As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This tasty Cherry Crumble will become your go-to dessert! So easy to make, this cherry crisp can be made with fresh, frozen, or canned cherries.
This delicious cherry crumble is one of those desserts that you can throw together in a flash.
You make it with fresh, canned, or frozen fruit, and I’ve even thrown in some make-ahead tips because life is busy, but a tasty homemade dessert should never be an afterthought.
If you’re a huge fan of fruit crumbles, and who isn’t, check out our Blackberry and Apple Crumble and Apple and Blueberry Crumble.
And if you’re working with fresh cherries for this recipe and have leftovers, check out my tutorial on Canning Cherries.
Ingredients
This recipe uses:
- Cherries – fresh, canned, or frozen will work. See FAQs below on using frozen cherries.
- Cornstarch
- Sugar – both white and brown
- Lemon juice
- All-purpose flour – see FAQ below on making this gluten-free.
- Butter – salted or unsalted both work and see FAQ below on making this dairy-free.
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
I recommend using sweet cherries suitable for baking like Bing or Chelan. Rainier cherries will also work well, but due to their higher cost, I recommend saving them for fresh eating.
How to Make Cherry Crumble
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Butter a 9×13 baking dish and preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
Next up, you’re going to tackle the cherries. If you’re using fresh cherries, you’ll want to start by rinsing them and then pitting them.
For pitting cherries, I have this one and this one but you can also use a straw or chopstick. Pro tip: when pitting cherries, wear all black and do it outside. You’ll thank me later when there is zero mess to clean up.
Pitting the cherries can take a bit of time, so if you set up a bowl of water with some lemon juice, plop those pitted cherries in as you go. It will prevent them from browning before you get a chance to bake the crumble.
If you’re using canned cherries, fit a strainer over the bowl and drain the cherries for 5-10 minutes, reserving the juices. Mix the liquid with plain sparkling water for a nice little “look at me, I made dessert” treat.
If you’re using frozen cherries and need to thaw them quickly, place them in a strainer and rinse with lukewarm water until they are thawed. If you are able to plan ahead, you can put them in a strainer fitted over a bowl to defrost at room temperature for a few hours, or in the fridge overnight.
Grab a mixing bowl and toss the cherries with the lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar. Pro tip: to save on dishes, IF you have a deep baking dish, go ahead and mix all this directly in the dish.
If you didn’t mix the fruit in the baking dish, go ahead and add it now. Scrape any juices and sugar over the fruit that has accumulated in the bottom of the mixing bowl.
In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, warm butter until it is about 50% melted and 50% softened. You don’t want it to be all liquid, but you also don’t want it fully solid.
Add flour, white and brown sugars, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Stir with a fork to distribute the butter. The mixture should have some clumps and if you grab a pinch of it and make a ball, it should hold together. It should feel like buttery sand. Mmmm, buttery sand.
Top the fruit with the crumble mixture. Some clumps are ok, but break apart any overly large clumps.
Bake it uncovered for 45-50 minutes or until the crumble topping is lightly browned and the fruit is bubbling.
For best results and to prevent a tragically burned tongue, go ahead and let it cool for 15(ish) minutes before serving.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT
Storing Leftovers: Allow the crisp to cool and store covered leftovers at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Reheating Leftovers: Cherry crumble can be enjoyed cold, at room temperature, or heated. To reheat, cover and microwave individual servings for 35 seconds.
Freezing Crumble: You can assemble the crumble and freeze it unbaked for 3-4 months, as long as you cover it tightly to prevent freezer burn. I would cover it with plastic wrap and then foil.
To freeze leftover baked crumble, transfer it to freezer-safe containers and freeze for 3-4 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, frozen cherries would work great in this crisp!
If you’re using frozen cherries and need to thaw them quickly, place them in a strainer and rinse with lukewarm water until they are thawed. If you are able to plan ahead, you can put them in a strainer fitted over a bowl to defrost at room temperature for a few hours, or in the fridge overnight.
Check out my tutorial on Freezing Cherries.
Absolutely! You can either sub in your favorite cup-for-cup gluten-free flour or use all old-fashioned oats.
Gluten-free flour tends to be a bit “thirsty” with liquids/fats which can result in a dry topping texture. Start with the 8 tbsp of butter listed in the recipe, but expect to add 1-2 tbsp more to achieve the same texture.
Check out our gluten-free strawberry rhubarb crisp for more information.
You bet! Sub in your favorite dairy-free butter for the butter listed in the recipe card.
To make it more economical, you could also use half plant-based butter, and half melted coconut oil.
The crumble reheats very well, but you can also meal prep it ahead of time.
Make the crumble topping up to three days ahead of time and store it in the fridge until putting it on top of the cherries.
PRO TIPS/RECIPE NOTES
- Spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of the ol’ “scoop and dump” method. That will pack the cup too full and will produce a dry crumble topping.
- Sustainability tip: to save money and resources, use the leftover butter wrapper to grease the baking dish.
- If your cherries are extra sweet, you can leave out the 1/4 cup of sugar altogether. If they are extra tart, increase the sugar to 1/3 cup.
More Delicious Desserts You’ll Love
Cherry Crumble
Ingredients
Fruit Layer
- 8 cups cherries {pitted]
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup white sugar {use 1/3 cup of the fruit isn't very sweet}
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Crumble Topping
- 8 tbsp butter
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
- Lightly butter a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine pitted cherries, cornstarch, sugar, and lemon juice. Gently stir with a silicone spatula to distribute cornstarch and sugar.8 cups cherries, 4 tbsp cornstarch, 1/4 cup white sugar, 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Add the fruit mixture to the baking dish, scraping any juices and sugar over the fruit that has accumulated in the bottom of the bowl.
- In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, warm butter until it is about 50% melted and 50% warmed through.8 tbsp butter
- Add flour, white and brown sugars, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Stir with a fork to distribute the butter.1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Top fruit with crumble mixture. Some clumps are ok, but break apart any large clumps.
- Bake at 350˚F, uncovered for 45-50 minutes or until the crumble topping is lightly browned and the fruit mixture is bubbling.
- Cool for 10-15 minutes and serve.
Notes
- Spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of the ol’ “scoop and dump” method. That will pack the cup too full and will produce a dry crumble topping.
- If your cherries are extra sweet, you can leave out the 1/4 cup of sugar altogether. If they are extra tart, increase the sugar to 1/3-1/2 cup.
- Gluten-free option: either sub in your favorite cup-for-cup gluten-free flour or use all old-fashioned oats.
- Dairy-free option: sub in your favorite dairy-free butter or use half plant-based butter and half melted coconut oil.
- Storing Leftovers: Allow the crisp to cool and store covered leftovers at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
