The easiest strawberry crumble recipe! Juicy strawberries are topped with a crisp crumble for this perfect summer dessert. Great with a scoop of ice cream! Easily vegan and gluten free.
We've all been there: the summer months roll around, strawberry season is upon us and suddenly you have a glut of them that you don't know what to do with.
Stop right there! Before you let them go mouldy, or freeze them in desperation (or make strawberries & cream), may I present this delicious strawberry crumble recipe made with simple ingredients as the ideal way to use them.
Made with fresh strawberries that go all gooey and syrupy when baked, and finished with a healthy oatmeal crumble topping, this is the ultimate summer dessert served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or coconut whip.
Give it a go and you'll see for yourself!
Why make this
Perfect way to use up leftover strawberries - This recipe uses 2lb/1kg of strawberries (which is about two standard grocery store boxes' worth) so you'll avoid wasting all that gorgeous ripe summer fruit!
Easy recipe that looks impressive - Strawberry crumble looks fancy but is actually very easy to make and requires minimal prep, because you don't need to pre-cook the filling before baking it.
Very easily made vegan and gluten free - Simply use dairy-free butter to make this a vegan strawberry crumble, and use gluten free oats and flour to make it gluten free.
What is strawberry crumble made of?
Strawberries - Fresh strawberries always taste better than frozen (although it's ok to use frozen if that's all you have). You can use strawberries that are slightly overripe if you have a lot to use up, as their different taste/texture won't be so noticeable once baked.
Sugar - I love coconut sugar or dark brown sugar, but white sugar or any other works. If you need to make this crumble sugar-free, try xylitol or monk fruit.
Cornstarch - Helps to thicken the strawberry filling and make it more syrupy. Not essential. You can also use arrowroot or tapioca flour.
Oats - These provide crunch for the crumble and both slow or quick cook oats work! Slow cook oats just have a bit more texture. Use gluten free if needed.
Flour - Forms the base of the crumble. I like gluten free personally, but either regular all purpose flour or a gluten free version (like oat flour or brown rice flour) work great.
Butter - Makes the crumble crispy. Any butter works. I use vegan butter, but coconut oil also gives a really creamy taste and works very similarly to butter.
How to make strawberry crumble
Preheat oven to 350℉/175℃.
In a large bowl, mix all dry crumble ingredients with a whisk or spoon (oats, flour, sugar and salt).
Add butter and mix well until crumble resembles chunky breadcrumbs (use a rubbing motion with your hands - this will help butter mix into dry ingredients).
Add strawberries to a deep baking dish that's 10 inches wide. Sprinkle over sugar and corn starch and stir with a spoon to mix filling.
Using hands, sprinkle crumbly topping over strawberries evenly.
Bake in oven for 30 minutes until topping is golden brown and strawberry mixture is bubbling. Serve in bowls, optionally with vanilla ice cream.
Check out my step-by-step guide to making this strawberry crumble recipe.
Tips for success
Serve with ice cream - I strongly recommend serving this strawberry dessert with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream as it enhances the flavours and just makes everything taste like summer!
Use cake tins if you don't have a 10-inch deep baking dish. You might need to divide the mixture between two if they're smaller.
Storage
Store any uneaten crumble in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
FAQs
Fruit crumbles and fruit crisps are very similar, except a crumble did not originally include oats in its topping, whereas a crisp did. These days, the two terms are used fairly interchangeably. So although I call this a strawberry crumble, technically it's probably more a strawberry crisp!
Oats! They give the crumble crunch and texture, and provide a more satisfying mouthfeel in my opinion.
If you feel your crumble is dry, try adding a little more butter. This will make it more crisp as it cooks.
If you need to make this crumble ahead of time, I recommend prepping it and storing it in the fridge until ready to bake. It tastes better freshly baked so I don't recommend baking it in advance.
Variations
Lemon zest - If you feel daring, try adding the zest of one lemon and some lemon juice to your strawberry filling!
Berries - Try using half strawberries with half of another kind of fresh berries, such as blueberries, raspberries or blackberries.
Apple - You could also try switching out half the strawberries for thinly sliced apple for a strawberry and apple crumble.
Rhubarb - Switch out half the strawberries for rhubarb, to make this a strawberry rhubarb crumble! But be sure to add extra sugar as rhubarb has no sweetness of its own. (If you love rhubarb, try my rhubarb apple crumble.)
Spices - Try adding just a pinch of spices like cinnamon, cloves and ginger to the crumble topping to enhance the flavour.
More summer desserts
Best Easy Strawberry Crumble
Ingredients
Crumble
- 1 cup oats (slow or quick cook)
- ¾ cup all purpose flour (I use gluten free, see note)
- ¼ cup sugar
- Pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup cold butter (I use vegan butter)
Filling
- 2 lb strawberries, leaves removed and chopped into quarters (1kg)
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional - helps filling turn syrupy)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉/175℃.
- In a bowl, mix all dry crumble ingredients (oats, flour, sugar and salt).
- Add butter and mix well until crumble resembles chunky breadcrumbs (use a rubbing motion with your hands - this will help butter mix into dry ingredients).
- Add strawberries to a 10-inch wide baking dish. Sprinkle over sugar and cornstarch and stir to mix.
- Sprinkle crumble mixture over strawberry layer evenly.
- Bake in oven for 30 minutes until topping is golden and strawberries are bubbling.
- Serve in bowls, optionally with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Nutritional information per serving
If you’ve tried this easy strawberry crumble recipe, please leave a comment or tip for others below. I'd love to know how you’ve made it your own!
Follow Vancouver with Love on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook!
youtube to mp3 320
Your writing has a way of making even the most complex topics accessible and engaging. I'm constantly impressed by your ability to distill complicated concepts into easy-to-understand language.