My streusel topping recipe comes together in under 5 minutes and is the perfect topping for your favorite pies, cakes, and muffins! Made with common ingredients (and no pastry cutter needed!), this buttery crumb topping will be your new favorite!
A Buttery Crumb Topping
A super quick and simple recipe for you today! This streusel recipe has made an appearance on the blog many times before, but for those of you have found yourself with a coffee cake, batch of blueberry muffins, or apple pie in need of a crumble topping, I’ve got you (and your baked goods) covered.
My recipe is easier than most (no pastry cutter needed!), comes together in under 5 minutes, and yields a crumbly, crisp, buttery streusel that tastes great on just about anything. I also include plenty of notes to customize your crumb topping with your favorite nuts or spices.
Let’s get to it! And a note for any of those of you wondering: that streusel-covered muffin above is one of my coffee cake muffins!
Streusel Ingredients
Basic pantry staples are all you need for my streusel recipe:
- Flour. I have only tried this recipe with all purpose flour and so that is what I recommend.
- Brown sugar. I use a higher ratio of brown sugar to granulated sugar because 1) it helps the streusel to clump better and 2) I prefer the slightly richer, more robust taste. For an even richer streusel, feel free to use dark brown sugar.
- Granulated sugar. Regular granulated sugar balances the streusel and keeps it from becoming so sweet and rich that it’s cloying.
- Salt. The small amount of salt in this recipe balances out the sweetness and keeps the topping from being overly sweet.
- Butter. This is what brings the streusel together and makes the crumbly, clumpy crumble topping. Unlike many streusel toppings, I use melted butter rather than cold butter that you have to cut in with a pastry cutter. Not only is it easier and faster this way, it also gives the streusel a better flavor! I use unsalted butter in my recipe to best control the flavor (see more in my post on salted vs unsalted butter), but if you only have salted butter on hand simply omit the salt that is called for.
Spices or other flavorings are an optional addition if you’d like to take your crumb topping to the next level. I often add a pinch of cinnamon or a tiny sprinkle of nutmeg for some depth of flavor. Other options include pumpkin pie spice, cloves, cardamom, lemon or other citrus zest, or even a splash of vanilla extract. Mix in any dry spices with the flour/sugar ingredients, and any liquid ones can be whisked with the butter.
Some people also like to add chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts into their crumb topping, this is totally another option and I talk specifics in the recipe card.
How To Make Streusel
- Stir together flour, sugar (granulated and brown sugar), and salt. The brown sugar may be a bit clumpy, I usually try to break up the clumps a bit but it’s not a big deal if you don’t get them all, this will be a clumpy streusel anyway!
- Melt your butter, but let it cool enough so that it doesn’t feel hot to the touch (or it could melt the sugar and make your streusel greasy). Pour melted butter into the flour mixture.
- Use a fork to toss the ingredients until all of the flour has been absorbed. Don’t overdo it! You want this mixture to be crumbly with some distinct buttery clumps (the best part of any streusel), so just toss and claw the ingredients together with a fork until combined. If you over-mix, you’ll have a thick paste-like mixture.
Frequently Asked Questions
While I imagine some purists will argue with me, I feel comfortable saying that there is no clear, distinct difference, at least in present-day America. Streusel originated in Germany and was made by cutting butter into a mixture of flour and (white) sugar. Over the years, many people (including myself) have made subtle variations to improve upon the base recipe to their taste preferences, and in the US, streusel is often referred to as “crumb topping”. Whatever you choose to call it, you won’t notice much of a difference in taste or texture either way.
If you look up the word in the dictionary you’ll find that it simply means a crumbly topping. It originally came from a German word that approximately translates to “scattered” or “strewn”. Makes sense since we’re scattering it over our coffee cake!
Often this happens if the crumb topping is over-mixed or if the butter was much too hot. Over-mixing will leave you with a pasty, batter-like mixture rather than the crumbly topping you are aiming for. Using very hot butter can cause the sugars to melt, leaving you with a greasy and not crumbly mixture.
