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This single serving apple dumpling features a tender, cinnamon-spiced apple wrapped in a flaky pie crust and baked in a rich brown sugar syrup. Simple, warm, and perfect when you want a classic dessert made just for you.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Single Serving: Enjoy a sweet treat made just for you.
- Easy: Simple steps anyone can follow.
- Few Ingredients: Uses basic pantry staples.
- Classic Flavor: Brings back warm, homemade dessert memories.
This single apple dumpling is one of my absolute favorites. It bakes up with a soft, cinnamon-spiced apple wrapped in a buttery, flaky crust, all bubbling in a sweet brown sugar sauce.
It tastes like something you’d get from a country bakery, but it’s simple enough to make anytime. If you want a warm, comforting dessert that feels extra special, you’ve got to try this.
Looking for more small batch and single serving apple recipes? You’ll love our crispy apple fritters for one, apple crisp for one, mini dutch apple pie, and apple muffin for one.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this easy apple dumpling recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
We love using our homemade mini pie crust for this recipe, but store-bought works perfectly too. Here’s a closer look at the ingredients used:
Pie Crust Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure and a tender texture.
- Sugar: Adds a light sweetness.
- Salt: Enhances flavor.
- Butter: Cold, cubed butter makes the crust flaky and rich. I use salted butter, but unsalted is fine.
- Ice Water: Helps bind the dough.
Apple Dumpling Ingredients
- Apple: Use one small to medium apple (about 5 ounces). Granny Smith, Gala, or Honeycrisp hold their shape well when baked. If using a larger apple, double the pie crust ingredients so it fits around the apple. If you have an extra apple, try it in small batch morning glory muffins, an apple dutch baby for one, small batch apple pie oatmeal, or small batch fried apples.
- Butter: Adds richness inside the apple and in the sauce.
- Brown Sugar: Brings a deep, caramel-like sweetness.
- Cinnamon: Adds warmth and spice.
Recipe Variations
Get creative with your apple dumpling! Here are some variations you might like:
- Apple and Raisin: Add 1/2 teaspoon of raisins inside the apple for extra sweetness.
- Spiced Apple: Mix a pinch of nutmeg or allspice with the cinnamon.
- Nutty Apple: Add 1/2 teaspoon of chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch.
- Caramel Apple: Place a soft caramel candy inside the apple for a gooey center.
- Chocolate Apple: Add a few chocolate chips to the filling for a chocolatey twist.
Tip: How to Core an Apple
Use an apple corer to remove the core while leaving the bottom intact, or carefully cut around the core with a small paring knife and scoop it out. This creates space for the filling and helps the apple bake evenly.
How To Make An Apple Dumpling
These photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make one apple dumpling. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
Make the Pie Crust
- You can use store-bought crust, but we love our homemade mini pie crust. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
- Cut or rub the cold butter into the flour mixture using a fork or your fingers until it looks like coarse crumbs. These bits of butter help make the crust flaky.
- Gradually add ice water, mixing with a fork until the dough just comes together and looks like wet sand.
- Shape the dough into a ball in the bowl.
- Place the dough on plastic wrap, flatten it into a disc, wrap it tightly, and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Chilling helps firm the butter and relax the gluten for a flakier crust.
- Roll out the chilled dough between two sheets of parchment paper to a 6-inch circle or square, about 1/8 inch thick.
Assemble the Apple Dumpling
- Prep the Apple and Baking Dish: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter a 5×5-inch baking dish. Place the apple on the pastry with the cored opening facing up.
Note: Don’t worry about a perfect circle. A rustic shape works just as well.
- Add a bit of butter inside the apple core, then fill with brown sugar. Sprinkle a little extra brown sugar around the base and dust with cinnamon. With damp fingers, bring one corner of the pastry up to the top of the apple, then the opposite corner, and press to seal. Repeat with the other two corners, pinching the edges to enclose the apple. Place in the prepared baking dish.
- In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, water, and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to low and simmer for about 2 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and pour the sauce over the dumpling.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the apple is tender and the crust is golden brown. Baste with the sauce during baking if you like.
Pro Tip: Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any spills.
Enjoy warm with homemade vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream if you like.
Expert Tips
- Keep Butter Cold: Cold butter helps create a flaky crust. It forms steam as it melts, which makes light, delicate layers. Chill your butter until you mix it in.
- Adjust for Larger Apples: If using a large apple, double the crust ingredients so you have enough dough to wrap it completely.
- Core Carefully: Use an apple corer or small paring knife to remove the core but leave the bottom intact. This holds the filling in place and helps the apple cook evenly.
