Apple Crumble Cheesecake

This Apple Crumble Cheesecake is the perfect mixture of warm cinnamon apples, comforting crumble, and a rich, tangy cheesecake. Cheesecake fans who love the apple season will adore this dessert! It has the most amazing flavor and texture, and it's the perfect treat for Fall that works for any occasion.

Best Apple Crumble Cheesecake Recipe

My Apple Crumble Cheesecake is the best because every element has been carefully thought through, tested, and perfected.

The buttery graham cracker crust forms a sturdy yet tender base that complements the creamy cheesecake batter, which is smooth, rich, and never overly sweet. The apple filling is carefully pre-cooked before being baked into the cheesecake, ensuring the apples turn soft, flavorful, and perfectly spiced without releasing excess moisture into the cake. The top layer is the golden cinnamon crumble topping, crisp and buttery, adding the perfect crunch to contrast with the silky filling. As if that wasn't decadent enough, there's an apple caramel sauce to drizzle over the top, too.

This recipe has been rigorously tested so that anyone can follow it with confidence, and the flavors are harmonized so beautifully that every bite delivers warmth, creaminess, and a hint of spiced apple perfection.

There are a few steps to making it, but I include all the tips and tricks you need to make it perfectly every time. And if you love this recipe, you'll probably enjoy my apple crumble pie, too!

Some useful ingredient notes

Use good-quality European-style butter with a high fat content (mine has 82%) in the apple crumble cheesecake crust for the best results.

Similarly, we need good-quality full-fat cream cheese (e.g., Philadelphia) and full-fat sour cream in your cheesecake batter. Don't use reduced-fat versions. The cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs all need to be at room temperature to emulsify properly.

Use vanilla extract and not vanilla essence for the best vanilla cheesecake flavor.

The variety of apples you use is essential, too. I use Granny Smith, as they have great flavor and keep their shape when baked.

Start with the crumble

Mix the flour, both types of sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Add cubes of room-temperature butter and toss them all to coat them in the dry mix.

Rub the mixture between your fingertips to form the crumble; this can be more coarse or a finer crumb, it is up to you, but work quickly to avoid the butter melting and going too sticky. Place it in the fridge while you prepare everything else.

Continue with the apple compote

Peel and core the apples, then slice them into even-sized pieces about ½ inch thick. They need to be the same size so they cook evenly. Squeeze over some lemon juice to stop them from browning while you finish them all.

Now cook them with the sugar and cinnamon in a pan on the stove for 3–5 minutes until the sugar melts and the apples soften slightly. Remove them from the pan to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.

There will be some lovely hot apple sauce in the pan. Take a few tablespoons of the mixture and pour it into a mug or small cup, then mix it with the cornstarch until it forms a smooth paste. Now whisk the paste back into the pan and continue to cook for about a minute to thicken the apple caramel sauce. Set this aside, too. We will use this to drizzle on top of the cheesecake just before serving.

Make the Graham cracker cheesecake crust

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Don't use the fan setting on your oven, as it adds extra heat.

Crush the Graham crackers into a fine crumb that resembles coarse sand. You can do this in a food processor or by bashing a ziplock bag of crackers with a rolling pin. Don't overdo it, or you will end up making a cookie butter paste.

Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove, then let it cool slightly before mixing it with the cracker crumbs.

Pour the melted butter into the crumbs with a pinch of salt and the cinnamon and stir until you have an even mixture. Now transfer it into your springform pan.

Firmly press the buttery crumbs into the base and sides, starting with the sides. Use a spoon, a flat-bottomed mug, or a glass to compact them. Once you have an even layer, bake the crust for 8-10 minutes in the pre-heated oven and then let it cool completely to room temperature.

I also have an in-depth post on making the best Graham cracker cheesecake crust with more tips and tricks, as well as substitutions.

Prepare your tin and water bath

Have your water bath ready before the batter is finished so everything can go straight into the oven without delay, and turn the oven down to 325°F (165°C) while you do it.

Choose a deep roasting pan for the water bath. It needs to be large enough to hold your springform pan comfortably. To keep water out and your crust crisp, the springform pan with the baked crust must be sealed tightly.

Wrap the springform pan in 4-5 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil, making sure both the bottom and sides are completely covered to prevent leaks. For extra protection, you can also place the foil-wrapped pan inside an oven-safe roasting bag.

Make the cheesecake batter and assemble your Apple Crumble Cheesecake

Take your room-temperature cream cheese and mix it on low-medium in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. We are only trying to break up lumps and make it nice and smooth, so this will take a couple of minutes.

Scrape down the bowl and add the sugar, and continue to mix on low speed for another two minutes. We don't want to overmix, so keep it low and slow.

Scrape down the bowl again before adding the sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and salt. This should only take 10 seconds to incorporate.

Finally, add the eggs. Mix them together first before pouring into the batter to avoid having to mix for too long to break them up.

Layer the cheesecake and semi-cooked apples into the pre-baked crust starting with a layer using half the cheesecake batter, then half of the apples and repeat. Gently press the crumble layer on top.

