With a tender, buttery crumb topping and a bright, sweet strawberry filling, this easy strawberry crumble comes together quickly and always delights. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream for an ideal summer-party or barbecue dessert.
Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits for desserts—they’re vivid, cheerful, and instantly make any treat feel like warm weather. This strawberry crumble is simple to prepare and tastes like sunshine in a dish.
If you love berries and are ready for spring or summer, pick up fresh strawberries and make this crumble. It’s an easy way to celebrate the season and enjoy a comforting, fruity dessert.
Why you’ll love this strawberry crumble:
- This recipe comes together quickly using common pantry ingredients.
- No mixer or special equipment required—just simple tools and your hands to form the topping.
- Serve it warm or cold; it’s also great as a make-ahead dessert and keeps well overnight in the fridge.
How to make your crumble
- Whisk granulated sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a large bowl.
- Toss in the strawberries so they are evenly coated.
- Transfer the fruit mixture to a prepared baking dish.
- Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Use your fingers to work room-temperature butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.
- Scatter the crumb topping evenly over the strawberries and bake until the filling bubbles and the topping turns golden.
Recipe notes and tips
- Allow the crumble to cool for about 20–30 minutes before serving so the fruit juices can thicken slightly.
- You can use an 11- by 7-inch baking dish or an 8- or 9-inch square pan—both work well.
- If you prefer larger streusel pieces, squeeze portions of the topping in your hands to form bigger crumbles before baking.
How to store
Leftover crumble keeps, covered, in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. Make sure it has cooled to room temperature before covering to avoid condensation that can soften the topping.
Freezing is not recommended; the texture of the topping and filling tends to change after thawing.
Serving ideas
- Serve the crumble warm or chilled according to your preference.
- Top with vanilla ice cream for a classic pairing.
- Chocolate ice cream pairs nicely if you enjoy chocolate with strawberries.
- Add a drizzle of strawberry, chocolate, or caramel sauce over the ice cream for extra indulgence.
- Fresh whipped cream is always a delicious complement to fruit crumbles.
What’s the difference between a crumble and a crisp?
Both crumbles and crisps are fruit desserts topped with a streusel-like mixture, but the textures differ slightly. A crumble typically has a streusel topping similar to muffin or coffee cake crumbs and often stays a bit softer after baking. A crisp usually includes oats (and sometimes nuts) in the topping, which become crispier as they bake—hence the name.
A few more recipes you might enjoy
Strawberry Fudge
Caramel Apple Crumble
Blueberry Apple Crisp
Blueberry Peach Cobbler
If you make this strawberry crumble, I’d love to hear how it turned out—leave a comment and rating below, and feel free to share a photo on Instagram. Tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see!
Strawberry crumble is a quick, crowd-pleasing dessert that’s perfect for spring and summer.
Dessert
American
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered*
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9-inch square or an 11- by 7-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Add the sliced strawberries and toss until evenly coated.
- Spread the coated berries in an even layer in the prepared baking dish, then prepare the topping.
- Mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Add the butter and use your fingers to rub it into the dry ingredients until the mixture forms large crumbles. For larger pieces, squeeze portions of the topping in your hands.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the berries.
- Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any overflow and bake 25–35 minutes, until the strawberry juices bubble and the topping is light golden.
- Cool 20–30 minutes to allow the juices to set, then serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
- Store leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. Let the crumble cool to room temperature before covering.
- *You should have about 5 to 6 cups of berries. Adjust the cut size: quarter large berries, halve small ones.