A Few Recipes That Use Streusel:
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
Streusel Topping Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup (156 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar tightly packed
- ⅓ cup (66 g) sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled so that it’s warm but not hot to the touch (if you only have salted butter, use that and omit the salt)
- see notes section for optional add-in ingredients
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk or stir together flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt.1 ¼ cup (156 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar tightly packed, ⅓ cup (66 g) sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Drizzle butter over the mixture and use a fork to toss and claw the ingredients together until combined but still clumpy. Don’t over-mix or the streusel will become like a paste, simply toss together until mixture is clumpy, no longer dry, and the flour is completely absorbed.6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter
- Scatter evenly over muffins, pie, or coffee cake before baking. While the baking time may be an extra minute or so due to the added bulk of the streusel, I recommend checking for doneness at the time indicated in the recipe before adding more baking time.
Notes
Nuts
Walnuts, pecans, or your favorite nuts make a fine addition to this crumb topping, I recommend finely chopping ⅓ cup of nuts (roughly 50g) and tossing them in with your flour and sugar. No other alterations are necessary.Spices/vanilla
This recipe works well with a pinch of cinnamon (if using, I add ¾ teaspoon, but adjust according to your own taste) or other spices such as nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, allspice, or pumpkin spice. Simply stir in your spice of choice with the flour/sugar mixture. A splash of vanilla extract will make the streusel richer and more flavorful. If desired, mix ½ teaspoon of vanilla with the melted butter before adding the butter to the flour mixture.Making in advance
You can make this topping up to three days in advance of using. Simply store in an airtight container at room temperature then sprinkle over your cake/muffins/etc. before baking.The best batters for streusel
Streusel can be used to top most of your favorite goods (think muffins, pies, fruit crisps, and dense cakes like coffee cake). Keep in mind that the streusel is prone to sinking in very thin, liquidy batters and is best used on thicker, denser batters.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Blair
This crumble was AMAZING!! I used it to top Cookieandkate.com’s Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole, instead of the pecan topping. I dare say, it was way better than both the traditional nuts or marshmallow toppings!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yum, that sounds so good, Blair! 🤤
Tree
Used it on some basic nutmeg batter muffins and it was perfect. Crumbly and sweet but not super sweet. I loved the light crunch. It would be so good on some oatmeal like Jamba Juice in the states. We loved it so much I’m making more muffins today thanks
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That sounds delicious! Enjoy 🥰
Joli
Do you have a streusel recipe using oil? With price of grocerys doubling now I can no nolger afford butter. My store went from $4.98 to $10.98. Only cheap is Walmart brand at $4.98 now and it taste bad and not organic, anyway. I’m going through my 1030 recipes and pulling out bake goods that use crisco or oil. My Mom says its just like depression. Thank you
Sam
Hi Joli! That’s some expensive butter! Unfortunately I don’t have a recipe for streusel using oil. I’m not sure it would taste very good because a lot of the flavor here comes from the butter. 🙁
Bradley
Where are the ratios or measurements?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Bradley! You can find the recipe closer to the bottom of the page. Hope that helps 🙂
Sheralyn
Hi!!
I love this recipe and have used it. I also like crumble recipes with oats in it. Do you happen to have the ratio for using oats In it? I used one yesterday and it came out a little soggy 🤦♀️ I think what I did in reading yours was I added the butter when hot. And that recipe it didn’t matter.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Sheralyn! You could always try the topping from our apple crisp 🙂
Jeff B
The cost of oil has also gone up, if you have a Safeway or Kroger Card check their ads for weekly specials with digital coupons I bought butter last week for $1.97
Joli
Never seen a Safeway Store. No Kroger in my town. Walmart butter is now $5 and its disgusting. But glad you can get for less than $2. Organic Valley is the best taste at $10. 2 years ago it was $4.98. Then Ingal grocery went up to $6.98 six months later. Then $8.98 a year ago now $10.98. But thats ok. I I quit cooking for others. People understand not getting food gifts these days. And I’m reading through my recipes and making 2 folders those that require butter and those that do not. Butter is reserved for making biscuits. Lol
Jojo
Maybe try coconut oil? I’ve never tried it but it may hold up texture-wise better than liquid oils.
