Morello Cherry Crumble
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Cherry Crumble is a cherry lover's dream! It's filled with tart, sour cherries...then covered with a buttery, crisp topping. You'll flip over this easy dessert that's made without oats or nuts.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Of all the desserts I've made this year, Cherry Crumble is my favorite. There's nothing like the tartness of dark cherries surrounded by a topping that's crumbly, but not too doughy.
Some people might call this a cobbler, or maybe even a crisp. But, to me it's a crumble because the crust is so incredible you can hardly contain yourself!
There are no oats or nuts in this recipe, just in case you have a family like mine who doesn't like them. But, you can definitely add extras if you wish!
Cherry Crumble is freeform and rustic, which means it won't look perfect no matter how hard you try. That's another reason I love it so much.
It's not like the cobblers you make with a cake mix. The topping is thicker and crispier, which tastes more like a pie crust without doing all of the work.
It's also one of the easiest desserts to throw together in a jiffy, which comes in handy when you're craving something sweet like I am right now!
What Type of Cherries Should I Use?
For this recipe, I used Dark Morello Cherries that are pitted and stored in sweet syrup. This product, or a similar version, can be found at Aldi or in most grocery stores in the jarred fruit section. The 24 ounce jar makes the perfect amount of cherry crumble for 8 people.
If you can't find tart cherries, you could always use canned cherry pie filling, but the cherries won't have the same tart flavor. Oregon Cherries (ad) will work, but be sure to add sugar to the filling and use two (14 ounce) cans.
Can I Use Fresh or Frozen Cherries?
If you have an abundance of cherry trees in your yard, or find dark cherries on sale, by all means use fresh cherries if you like. Of course, you'll have to adjust the recipe if you make substitutions.
You can definitely use tart frozen cherries if you thaw them out first, then add ½ cup sugar, water and cornstarch to the filling.
How to Make The Cherry Filling
The cherry juice does all of the hard work for you, so the only ingredients to add are cinnamon, cornstarch and vanilla. Simply pour the cherries with juice in a saucepan over medium heat.
Mix a slurry of cornstarch and water together, then add to cherries and juice in the pan. Stir well, then add cinnamon and vanilla. Cook for about 5 minutes to thicken, then remove from heat and pour into a 9 inch pie plate.
How to Make The Crumble Topping
The crumble topping is so buttery and sweet, you'll almost forget there are cherries underneath!
Start by mixing flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl. Cut cold butter into cubes and work it into the dry mixture with your hands, or use a mixer or food processor. Keep mixing until the dough is coarse and crumbly.
To make Cherry Crumble, sprinkle the topping over the cherries and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until the crust is golden brown and cherries are bubbling!
How Do I Store Leftovers?
If you're lucky enough to have any leftovers, Cherry Crumble can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
When reheating, make sure to do so in the oven so the crumbly topping will be crispy. I've also used my toaster oven to heat up this dessert and it works really well. You might have to broil the topping for a few minutes to crisp it up.
Serving Suggestions
Cherry Crumble is the type of dessert you eat straight from the oven with a big scoop (or two) of vanilla ice cream. I like to sprinkle extra cinnamon on top and use a giant spoon so I can dig in like a boss!
More Fruit Desserts to Love
If you love fruity desserts, you're in luck! Try these recipes for a real treat...
- Chocolate Strawberry Tart
- Blackberry Cheese Danish
- Triple Berry Crostata
- Blueberry Peach Cobbler
- Strawberry Margarita Icebox Pie
Recipe Card
Cherry Crumble
*See notes in blog post for detailed tips, photos and instructions.
Ingredients
CHERRY FILLING
- 1 24 oz jar tart pitted cherries in syrup
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp. water
- ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. vanilla
CRUMBLE TOPPING
- 1 stick butter chilled and cubed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ tsp. cornstarch
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- dusting of ground cinnamon
Instructions
CHERRY FILLING
- Pour the jar of cherries including syrup into a saucepan. Heat on medium until bubbly.
- Mix the cornstarch with water in a small bowl until creamy. Pour into cherries and stir over heat.
- Add cinnamon and vanilla. Stir frequently for 5 minutes until thickened, then turn off heat.
