You don't need dairy to make a delicious crispy crumble top - check out the Vegan Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble recipe below.

Looking pretty in pink

Just look at how pretty the strawberries and rhubarb are in their thick, pink, syrup. Although not essential for this recipe (green rhubarb works just fine) I love to get my hands on as much tender, forced rhubarb at the start of the season. I then use it throughout the spring and summer.

Forced rhubarb gets its name from the way it's grown - it will be covered either with soil or a pot forcing it to grow in low light conditions. The result is a watermelon pink, tender stem that appears in shops between January and March.

"Maincrop" rhubarb on the otherhand grows from March until sometime between June and August depending on how hot the weather. It's stems are a deeper red but not quite as tender as the earlier variety. I do grow my own rhubarb but it's still quite a small plant (just 2 years old) and so I have to be careful not to harvest too much. But, like I say, almost all of the colour comes from the strawberries so don't worry if the only rhubarb you can get is green!

Strawberry and rhubarb are such a great flavour combination - particularly if you get really sweet summer strawberries. I love sweet and sour in all its forms and this crumble is no exception. The syrup surrounding the fruit is made purely from the fruits juices, cornflour and a small amount of added sugar. It's thick and sticky, and is the perfect contrast to the crisp crumble top. A creamy hit of vanilla custard tops this off perfectly. It's a crime to eat crumble without it!

Ditch the dairy

If you're new to plant based cooking you might be a little nervous about making a crumble without butter. But, have no fear! I promise you that you can still get a crisp and buttery crumble top without using dairy. There aren't many vegan "butter" blocks on the market right now but you can use a margarine block instead. If you are able to get Flora or Naturli block butter then these are my two absolute favourites.

Alternatively, if there's a brand of "buttery" plant-based spread that you like the taste of, simply weigh out the amount required then freeze it before you make the crumble top.

Let me know in the comments what the best non-dairy butter block is in your country.

For more information about substituting dairy in vegan cakes and bakes, check out my Big Vegan Baking Guide.

Vegan Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble without top

The recipe

Vegan Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble

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Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Servings people

Ingredients

For the fruit layer

100 grams caster sugar
1.5 tablespoon cornflour
500 grams strawberries hulled and cut into 2 inch pieces
500 grams rhubarb cut into 2 inch pieces

For the crumble top

150 grams plain flour
75 grams non-dairy butter chilled and cubed
25 grams demerara sugar
75 grams rolled oats

Instructions

For the fruit layer

Add the strawberries and rhubarb to a heavy bottomed saucepan.
Sprinkle over the sugar and cornflour and toss the berries and rhubarb until well coated in the sugar and cornflour mix.
Put the pan on a low-medium heat and cook gently until the fruit has softened and begun to let out their juices.
Continue to heat the fruit until the juices have mixed with the cornflour and begun to thicken.
Turn the fruit out into an ovenproof dish and let cool slightly while you make the crumble top.

For the crumble

Pre-heat your oven to gas mark 6 / 400F / 200C.
In a cool bowl, rub the non-dairy fat through the flour using your finger tips until you have fine bread crumbs then stir through the oats and sugar.
Scatter the crumble mixture over the cooled fruit and bake for 20-25 mins until the fruit is bubbling and the crumble top is golden and crisp.
Leave to cool slightly before serving.