If you’re looking for a quick and easy summer dessert, I’ve got you covered. This strawberry and apple crumble combines the sweet flavors of a summer strawberry with the tartness of a crisp apple. Full of cinnamon and vanilla flavors, this is a delicious summer (or fall) treat—especially when topped with vanilla ice cream.
Why You’ll Love this Strawberry and Apple Crumble
- Quick & Easy. This recipe only takes around 30 minutes from start to finish and the instructions are a breeze. Combine the filling ingredients in one bowl and prepare the crumble in another. Assemble and bake!
- Individual Servings. These are served in individual ramekins so serving and clean up is a breeze. I’ve written the recipe for 4 servings, but it can easily be scaled up or down. If you want leftovers, great! If you don’t want desserts lingering around your house, no worries. Make as many or as few as you’d like.
- Perfect for summer or fall. Typically, I make apple crumble or apple crisp in the fall, but I wanted to make something that could use up the large quantities of strawberries I had in my fridge (I love fresh berries in the summer). This recipe is the best of both worlds! The strawberries add a natural sweetness that counteracts the tartness of the apples. And the cinnamon and vanilla make it smell and taste amazing.
- The crumble. This is a strawberry apple crumble recipe vs an apple strawberry crisp. I’ll explain more about the difference between the two in a second (spoiler: it’s the topping). The crumble in this recipe is based off the crumble in my Buttermilk Coffee Cake. I’ve just made the proportions 1:1. I prefer a lot of crumble so feel free to use as much or as little as you’d like.
Looking for more crumbles? Check out this blackberry and apple crumble that adds oats and cinnamon to the topping.
What is the difference between a crumble, a crisp, and a cobbler?
Crumbles, crisps, and cobblers are all in the same family. And honestly, the main difference between the three is how you make the top crust as all three have a fruit base with no bottom layer crust.
Cobbler: A cobbler has a pie crust or biscuit top layer.
Crisp: A crisp’s topping usually contain brown sugar, nuts, or oats.
Crumble: Crumbles use a simple combination of butter, flour and sugar for their top layer.
In many countries, crumbles and crisps are used interchangeably, but cobblers are more unique as they tend to be a bit more labor intensive. If you’re looking for a simple baked fruit recipe, your safest bet is to go with a crisp or crumble recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
First, chop your strawberries and apples into small pieces. You’ll need 2x the amount of strawberries as you do apples. In a large mixing bowl, add the fruit, vanilla, cinnamon, monkfruit sweetener (or sugar), a pinch of salt, and cornstarch. Set aside to let the juices form.
In a separate large bowl, make the crumble topping. Combine the flour and sugar. Dice the cold butter and place it in the bowl. Take a knife and toss the butter so it’s covered in the flour and sugar. Then, take a pastry cutter or fork and cut the butter into the flour and sugar. You’ll want the mixture to still have pieces of butter visible that are about the size of a pea.
Fill each ramekin with the fruit mixture. You’ll want to fill it about 3/4 full (leaving room for the crumble) and pack it down tightly. During cooking, the fruit will shrink so you’ll want to make sure you pack it as tight as you can.
Top with as much crumble as you’d like. I like a thick layer of crumble, but as long as the the top is covered, you’ll be fine. One note, if you don’t try to fill the crevasses with crumble, the dessert will shrink back a bit. It will still taste delicious, just FYI. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes. You’ll know when it’s done when the fruit is bubbling up to the top and the crumble is lightly browned.
Common crumble baking questions:
Do I have to peel the apples? Nope. Only if you want to. I made this with the skin on and they were delicious.
What kind of apples are best to use in baking? I used Gala and Fuji apples. You can use any type just know that Red Delicious will be sweeter and Green Apples will be more tart. I like a neutral apple for this recipe.
How do you thicken fruit for crumble? The cornstarch is the thickening agent in this apple strawberry crumble recipe. When combined with sugar and heat, the fruit filling will thicken up nicely.
Why is my crumble not crispy? The strawberries and apples provide a lot of liquid, so the crumble will not be as crispy as a typical cobbler or crisp. The trick is to bake this low and slow. Any higher than 350 and you risk browning the top before the fruit has thickened.
What pairs well with apple strawberry crumble? This crumble recipe is delicious on it’s own, however, my favorite pairing is a scoop vanilla ice cream. Who doesn’t love a warm strawberry apple crumble with ice cream on a hot summer’s day? If I don’t have ice cream, homemade whipped cream is delicious as well.
Enjoy!
Looking for more recipes?
Strawberry and Apple Crumble
Equipment
- 4 4-inch ramekins
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced strawberries
- 1 cup chopped apple
- 1 squeeze lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp monkfruit sweetener (or sugar)
- 4 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
For the Crumble
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup butter, cold
Instructions
For the filling
- In a medium bowl, combine strawberries, apples, lemon juice, vanilla, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and sweetener.
- Stir until everything is mixed together and there are no dry bits. Set aside.
For the crumble
- In a large bowl, combine sugar and flour. Dice the butter into small pieces and toss in the flour and sugar mixture.
- Cut the butter into the flour and sugar with a pastry cutter or use a fork until the butter pieces are the size of peas or the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
To assemble the strawberry and apple crumble
- Fill the ramekins with the fruit mixture (about 1/2 cup each). Firmly pack down the fruit to ensure the whole dish is covered. The fruit shrinks when cooked.
- Cover the fruit with a thick layer of the crumble.
- Bake at 350 for 25 minutes until the fruit mixture is bubbling though the top.
- Let chill for 15 minutes before serving by itself or with vanilla ice cream.
