How to Make a Crumb Topping (Homemade Cinnamon Streusel Topping) (2024)

If you'd like to learn how to make a crumb topping for muffins, bread, cakes, and other desserts, check out my easy recipe! A crumbly brown sugar and cinnamon topping adds a wonderful textural element to baked goods, so knowing how to make a crumb topping comes in handy if you love to whip up desserts and other sweet treats!

Homemade Crumb Topping

Some of my favorite desserts include a cinnamon crumb topping! It's so versatile it can be used on muffins, bread, cakes, crisps, and so much more!

Knowing how to make crumb topping from scratch has come in handy more than once in all my baking endeavors. So I thought I'd share this incredibly easy recipe for homemade crumb topping so that anyone can make tasty desserts whenever they please!

🥘 Ingredients

This recipe only requires 4 ingredients! They might already be sitting in your pantry!

• All-Purpose Flour - ¾ cup, spoon and leveled.
• Brown sugar - ⅓cup, packed.
• Ground Cinnamon - ½teaspoon.
• Butter - 4 tablespoons melted butter. If using unsalted butter, you may want to add a pinch of salt in your crumble.

*Be sure to see the recipe card below for ingredients, amounts & instructions!*

🔪 How To Make A Crumb Topping

A homemade crumble topping can be made in just a few easy steps. Grab your measuring cups, a mixing bowl, and a fork (or pastry cutter if you opt for cold butter) - that's it!

1. Combine. In a small bowl, combine ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup brown sugar, and ½ a teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Use a fork or whisk to thoroughly mix the ingredients before adding butter. *I suggest a fork, as it is the easiest to use to get your perfect crumble after the melted butter is added.
2. Add. Pour 4 tablespoons of melted butter in with the combined dry ingredients and mix well.
3. Make the crumble. You should see that the mixture is forming crumbs and will hold together if you pinch it. Note that big, fluffy crumbs are more desirable than a small crumb when using melted butter.
4. Enjoy. Use when baking to top breads, cakes, or other desserts.

Use your homemade streusel crumble topping on whatever you please! I love using it to top off some baked cinnamon apples or soft apple banana bread. Enjoy!

💭 Tips & Notes

• A crumb topping may also be referred to as a streusel topping.
• When using with baked goods, add the crumb topping before baking. *Recipes with long baking times (like a Dutch apple pie) can be topped with the crumb mixture for the last 15-20 minutes of baking time.
• Granulated sugar can replace brown sugar in a pinch, but it will make a crumb topping that is paler, drier, and crunchier because it has less moisture than brown sugar. It is still tasty nonetheless.
• This crumb topping can be made in advance. Simply place it in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 3 days.

Is It Better To Use Cold Butter For Crumb Toppings?

Once upon a time...my Grandma and her mom, etc. didn't have a microwave when baking. They used cold butter and a pastry cutter to blend in the butter to make the crumbs. Yes, I suppose they could've melted the butter stovetop - but that would be an extra step. 🙂

You can see that method in my brown sugar streusel recipe.

Turns out, that's arguably still the best method! You can melt your butter for a quick and easy crumb topping (as shared here), but you may not have a great crumb consistency when your baked dish is done.

If using melted butter, opt for a high fat percentage butter like Kerrygold and other European butters (or Ghee). This way the water content of your melted butter is less likely to react with the crumb topping ingredients.

I've never had a problem with this, so it will end up being a choice to make based on your personal preferences.

🍰 Recipes With Crumb Topping!

• Apple Banana Muffins
• Banana Bread with Brown Sugar Streusel
• Bisquick Coffee Cake
• Maraschino Cherry Coffee Cake
• Pumpkin Streusel Bread

📖 Recipe Card

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