- Pour the cherry filling into a 9" pie plate.
CRUMBLE TOPPING
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut a stick of chilled butter into cubes.
- In a separate mixing bowl, stir the sugar, flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt together.
- Fold the butter into the dry ingredients and mix with a mixer or food processor until crumbly.
- Using your hands, mix together to form the crumble. Sprinkle it over the cherries in the pie plate. Make sure to use it all.
- Sprinkle the topping with a dusting of cinnamon.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until crust is golden brown and cherries are bubbling.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 5 days. Place Cherry Crumble in the oven to reheat and broil topping for a few minutes to crisp it up.
- If using another type of cherries without syrup, you'll need to make a syrup with 1 cup of water and ½ cup of sugar to add to the filling. Mix in cornstarch as directed, and add cinnamon and vanilla.
- It's not necessary to add extra sugar to the filling if using the original recipe since the syrup (or juice) contains sugar.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is an auto generated estimate.
Sharing is Caring! Love my RECIPES? Please SHARE with friends!
The flavor is spot on but there is way too much crumble in proportion to the cherries. If I make again, I will double the cherries and cut back by about a third on the crumble.
So glad you liked the flavor! I love having more crumble, so it seems perfect to me. 🙂
Do you blind bake the crust?
Hi Elizabeth! The crust goes on the top of the pie. Since it's a crumble, there's no need to blind bake it beforehand.
I made this for my family over the holiday and it was a hit. No leftovers! Yum!
Hi Pam. Where did you purchase your Morello cherries? I got mine at Aldi and they were perfect. Hope your next jar is better than the first!
This pie is divine! My husband loves cherry pie and this is his new favorite and it's so easy to make!
Winner, winner, cherry dinner!!! Instead of vanilla ice cream I dabbled on some Greek vanilla yoghurt...lovely dessert, thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thanks so much, Jay! I bet it was great with yogurt!
Followed recipe exactly! Excellent cobbler with delicious cherry taste. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome! Thanks Cindy! So glad you liked this tart cherry cobbler recipe!
This was delicious! Perfect tartness.
Didn’t mix the crumb topping with a mixer though, used a fork and it still came out wonderful. Will be definitely be in rotation! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for the great review, Ruby! 🙂 So glad you loved this Cherry Crumble recipe!
Made this today but with two cans of peaches. Delicious!
Hi LeeAnne! That sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing your variation with me. I'll have to try using peaches next time I make this recipe! 🙂
Delicious! I used frozen, drained cherries and added a hint of water to the crumble to help it stick together. So yummy!
Awesome, Stacey! Great to hear that frozen cherries work well too! 🙂
Thank you! I was doubtful that this would work because I used fresh cherries. I made a few modifications to the filling and it came out perfectly. The real star for us was the crumble topping: best I have ever had. Perfect tenderness, perfect delicate crunch, buttery yet light. Thank you, this will be repeated often.
That's awesome, Nancy! So glad you liked my recipe and enjoyed that crumble topping! It's my favorite too. 🙂
Hi can I use a 21 oz canned cherry pie filling for this recipe?
Hi Carmen. Yes, you sure can! Just don't add sugar to the cherries because the canned pie filling already has sugar in it. 🙂
Umm !!! I plan to make the cherry crumble in a few days! Been dreaming of it! Short on energy now, bit first spurt of “ get up and go”, it’s made my to do list!!!
Awesome Sandra! It's definitely a dessert to dream about! 🙂
I can only find cherry pie filling. Do I still make the cherry filling as directed if using cherry pie filling?
Hi Jess. If you use cherry pie filling, all you have to do is add it to the pie plate and put the crumbles on top. Pie filling already has added sugar and cornstarch so no need to add those things.
This looks amazing. Cherries are one of my favorite fruits so I’m excited to try this recipe.
Can't wait to try this! A perfect summer dessert. Thanks Debi!
You're so welcome, Kathy! Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Does this have pie crust in the bottom or is it just the cherries 🍒?
Hi Vicki. It's just cherries in the bottom and a very buttery and crumbly topping that you're going to love! 🙂