Crock pot apple cobbler with cake mix turns fresh apples into a warm, gooey dessert with a golden, buttery topping. It takes only 10 minutes to prep and lets the crock pot do the rest in 2 hours.
This easy small-batch recipe scales from two servings to a full-size dessert. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream for a simple fall dessert.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 📝 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
- 🍎 Ingredients
- 👨🍳 Quick Overview: How to Make Crock Pot Apple Cobbler
- ♨️ When Is Crock Pot Apple Cobbler Done?
- 🍏 Best Apples for Crock Pot Apple Cobbler
- 👨🍳 Options, Variations & Shortcuts
- ↕️ Scaling the Recipe and Crock Pot Size
- ❄️ Storage and Reheating
- 🍎 Related Apple Recipes
- ❓ FAQs
- 📖The Recipe Card
Featured Comment by Wilma:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I made this for Thanksgiving and WOW did it go over great…Thank you for an amazing recipe. I love simple and delicious."
📝 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
What: Crock pot apple cobbler with fresh apples and a simple cake mix topping.
Why: An easy small-batch dessert recipe that scales from two to a full-size dessert. Only 10 minutes of prep and 2 hours to cook.
How: Season the apples, cover with dry cake mix, drizzle with butter, and cook until the topping is golden and the edges are bubbling.
🍎 Ingredients
- Apples— Fresh apples are best. Firm apples that hold their shape during cooking work well; more about choosing apples below.
- Sugar and cinnamon— Sweeten and season the apples.
- Cake mix— Yellow or white cake mix makes the easy cobbler topping.
- Butter— Melted butter moistens the cake mix and creates the golden topping.
- Nuts— Optional. Pecans or walnuts add some crunch.
👨🍳 Quick Overview: How to Make Crock Pot Apple Cobbler
1. Prep: Peel and chop the fresh apples.
2. Season: Add the apples to the crock pot and toss with sugar and cinnamon.
3. Add cake mix: Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the apples—do not stir.
4. Add butter: Drizzle melted butter evenly over the cake mix. Add optional nuts and reserved cinnamon sugar.
5. Cook: Cook on HIGH for about 2 hours or LOW for about 4 hours, until the topping is golden and the edges are bubbling. Go by doneness, not just time.
👇 Scroll for the printable recipe card and complete step-by-step photos—or keep reading for tips and variations.
♨️ When Is Crock Pot Apple Cobbler Done?
Cook on HIGH for about 2 hours or LOW for about 4 hours in a 3–4 quart slow cooker. A double batch in a 6-quart pot may take closer to 3 hours on HIGH or 5–6 on LOW. A half recipe in a 2-quart mini crock pot usually cooks in under 2 hours, but minis run hot—check early.
👉 Don’t just watch the clock. Your cobbler is done when the top is golden brown and the edges are bubbling. That’s your true doneness test, no matter the crock pot size.
🍏 Best Apples for Crock Pot Apple Cobbler
- Firm, slightly tart apples hold up best in the slow cooker. Great choices include Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, Jonathon, Cortland, or Ida Red. A mix of tart and sweet apples gives a good balance of flavor and texture.
- Avoid softer apples like Red Delicious or McIntosh—they collapse into mush when cooked.
- A medium apple yields about 1 cup once peeled and chopped. The recipe needs 3–4 medium apples for a small batch (about 3 cups) or 6–8 for a double batch.
👉 Tip: If your apples are extra tart, add a little more sugar to balance.
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👨🍳 Options, Variations & Shortcuts
- Cake mix: Yellow or white cake mix works well. Spice cake mix adds more fall spice. A Jiffy cake mix is conveniently sized for a small batch.
- Other fruit: Peaches, berries, or cherries can replace the apples.
- Pie filling: Canned apple or other fruit pie filling can replace the fresh fruit for a shortcut. With cake mix, this variation is often called a dump cake.
- Brown sugar: Substitute brown sugar for white for a deeper caramel flavor.
- Nuts: Add chopped pecans or walnuts for some crunch.
🥣 Biscuit Topping Option (No Cake Mix)
If you’d rather skip the cake mix, use a quick biscuit topping for a more traditional biscuit-style top. It’s easy to make from scratch with pantry basics:
Ingredients:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar (white or brown)
- 1½ tablespoons cold butter, cubed and cut in
- Optional: ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Mix the dry ingredients, cut in the cold butter until crumbly, then sprinkle evenly over the apples. Cook as directed until the topping is golden and the edges are bubbling.
↕️ Scaling the Recipe and Crock Pot Size
This is a small-batch recipe for about 4 servings in a 3–4 quart crock pot.
- For two: Make a half recipe in a 2-quart mini crock pot. Check early since mini crock pots may cook faster.
- Small batch: Make the full recipe in a 3–4 quart crock pot.
- Full-size: Double the recipe and use a 6-quart or larger crock pot. Cooking time will be longer.
Scaling the ingredients: In the recipe card, change the number of servings. Use the adjusted amounts in the ingredient list—the amounts in the instructions do not adjust.
Always cook to the endpoint—a golden topping with bubbling edges—not just by time.
❄️ Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerate: Store covered or in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The topping will soften as it absorbs moisture from the apples.
- Freeze: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Warm individual servings in the microwave or reheat larger amounts in the oven until warm.
Best served fresh: The topping has its best texture the day the cobbler is made.
🍎 Related Apple Recipes
- Small Crock Pot Apple Crisp – A cozy, crumb-topped cousin to this recipe.
- Apple Crumb Pie – Buttery crumbs and tender filling, great for holidays.
- Easy Apple Crisp – Simple, classic, and quick to make anytime.
