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Cherry Crumble Recipe

This Cherry Crumble is a family favorite! The crumbly crisp almond topping is a perfect match to those juicy plump cherries | NatashasKitchen.com

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Cherry crumbles are wonderful – they are like cherry pies without the fuss. EASY. And the crumbly crisp almond topping is a perfect match to those juicy plump cherries. Even though I’ve enjoyed cherry crumble  several times this week, I still wish I had leftovers. It’s just THAT good! P.S. Kids love it too.

This Cherry Crumble is a family favorite! The crumbly crisp almond topping is a perfect match to those juicy plump cherries | NatashasKitchen.com

My husband and son went cherry picking this week and brought home 35lbs of gorgeous sweet cherries so we’re baking up all kinds of delicious cherry desserts. We’ve made three of these cherry crumbles this week (and shared them of course), but they disappear fast!

Ingredients for Cherry Crumble Filling:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour *measured correctly
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 lbs fresh or frozen sweet cherries, pitted
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

This Cherry Crumble is a family favorite! The crumbly crisp almond topping is a perfect match to those juicy plump cherries | NatashasKitchen.com

Ingredients for the Topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour *measured correctly
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/8  tsp salt
8 Tbsp (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, diced
½ cup quick cooking oats
1 cup sliced almonds, divided

Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to serve, optional

This Cherry Crumble is a family favorite! The crumbly crisp almond topping is a perfect match to those juicy plump cherries | NatashasKitchen.com

How to Make a Cherry Crumble:

Prep: Preheat oven to 350˚F. Pit Cherries.
1. For the Filling: In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup sugar.

This Cherry Crumble is a family favorite! The crumbly crisp almond topping is a perfect match to those juicy plump cherries | NatashasKitchen.com

2. In a medium bowl, toss cherries with 2 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Sprinkle the top with your flour/sugar mixture and stir to evenly coat cherries. Transfer cherries to a 9×13 or 9×12 baking dish.

This Cherry Crumble is a family favorite! The crumbly crisp almond topping is a perfect match to those juicy plump cherries | NatashasKitchen.com

For the Topping:

1.  In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine: 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar,  1/3 cup brown sugar, and 1/8  tsp salt. Pulse to combine. Add 1 stick diced cold butter and pulse until butter is pea-sized.

2. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl, add 1/2 cup oats and use your hands to make large crumbs, rubbing the mixture between your fingers. Add 1/2 cup shaved almonds and toss to combine.

This Cherry Crumble is a family favorite! The crumbly crisp almond topping is a perfect match to those juicy plump cherries | NatashasKitchen.com

3. Spread the crumble topping evenly over the cherries and sprinkle on the second 1/2 cup sliced almonds. Bake uncovered at 350˚F for 45 minutes, or until almonds are golden brown and cherry juices are bubbling at the edges. Let crumble cool at least 15 minutes before serving; cherry juices will thicken as it cools.

Cherry Crumble Recipe-3

Food bloggers exercise a lot of self control not to eat their samples before taking pictures

This Cherry Crumble is a family favorite! The crumbly crisp almond topping is a perfect match to those juicy plump cherries | NatashasKitchen.com

Cherry Crumble Recipe

4.97 from 26 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
This Cherry Crumble is a family favorite! The crumbly crisp almond topping is a perfect match to those juicy plump cherries | NatashasKitchen.com
This cherry crumble is like a cherry pie without the fuss. EASY. The crumbly crisp almond topping is a perfect match to those juicy plump cherries.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 8

For the Filling:

For the Topping:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 8 Tbsp 1 stick cold, unsalted butter, diced
  • ½ cup quick cooking oats
  • 1 cup sliced almonds, divided
  • Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to serve, optional

Instructions

Prep: Preheat oven to 350˚F. Pit Cherries.

    For the Cherry Filling:

    • In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup sugar.
    • In a medium bowl, toss cherries with 2 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Sprinkle the top with your flour/sugar mixture and stir to evenly coat cherries. Transfer cherries to a 9x13 or 9x12 baking dish.

    For the Topping:

    • In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine: 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and 1/8 tsp salt. Pulse to combine. Add 1 stick diced cold butter and pulse until butter is pea-sized.
    • Transfer mixture to a medium bowl, add 1/2 cup oats and use your hands to make large crumbs, rubbing the mixture between your fingers. Add 1/2 cup shaved almonds and toss to combine.
    • Spread the crumble topping evenly over the cherries and sprinkle on the second 1/2 cup sliced almonds. Bake uncovered at 350˚F for 45 minutes, or until almonds are golden brown and cherry juices are bubbling at the edges. Let crumble cool at least 15 minutes before serving; cherry juices will thicken as it cools.

