Strawberry Honey Oat Crisps
Sweet and simple strawberry oat crisps, with a jammy berry filling and buttery, brown sugar crumble topping. Sweetened with honey and full of Summer-y flavor, these mini strawberry crisps are as delicious and crowd-pleasing as they are easily adaptable and quick to make. Gluten-free and vegan-friendly.
Strawberry Honey Oat Crisps
Simple fruit crisps and crumbles are some of our favorite summer desserts. They’re a breeze to make and let the intensely sweet flavors of perfectly-in season fruit shine.
My go-to fruit crisp recipe is quick and simple and delicious. The filling is vibrant fruit or berries (in this case, strawberries), just enough sweetener so it’s assuredly a dessert, along with a hint of vanilla and lemon for brightness and balance and depth of flavor.
The crumb topping is a quick mix of old-fashioned oats, flour, a bit of brown sugar, butter, and salt, that stays buttery and crispy and golden while sinking slightly into the jammy, bubbling berry filling as it bakes.
We’re following that tasty blueprint once again with these strawberry oat crisps, sweetened with honey and bursting with Summer berry flavor. In a couple of weeks you could swap in fresh cherries, and later in the season you could try raspberries, or blueberries, or stone fruit, but right now, strawberries reign supreme and I’m taking advantage of our local season while it lasts.
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Crisp Recipe:
This strawberry crumble begins with a large bowl of strawberries, mixed with a drizzle of honey, splash of vanilla, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, adjusting all to taste depending on the natural sweetness of your berries.
In a perfect world, you should use fresh, peak-season berries for the filling. However, if strawberry crumble cravings strike in the middle of Winter, this recipe is flexible, and frozen berries are also delicious.
The strawberries are tucked under a buttery layer of irresistible brown sugar oat crumbs, and the whole affair is a wonderful exercise in delicious contrasts.
There are so many ways to adjust to your personal tastes – make it gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan etc. – it’s all very forgiving. You can bake them in mini ramekins like I did here, or one large baking dish (just adjust the baking time accordingly). Toss some other berries in there too if it strikes your fancy, it’s hard to mess things up too much. Happy baking!!
Strawberry Oat Crisp Ingredients:
These easy strawberry crisps come together with simple pantry ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- strawberries: of course! Vibrant fresh strawberries are the main event, and you’ll get the best results from berries that are already very sweet and flavorful.
- honey: these little strawberry crumbles are sweetened with honey instead of traditional granulated sugar.
- vanilla and lemon: a splash of vanilla extract and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice add flavor, acidity, and balance.
- oats: old-fashioned rolled oats make up most of the crumble topping and add flavor and texture.
- flour: regular all-purpose flour makes up the rest. See the recipe notes below for gluten-free options!
- brown sugar: for just the right amount of sweetness in the crumb topping, and a hint of caramel.
- butter: instead of the melted butter that you’ll often find in crumb and streusel toppings, in this case we’ll cut in a few tablespoons of softened, unsalted butter for a chunkier crumb.
- salt: a pinch of Kosher salt (always Diamond Crystal), to enhance all the other ingredients. Sometimes I will also add a tiny pinch of cinnamon!
- arrowroot starch: to thicken the strawberry filling.
Find all the exact ingredients and measurements in the recipe card, below.
How to Make a Strawberry Crumble Sweetened with Honey
Baking a fruit crisp or crumble is about as easy as it gets. Here’s what you’ll do:
- Preheat the oven, collect your ingredients, and prep your baking dish(es).
- Mix the strawberries with the honey, lemon juice, vanilla, and starch.
- Stir together the dry ingredients, and smoosh in the butter to create the crisp topping.
- Add the berries to your pan(s), top with the crumble mixture, and bake until golden and the berry juices bubble up around the edges.
Serve warm with a dusting of powdered sugar or a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Strawberry Oat Crisp FAQs
Sure! That’s economical and great for when berries are out of season. Just keep in mind that you may need a little more starch to thicken the filling, and the crisps may take a few minutes longer to bake.
While arrowroot starch is my favorite pie thickener, you can also use cornstarch or tapioca flour. Or, for saucier crumbles, you can omit it altogether.
While these strawberry crisps are intentionally sweetened with honey, you can use equal parts pure maple syrup or granulated sugar if you prefer.
Use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend such as Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Flour (measuring by weight), and be sure the oats are also certified gluten-free.
More Strawberry Desserts to Bake Up Next:
- Easy Strawberry Jam Crumble Bars
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
- A Strawberry Almond Tart (easily gluten-free)
- Whole Grain Strawberry Buttermilk Cake (a favorite everyday cake)
If you make these strawberry oat crisps, be sure to tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #forkknifeswoon and leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked them! ★★★★★ Star ratings are especially helpful because they help others find my recipes too. xo, Laura
Mini Strawberry Oat Crisps
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 Individual Crumbles 1x
- Category: Baking, Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Sweet and simple strawberry oat crisps, with a jammy berry filling and buttery, brown sugar crumble topping. Sweetened with honey and full of Summer-y flavor, this strawberry crisp is as delicious and crowd-pleasing as it is easily adaptable and quick to make. Gluten-free and vegan-friendly.
Ingredients
- 4 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 1 Tbsp (21g) pure honey
- 1–2 tsp fresh lemon juice, to taste
- 1/2 tsp (3g) pure vanilla extract
- 2–3 tsp arrowroot starch
- 1/2 cup (45g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
- 3 Tbsp (42g) unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Lightly grease 4 miniature ramekins with butter or baking spray, and place on a small rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.
- Make the filling: Toss together the strawberries, honey, lemon, vanilla, and arrowroot starch in a medium mixing bowl, until well-combined. Set aside.
- Make the crumble topping: In another mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and salt until completely combined.
- Add the butter, and a pastry blender, the back of a large fork, or your fingers to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Continue until the butter is completely incorporated, and the mixture comes together into a chunky crumb.
- Divide the strawberry mixture between your ramekins, and top with the crumb topping.
- Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, until the crumble topping is golden brown and the berry juices are bubbling up around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!!
Notes
¹ You can use fresh or frozen strawberries. If using frozen berries, double the starch and add a couple of minutes to the baking time, as needed.
² Arrowroot starch is my favorite pie and fruit filling thickener. It creates a smooth, shiny sauce without any added flavor. As a second choice, you can also substitute cornstarch or tapioca flour. Or, omit the starch, and you’ll just have a juicier filling!
³ Make these crumbles gluten-free by substituting all-purpose gluten free flour and making sure your rolled oats are GF as well.
⁴ Make them vegan by using granulated sugar or pure maple syrup and a plant-based butter (such as Miyokos vegan butter or Earth Balance buttery baking sticks). You can also substitute 3 Tablespoons of unrefined coconut oil, following the directions on this recipe.
⁵ You can also bake this crisp in a 9×9-inch baking pan at 350℉ for 40-50 minutes.
Note: Sometimes I will add nuts to the crumble topping as well. 1/4 cup of sliced almonds, and walnuts are all lovely. If the nuts (or streusel topping) start to brown too quickly, you can lightly cover/tent the crisp with aluminum foil for the last bit of baking.
Keywords: strawberry oat crisp, mini strawberry crisps, strawberry crumble, sweetened with honey, honey strawberry crumble, easy
This recipe was originally published in May 2013. New photos, notes, and recipe improvements have been added.
I just found your blog and I’m in love. These are so gorgeous!
Oh thank you so much, Jocelyn! I just spent some time swooning over the yummy-looking desserts on your blog… 🙂