Ultimate Crumble Recipe - with Vegan and Gluten-free Variations

makes 8 individual crumbles, or one family-sized crumble

Who doesn’t love a great crumble? Well, this recipe is one to bookmark, because it’s the very best crumble topping you’ll make. With just four ingredients, it works beautifully in all your favourite crumble recipes - Apple Crumble, Apple and Blackberry Crumble, Rhubarb Crumble, Gooseberry Crumble, and a few more you might not of though of trying.

Even better it keeps beautifully, so make a double batch and store in the fridge or freezer for those emergency must-make-crumble moments!

We’ve also included our foolproof vegan crumble and gluten-free crumble variations. We can’t wait to hear what you think!

Ingredients

Crumble topping:

150g plain flour; 100g very cold slightly salted butter, cubed or grated; 50g rolled oats; 50g demerara sugar

Filling:

Around 500g fruit (see below for some great combinations), your choice of sugar of sweetener e.g. caster sugar, honey (amount varies depending on tartness of fruit), a few tablespoons water, or a flavoured syrup or cordial (e.g. elderflower for gooseberries, ginger for rhubarb)

Vegan topping:

150g plain flour; 100g very cold Vegan margarine, cubed or grated; 50g rolled oats; 50g demerara sugar, a pinch of sea salt

Gluten-free topping:

150g plain gluten free flour; 100g very cold slightly salted butter, cubed or grated; 50g rolled gluten free oats; 50g demerara sugar

Optional:

flaked or finely chopped nuts (e.g. almonds, hazlenuts, pecans, walnuts, or your favourite seeds (sunflower, chia, pumpkin)

Prepping the fruit for your crumble

Gooseberries - wash and top and tail

Strawberries - wash, hull and quarter

Rhubarb - wash, and cut into 1cm slices

Peaches/Plums - wash and chop into two cm pieces

Pear - wash, peel and chop into 1 cm pieces

Apple - wash, peel and chop

Mango - remove peel and dice into 2 cm pieces

Pineapple - remove skin and inner core and dice into 2 cm pieces

Blackberries - wash

fabulous crumble combinations

Apple & Blackberry

Peach & Almond

Rhubarb & Strawberry

Gooseberry & Elderflower (use a little Elderflower cordial instead of water)

Pear & Ginger (add a little chopped stem ginger)

Plum

Tropical (Mango & Pineapple)

Method*

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 C

2. Wash and prepare fruit.

3. Weigh and prepare crumble topping ingredients. Grate or cube very cold butter (or alternative) - pop into freezer first on a Summer's day. Blitz oats in a food processor or Nutribullet.

4. Rub butter into flour using finger tips, until the mix looks a little like breadcrumbs.

5. Stir through blitzed oats and demerara sugar.

6. Add nuts / seeds if using.

7. Place on a baking tray and bake for 6-8 mins, until a little coloured. Remove from oven and allow to cool whilst you prepare fruit.

8. Place fruit in your chosen baking dish(es). Add a little water and sugar/sweetener (one teaspoon of each per serving) or your choice of syrup/cordial.

9. Sprinkle with crumble topping.

10. Bake for 25 mins (individual crumbles) or 30-35 mins (family sized crumbles).

Serve with custard or ice cream. Keep any remaining crumble mix in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for up to two weeks.

*N.B. Children should always be supervised when cooking, and an adult should oversee the use of heat as well as all preparation involving sharp utensils.

Weigh and prepare crumble topping ingredients

Add grated (or cubed) very cold butter to flour

Rub in until the mix resembles breadcrumbs

Stir through blitzed oats

Stir through demerara sugar

Add nuts/seeds if using

Place on baking tray and bake for 6-8 mins

Place prepped fruit into baking dish(es)

Add a teaspoon of water & sugar (or cordial)

Cover fruit with a cm of crumble topping

Left over topping can be kept for two weeks

Bake for 25 mins (individual) or 35-40 (family-sized)

Remove from oven when bubbling and golden

Serve with custard or cream

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This recipe is featured in our D of E Approved BRILLIANT BAKING COURSE for 13 years +