    Notes

    If you are making it with frozen cherries, make sure to defrost them completely or crumble will need to bake a little longer.
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Cherry Crumble
    Skill Level: Easy
    Cost to Make: Varies by Season

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    Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. mmm.

    This Cherry Crumble is a family favorite! The crumbly crisp almond topping is a perfect match to those juicy plump cherries | NatashasKitchen.com

    Are cherries in season where you live? I’d love to hear how you enjoy your cherries!

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    Natasha Kravchuk

    Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

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    Read comments/reviewsAdd comment/review

    • Jenilee Mullikine
      July 29, 2022

      How would I need to change the recipe for tart cherries instead?

      Reply

      • NatashasKitchen.com
        July 29, 2022

        Hi! I have not tested it with tart cherries but probably need to add more sugar.

        Reply

    • Carla
      October 3, 2021

      This was perfect! Made it with Swerve and it worked great. The next time I made it, I only had 6T butter so I used almond flour (it took nearly 2c), and I doubled the oats because we love them. I had so much topping that I put 2/3 of it in the bottom of the pan and used 1/3 as topping. Because I bake in a toaster oven, I reduced heat by 25 degrees. It was STILL perfect! Next time, I’ll bake the bottom first, then add the cherries and topping. Because it was a toaster oven, I had to cover after 20 mins, and only baked for 40. When I subbed the almond flour, I left out the almonds but will definitely add some next time for that toasted almond flavor!

      Reply

      • Natasha
        October 3, 2021

        The almond flavor is definitely nice and so is the crunch from the almonds. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.

        Reply

    • Laurie Christie
      April 27, 2021

      This is the best crumble I’ve ever, ever made. And it’s dangerous to have when you live alone. But helps mentally during covid

      Reply

      • Natasha's Kitchen
        April 27, 2021

        Hey Laurie, thank you for your wonderful review and comments! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe.

        Reply

    • sue Solper
      March 24, 2021

      Do you thaw the cherries if using frozen?

      Reply

      • Natasha
        March 24, 2021

        Hi Sue, one of our readers, Irina made the following recommendation: “If your making it with frozen cherries make sure you defrost the cherries completely or you will need to bake it a little longer. Otherwise, the cobbler will be slightly warm in the middle and the topping will not be completely done. I had to bake mine a little longer, but it was still good! “

        Reply

    • Hannah
      March 14, 2021

      Could you use old fashioned oats instead?

      Reply

      • Natasha's Kitchen
        March 14, 2021

        Hi Hannah, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us too how it goes.

        Reply

      • Marie W
        February 19, 2023

        I used old fashioned oats with your cherry crumble recipe and it works fine. I have made strawberry & blueberry crisp recipes with just old fashioned oats as well.

        Reply

    • Alison Jordan
      January 3, 2020

      Thank you for the delicious recipe, I followed it to a T and it was a hit with the whole family, the toasted almond slices on top takes it to next level and makes it a show stopper!

      Reply

      • Natashas Kitchen
        January 3, 2020

        That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Alison!

        Reply

    • Sheila
      May 17, 2019

      Should the pan be greased before the cherry mixture is poured in?

      Reply

      • Natasha
        May 17, 2019

        Hi Sheila, it isn’t necessary since the cherries are so juicy, there usually is not an issue with sticking, but you can if you prefer. It wouldn’t hurt 🙂

        Reply

        • Christina Velichko
          August 15, 2019

          Natasha, could I make this crumble topping with an already prepared pie filling? If so, how long should I bake it for? I have frozen blackberries, which I’m planning to make my own pie filling with.

          Reply

          • Natashas Kitchen
            August 15, 2019

            Hi Christina, I haven’t tested that to advise on a time but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe

            Reply

    • Lana
      July 26, 2017

      Looks yummy👌 Natasha what would you recommend if I want to prep this 8 hrs before baking? Can I assemble everything and keep it in a fridge when ready to bake or is it better to bake it and then heat it up? Thanks

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        July 27, 2017

        Hi Lana, I think it would be great either way 🙂 You can prep it 8 hours before baking and refrigerate or bake and reheat (it does reheat well)

        Reply

    • Gardener Lou
      July 6, 2017

      Its July 6th and my sour cherry tree is in its prime. All the cherries are ready to be picked. This recipe looks amazing. Going to see if I can record making it for my youtube channel and will totally give you props for this. I’ve bee searching around and your recipe looks the most appealing. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        July 6, 2017

        I hope you love the recipe!

        Reply

        • Gardener Lou
          July 16, 2017

          Made it and we enjoyed it tremendously. I did have to mix sweet fruit with my sour cherries but it worked out well.I know your recipe calls for sweet which would have saved me this step. That almond crumble is amazing. Thanks again!!