❓ FAQs
Serve apple cobbler warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Cobblers have a biscuit or cake-like topping. Crumbles and crisps are often used interchangeably, though some say crisps always include oats while crumbles do not.
Yes. Use the biscuit topping option above for a more traditional cobbler topping made from scratch.
📖The Recipe Card
Crock Pot Apple Cobbler with Cake Mix
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 3–4 medium apples - – about 3 cups or a bit more
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅜ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ box yellow or white cake mix - – about 1½ cups
- 4 tablespoons butter - (½ stick)
- ⅓ cup nuts - optional
- remainder of the cinnamon sugar
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Mix ⅓ cup sugar with ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Reserve 1 heaping tablespoon for topping.
- Peel and chop 3–4 medium apples. Measure 1½ cups (½ of a standard box) of yellow or white cake mix.
- Give a 3–4-quart crock pot a good spray of PAM. Add the apple slices to the crock pot. Sprinkle with the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Mix to coat.
- Cover with the dry cake mix and smooth the top.
- Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in the microwave for about 20 seconds.
- If using nuts, sprinkle ⅓ cup over the top. Sprinkle with the melted butter. Finish by sprinkling with the reserved cinnamon sugar.
- Cook on HIGH for about 2 hours or LOW for about 4 hours, until the topping is golden brown and the edges are bubbling. Go by doneness, not just time, since crock pots vary.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
Use a 3–4-quart crock pot for the full recipe. A 6-quart for a double and a mini 2-quart for a half. Cooking time is longer for the double and less for the half. For a no-cake-mix option, use the biscuit topping in the post. Some good choices for fresh apples are Granny Smith, Gala, Jonathon, Honey Crisp, Ida Red, and Cortland. The endpoint is most important: bubbling edges and a browned center. Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 4 months.Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Inspired by a Betty Crocker Slow Cooker Apple Cobbler recipe with a few necessary adjustments for size, flexibility, and options for you.
Originally Published September 9, 2018. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Joe says
I was skeptical that this would work with just dry cake mix on top of apples, but it came out great. We used King Arthur gluten free yellow cake mix. Served on top of vanilla ice cream.
Becca says
Can this be made in a 2 quart slow cooker?thanks
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Becca,
Welcome to the blog.
I'm 95% sure it would. It fills a 3.5 qt about 1/3. A crockpot works well up to 2/3 to 3/4 full. So it will fit and should be fine that way. The only misgiving I have is the 1-2 quart crockpots tend to be cheaply made so temp control seems to be iffy—so watch it.
If you try it, please report back.
Dan
Becca says
Thank you dan.i will try and let you know how it turns out
Can't wait to try it.
Wilma says
Dan, I made this for Thanksgiving and WOW did it go over great. I made this one with can apples and yellow cake mix. Plan on making the next one with can cherries and white cake mix, leaving out the cinnamon and using less sugar. Thank you for an amazing recipe. I love simple and delicious.
Wilma
Jean Mayberry says
Should I place a towel or something under the lid and over the crock? I tried a similar dump cake a year or so ago and it was disgustingly soggy from all the condensation on the lid. This sounds good and so easy but I'm not sure about the wetness. Can I leave the lid off when cooking or would that not cook at all?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Jean,
Welcome to the blog.
This recipe is for a closed lid. You can not leave the lid open or it will affect to temperature in the crock pot. The only recipe I have that is for an open crock pot is a fudge recipe where we are using it just to melt things together and there can be no moisture or the fudge will be ruined.
If you feel better, a couple of paper towels across the top with the lid holding them down probably will be ok (not sure). But I will point out that the only "liquid" in this recipe is any moisture that comes from the apples and the butter if you want to count that. So it is not soggy.
Dan
Dan
Leslie says
Is there a way I could make this without using cake mix? Thank you Leslie
DrDan says
Hi Leslie,
Yes but it is 6-8 more ingredients. I looked at it and it is just too much work for the return to me. You know I'm a bit lazy any more.
If you want to try, go to allrecipes.com or food.com and search for one you like. They will probably be "full size" and will need to be cut in half.
Dan
Elisabeth Wasslen says
Hello Dr. Dan,
This is the first day of getting an email from you and since I am a passionate cook, now cooking mostly for only two, your blog is really interesting to me. Very often I am cooking for sixteen. While I am usually not a dessert eater, my husband is, so he will love this. He has been away but coming home tonight, so I am going to make it tomorrow. Like Charlene I will be cooking it in the oven.
DrDan says
Hi Elisabeth
Welcome to the blog. This is super easy and get him some ice cream to go with it.
Remember that the oven directions are a guess for now but probably very close. I would do it myself tonight but I'm out of apples. But keep an eye on it and please report back if you try it.
Thanks for the comment
Dan
Charlene says
This looks really good - one question I have is do you think I could make this in a regular oven? I don't have a suitable crock pot. I love the cake idea.
DrDan says
Hi Charlene,
I haven't done it but I have read a lot of recipes. I would say yes with a smaller baking pan like a 9 inch round or 9X6 oblong (my favorite ceramic one). The largest I would use would be 9X9. Oven temp 375. Probably about 30 minutes give or take a few minutes. See the picture above about cooking endpoint.
Let me know if you do it and how it worked.
Dan
Sandi says
I will probably cut the nuts into smaller pieces but this looks super yummy & can't wait to try it!
DrDan says
Hi Sandi,
Welcome to the blog.
It is delicious. I felt it really cried "add nuts to me". I went with the whole pecans since they look great in a photo. Plus they were also tasty. But a chopped nut of your choice would, of course, be fine.
Thanks for the note.
Dan