This easy Strawberry Crumble is vibrantly red and bursting with fresh strawberries that get generously sprinkled with a crisp cinnamon oat topping.
It’s a sweet-as-berry fruit dessert recipe perfect for spring and summer to enjoy with family and friends.
Strawberry season is officially here!
I went to my local Farmer’s Market the other day and one of the farm stands had bright-as-could-be strawberries that were calling my name.
Out of all the summer berries, I think strawberries are my favorite. I think they are such a versatile berry. You can turn them into pie, cake, crisp, bars – the options are endless. They even work in a Frozen Strawberry Margarita.
But this easy Strawberry Crumble recipe takes the cake – ehrr – crumble.
It’s the most wonderful fruit dessert you’ll ever have. Sweet strawberries are halved (for extra bounce and texture), then topped with an irresistible cinnamon oat crumble.
Plus, it highlights strawberries in all their glory.
Soft, juicy, crisp, crunchy – it’s everything you want in a desert during the spring and summer. All it needs is a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you’ve reached strawberry heaven.
Ingredients
The ingredients for strawberry crisp start with the freshest strawberries you can find, along with a few more simple ingredients for the filling and crumb topping.
Strawberry Filling
- strawberries
- zest + juice of a lemon
- sugar
- cinnamon
- cornstarch
Crumble Topping
- sugar
- all-purpose flour
- oats
- cinnamon
- kosher salt
- cold butter
And don’t forget the Vanilla Ice Cream, for serving!
Strawberries. Strawberries start to pop up at Farmer’s Markets around May, but they’re easily available throughout the spring and summer season at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or your local grocery store. Look for berries that are exceptionally red with no signs of bruises, fuzz or brown spots. If the strawberries smell sweet, they will taste sweet, too.
How To Make the Strawberry Filling and Crumble
The secret to juicy strawberry filling and crisp crumble topping is all in the technique. Simply:
- Macerate the strawberries. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, lemon zest and juice, sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Set aside to allow the strawberries to naturally release their juices while you make the topping.
- Prepare the crumble topping. In a smaller bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon and salt. Shred in butter on the largest holes of a box grater and mix together with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture is crumbly and sandy.
- Bake. Transfer the strawberry filling to a large casserole dish and spread the crumble topping in one even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.
- Scoop and Serve! Allow the crumble to cool for 5-10 minutes, then scoop out onto serving plates, top with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
Fruit Crisp Variations
- Peach and Strawberry: Relish in summer fruit and replace half the strawberries with fresh, sliced peaches. I like to peel the skin, but feel free to leave the skins on, if you prefer. The skins are thin enough to cook until tender.
- Strawberry and Rhubarb: Rhubarb is another great warm-weather vegetable that will add a unique, tart flavor. Replace half the strawberries with rhubarb stems cut into 1-inch pieces or follow this Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp recipe.
- Gluten-Free: Simply replace the all-purpose flour with an equal amount of almond flour and make sure the oats are 100% Certified Gluten-Free. The crumble will be a bit softer (since almond flour has more fat and moisture), but it will bake to crisp, golden brown goodness.
Top It with Vanilla Ice Cream
I can’t think of a more delicious way to enjoy sweet and bubbly baked strawberry crisp than with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. I just love how the ice cream slowly starts to melt into the crumble, creating a dessert that’s luxurious and insanely delicious.
Sweetened whipped cream is another great option.
If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, you can use Strawberry or Peach Ice Cream, but I love the subtle hint of vanilla essence along with the sweet strawberries.
Just make sure to cool the crumble for 5-10 minutes to allow the juices to settle.
Storage Instructions
My friends and I ate the entire crumble in one sitting, but if you happen to have leftovers, the crumble can be kept in the same casserole dish you baked it in.
Simply wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store for up to 4 days in the fridge.
To rewarm, place a serving in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it in the microwave in 30-second increments until bubbly and warmed through. Top with ice cream and enjoy!
Strawberry Crumble Tips:
- Allow the strawberries to sit for 10-20 minutes. Sugar naturally brings out the juiciness in the strawberries. The longer the strawberries sit with the sugar, the juicier the filling will become.
- Grate cold (or even frozen!) butter. The secret to a super crisp topping – cold butter and handling it as little as possible. The colder the butter, the bigger the chunks. And the less you handle the butter, the crispier the crumble (less handling prevents the butter from melting). Grate the butter directly over the bowl of the topping ingredients right from the fridge. If the weather is super warm that day, feel free to pop it in the freezer for a few minutes to ensure it’s extra firm.
- Sprinkle the crumble in big chunks. I love the larger chunks since I think it adds a nice chewiness. Prepare the topping until you get chunks the size of large peas, then sprinkle on top of the strawberry filling in one, even layer.
More Strawberry Recipes You’ll Love!
- Strawberry Lemon Pancakes
- Strawberry Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd and Strawberry Buttercream
- Honey Strawberry Muffins
- Roasted Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles
- Strawberry Scones with Lemon and Poppy Seeds
- Strawberry and Cream Overnight French Toast
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake
If you make this Strawberry Crumble recipe, be sure to tag me on Pinterest and Instagram!
I seriously love seeing what you guys are making and sharing your creations with the College Housewife community!
Strawberry Crumble
ingredients
For strawberry filling:
- 2 lbs about 6-8 cups strawberries, hulled and halved
Zest of one lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
For crumble topping:
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup 1 stick cold unsalted butter
- Vanilla Ice Cream for serving
instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- For strawberry filling: In a large bowl, combine strawberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Set aside to let the berries macerate and release their juices.
- For crumble topping: In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon and kosher salt. Shred in cold butter and mix together with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture is crumbly and sandy.
- Transfer the macerated strawberries to a large casserole dish and top evenly with crumble topping.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the sides of the crumble are bubbling.
- Let the crumble cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
notes
This is outrageously delicious! So good, in fact, I made it TWICE! First with real better and then again with vegan butter and both turned out perfectly!! I’m going to be making this all summer.
Thank you so much Renee! I’m so happy it turned out delicious for you and amazing that you tried it with vegan butter as well!
This looks so good. So many possibilities for variations such as blueberry, banana, peaches or more blueberry!!
MMM! Peach blueberry sounds delish!