How to Turn Any Summer Fruit Into a Crumble—No Recipe Required

Frosty scoops of ice cream and no-bake desserts are great, but fruit-based crumbles always hold a special place in our hearts—especially during the summer. If you’re hesitant to turn on your oven during hot weather, we suggest you make an exception for fruit crumble. It’s an easier-than-pie, crowd-pleasing dessert, and it’s pretty much impossible to go wrong. In fact, making a crumble is so simple you don’t even need a recipe! It's a baking recipe that non-bakers can ace.

Using our tried-and-true formula, all you need to do to make a delicious fruit crumble at home is choose your seasonal fruit, mix up a quick streusel topping, and follow the blueprint we outline below.

Crumble Components

There are two main parts needed to bake up a crumble dessert—the fruit base and the crumble topping.

Fruit Base

You need just five ingredients to create the fruity base for this dessert. 

• Fresh fruit: There are so many good fruit choices for your crumble. For the most part, we like to stick with ripe, seasonal fruits. In the summer, this means berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries), stone fruit (peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots), and the last of the rhubarb. They all have different levels of sweetness and acidity, so the amounts of sugar needed will vary. You can select one fruit to be the star or use a mixture of your favorites. For instance, peaches and blueberries are a great combination, as are strawberries and rhubarb. 
• Sugar: Add a touch of sweetness to the already sweet summer fruits with a little sugar in the filling. Granulated sugar is a safe bet, but if you want a more deeply caramelized flavor, opt for light brown sugar. 
• Cornstarch: This thickens the fruit mixture a little. Cornstarch will only activate once boiled, so it’s important to make sure the crumble is bubbling in the center before you pull it from the oven. 
• Kosher salt: Just like with any baked good, a small amount of salt will help liven up all the other ingredients. 
• Lemon juice: It isn’t absolutely necessary, but lemon juice can add some extra acidity to very sweet fruits, like berries and peaches.

Crumble Topping

The crumble topping is equally as simple as the fruit base. It requires just four ingredients, and all you need is a mixing bowl and your hands—no special equipment necessary. 

• All-purpose flour: Flour is the base for the crumble topping—it makes up the bulk of the mixture.
• Sugar: You can use granulated or light brown sugar here, depending on your preference. The sugar will sweeten the streusel-like topping. 
• Kosher salt: A touch of salt is needed in the streusel, just like it is in the fruit mixture. It will help bring out the sweetness in the sugar and the fattiness of the butter. 
• Cold Unsalted butter: Butter lends fat, flavor, and structure to the crumble topping. Using chilled butter creates a more tender consistency and helps the mixture maintain large clumps instead of becoming too crumbly and delicate.

Crumble Ratios

You can be a little more loose and casual with a crumble than with most baking recipes. Even if your measurements aren’t perfect, it’s not going to affect the overall structure of the dessert. Here are the basic formulas—remember that you can always adjust the amount of sugar to fit your taste. 

Fruit Base:

• 2 pounds of fruit (chopped into bite-size pieces or wedges as needed)
• 1-1¼ cups sugar (granulated or light brown)
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 5 teaspoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Crumble Topping:

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar (granulated light brown or a combination of both)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1½ sticks (6 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces

Crumble Assembly

1. To make the fruit base, toss the fruit with the sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl. Spread into an even layer in a 2- to 3-quart baking dish. 
2. In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and use the tips of your fingers to press the butter into the dry mixture until everything is evenly moistened. 
3. Scatter the crumble topping in large clumps over the fruit. Bake in a 375-degree Fahrenheit oven until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling in the center, 40 to 50 minutes. If the top is browning too quickly, tent the top of the crumble loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil and continue to bake.