Strawberry Crumble

A naturally sweet Strawberry Crumble made with whole food, plant-based ingredients. This dessert has a lightly sweet and fruity base topped with a cookie-like crumble. Pair with whipped Banana Nice Cream for the ultimate decadent dessert. The nice cream adds a sort of ice cream and whipped cream-like texture, taking this tarty, sweet dessert to the next level. The Strawberry Crumble is amazing on it’s own- but I love it topped with some nice cream. 

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The first time I made this recipe, I used the last of our fresh picked strawberries and it was absolutely amazing. Store bought berries taste great too, especially when in season. The fresh picked berries are packed with so much flavor, it’s incredible! Strawberries tend to not last as long as blueberries, from my experience. So freeze them or make this delicious crumble with them!

A few notes before you get started:

STRAWBERRIES: You’ll need about 2-3 pounds of fresh strawberries for this recipe. You can easily get away with using 2 pounds, but 3 pounds will account for any bad ones in the mix and ones you munch on while making this. I have not tried this recipe using frozen strawberries- feel free to give it a try, perhaps thaw them out a bit before baking. If I get a chance to make this with frozen berries, I will update the notes here.

DATE SUGAR: If you are unfamiliar with date sugar, it’s just pulverized dates- made into a sugar like consistency. It’s a nice way to sweeten recipe without adding a lot of extra liquid to the mix (like when making date paste). Date sugar can be purchased in some grocery stores, online, or even discounted stores like Home Goods and Marshalls (I bought one of mine there). No date sugar, no problem! See my note below. 

ALTERNATIVE DATE RECIPE: Instead of using date sugar, combine 1 cup of chopped strawberries, ½ cup of chopped pitted dates, ¼ cup of water, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth. Add 4-5 cups of chopped strawberries to an 8×8 glass dish. Sprinkle the ground chia evenly over the berries. Stir the chia seeds well. Then stir in the strawberry-date paste. Top with the crumble and bake. This variation is just as good, and just as sweet! The base will be a most more saucy, but it’s still great! 

GROUND CHIA: You can also purchase ground chia in the stores or online, but I make mine at home! You can make it in a high-speed blender, or use a coffee grinder! I have a coffee grinder I use for herbs, spices, and chis seeds- and it’s a perfect way to make ground chia at home. I store the leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge, like my ground flaxseed.

CRUMBLE: My first test batch of this recipe, I used 1½ cup oats instead of just 1 cup. If you want a little more crumble topping- feel free to use 1½ cups oats. 

STORAGE: Store the crumble in the fridge for 3-4 days. The topping will lose some of its crisp texture over time, so feel free to rebake a bit as needed to crips it up again. If you transfer to a new container, try to avoid the crumble mixing too much with the strawberries- that’s how it will get a bit more soggy too. I have frozen and reheated some strawberry crumble and thought it tasted great- so that’s an option if you can’t finish it all within the first few days of making it. 

Strawberry Crumble

Strawberry Crumble

A naturally sweet Strawberry Crumble made with whole food, plant-based ingredients. This dessert is has a lightly sweet and fruity base topped with a cookie-like crumble. Top with some whipped banana nice cream for the ultimate decadent dessert. 
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

Strawberry Base:

  • 5-6 cups chopped fresh strawberries
  • ¼ cup date sugar (see note for using whole dates)
  • ¼ cup ground chia seeds
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crumble:

  • 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • ½ cup raw walnuts
  • ½ cup pitted dates, chopped
  • 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350F. Wash and chop the berries. Add the berries to an 8x8 glass baking dish. Sprinkle on the date sugar and ground chia seeds. Stir until well combined, and then stir in the vanilla extract.
  • In a high speed blender, combine the oats, walnuts, chopped dates, cinnamon, and vanilla. Blend until fine and starts to form clumps when pinched together (it may also naturally clump in the machine). Transfer to a bowl, stream in 1-2 tablespoons of water. Using clean hands, form small clumps with the mixture. There will be a mixture of some loose crumbs and crumbles. Work with the dough until desired texture and consistency. Top the strawberries with the crumble.
  • Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Allow the crumble to cool.  The crumble can be served warm or chilled. When ready to serve, cut and use a small serving spatula to transfer to a plate. Top with banana nice cream, if desired. Enjoy!