This incredibly delicious strawberry crumble is probably one of the easiest and quickest desserts to make! Ripe, sweet and juicy strawberries topped with crisp, crunchy and buttery crumble made with the simplest ingredients.
Once baked, the strawberries under the crisp topping release their sweet, fragrant juices which are also double up as a syrup. Top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, custard, cream or whipped cream for an irresistible treat!
Strawberries are at their absolute best this time of the year, and this crumble recipe is one of my all-time favourites way to enjoy them. It's also great way of using up any fruit that's past its 'best before' date or gone a bit mushy or soft.
This strawberry crumble recipe is very similar to my Strawberry Crumble Bars. If you prefer a strawberry dessert that is a bit lighter and doesn't require baking, be sure to check out this Strawberry White Chocolate Cheesecake recipe, which is always a winner on a hot summer day.
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Ingredients and substitutions
Here's what you will need to make this crumble:
- Flour - Use plain, all-purpose flour.
- Sugar - Golden caster sugar or demerara sugar will work particularly well as it adds even more crunch to the crumble. I'm using a mixture of both. You can also use granulated sugar as an alternative, but the end result will be different and not as crunchy. Brown sugar will always be best to use.
- Butter - Salted or unsalted butter is fine to use.
- Ground cinnamon - Optional ingredient. I like to add a small amount to the crumble topping to get that gentle hint of spice.
- Strawberries - Personally, I prefer to use fresh strawberries, but frozen will also work. See the recipe notes if using frozen strawberries.
- Cornflour - Small quantity of cornflour or corn starch will help the strawberry juices to thicken up and create that delicious syrup.
- Vanilla - For an extra flavour. You can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (or a bit of both!).
Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the recipe card and full list of the ingredients.
Instructions
Preheat oven and start by preparing the strawberries. Hull strawberries and cut any larger ones in half. Place them in a large bowl and sprinkle with cornflour, tossing the fruit in the bowl to cover it evenly.
Mix strawberries, cornflour, sugar, vanilla and water in a large bowl.
Make the crumble topping by combining all of the ingredients.
Transfer the strawberry filling into the baking dish.
Sprinkle the crumble topping all over the fruit and finish off with an extra sprinkle of demerara sugar. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
Hint: You may not need to use all of the topping. See the FAQ's section for some ideas how to use any leftover crumble topping.
Cold butter vs melted butter
Different recipes use different methods of making the crumble topping. One is to rub the cold butter into the flour using your fingertips, to create the breadcrumb-like texture. The other method is to use melted butter and pour it directly into the flour and sugar mixture.
Personally, I prefer the melted butter method. I find it to be quicker, easier, and the end result is just tastier, in my opinion. It also allows you to produce the variety of clumps/ breadcrumbs in different sizes, which look much more 'crumbly'.
The crumble topping made with melted butter. The texture is more chunky, with variety of small and large clumps.
The crumble topping made using the rubbing butter into flour method. The texture is very fine, with sand-like appearance.
The rubbing method creates finer texture, more 'sandy' in appearance, where the melted butter method gives a bit more bite and chew. Whichever method you choose, be assured that the result will be delicious regardless.
Baked strawberry crumble with the topping made with melted butter.
Strawberry crumble made with the topping where the butter was rubbed into the flour.
Hint: For the basic crumble topping, use the simple half fat to flour ratio. For example, for every 500g of flour, use 250g of butter. Sugar amount should be similar to the butter, but it can always be adjusted to suit personal taste.
Variations
One of the great features of a humble crumble is that it can be easily adapted and you can try adding different ingredients and extra flavours to it. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Add more crunch - Sub a portion of flour for a handful or two of flaked almonds or oats to add an extra texture and crunch to the crumble. I always sprinkle an extra demerara sugar on top of my strawberry crumble too, for more crunchy goodness!
- Extra add-ons - Why not add some chocolate chunks/ chocolate chips, desiccated coconut, or some nuts and seeds into the topping? Drizzle of honey or some extra spices like cardamom will also taste delicious! Adding some lemon juice to the filling will also add a lovely flavour.
- Different fruit - The beauty of crumble is that you can use almost any type of fruit to make it. Swap strawberries for apples, blackberries, plums, peaches or nectarines. Stone fruits work excellent in crumbles and crisp or cobblers recipes, see my Summer Peach Cobbler recipe as an example.
