?
Hi Angela, I haven’t tested that so I’m not sure. If you try it, let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Can you use steel cuts oats?
Hi Beverly, No, the texture of steel cut oats wouldn’t work in this recipe. You need to use old fashioned (rolled) oats, sometimes called 5-minute oats.
Hi Kristine, what are your thoughts on making this the day before Thanksgiving and cooking it on Thanksgiving Day? Thanks a million!
To make this the day before, I would prep the pumpkin apple filling and topping and store them in separate bowls in the refrigerator. Then on Thanksgiving, transfer to the slow cooker and cook. The apples may brown a little being cut the day before, but I doubt you will notice in the finished dish. Happy Thanksgiving!
I appreciate your quick response! Happy Thanksgiving to you, too!!
This was great, thank you!
I made this recipe for thanksgiving and it was delicious! I decided to sub out the syrup for Splenda brown sugar baking mix and added a 1/4 tsp of maple extract to the apple mixture. It was exactly what I wanted! Apple crisp with pumpkin gooey goodness! Thank you for sharing!
*Re-entering comment because I realized I didn’t rate the recipe!
Can you substitute pumpkin pie seasoning instead and if so how much would I substitute the other seasonings with? Thank you
I would use 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice plus 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
I printed dozens of your recipes and added them to my family cookbook. I was excited to try this one for the fall, and I did today. It’s wonderful. It’s not too sweet, but just sweet enough. I don’t like my desserts to be overly sweet, so this one is perfect! I also love the fact that it’s made with maple syrup. The only recommendation I have is that I found the cubing of the butter into small cubes to be time-consuming and possibly unnecessary, because when I mixed them all up it resembled a soft cookie dough anyway…so next time I make it, I’ll just cream the cold butter and gradually work it into the dry mixture. This blend of spices and use of Granny Smith apples makes it extra special. I highly recommend this dessert for a fall treat!