Strawberry Crisp

As the sun-kissed days of summer arrive, there’s no better way to celebrate the season’s ripe strawberry bounty than with a dessert that marries their natural sweetness with a crunchy, buttery topping. Enter the best-ever strawberry crisp—a delightful combination of ripe strawberries and a golden-brown oat crumble crust.

This dessert not only showcases the vibrant flavors of freshly picked berries but also offers a comforting contrast of textures that will leave you craving more. Whether you’re hosting a backyard barbecue or simply treating yourself to a taste of summer, this recipe promises to become a go-to addition to your summer dessert lineup, especially when served with an icy cold scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients for Strawberry Crisp

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• Strawberries: There’s nothing better than peak, in-season strawberries in a fruit crisp. We suggest buying fresh berries for this recipe as frozen simply won’t taste the same.
• Sugar: Sugar brings out the sweetness in the berries and helps coat them along with the other ingredients to create a juicy base for your crisp. Granulated white sugar is great here, although you can also use brown sugar, sugar in the raw or coconut sugar.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps thicken the coating for the berries so they don’t turn into a runny mess while baking.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract imparts deep, umami-laced flavors and a little goes a long way. High-quality vanilla extract from the store is just fine, although you could also make vanilla extract from fresh beans.
• Old-fashioned oats: Whole oats are the star ingredient for crisps and absolute perfection when tossed in a cinnamon-sugar coating.
• Flour: Along with oats you’ll also need flour. Opt for all-purpose unless you are making a gluten-free crisp. Almond, buckwheat or brown rice flour are good substitutions.
• Sugar: We used two types of sugar for this crisp topping—white granulated and brown for a more complex flavor.
• Cinnamon: This warming spice is essential to lend an earthy, woody note to your crisp.
• Butter: Melted butter is the binder for the crisp topping. It keeps everything held together nicely.
• Vanilla ice cream: Optional, although essential in our opinion, vanilla ice cream is the perfect cool companion for a straight-out-of-the-oven crisp.

Directions

Step 1: Mix the strawberries

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Start by preheating your oven to 375°F and combining the strawberries, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla in a large bowl.

Step 2: Mix the oat topping

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Transfer the berry mixture to a greased 11×7-in. baking dish. In another large bowl, combine the oats, flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Stir in the melted butter and sprinkle the topping over the berries.

Step 3: Bake

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Bake until the filling is bubbly and the topping is lightly browned, for 30 to 35 minutes.

Step 4: Serve

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Remove the warm crisp from the oven and serve with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.

Strawberry Crisp Variations

• Use a triple berry blend: Strawberries are delicious all on their own in a fruit crisp, but they also work well with blueberries and raspberries if you have an abundance of berries to use up.
• Make it gluten-free: Swap the old-fashioned rolled oats for gluten-free oats and the all-purpose flour for any gluten-free flour for a GF crisp.
• Go nuts: Toasted chopped pecans or walnuts would be so tasty in the crumbly oat topping and add extra crunch.
• Try a different cream: Although vanilla ice cream is a classic crisp choice for serving, you could also use whipped cream or a dollop of homemade clotted cream.

How to Store Strawberry Crisp

Unlike other dairy-based desserts that can’t sit in the sun for hours, fresh fruit crisp will be just fine at a BBQ or potluck outdoors, minus the ice cream. If you happen to have leftovers, although doubtful, cover them and keep them at room temperature on the counter or place them in sealed, airtight containers to store in the fridge until you’re ready for another serving.

Can you freeze a strawberry crisp?

Yes, although we prefer to freeze berry crisp unbaked, then let it thaw and bake right before serving.

How long does strawberry crisp last?

Strawberry crisp shines fresh from the oven when the crisp is crunchy, crumbly and warm but you can still dig into another helping within the next day or two. We wouldn’t recommend keeping it much longer than that or the strawberries will start to get runny and the topping may turn mushy.

How do you reheat strawberry crisp?

For the best-tasting (reheated) crisp, use a slotted spoon to transfer the berry mixture to a baking dish so you leave any runny juices behind, then top with a fresh layer of the crisp ingredients and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until it’s bubbly and golden. You can also pop berry crisp in the microwave for a few minutes and top with vanilla ice cream if you’re too hungry to go the longer route.

Strawberry Crisp Tips

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Why is my berry crisp runny?

Fresh berries release juices as they bake but can veer towards the soupy side quickly, especially if you leave out the cornstarch. Don’t skip this crucial ingredient. Tossing your berries in thickeners like cornstarch (or arrowroot powder if you don’t have cornstarch) will keep your crisp from getting runny.

How do I make my strawberry crisp better?

Don’t use too little or too much oat crumble topping. The goal is to have a mix of berries and crumble with every bite so be sure the topping is completely covering the berry base before baking. Keep a 1:1 filling-to-crumble ratio in mind.

Can I make strawberry crisp vegan?

You bet! This recipe is pretty much vegan to begin with, except butter. Use vegan butter instead of the real deal and you’re good to go.