          Reply

          • Natasha's Kitchen
            July 17, 2017

            My pleasure! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂

            Reply

    • Partha Sarathy
      July 17, 2016

      Thanks for the recipe. I substituted the 1 C AP flour with home milled soft wheat flour. Followed the rest of the recipe to the T. It turned out fantastic. My wife, daughter and my neighbor enjoyed it too. Everyone went for seconds!

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        July 17, 2016

        Partha, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!

        Reply

      • Rhonda
        July 10, 2020

        Can it be frozen? Baked or unbaked?

        Reply

        • Natashas Kitchen
          July 10, 2020

          Hi Rhonda! I haven’t had a chance to freeze or experiment with that. If you test it out, please let me know how you like that.

          Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      February 27, 2016

      John, did you made sure to use correct amount of butter? I think regular oats would work fine in this recipe if you wanted to substitute.

      Reply

    • Nelya
      August 21, 2015

      Do you think this would work with canned tart cherries?

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        August 21, 2015

        I haven’t tried with canned tart cherries so you’ll have to experiment ;). I think it might work but you may need more sugar since my cherries were sweet.

        Reply

    • Sandy
      July 28, 2015

      I tried this recipe today and the topping has far too much flour. I couldn’t even use all the topping, there was too much of it. The flour didn’t all cook in which means some of the topping looks uncooked. There’s flour dust on the top. I won’t be using this recipe again. By the way, your star rating doesn’t work. I clicked to give this recipe one star and it automatically chose 5 stars. Really?

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        July 28, 2015

        HI Sandy, did you crumble the flour mixture until it looked like the mixture in step 2? If you were seeing flour on top, it probably needed to be crumbled more. Also, the star rating is part of a pluggin that I use – I’ll look into that as that is definitely not normal. It appears to be working for me on desktop. Are you on a desktop computer or mobile?

        Reply

      • Jo Alch
        November 28, 2015

        I used 1/2 a cup flour, and canned cherry pie filling. FABULOUS!!!! Everyone had seconds!

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          November 28, 2015

          I”m so happy to hear that! Thank you 🙂

          Reply

    • Inna
      July 13, 2015

      I made it today! It’s a little on the sweeter side, maybe will use tarter cherries next time, but we all loved it. Thanks for the good recipes, Natasha!

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        July 13, 2015

        Thank you for the review Inna and you are welcome :).

        Reply

    • katya averyanov
      June 24, 2015

      This sounds amazing. My mamyla went to our local Mennonite farm and picked a whole bucket yesterday. She didnt leave the stems on and now they are so soft:(..Should they still be ok for this recipe? Also, any tips f for chopping almonds quickly? Thanks for the deliciousness!

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 24, 2015

        I usually just buy the almonds pre-sliced because I don’t think it’s possible to slice them that way at home. You can always pulse them in a food processor, but they won’t be as pretty as the sliced ones. The soft cherries should still work fine 🙂

        Reply

    • farzan
      June 23, 2015

      oh dear , it looks great . in my country – Iran- we use sour cherry for cooking a kind of food that called,”Albalo poulo”. in this recipe sour cherries were cooked with rice and meatballs. and also we use all kind of cherry for making jam ، pottage،tea and also cake and desserts. especially we eat them such dried fruit in winter. I don’t know you have in your culture fruit leather or fruit rolls up? cherry’s rolls up are best traditional goods.

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 23, 2015

        Ukrainian people use a lot of sour cherries in recipes as well. Cherry fruit rollups sound amazing! We will have to get more cherries to make that since we just finished ours up last night.

        Reply

    • Irina
      June 22, 2015

      I just wanted to comment on how yummy this cobbler was (served it with vanilla ice cream of course). Just delicious!! However, if your making it with frozen cherries make sure you defrost the cherries completely or you will need to bake it a little longer. Otherwise the cobbler will be slightly warm in the middle and the topping will not be completely done. I had to bake mine a little longer, but it was still good! Thanks for another great recipe!

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 22, 2015

        Irina, thank you for the great review and for the tip on the frozen cherries :).

        Reply

    • Ellen K
      June 22, 2015

      Would this work with frozen cherries when they are not in season?

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 22, 2015

        Ellen, yes, frozen cherries would work well. However, when using frozen cherries, make sure to defrost them completely or you will need to bake it a little longer. Otherwise the crumble will be slightly warm in the middle and the topping will not be completely done.

        Reply

    • tomate farcie
      June 20, 2015

      I’m definitely trying this one! Another great one for cherries is cherry claufoutis–easy and delicious as well!

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 20, 2015

        Oooh that does sound good! I’ve never made one before. Do you have a good recipe you could share?

        Reply

        • tomate farcie
          June 20, 2015

          Here’s the one I use:

          http://www.chow.com/recipes/29695-cherry-clafoutis-clafouti

          great for breakfast too!

