This Crock Pot Apple Cobbler is a scalable small-batch slow cooker dessert you can make for two or a crowd. With fresh apples (or pie filling) and a simple cake mix topping, it's ready in a few hours with pantry ingredients. Perfect with ice cream.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- ❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
- 🍎 Ingredients
- 👨🍳 Quick Overview: Crock Pot Apple Cobbler
- ♨️ When Is Crock Pot Apple Cobbler Done?
- 🍏 Best Apples for Slow Cooker Apple Cobbler
- 👨🍳 Options & Variations
- 🥣 Biscuit Topping Option (No Cake Mix)
- ↕️ Making Apple Cobbler for Two or a Crowd
- ❄️ Storage of Leftovers
- 🍎 More Apple Recipes I Love
- ❓ 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."
❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
- Cake mix simple: No dough or pastry-just sprinkle, drizzle, and cook.
- Scalable: Make a mini cobbler for two or double it for a crowd.
- Flexible: Works with fresh apples, peaches, other fruit, or even pie filling.
- Topping options: Use cake mix for easy, or swap in a biscuit top if you prefer.
- Comfort food payoff: Warm, sweet, and perfect with ice cream.
🍎 Ingredients
- Apples (or other fruit): Fresh apples are best. You can also use canned pie filling.
- Sugar & cinnamon: To sweeten and season the fruit.
- Cake mix topping: Yellow, white, or spice cake mix are all good choices. Use about half a standard box for a small batch.
- Butter: Melted, to moisten the cake mix and create a golden top.
- Optional: Chopped pecans or walnuts for crunch.
- Biscuit topping option: See below for how to swap the cake mix for a quick biscuit top.
👨🍳 Quick Overview: Crock Pot Apple Cobbler
1. Prep fruit: Peel and chop apples (or use pie filling).
2. Season: Add apples to the crock pot; sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Toss to coat.
3. Top: Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the apples-do not stir. Smooth the surface.
4. Finish: Add optional nuts. Drizzle melted butter over the entire surface; dust with a little sugar-cinnamon.
5. Cook: HIGH for about 2-3 hours or LOW for about 4-6 hours, until the top is golden and the edges are bubbling. Crock pots vary-go by color, not time. (Avoid lifting the lid for the first 90 minutes.)
👇 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 Slow Cooker 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.
Avoid softer apples like Red Delicious or McIntosh-they collapse into mush when cooked.
👉 Tip: If your apples are extra tart, add a little more sugar to balance.
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.
👨🍳 Options & Variations
- Cake mix flavors: Yellow, white, or spice cake mix all work. Use about half a standard box for a small batch, or a Jiffy® mix for a perfect fit.
- Fruit swaps: Apples are classic, but peaches, berries, or cherries can also be used.
- Pie filling option: Using canned fruit filling with cake mix is often called a dump cake. It's the easiest shortcut-just layer and cook.
- Sweeteners: Brown sugar adds a deeper, richer flavor compared to white.
- Add-ins: Chopped pecans or walnuts add crunch; sprinkle on top or mix into the cake mix before cooking.
👉 These tweaks let you make this cobbler your way-easy with cake mix, fruity with seasonal swaps like a peach variation, or ultra-simple with pie filling for a dump cake shortcut.
🥣 Biscuit Topping Option (No Cake Mix)
If you'd rather skip the cake mix, this slow cooker apple cobbler without cake mix uses a quick biscuit topping for a more traditional result. 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
- Optional: ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions:
- Combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon (if using).
- Cut in the cold butter with a fork or pastry cutter until crumbly.
- Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the prepared fruit in the crock pot.
- Cook as directed until the top is golden and the edges are bubbling.
👉 This gives you a softer, biscuit-like cobbler topping while keeping the recipe completely from scratch.
↕️ Making Apple Cobbler for Two or a Crowd
This recipe is designed as a small batch in a 3-4 quart crock pot (about 4 servings). But it scales easily:
- For two: Make a half recipe in a 2-quart mini crock pot. Check early since minis run hot.
- Full recipe (default): 3-4 quart slow cooker, about 4 servings.
- Double recipe (crowd size): Use a 6-quart or larger crock pot. Add 1-2 hours of cooking time, and watch for golden brown topping and bubbling edges.
👉 Always trust the color and bubbling over the clock-every slow cooker cooks differently.
❄️ Storage of Leftovers
- Room temperature: Safe for 1-2 days (like fruit pie) because of the sugar content.
- Refrigerator: Store in a sealed container for up to 4 days. The topping will soften as it absorbs moisture from the fruit.
- Freezer: Freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently, but expect some texture change.
👉 Best enjoyed fresh-the topping is at its crispiest the day it's made.
🍎 More Apple Recipes I Love
- Small Crock Pot Apple Crisp
- Apple Crumb Pie
- Easy Apple Crisp
- Easy Apple Cake
- Apple Berry Crumble
- Apple Pie Bread
👉 Another easy apple dessert? Try my crock pot apple crisp-it's as simple as this cobbler but with a crumbly topping.
❓ FAQs
A sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon gives a nice crunch. Elaborate toppings aren't needed. If you want a change, a biscuit topping is provided above.
Not necessary. This recipe comes together quickly, and the apples don't have time to oxidize.
Vanilla ice cream is classic, but whipped cream works too.
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.
📖The Recipe Card
Crock Pot Apple Cobbler (Easy Cake Mix Recipe)
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 of your choice. Measure out half of a standard-size yellow cake mix. It should be about 1½ cups.
- 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 4 hours on low until the sides are bubbling and the center is browning. Use the color as your guide, not the 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.
- Skip the cake mix and use the biscuit topping option from the post.
- Some good choices for fresh apples are Granny Smith, Gala, Jonathon, Honey Crisp, Ida Red, and Cortland.
- You can change up the cake mix or use pie filling. This is discussed in the post.
- The endpoint is most important: bubbling edges and a browned center.
- Storage: Room temperature for 1-2 days or refrigerate for 4 days.
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.
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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