How To Make the Best Gluten-Free Crisp Topping

Having a freezer full of crisp or crumble topping is like having a dessert secret weapon. It allows you to turn any fresh fruit (or hey, even thawed frozen fruit) into an after-dinner treat without dirtying more than one bowl. Our traditional crisp and crumble toppings freeze incredibly well, but since you never know when a gluten-free guest might drop by, I highly suggest keeping both on hand. (Just label them clearly!)

This crisp topping doesn’t have any special flours in it and can be made entirely from pantry staples that you’re likely to have on hand. It bakes up toasty with a delightful chew, and you can easily adapt it to a more crumble-like texture without much more effort. Here’s everything you need to know about making a gluten-free crisp that you can memorize and know by heart.

Crisps, crumbles, and cobblers have a reputation for being infallible. However, diving into the world of gluten-free baking, it’s best to arm ourselves with knowledge so that we can feed ourselves and our gluten-free friends well. Here’s what you’ll need to know for making the best gluten-free crisp topping.

• The ingredients for a gluten-free crisp topping
• The golden ratio for fruit to topping
• How to turn crisp topping into a dessert secret weapon

Read more: What’s the Difference Between a Cobbler, Crumble, and Crisp?

I promised that this gluten-free crisp would be pantry-friendly, and it is, but here’s what you need to know. Just because oats are naturally gluten-free doesn’t mean that every package of oats is gluten-free. Oats are often processed (rolled, weighed, packaged) in facilities that process wheat or other gluten-rich products. Several manufacturers now process their oats and other gluten-free flours and starches on separate machinery to prevent cross contamination — and those are the oats we need to keep this crisp gluten-free.

Look for gluten-free labeling on rolled oats and then you can turn those oats into oat flour for this crisp topping. You can also buy oat flour and skip the at-home oat processing all together.

Read more: Why Are Some Oats Labeled Gluten-Free?

You’ll need one batch — three cups — of this crisp topping for about two pounds of fruit. Crisp topping is amenable to more or less fruit, so you have creative license to use as little or as much as you want.

Crisps and crumbles are close cousins, with crisps being defined by their inclusion of whole oats. For a more crumble-like topping texture, process all of the oats into a fine flour and proceed with the same butter, sugar, and salt ratio.

Let’s say you’ve got a batch of this crisp topping whipped up and a bunch of fresh fruit you want to use up. Here’s how to bring the two together.

• Slice the fruit into bite-sized pieces; this makes scooping and eating so much easier.
• Then toss the fruit with a little cornstarch, lemon juice, and sugar.
• Spread the fruit into a baking dish and top with the crisp topping. You’ll want roughly one cup of crisp topping for every 12 ounces of fruit.

Here’s your secret weapon: Take one rainy afternoon in June and mix up three to four batches of crisp topping. Freeze each unbaked batch in a large zip-top bag and lay the bags flat in the freezer. You can then divvy out as little or as much topping as you need at a time. There’s no need to thaw the crisp topping before baking either.