Easy Strawberry Apple Crisp with Oatmeal Streusel Topping

I was inspired to make this riff on the classic fall dessert after a recent apple picking trip. Living in New England, apple picking and the fall season go hand-in-hand. My fiancé and I go almost every year. And every year, I make apple crisp with all of our farm-fresh apples.

This year, however, I wanted to make something a little different. Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits so I decided - why not make a strawberry apple crisp?

Come to find out, the sweetness of the strawberries pairs beautifully with the tartness of the apples. It balances the flavor and sweetness nicely and allowed me to reduce the sugar to under a cup for the whole recipe. Win-win!

So, if you're looking for something a little different this fall season, give my strawberry apple crisp a try!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Easy to Make- Easy as pie or easy as... crisp? But seriously, this recipe could not be any simpler to make. Just dice up some fruit, mix it with sugar and spices, and top with a delicious buttery oat crumble.
• Strawberries & Apples- I love the combination of strawberries and apples. The sweetness of the strawberries pairs perfectly with the tart apples for a wonderfully balanced, not overly sweet fruit filling.
• Crispy Oat Topping- Baked to golden brown perfection, the oatmeal streusel topping is so crispy, sweet, and buttery. It's so good, I would literally eat it on its own!
• Reduced Sugar- Many apple crisp recipes use well over a cup of sugar between the fruit filling and the oat topping. This recipe for strawberry apple crisp uses just ¾ cup of brown sugar total. It's sweet, but not too sweet, and the tartness of the apples really shines through.

Ingredient Notes

Here are some notes on key ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.

• Apples- I use a mix of tart and sweet apples since I typically make this recipe after I go apple picking. Use whichever type of apples you prefer. You'll need about 5 medium apples or about 7 cups of diced apple total.
• Strawberries- You can use both fresh strawberries or frozen, partially thawed strawberries in this recipe. I used frozen whole strawberries that I diced after letting them thaw for a bit since the grocery store was out of fresh strawberries.
• Oats- Rolled oats or old-fashioned oats make a wonderful crisp topping that bakes up golden brown and delicious.
• Flour- Used in both the oat topping and the apple strawberry filling. In the fruit filling, flour acts as a thickening agent, allowing the crisp to be cut into pieces without turning into a soupy mess.
• Brown Sugar- I love the complexity and warm sweetness of brown sugar in fall dessert recipes. I reduced the sugar in this recipe to use just ¾ cup total.
• Butter- The oatmeal streusel topping is so easy because it uses melted butter. No cutting butter into the oats and flour - just melt, pour, and mix!
• Lemon Juice- Just a bit of lemon juice helps balance the sweetness of this strawberry apple crisp with a bright, citrusy note.
• Warm Spices- Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg are the perfect combination for this fall fruit crisp.

Step by Step Instructions

Here is how to make this strawberry apple crisp.

Step 1: Make the streusel topping. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray and set aside. Combine the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Set aside.

I typically use my hands to mix the streusel topping, then set it in the refrigerator while I prepare the rest of the recipe.

Step 2: Make the strawberry-apple filling. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the diced apples, diced strawberries, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Sprinkle the flour, brown sugar, spices, and salt over the fruit and mix well to coat the fruit evenly with flour.

I like to mix the flour, sugar, and spices in a separate mixing bowl before sprinkling over the fruit.

Step 3: Bake the strawberry apple crisp. Spread the fruit mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish. Crumble the streusel topping over the fruit, making sure to go all the way to the edges of the dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling and the topping has turned golden brown. Allow the crisp to sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Letting the crisp rest after baking allows the fruit filling to set so you don't end up with a soupy mess.

Tips for Success

• Make ahead- I love easy, make-ahead dessert recipes, don't you? You can make the topping and the fruit filling up to 2 days ahead of time, then throw everything together and bake just before serving. Alternatively, you can bake the dish a few days ahead of time and reheat it in the oven.
• Dice the apples evenly- For a fruit filling that cooks evenly, you want to be sure you dice the apples and strawberries uniformly. For the apples, I like to cut them into ½-inch chunks. Then, I dice my strawberries to be a similar size.
• Use fresh or frozen strawberries- I've used both fresh and frozen strawberries in this recipe with great success. In fact, for the version in the images on this post, I used frozen strawberries because the grocery store was out of fresh. And it was just as tasty!

Substitutions and Variations

Here are a few ways you can customize this easy apple strawberry crisp recipe to fit your diet and taste preferences.

Substitutions

• Apples- Feel free to use any type of apple you prefer. Granny Smith apples and Honeycrisp apples are popular choices for their firm texture. You can also swap the apples out entirely for peaches, pears, or more strawberries.
• Strawberries- Try blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, or mixed berries in place of the strawberries.
• Oats- I prefer rolled oats because they make a very crumbly, crispy topping. However, quick oats can also be used. Whatever you do, don't use steel-cut oats as they will remain firm and crunchy after baking. You can also use all flour in the topping to make strawberry apple crumble.
• Flour- Use gluten-free flour, oat flour, or almond meal in place of the regular flour in the topping. Swap the flour in the fruit filling for 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
• Brown Sugar- I've used both light brown sugar and dark brown sugar in fruit crisp recipes. You can also swap the brown sugar for ¾ cup granulated sugar (divided). I have not tried using honey or maple syrup, but I believe it would work okay in the fruit filling.
• Butter- Dairy-free stick butter or coconut oil can be used in place of regular butter.
• Lemon Juice- An equal amount of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar can be swapped for lemon juice.
• Spices- Feel free to use an apple pie spice blend or just cinnamon if it's all you have on hand.

Variations

• Gluten-Free- Replace the all-purpose flour with all-purpose gluten-free flour and use certified gluten-free oats. In the fruit filling, you can whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with the lemon juice to replace the flour as a thickening agent. Be sure to check all labels to ensure all of your ingredients are gluten-free.
• Dairy-Free/Vegan- Swap the regular butter with vegan butter or coconut oil.
• Lower Carb- Try cutting the recipe for the oatmeal streusel topping in half or replacing some or all of the flour with almond meal.

What to Serve with Strawberry Apple Crisp

In my humble opinion, fruit crisps are best with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. However, you can always get creative and try a few of these suggestions.

• Vanilla or Strawberry Ice Cream
• Frozen Custard
• Whipped Cream or Frozen Whipped Topping
• Heavy Cream
• Egg Nog
• Salted Caramel Sauce
• Candied Pecans or Walnuts

Storage and Reheating

How to Store

• Room Temperature- As long as your home is not overly warm or humid, strawberry and apple crisp can be safely left out at room temperature for up to 2 days.
• Refrigerator- Wrap the baking dish tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Freezer- Allow the apple strawberry crisp to cool completely before storing it in a freezer-safe container and freezing for 2-3 months.

How to Reheat

• Oven- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place your leftover strawberry apple crisp in a baking dish covered with aluminum foil and heat for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through. If the topping seems a little soggy, remove the foil for the last 5 minutes of reheating.
• Microwave- Place a serving of apple strawberry crisp on a microwave-safe plate and reheat on half power for 1 ½ to 2 minutes or until heated through.
• Air Fryer- If you have an air fryer, this is a quick and easy way to reheat a single serving of strawberry apple crisp. Place a serving of fruit crisp on a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil in the air fryer basket. Reheat the crisp at 350°F for 3-4 minutes or until warmed through.

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