Gooseberry Crumble

This gooseberry crumble recipe is a fantastic summer rendition of the ever-popular crumble dessert. It’s a delicious marriage of sweet yet tart gooseberries under a crisp blanket of oaty crumble topping. It can be ready to bake in 15 minutes.

This recipe was first published in 2021 and updated in 2023 with new process images and additional information.

When summer fruits come into play it’s always wonderful to incorporate them into baking. But, as this gooseberry crumble recipe proves, the baking doesn’t have to be complicated.

My family always enjoys a good serving of crumble on a Sunday. But they also like variety, so I’m all for making the most of the seasons and bringing in a few surprise flavours now and again. That’s why, when I spotted punnets of gooseberries at my local farm shop recently, I decided to come up with this easy gooseberry crumble recipe.

Try it topped with vanilla ice cream or a scoop of clotted cream for the ultimate indulgence.

Why you’ll love this gooseberry crumble recipe

• Taste: gooseberries have a distinctive tangy flavour that just begs to be sweetened and then paired with a buttery, oaty crumble topping. The match is heavenly.
• Texture: the fruit softens beautifully as this gooseberry pudding bakes whilst the crips crumble topping provides the ideal contrasting consistency.
• Surprise: a crumble is an easy dessert to surprise diners with because the contents are hidden until the server plunges a spoon into it. This gooseberry pudding will be a welcome, but unexpected, change to the norm if you keep the flavour secret until serving time.
• Simple recipe: this dessert is extremely easy to make. There is no need to cook the fruit prior to assembling it as the gooseberries cook underneath the crumble topping.

If you can’t get hold of gooseberries but still fancy a summery take on this classic dessert, try my recipes for apple and blackcurrant crumble, apple and blueberry crumble or pineapple crumble instead.

What are gooseberries?

Gooseberries (sometimes known as goosegogs or guzgogs) are tart, edible summer berries that are native to Britain, Europe and North America. Early harvests appear around late May and the season continues until September. However, gooseberries are at their prime between late June and early August.

Appearance: gooseberries look rather like hairy grapes as they often have a slightly fuzzy exterior, gooseberries can look rather like hairy grapes. Their skin may also appear striped

Taste: green gooseberries are very sour – expect a tartness similar to rhubarb. As the fruit ripens on the plant the colour changes to red and they do sweeten a little.

Ingredients

The only uncommon ingredient in this recipe for gooseberry crumble is the fruit itself. Everything else is likely to be to hand in a well-stocked baking pantry.

Gooseberries: Ideally, make this crumble with fresh green gooseberries. If your gooseberries are frozen then let them defrost before proceeding with the recipe. Red gooseberries are a little sweeter than green ones. If using these add a little less sugar to the fruit base to compensate for this additional sweetness.

Please note: tinned gooseberries and gooseberry pie filling can sometimes be found in stores. Neither product is suitable for this gooseberry crumble recipe. They are both likely to contain added sugar already and they also cannot be relied upon to yield a pleasant texture once baked.

Butter: real butter, rather than baking margarine gives the best flavour. If you need to make this recipe dairy-free then use vegan block butter and add in a little extra salt to the crumble topping.

Flour: this gooseberry crumble recipe uses flour in the crumble topping and to help the liquid present in the fruit thicken into a sauce as it cooks. Omit the flour from the fruit base at your own peril. In both cases, plain flour (all-purpose) should be used. Do not use self-raising flour.

Sugar: white sugar is tossed with the fruit and used in the topping. However, demerara is also added to the crumble topping for additional depth of flavour and texture.

Oats: these add extra texture to the crumble topping.

Step-by-step instructions

How to make gooseberry crumble with fresh gooseberries

1. Top and tail the gooseberries: use a sharp knife to cut off the tough stalk (the top) and scrape off the stem where the flower once was (the tail) from each gooseberry. Rinse them under cold water.
2. Mix the caster sugar and flour together in a large bowl then add the gooseberries and toss to coat.

3. Spread the fruit into a single layer in a baking dish and spoon any leftover sugar and flour evenly over the top. Set aside.
4. Make the crumble topping by rubbing the butter into the flour, salt and granulated sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs.
5. Stir in the oats and demerara sugar.
6. Spoon the crumble mix over the top of the fruit and bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes, turning the heat down slightly after 30 minutes.

How to make gooseberry crumble using frozen gooseberries.

It’s very straightforward to make this gooseberry pudding with frozen fruit. Simply put the gooseberries into a large sieve or colander, set it over a bowl and leave the fruit to defrost. Discard the liquid that collects in the bowl and proceed with the above recipe, topping and tailing the gooseberries if this step was not done prior to the fruit being frozen.

Expert Tips

• Use digital scales. They are invaluable when it comes to any baking recipe as they are so much more accurate that cup measurements.
• Don’t forget to top and tail the gooseberries – it makes eating them so much more pleasant.
• Don’t forget the flour when preparing the fruit base – this is essential to create a sauce around the fruit and avoid an unappetising liquid at the bottom of the pan.
• If, after 30 minutes in the oven, the topping looks as if it is fully cooked cover it loosely with foil to protect it from burning and continue to cook for the full 45 minutes to ensure the gooseberries are tender.
• Spelt flour can be used in place of plain flour for a deliciously nutty and robust taste.
• Add a few hazelnuts to the crumble topping for a little extra crunch.
• Turn it vegan by swapping the regular butter for a vegan butter and adding in an extra pinch of salt. It’s also a good idea to check the sugars you are using are vegan too, since not all of them are.
• Make it gluten-free by exchanging the topping for this one and replacing the flour in the fruit with 1 ½ tablespoons of tapioca pearls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving suggestions

You can’t go wrong with any of the following options as an accompaniment to this delicious gooseberry pudding:

• Vanilla ice cream.
• Sorbet (try elderflower, rhubarb, strawberry or blackberry).
• Clotted cream.
• Custard.
• Pouring cream.
• Whipped cream.
• Evaporated milk.

Variations

• Gooseberry and rhubarb crumble: swap half of the gooseberries for rhubarb and proceed with the recipe.
• Blackberry and gooseberry crumble: scatter 100g blackberries over the top of the fruit filling before adding the crumble topping.
• Elderflower and gooseberry crumble: when making the fruit filling use 70g of sugar and 30ml elderflower cordial.
• Gooseberry and vanilla crumble: stir 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste into the gooseberry filling.
• Spiced gooseberry crumble: add 1½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon to the crumble topping.
• Stem ginger and gooseberry crumble: finely dice 2 bulbs of stem ginger and stir into the fruit filling.

More uses for gooseberries

Technically, gooseberries can be eaten raw but, as they are particularly sour, they are much more palatable when cooked with sugar to mollify the sharpness. There are a great many uses for gooseberries, with plenty of sweet and savoury recipes knocking around. Here’s some inspiration.

Sweet gooseberry recipes

• crumbles and pies
• fool
• jam
• sorbet and ice cream
• sweet fruit wine and liqueur

Savoury gooseberry recipes

Of course, this fruit can be used to make chutneys but the tangy flavour of gooseberries cuts through fatty proteins suberbly well. Try these recipe ideas:

• slow roasted pork belly
• mackerel salad
• duck breast

More crumble recipes to try

If you have tried this gooseberry crumble recipe please give it a rating or comment. I love to hear how you get along with my creations.

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