It’s officially summer and my strawberry kick is going strong (hello, #AKStrawberryWeek!) After I made you this gorgeous brown butter strawberry coffee cake last summer I basically dreamt up this next strawberry dessert that’s going to knock your socks off.

Say hello to this wonderful strawberry crisp with a peanut butter oatmeal cookie crumble. Did she say peanut butter oatmeal cookie? For the topping? YES, yes she did.

This beautiful strawberry crisp recipe is bursting with fresh, perfectly jammy strawberries and while the topping doesn’t have literal cookies on top (though, that would be delicious) it has an oatmeal crumble topping made with creamy peanut butter that tastes JUST like cookies.

If you’ve made my strawberry crumble bars before you’re going to love this summer treat. I, of course, had to get a little extra with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of dark chocolate. WOW. The strawberry + peanut butter + chocolate combo was out of this world. Basically, a PB&J gone wild. We seriously could not stop sneaking bites all afternoon.

This one’s a must for the Fourth of July and you can even make it on your grill! Check out all of my tips below and remember to snap a pic of your creation so that I can swoon along with you.

Amazing strawberry crisp lightened up to perfection

You’re going to fall in LOVE with this healthier strawberry crisp recipe. Traditional crisps and crumbles tend to have lots of butter and sugar (which is perfectly fine!) but I chose to lighten up this recipe by reducing the butter and naturally sweetening the filling with a little pure maple syrup. This strawberry crisp recipe is also:

• Gluten free thanks to gluten free oat flour and rolled oats.
• Easily vegan & dairy free by simply using vegan butter!

Oh, and did I mention it’s absolutely DELICIOUS?

Everything you’ll need to make the best strawberry crisp

You’ll be surprised about how simple the ingredients are for this easy strawberry crisp, yet how incredible and *fancy* it looks when it comes out. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

• Strawberries: the star of the show is, of course, fresh strawberries! I recommend using bright colored strawberries that aren’t overly ripe.
• Sweetener: you’ll need some pure maple syrup for the filling, and some brown sugar for the crumble topping. Learn how to make your own brown sugar here!
• Flour: we’re using a mix of oat flour and rolled oats to make the perfect crumble topping. Feel free to use gluten free oat flour & rolled oats to keep the entire crisp gluten free.
• Peanut butter: what makes this strawberry crisp extra special is the peanut butter oatmeal cookie crumble. You’ll mix natural, creamy peanut butter right in with the rest of the crumble topping ingredients and the flavor combo tastes JUST like a peanut butter cookie. Use the code ‘AMBITIOUS15’ for 15% off my fav brand, Wild Friends!
• Butter: you’ll also need a little butter or vegan butter to create those nice clumps in the crumble topping.
• Baking staples: don’t forget a little cornstarch or arrowroot starch and vanilla for the filling, plus cinnamon for the topping.
• Optional topping: I love topping this strawberry crisp with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate chips melted with coconut oil. YUM.

Make your own oat flour

Easily make your own oat flour right at home with this simple tutorial! Hint: it just requires rolled oats, which you’ll also be using in the recipe.

Can I use regular flour?

Sure! While making your own oat flour is incredibly easy, you can also use regular, all purpose flour in the topping.

Can I use frozen strawberries?

Sure! I’d recommend thawing your strawberries first, draining the liquid, then using them in the recipe. You may also need to quarter them as many frozen strawberry bags come with whole strawberries.

Perfect strawberry crisp in 5 easy steps

1. Prep your pan. Grease an oven safe 10-inch skillet or a 9×9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. I love the look of this strawberry crisp in a skillet!
2. Add the filling. Add your quartered strawberries and the rest of the filling ingredients straight to your pan or skillet and stir it all together well.
3. Make the topping. Mix together the melted butter and peanut butter, then mix in the rest of the topping ingredients until a cookie dough consistency forms. Sprinkle the topping all over the strawberries.
4. Bake & cool. Bake your strawberry crisp until the filling is bubbly and the topping is nice and golden brown. Let it cool before adding any toppings.
5. Add the topping & devour. If you’d like, melt the chocolate chips with coconut oil in the microwave, drizzle it over the cooled strawberry crisp, scoop and serve with some vanilla bean ice cream.

How to make strawberry crisp on the grill

When it’s too hot to turn on the oven, try grilling your strawberry crisp instead!