- Baste for Flavor: Spoon some syrup from the baking dish over the dumpling while it bakes for a rich, glossy finish.
- Watch the Temperature: Bake at 375°F (190°C) for a tender apple and golden crust. If the crust browns too fast, cover loosely with foil.
- Let It Rest: Cool the dumpling for a few minutes after baking so the syrup thickens and flavors come together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, store-bought crust works fine if you prefer not to make the homemade version.
Yes, you can make the dough up to 2 days ahead and keep it refrigerated.
Cover the dumpling loosely with aluminum foil if the crust browns too fast.
You can prep the dumpling a few hours in advance and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Yes, this recipe can easily be doubled or even tripled. Just scale the ingredients accordingly and bake the apple dumplings as directed. If you’re making more than one dumpling, make sure they have enough space in the baking dish to bake evenly.
Since this is a single serving recipe, there likely won’t be leftovers, but you can cover and refrigerate for up to a day, then reheat gently.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this single serving apple dumpling recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Apple Dumpling For One
Watch How To Make This
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Pie Crust: Store-bought works fine, but we prefer our homemade mini pie crust.
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cold salted butter -cut into ¼ inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons ice water
For the Apple Dumpling
- 1 small to medium apple -peeled and cored
- 1 ½ tablespoons salted butter -divided
- ½ cup plus 1 teaspoon brown sugar -divided
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup water
Instructions
Make the Pie Crust
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
- Cut or rub the cold butter into the flour mixture using a fork or your fingers until it looks like coarse crumbs.
- Gradually add ice water, mixing with a fork until the dough just comes together and looks like wet sand.
- Shape the dough into a ball in the bowl.
- Place the dough on plastic wrap, flatten it into a disc, wrap it tightly, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Roll out the chilled dough between two sheets of parchment paper to a 6-inch circle or square, about 1/8 inch thick.Tip: Don’t worry about a perfect circle. A rustic shape works just as well.
Assemble the Apple Dumpling
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter a 5×5-inch baking dish. Place the apple on the pastry with the cored opening facing up.
- Add 1/2 tablespoon of butter inside the apple core, then fill with 1 teaspoon of brown sugar. Sprinkle a little extra brown sugar around the base and dust with cinnamon. With damp fingers, bring one corner of the pastry up to the top of the apple, then the opposite corner, and press to seal. Repeat with the other two corners, pinching the edges to enclose the apple. Place in the prepared baking dish.
- In a 1-quart saucepan, combine brown sugar, water, and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to low and simmer for about 2 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and pour the sauce over the dumpling.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the apple is tender and the crust is golden brown. Baste with the sauce during baking if you like.Pro Tip: Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any spills.
- Enjoy warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if you'd like.
Notes
- Keep Butter Cold: Cold butter helps create a flaky crust. It forms steam as it melts, which makes light, delicate layers. Chill your butter until you mix it in.
- Adjust for Larger Apples: If using a large apple, double the crust ingredients so you have enough dough to wrap it completely.
- Core Carefully: Use an apple corer or small paring knife to remove the core but leave the bottom intact. This holds the filling in place and helps the apple cook evenly.
- Baste for Flavor: Spoon some syrup from the baking dish over the dumpling while it bakes for a rich, glossy finish.
- Watch the Temperature: Bake at 375°F (190°C) for a tender apple and golden crust. If the crust browns too fast, cover loosely with foil.
- Let It Rest: Cool the dumpling for a few minutes after baking so the syrup thickens and flavors come together.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Joanne, love your recipes. I have several bags of sliced frozen apples in the freezer. Can I use them instead of a fresh whole Apple?
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes. For this apple dumpling recipe, I really recommend using a whole apple since it’s the centerpiece of the dish and helps maintain the dumpling’s structure and texture. Sliced apples wouldn’t quite give the same result here.
That said, if you’re looking for ways to use your frozen sliced apples, we have plenty of other recipes where they would work beautifully, like our apple crisp or baked apple oatmeal. I hope that helps.
Wonderful!
Joanie, I’m wondering if I could bake this in my air fryer? I love apple dumplings, my mom used to make them all the time when I was a kid. These look wonderful and I’ll be trying this recipe ASAP!
I’m so glad you’re excited to try the apple dumpling and that it brings back such special memories! I don’t use an air fryer, so I’m not sure how it would turn out in one, but your air fryer’s owner’s manual might have some helpful guidelines for baking desserts like this. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it works. Either way, I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Joanie, I love this recipe. I have your cookbook and have made many recipes from it also.
Thanks,
Lotte
Thank you so much!
Great recipe.
Thank you!