Apple and Strawberry Crumble

If you’re after an easy gluten free dessert which is perfect for the summer months, this Apple and Strawberry Crumble is the perfect solution. With a strawberry and apple filling and a golden gluten free crumble, this is an instant family favourite.

I love a gluten free crumble recipe but there always seems to be a common misconception that it should be reserved for the winter months.

Sure, there’s nothing like a comforting apple crumble and custard when it’s wet and miserable outside.

But how about a gluten free strawberry and apple crisp, topped with ice-cream, for a delicious summer dessert instead?

With a lovely crisp topping, complete with gluten free oats and toffee-like pecan nuts, and the tart apple and strawberry filling, it’s super tasty.

Plus this apple strawberry crumble is very simple to make. Gluten free flour lend itself perfectly to a crumble topping due to its crumbly nature!

Apple strawberry crumble ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients to make a gluten free crumble – here’s what you need for this strawberry crumble with apple.

For the gluten free oat crumble topping you’ll need:

• Plain Gluten Free Flour – A plain or all purpose flour blend such as FREEE, Juvela white mix, Asda or Schär’s baking mix should all work perfectly. You want a blend rather than a single flour like coconut or almond.
• Butter – Use cold, unsalted butter for this gluten free crumble. You want to make sure it’s cold and not warm or it won’t rub into the dry mixture so much.
• Caster Sugar – This gives the crumble its sweetness. You can use a light brown sugar if you prefer.
• Gluten Free Oats – If you cannot tolerate (or don’t like) oats feel free to omit them from this recipe. I just love the extra texture they give the crumble topping.
• Pecan Nuts – Again, these add a lovely crunch and a toffee-like flavour but you can omit them if you like. Any chopped nuts work well. I particularly like pistachio or almond with the strawberries if you don’t want to use pecans.

For the strawberry and apple filling you’ll need:

• Fresh Strawberries – I love making this during the summer months when strawberries are in season (May-September in the UK). But you could use frozen strawberries out of season, just defrost them first. Raspberries work well if you don’t like strawberries.
• Bramley Apples – aka cooking apples – are my favourite kind of use in a crumble as they hold their texture well and aren’t too sweet. You could use a sweeter apple if you prefer but they may go a little mushy.
• Lemon Juice – This helps to preserve the apples from going brown. It also helps to thicken the ‘sauce’ in the crumble.
• Cornflour – or corn starch in the US. This helps to stop the crumble filling getting too runny. You can omit it if you like but I think it makes the filling more saucy.
• Caster Sugar – You can omit this from the filling if you don’t want it too sweet. A tablespoon takes the edge off the tart apples without making it too sweet. You could use a light golden brown sugar or even honey if you prefer.

How to make a strawberry apple crumble

Making this crumble is very simple and I’ll talk you through the steps in the printable recipe card below.

However here are a few pointers for making a great gluten free crumble.

Make sure the butter in the crumble topping is always cold, and only use your fingertips to rub it together.

Crumble is made my rubbing the butter into the flour and sugar – and then I add the gluten free oats in for extra texture.

The fruit filling is really as simple as preparing the fruit and chucking it all together in the cooking dish.

Top with the oat crumble topping and chopped nuts and then bake. So simple.

Strawberry and apple crumble FAQs

To help with your baking, here are a few frequently asked questions about my strawberry and apple crumble…

Is this crumble topping dairy free / vegan?

I use butter in my gluten free crumble so the recipe as it stands is not dairy free.

However, if you switch this for a harder, vegan butter replacement it would make the recipe dairy free and vegan.

Are oats gluten free?

Oats in their natural form are gluten free, however the risk of them being cross-contaminated by other grains is very high.

That is why if you have coeliac disease you should only ever buy oats labelled specifically as gluten free.

Some people with coeliac disease also react to avenin which is a protein (similar to gluten) found in oats.

If you think you have issues with eating gluten free oats and have coeliac disease I’d always recommend talking to your GP or dietitian for advice.

Can this be an oat-free gluten free crumble topping?

Yes, of course it can! If you don’t like oats or don’t want to use them, simply remove them from the crumble.

This recipe makes a generous portion of crumble so you will have plenty to create a lovely thick topping.

And the crumble is still very delicious without the oats.

Do I need to pre-cook the fruit filling for crumble?

I never pre-cook my crumble fillings as they cook enough for my taste in the oven.

Personally I like my fruit to have a little ‘bite’ so I find the oven time plenty.

If you prefer your fruit crumble filling softer you could stew the filling ingredients on a low heat for 5-10 minutes before adding the crumble and baking.

My apple and strawberry crumble recipe

This recipe makes a crumble for 4-6 people, depending on how hungry you are!

Serve it up with either vanilla ice-cream or custard for the perfect, comforting dessert.

Any leftovers can also be portioned up and frozen for a later crumble craving.

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your creations!

And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.

Need more gluten free crumble recipe inspiration?

Here are some more gluten free crumble-inspired recipes you can try out once you’ve made this Gluten Free Strawberry Apple Crumble recipe.

• Apple and Blackberry Crumble
• Plum and Amaretto Crumble
• Apple Crumble Cupcakes
• Oaty Cherry and Ginger Crumble Bars

If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram. 

If you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!

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