Sandy
Thank you, thank you! I have struggled with streusel too and this is exactly what I’ve been trying to do on my breads! Perfectly crumbly and clustered!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
You’re so welcome, Sandy! We’re so happy you found our recipe to be exactly what you needed. Enjoy 😊
Donna
Thank you! I am making a homemade Cherry-Berry pie and an easy streusel topping like this will top it off perfectly.
Wendy slack
Put this on muffins..yummy
Nina
I have always had trouble with streusel. It always melts down and loses it’s crumbly texture. This came out perfect! I put it on banana bread to make it more special. I added the nuts and vanilla. It is awesome! My new, go to streusel recipe. Thank you so much!
Amy
I just used this today on my spiced apple and pear pie. This is the best crumb topping recipe I’ve ever made. Love it!
Andrea
I just want your spiced apple and pear pie recipe 🤤
Frankie
Why is there so much left over. I did my 12 muffins and I could have done 6 more.
Sam
Hi Frankie! I like a LOT of streusel so you may not have used as much as I do. You can store it for a few days if you’ll need it again soon though. I hope you loved it! 🙂
Sonja
This is just what I was looking for. Making muffins for a GF friend and used GF flour instead of all purpose. Turned out perfect!
Heidi Tafarella
Can you use a crumb topping like this for the middle of a cake, as well as the top? Would it stay crumbly in the middle after being baked? I suppose it would have to be a thick batter.
Sam
Hi Heidi! I’m honestly not sure how it would work in the center of a cake. I don’t know if it would get crispy. You would definitely need a thick batter to hold it in place. 🙂
Kenneth Cooper
I’ve searched for years to duplicate a lemon streusel swirl cake by Pillsbury that was discontinued. it included lemon streusel you layered in the Bundt cake. I have yet to find a mention of it anywhere
Olivia
My family LOVED this topping! I used it on a pumpkin bread, and it really added the right amount of delicious sweetness to an otherwise very mildly sweet bread. The instructions were easy to follow, it was simple to make, and it truly made the desert. I will be using this again on various breads and muffins!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yummm, that sounds amazing Olivia! We’re so happy you loved this streusel recipe! Let us know if you use it on anything else 😊
Leanne Searls
Super easy
Carol Lynn Gendron
Can this be used on top of the cake mix in a dump cake recipe
Sam
Hi Carol! That will work just fine. 🙂
Susan Caglia
Yes it can be used on a dump cake, mine is in the oven right now!
mike
I’m wondering if you have come across a streusel crumb topping that has a tart/sour taste to it, it’s popular in east coast bakeries. Do you know what that is?
Sam
Hi Mike! I have not, but that sounds very interesting. I’ll have to see if I can find some one day and figure it out. 🙂
Brenda
This looks great. Any idea how to add oatmeal to it. Mu husband likes it in a topping?
Sam
My apple crisp will actually be similar to that. 🙂
Sadie
This streusel has a different texture from the ones I usually make for crisps, cobblers and coffee cakes. It’s slightly sweeter and not quite as rustic. I made it to top lime coconut muffins and it was a good pairing. After mixing to the clumpy stage I spread it out in an even layer on parchment paper to cool. Takes only a few minutes and very little effort to make.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Sadie! 🙂
T Fred Baker
I am a man on a mission! I prefer a crumb topping that is NOT crunchy … rather, a crumb topping that falls-apart/melts in the mouth! Will your recipe/formula/mixing method produce the results I’m looking for?
Tons of thanks in advance for any info you can provide!
T. Fred Baker … Boulder/CO
Sam
This one is not exactly soft but it’s not really crunchy. It can also depend on how long it’s baked. It will be a little softer if you have bigger crumbles after mixing as well.