How Not to Overbake / Underbake Your Cheesecake 

Bring a kettle of water to the boil for your water bath. 

Move the apple crumble cheesecake in its wrapped springform pan into the roasting dish. Pour the hot water into the roasting dish so it comes about a third of the way up the side of the cheesecake pan. 

Bake the apple crumble cheesecake at the lower oven temperature of 325°F (165°C) for 75-85 minutes. Do not open the door until the 75-minute mark! Then gently shake the pan. We want the edges to be set, but the middle to be a little jiggly. If the edges are wobbly, keep baking for another 10 minutes. Otherwise, turn off the oven but leave it inside to cool slowly for 60 minutes. 

Then, remove the cheesecake to a cooling rack on the counter to cool to room temperature, but still in the springform. Once it has cooled, then put it in the fridge to chill and set. 

Leave the baked apple crumble cheesecake in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight, and only then carefully take it out of the springform pan. 

Let it come to room temperature for 20-30 minutes before slicing it with a hot knife for a clean cut. Serve it with vanilla ice cream and / or warm up the apple caramel sauce we saved after cooking the apples, to drizzle over the top! 

Storing & Freezing

Store any leftover apple crumble cheesecake covered in the fridge for up to 3–4 days.

You can also freeze the whole dessert for up to 2-3 months. Once it has chilled in the fridge, keep it in the springform pan and double-wrap the entire thing in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Freeze individual slices the same way; double wrapped. Defrost overnight in the fridge.

Flavor Variations

Instead of Graham crackers, use ginger snaps (or half and half) for some added zing that will really complement the creamy cheesecake and sweet apples. You can flavor the crust with other spices like ground cardamom for more of an aromatic taste, or even add some apple pie spice mix to double down on the flavor profile.

Or, try using pears instead of apples for another Fall twist! They can be prepared in the same way, but use a variety like Williams pears or Bartlett pears for the best results.

You can also add some chopped nuts to the apple crumble topping mixture, like pecans. You will need to slightly reduce the amount of butter to account for the extra fat from the nuts. It can also be nice to use wholewheat flour in the crumble to give it a bit more bite.

Ingredient Substitutions

If Graham crackers aren’t available, you can substitute with cookies such as digestive biscuits or vanilla wafers. For a gluten-free crust, simply choose gluten-free versions of these cookies.

The crust can also be made with vegan butter or another plant-based fat, as long as it remains solid at room temperature. Don't use oil, as it won't set the crust.

For the cheesecake filling, you can replace part of the cream cheese with mascarpone or ricotta, though the texture will be lighter and the flavor less tangy. Sour cream can be swapped with Greek yogurt or crème fraîche, but both add a bit more acidity, which will change the overall taste. Heavy cream is another option, though it lacks the tang that gives cheesecake its signature flavor.

You can substitute apples with pears or even quince.

Creating a fully vegan cheesecake is more challenging, and I can’t give precise ratios. That said, you can experiment using ingredients like silken tofu and vegan cream cheese as alternatives to eggs and dairy.

Expert Tips To Make Apple Crumble Cheesecake

1. Don't be tempted to add more butter or more cracker crumbs to the crust mixture. This recipe has a tried and tested ratio! It needs to resemble wet sand when you make it. If it feels too runny, put it in the fridge for 5 minutes.
2. It is important to bake the crust first, before filling it. This helps it to form a solid barrier but also gives it a lovely, toasty flavor. It also needs to be cool when you fill it.
3. It's critical that the eggs, cream cheese, and sour cream are not cold when you mix the cheesecake filling. This will cause lumps in your batter.
4. Don't skip pre-cooking the apples as they release a lot of water, and we don't want this to happen inside the cheesecake.
5. The apples should only be semi-cooked when they go into the cheesecake batter, so don't keep them in the pan for too long.
6. Make sure the apples are cooled before adding them to the cheesecake.
7. Don't forget to turn the oven down after baking the crust, as it needs to be lower to bake the apple crumble cheesecake.
8. And don't overbake! The middle still needs to jiggle when you turn the oven off. It will continue to cook from the residual heat, and then set as it cools.
9. Leave the apple crumble cheesecake in the springform pan until it has finished chilling in the fridge, or you risk it collapsing. You can run a knife around the edge after it comes out of the oven to make it easier to remove.

What Equipment To Use

Always weigh your ingredients using a digital scale and don't rely on the cup system, as it isn't precise enough for baking.

Make your cracker crumbs in a food processor, or use a rolling pin in a ziplock bag if you prefer the more fun way.

Mix up your cheesecake batter in a stand mixer and bake it in an 8-inch springform. You can use a 9-inch as well, but the apple crumble cheesecake won't be as tall.

Ensure you're baking at the right temperature by using a digital oven thermometer. Never risk overbaking with an oven that is too hot again!

Try Some Of My Other Cheesecakes

If you love cheesecakes as much as I do, try some of my other recipes:

• Basque Burnt cheesecake
• Pistachio cheesecake
• No-bake strawberry cheesecake
• Japanese cheesecake 
• Baklava cheesecake

And check out my roundup of the best apple desserts.

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