          Reply

          • Natasha
            natashaskitchen
            June 21, 2015

            Wonderful! thank you!!

            Reply

    • Sharon
      June 20, 2015

      Natasha, What size pan do you use for this delicious cherry dish? Your photograph of the dish looks amazing. Love your blog.

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 20, 2015

        Oh sorry I missed that. It’s a 9×12 but a 9×13 could be used just as well. This dish is by Le Creuset 🙂

        Reply

    • Trisha @ The Ham & Cheese Of It
      June 20, 2015

      Would this taste good with blueberries mixed in? I am thinking this would look beautiful for Fourth of July but I am not sure if the blueberry’s would taste any good with this. Suggestions?

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 20, 2015

        Yes!! They sure would. Great idea!

        Reply

    • Rita
      June 19, 2015

      Do you have a quick way of pitting the cherries?

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 19, 2015

        I use the OXO Cherry Pitter. If you don’t have one, you can also use a chopstick, but the cherry pitter is the quickest.

        Reply

    • Olga
      June 19, 2015

      Looks absolutely yummy! Definitely something I will try before the cherries are out of season. Can this be put together ahead of time (say 3 or 4 hrs) before baking or will the cherries loose too much juice? Or maybe it can be baked and just reheated in the oven before serving? Id like to make this for a gathering but wont have the time to make it right then, Please advise. I would assume that it would taste the best fresh out of the oven. Also, is this something you can make anytime of year with frozen pitted cherries?

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 19, 2015

        You can bake it and reheat it before serving. It reheats well 🙂 It can also be served at room temp. This would work well with frozen pitted cherries as well.

        Reply

    • Neli
      June 19, 2015

      35lbs? Oh my, that sounds wonderful!! 🙂 All the desserts one can bake with that much cherries! are you also freezing them or making cherry jams? This cherry crumble looks delicious, Natasha!!

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 19, 2015

        I don’t think we have enough left to make jam but we did freeze a bunch because our son looooves to munch on them in winter time. 🙂

        Reply

    • Shelby @ Go Eat and Repeat
      June 19, 2015

      Wow! This cherry cobbler looks amazing! What a perfect summer dessert! I wish I could just stop by your house and pick some up! Yum!

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 19, 2015

        It’s all gone :(, but we still have more cherries!! 🙂

        Reply

    • Katy | Her Cup of Joy
      June 19, 2015

      Oh how delicious is this! I love how crisp and clear the pictures look, makes me want to devour the cherries off the screen 🙂

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 19, 2015

        Thanks so much Katy 🙂 The worst part will be a month from now when I spot these pictures and cherry season is over… 😉

        Reply

    • Katerina P.
      June 18, 2015

      Do you add the other half cup of almonds over the crumble at the beginning of the bake time or closer to the end so they don’t burn?

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 18, 2015

        Oh my goodness I can’t believe I forgot that part. You add them over the top before putting them in the oven. They won’t burn 🙂 Thanks for asking!!

        Reply

    • rufinka
      June 18, 2015

      Anything you can substitute for almonds?

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 18, 2015

        You can use walnuts. If you want to go nut free, try pumpkin seeds. It still tastes great without the nuts, but it doesn’t look as nice out of the oven. The nuts add to the nice texture.

        Reply

    • Elizabeth S.
      June 18, 2015

      I’ve been tossing a few cherries into smoothies recently. I find it hard to use them up before they get squishy! In the event of hot weather I might just make a sauce or pie filling on the stovetop and serve it over ice cream so I don’t have to use the oven.

      I love crumbles because I hate making pie crust! I usually do this with apples, but I’ve never tried it with cherries. I love the addition of almonds in your recipe!

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 18, 2015

        Here’s a tip for longer lasting cherries: pick them with the stem on and they store in the fridge twice as long. A cherry sauce over ice cream sounds heavenly!

        Reply

    • Laura @ RYG
      June 18, 2015

      I think mixing red & yellow cherries would be gorgeous, a real show stopper in this recipe! The sliced almonds on top are a nice twist too. When I think of crumbles, I always think of Poirot in Agatha Christies novels savoring a good English crumble. And I find I always want a good crumble after eating a really hearty meal.

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 18, 2015

        Yes I agree a red and yellow mix would be amazing!!

        Reply

    • Yelena
      June 18, 2015

      Mmmmm This looks sooo good! We ate all the red cherries we picked and only have yellow cherries left, do you think they will work for this recipe? Thanks 🙂

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        June 18, 2015

        I think the yellow cherries are the best! Yellow chairs will work just as well in the scramble. As long as they are sweet cherries they will work well. I guess sour cherries would work also but you would need more sugar for those.

        Reply

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