Crumble topping recipe

Make this basic crumble topping in just two simple steps.

Crumble is a traditional British dessert made with stewed fruits and a golden crumble topping. This easy crumble topping takes just 10 minutes to prepare and uses only three cooking essentials - plain flour, butter, and demerara sugar. The crumble mixture will pair nicely with a variety of fruits to create classics such as apple crumble, rhubarb crumble, or plum crumble. 

Our crumble topping will top a crumble made for four people but if you’re making a bigger crumble simply double the quantities. Leftover crumble mix can be frozen.

Ingredients

• 150g plain flour
• 100g butter
• 85g demerara sugar

Method

1. Cut the butter into cubes and place in a mixing bowl with the flour. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar.
2. Sprinkle this crumble topping over 500g of prepared fruit such as sliced apples, plums or rhubarb, sweetened with a little sugar if liked. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 4 for about 35-40 mins until golden.

Watch how to make crumble topping

Top tips for making a crumble topping

To give some extra texture to your crumble topping, you can add a tablespoon or two of porridge oats or substitute 50g of the plain flour for oats instead. This makes your crumble topping thicker and dense. Opt for rolled oats or porridge oats or if you want a chunkier looking topping, jumbo oats work just as well.

What can I add to this crumble topping?

You could add some chopped almonds or hazelnuts to your topping too to give it an extra crunch. If you’re making an apple crumble, add a pinch of cinnamon to the crumble mix as apple and cinnamon pair well together to make a warming sweet and spicy flavour.

Can I make crumble topping ahead of time?

If you want to make this crumble topping ahead of time you can. Just follow step one and then store the crumble topping in an airtight bag or container for one day in the fridge or you can freeze for up to three months.

We’d recommend defrosting the crumble topping in the fridge before adding it to your prepared fruit for baking. However, if you’ve frozen the crumble as a whole dessert you can cook directly from frozen you’ll just need to add another 10 minutes onto the cooking time and check its piping hot before serving.

Inventive ways of using this crumble topping

You can use this crumble topping in other recipes too. Try scattering your crumble topping over your porridge in the morning for an extra burst of sweetness, or use it to top apple cupcakes to give them another level of texture. It can be crumbled over baked apples or used to decorate a trifle. This crumble mix can be easily adapted to suit the recipe of your choice.

Goes well with...

• Peach crumble cake
• Blackberry and apple crumble muffins
• Baked almond and oat topped peaches