Equipment
Ingredients
Fruit Filling
- 800 g fresh fruit, diced or sliced
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 15 g cornstarch
- 5 ml vanilla extract
Nutty Oat Topping
- 100 g gluten-free rolled oats
- 60 g almond flour
- 50 g pecans, roughly chopped
- 75 g brown sugar, packed
- 3 g ground cinnamon
- 2 g fine sea salt
- 115 g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 440 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 28 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 22 g
- Sodium
- 145 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 11 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 11 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 41 mg
- Potassium
- 151 mg
- Calcium
- 76 mg
- Iron
- 0.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 39 mg
- Phosphorus
- 77 mg
- Zinc
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 135 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin E
- 3.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.08 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.13 mg
- Niacin
- 0.5 mg
- Folate
- 7 mcg
- Water
- 7 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 190°C/375°F and lightly grease your cast-iron skillet.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the prepared fruit with granulated sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and vanilla extract until evenly coated and no dry cornstarch remains.
Transfer the fruit mixture into the prepared cast-iron skillet, spreading it into a flat, even layer.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free rolled oats, almond flour, chopped pecans, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and sea salt.
Pour the melted butter over the dry oat mixture. Stir with a fork or clean hands until thick clumps form and all dry ingredients are fully moistened.
Scatter the oat streusel evenly over the fruit in the skillet, leaving some larger clumps intact for texture.
Bake in the preheated 190°C/375°F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the fruit juices are thick and vigorously bubbling at the edges, and the oat topping is a deep golden brown.
Remove the skillet from the oven and let the crumble rest for 15 minutes to allow the fruit juices to set before serving.
Chef's Notes
- For firmer fruits like apples or pears, slice them no thicker than 6mm to ensure they cook through at the exact same rate the topping browns.
- If using extra-juicy fruits like fresh strawberries or very ripe plums, increase the cornstarch to 20g to prevent a watery filling.
- The nutty oat topping can be made up to a week in advance and stored in an airtight container in the freezer. You can scatter it directly over fresh fruit straight from the freezer before baking.
- Using almond flour instead of standard gluten-free flour blends gives the topping a richer, more nuanced flavor and a crispier, shortbread-like texture.
Storage
Refrigerator: 5 days — Cover tightly once completely cooled.
Freezer: 3 months — Can be frozen baked or unbaked.
Reheating: Reheat in a 175C/350F oven for 15 minutes until warmed through and the topping crisps up again.
Troubleshooting
Oat topping is browning too quickly before the fruit is tender
Cause: Oven runs hot or firmer fruits were cut too large
Fix: Tent the skillet loosely with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time.
Prevention: Slice hard fruits like apples or pears thinner (about 6mm). Verify oven temperature with a thermometer.
Fruit filling is watery and thin after baking
Cause: Extremely juicy fruit was used without adjusting the thickener, or the crumble was cut while too hot
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked, but serving with ice cream masks the thin syrup.
Prevention: Increase cornstarch by 5g for very ripe summer berries or plums. Always let the dessert rest after baking.
Cultural Context
Fruit crumbles gained widespread popularity in Britain during World War II rationing as an economical alternative to traditional pie crusts, requiring significantly less butter, flour, and sugar. They quickly crossed the Atlantic to become an American household staple, beloved for their rustic simplicity, adaptability, and ability to easily showcase whatever seasonal harvest is on hand.