1. Preheat your grill. Turn on a burner on only one side of your grill to 375 degrees F or medium high heat.
2. Prep your crisp. Follow the strawberry crisp recipe up until you’re ready to bake it. Once you’ve added all of the strawberry filling and the crumble topping to a cast iron skillet, cover the skillet with tinfoil.
3. Grill your crisp. Place the skillet on the opposite side of the burner that’s lit. This is so that you are indirectly cooking the strawberry crisp and avoid burning it. Bake the crisp for 45 minutes – 1 hour, or until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
4. Remove & serve. Your grill mitts are especially useful here! Use them to remove the skillet from the grill, let the pear crisp cool and then serve warm.

Prep your strawberry crisp ahead of time

If you’re serving a crowd later or just want to save some time, you can actually make this strawberry crisp ahead of time! Just prepare the whole thing as directed but before baking it, cover it with aluminum foil, and place it in the refrigerator. Bake the strawberry crisp as directed whenever you’re ready to serve it.

Storing & freezing tips

• In the fridge: store any leftover strawberry crisp in an airtight container in the fridge. Simply warm it up a bit in the microwave or enjoy cold straight from the fridge.
• In the freezer: this strawberry crisp is freezer-friendly! Assemble the crisp but do not bake it. Cover it well with aluminum foil and transfer it to the freezer for up to 3 months. Bake the frozen strawberry crisp at 350 degrees for about an hour or until it’s golden and bubbly.

More fresh fruit desserts you’ll love

• Blueberry Pie Bars with Oatmeal Crumble (vegan & gluten free)
• Brown Butter Strawberry Coffee Cake with Lovely Strawberry Icing
• Gluten Free Peach Crisp with Salted Coconut Milk Caramel
• Almond Lemon Raspberry Poppy Seed Cake
• Almond Flour Blackberry Crisp for Two! (gluten free)

Get all of my fresh fruit dessert recipes here!

I hope you love this strawberry crisp with peanut butter oatmeal cookie crumble! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!

Strawberry Crisp with Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Crumble

5 from 9 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

ServesServes 9 servings

Incredible strawberry crisp with a delicious peanut butter oatmeal cookie crumble topping. This easy strawberry crisp recipe can be made gluten free, vegan, and dairy free and is filled with juicy, fresh strawberry flavor. Add a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of dark chocolate for the ultimate summer dessert!

Ingredients

• Wet ingredients:
• 2 pounds strawberries, hulled and quartered
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (or arrowroot starch)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Dry ingredients:
• ¼ cup salted butter, melted (or sub vegan butter)
• ¼ cup natural peanut butter
• 1 cup oat flour (or sub all purpose flour)
• ½ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• For the topping (optional, but so good!):
• 2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips, dairy free/vegan if desired
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch oven safe skillet or a 9x9 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place strawberries to the prepared pan and then add in maple syrup, cornstarch and vanilla extract. Stir until it’s well incorporated. I find that it’s easier to do this directly in the pan you are going to use to avoid additional dishes, but you are more than welcome to mix the ingredients in a bowl and then add to the pan.
• Make the topping: in a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter and peanut butter until smooth and well combined. Add in the oat flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon mix until well combined and it forms into a ‘cookie dough’ consistency. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the strawberries, it’s okay if it doesn’t fully cover the fruit. We want those gorgeous strawberries poking through!
• Bake for 40-50 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the topping is nice and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before topping with the optional chocolate drizzle.
• Once ready for the (optional) chocolate drizzle: add 2 tablespoons chocolate chips and coconut oil to a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until chocolate is melted. Drizzle over the strawberry crisp, then scoop it up into bowls and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Serves 9.

Recipe Notes

To make it gluten free: use gluten free rolled oats and gluten free oat flour in the topping.

To make it vegan: simply use vegan butter in the crumble topping.

Make it ahead of time: prepare the whole strawberry crisp as directed, but before baking it cover it with foil and place it in the refrigerator. Bake it as directed whenever you’re ready to serve it.

See the full post to learn how to grill your strawberry crisp!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (based on 9)Calories: 259kcalCarbohydrates: 38.9gProtein: 4.9gFat: 10.3gSaturated Fat: 3.9gFiber: 4gSugar: 21.3g

Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats

This post was originally published on June 22nd, 2022, and republished on June 7th, 2023.