- Gluten free strawberry crisp - Use gluten free flour instead of plain to make this recipe gluten free. You can also use almond flour instead.
- Paleo Crumble - Check out this Paleo Apple Crisp recipe from Bojon Gourmet blog for a paleo version of crumble topping.
- Vegan crumble - Use dairy free butter alternative to turn this dessert into a vegan version.
Equipment
You can make this recipe in an oval or rectangular ceramic pie dish. It will need to be approximately 1.5L in capacity to easily fit the fruit.
Heatproof Pyrex-style type of baking dish will also be a good choice, as long as it is big enough. You can use smaller dish, with less capacity, but the fruit and crumble quantity will have to be adjusted accordingly (and the baking times!).
This recipe can be easily scaled down or scaled up to fit your needs!
Storage and freezing
Any leftovers of this easy strawberry crumble can be stored in the fridge, in the dish you baked it in. Just make sure to cover the top of the dish with some clingfilm or kitchen foil, so it doesn't absorb any smells from the fridge.
To reheat, simply scoop out a portion of crumble into a serving bowl or a plate and microwave it to heat it up to a desired temperature.
Strawberry crunch is also suitable for freezing. You can freeze unbaked or baked crumble. For baked strawberry crumble, place the dish in an air tight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight.
Unbaked crumble can also be frozen in two different ways:
- Freeze the entire strawberry crumble in a freezer-friendly baking dish (make sure to wrap it in some clingfilm to avoid any freezer smells or freeze burn.
- Freeze the strawberry filling and topping separately, in the freezer-friendly bags or containers.
Thaw in the fridge overnight, then bake as per the recipe instructions.
Frequently asked questions
What to do with the leftover crumble topping?
Crumble topping is delicious to use over ice cream, puddings or some other bakes, like muffins, coffee cakes or sweet breads. My Apple Crumble Cupcakes recipe is a great one for any leftover crumble!
What is the perfect ratio of crumble to fruit?
Different strokes for different folks, but generally speaking you want it to be about 75% of fruit to 25% of crumble topping.
Why is my topping not crumbly?
This is more likely due to getting the topping ingredients quantity wrong. Either too much or not enough butter and flour along the sugar will impact the texture of the crumble. Be sure to stick to the correct amounts of each ingredient. Also, using wrong type of sugar can result in less crunchy and crumbly topping.
To pin this recipe and save it for later, use the button on the recipe card, or on any of the photos above.
If you try this recipe, or any other recipe on Anna Banana, please take a moment to rate the recipe and/ or leave me a comment. I love hearing from you , but it also helps the other readers who are thinking of making the recipe.
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Crumble
Equipment
- 1 large pie dish or heatproof dish approx. 1.5L capacity
- 2 large mixing bowls
Ingredients
For the crumble topping:
- 500 g plain flour
- 250 g unsalted butter cubed or melted, see notes.
- 250 g sugar demerara or golden caster
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch of salt
For the strawberry filling:
- 1 kg fresh strawberries hulled
- 2 tablespoon cornflour
- 60 g sugar caster or granulated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 2 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 185°C (165°C fan).
- Place the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine. Pour in the melted butter and using a fork, mix all of the ingredients together. Ideally, you want a mix of small breadcrumbs and bigger clumps.
- Place the strawberries into a large bowl and add cornflour. Toss the strawberries in the cornflour, then add sugar, vanilla and water and mix again to combine.
- Transfer the strawberry filling into the pie dish and sprinkle the crumble topping all over it in an even layer. Sprinkle some extra demerara sugar on top and place in the oven and bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until the crumble is golden brown and the strawberry sauce is bubbling and sizzling around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Serve with ice cream, custard or cream.
Please note that all my recipes are developed and tested in metric grams. I recommend that you use digital scales for a more accurate results. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Video
Notes
- There are two different ways of making the crumble topping. One is to use melted butter, and pour it directly into the flour and sugar mixture. The other method is to rub the cold, cubed butter into the flour and sugar mixture using your fingertips.
- You can use fresh or frozen strawberries in the filling. If using frozen strawberries, allow them to thaw first.
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