There’s nothing quite like a warm, freshly baked Cherry Crisp on a cool evening. With its sweet, tangy cherry filling and crispy, buttery oat topping, this delightful dessert will surely become your new favourite.
Combining juicy cherries and a crunchy topping creates a perfect balance of flavours and textures that will have everyone asking for seconds.
This Cherry Crisp is super easy to make at home with just a few simple ingredients, including fresh or frozen cherries, oats, flour, sugar, and butter.
The cherries give it a beautiful, vibrant colour and a delicious, natural sweetness, while the oat topping adds a wonderful crunch.
This recipe is perfect for anyone who loves to bake but doesn’t want to spend hours in the kitchen. It doesn’t require any special equipment or techniques.
All you need is a baking dish, a few mixing bowls, and a little time to create a comforting and delicious dessert that the whole family will love.
I love to make these in individual ramekins for an easy oven-to-serve dessert!
If you love this recipe, you’ll also love this simple apple crumble or this sweet rhubarb apple crumble.
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Why You Will Love This Cherry Crisp
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cherries – Fresh or frozen, pitted.
- Brown Sugar – Brown sugar is mixed with the cherries to make them less tart and sweeter. You can substitute this 1:1 for coconut sugar or maple syrup.
- Cornstarch – To thicken the cherry filling.
- Cinnamon – Adds flavour to the cherries as they stew with the brown sugar.
- Flour – All-purpose flour for binding the topping. Substitute flour for a gluten-free flour mix if necessary.
- Baking Powder – Adds a little rise to the crumb.
- Butter – I always bake with salted butter, but you can use unsalted.
- White Sugar – Standard white sugar gives this crumble topping its crunch. You can substitute this 1:1 for coconut sugar.
- Rolled Oats – I suggest rolled oats for this recipe, as quick oats will be too fine to add texture to the crumble topping.
Time-Saving Tip
Make a double batch of the crumble topping and store it in the freezer for an easy dessert later.
This crumble topping pairs well with any fruit!
Additions
- Nuts – Add chopped almonds or pecans to the topping for extra crunch.
- Spices – Add a pinch of nutmeg or ginger in the topping.
- Vanilla Extract – Add a splash in the filling for added depth of flavour.
Equipment You May Need
Copper Measuring Cups and Spoons
Buy Now →How to Make Cherry Crisp
Step 1. Preheat the oven to fan bake, 190°C (375°F).
Step 2. Prepare the cherry filling. If using fresh cherries, make sure they are pitted. If using frozen cherries, thaw them out beforehand and drain the extra liquid. Combine the cherries, brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch in a large mixing bowl. Mix well and set aside.
Step 3. Make the crumble topping. Sift flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add in the white sugar and mix to combine.
Add the rolled oats and mix the crumble topping to combine all the ingredients.
Step 4. Assemble the crumble. Divide the cherry filling into single-serve ramekins or place all the filling into a 15cm x 20cm baking dish. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top of the cherry filling.
Step 5. Bake. Place the ramekins or dish in the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the cherry filling is bubbling.
Step 7. Serve. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve warm with your favourite ice cream, a drizzle of cream, or Greek yoghurt.
Makyla’s Tips for Success
- Use quality cherries – Use high-quality cherries and butter. Fresh or high-quality frozen cherries are essential for this recipe.
- Cold butter – Make sure the butter is cold before you cut it into the topping mixture. This helps create a crumbly, crisp topping.
- Balance the sweetness – Taste your cherries before adding sugar. If they are very sweet, you may want to reduce the amount of sugar in the filling.
- Baking time – Keep an eye on the crisp as it bakes. If the topping starts to brown too quickly, cover it loosely with foil to prevent burning.
Storage
Once the Cherry Crisp is baked and cooled, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the oven at 175°C (350°F) for 10-15 minutes before serving, or enjoy it cold.
Cherry Crisp
Ingredients
- 5 cups cherries pitted, fresh or frozen and thawed
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup 80g cold butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup rolled oats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to fan bake, 190°C (375°F).
- If using fresh cherries, make sure they are pitted. If using frozen cherries, thaw them out beforehand and drain the extra liquid. Combine the cherries, brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch in a large mixing bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- Sift flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add in the white sugar and mix to combine. Add the rolled oats and mix the crumble topping to combine all the ingredients.
- Divide the cherry filling into single-serve ramekins or spread all the filling into a 15cm x 20cm baking dish. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top of the cherry filling.
- Place the ramekins or dish in the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the cherry filling is bubbling.
- Let it cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve warm with your favourite ice cream, a drizzle of cream, or Greek yoghurt.
Notes
- Use quality cherries – Use high-quality cherries and butter. Fresh or high-quality frozen cherries are essential for this recipe.
- Cold butter – Make sure the butter is cold before you cut it into the topping mixture. This helps create a crumbly, crisp topping.
- Balance the sweetness – Taste your cherries before adding sugar. If they are very sweet, you may want to reduce the amount of sugar in the filling.
- Baking time – Keep an eye on the crisp as it bakes. If the topping starts to brown too quickly, cover it loosely with foil to prevent burning.
- Storage – Once the Cherry Crisp is baked and cooled, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the oven at 175°C (350°F) for 10-15 minutes before serving, or enjoy it cold.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.