Make this easy streusel topping in under five minutes with just five ingredients. Crumble and bake for extra crunch on desserts, or use it to top muffins, quick breads, cakes and pies.
This streusel is simple to make in one bowl by hand or with a stand mixer. Use it baked as a crunchy sprinkle for ice cream, puddings or custards, or bake it on top of muffins, cakes, tarts and pies. It’s also delicious on mini pies and fruit tarts.
Try a cinnamon version on apple tarts, or add it to peach muffins, banana crumb bread, or peanut butter banana muffins for variety.
Table of Contents
- Why this is the best streusel
- Professional tips
- Ingredients
- Variations
- How to make it
- Chef Lindsey’s tip
- How to use streusel
- FAQ
- Recipe card
- Before you go
Why this is the best streusel topping
- Soft, not melted butter. Using soft butter rather than melted butter yields a lighter, tender streusel with better texture.
- Versatile. Use it baked and loose as a crunchy topping or bake it on quick breads, muffins, tarts and pies.
- Adaptable. This basic formula accepts spices, oats, nuts or nut flours to create many variations.
Professional tips for making streusel
- Cut-in method for tenderness. Combine ingredients in a stand mixer with the paddle or cut in by hand until the mixture forms large clumps.
- Chill before baking. Refrigerating the crumbled streusel helps it hold shape while baking and produces crisp, defined pieces.
- Be patient. Colder butter takes longer to come together—keep mixing and squeeze pieces by hand if needed.
Ingredients
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and lightness.
- Light brown sugar: Gives moisture and a hint of molasses.
- All-purpose flour: Provides structure; you can substitute other flours but texture may change.
- Kosher salt: Balances and enhances flavor.
- Unsalted butter: Use cool but pliable butter for the best texture.
See the recipe card below for exact amounts and full details.
Possible variations
- Oat streusel: Add rolled oats for extra texture.
- Spiced streusel: Stir in cinnamon, pumpkin spice, or apple pie spice for warm flavor notes.
- Almond streusel: Replace up to 1 cup of flour with almond flour for a nutty twist.
- Chopped nuts or seeds: Fold in pecans, walnuts, macadamias or seeds for crunch.
How to make streusel topping
Follow these steps for reliable results. Exact measurements are in the recipe card.
Make the streusel:
Step 1: In a stand mixer bowl or large mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, kosher salt and cubed butter.
Step 2: Mix on low with the paddle attachment, or by hand, squeezing the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture clumps and no dry flour is visible.
If not using immediately, crumble the streusel onto a parchment-lined sheet, chill, then store in an airtight container.
Bake streusel alone:
Step 3: Spread crumbles on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate 20–30 minutes.
Step 4: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) while chilling. Bake 8–12 minutes or until golden and the centers of larger pieces look matte; baking time depends on crumble size.
Use on baked goods:
Scatter streusel over unbaked muffin, cake or quick-bread batter and bake as the recipe directs. Note: streusel may extend baking time by a few minutes.
Adding too much streusel, or very large chunks, can weigh down muffins or quick breads and interfere with proper rise.
Chef Lindsey’s recipe tip
Use a moderate amount of streusel on muffins and quick breads. Excess or oversized pieces can prevent proper rising and cause a sunken center.
How to use streusel
- As a crunchy topping: Bake loose streusel on a sheet and sprinkle over ice cream, puddings, mousse, donuts or cheesecake bars.
- On quick bread: Crumble on pumpkin bread, banana bread or other quick breads before baking.
- On muffins and coffee cakes: Add a crumble topping to muffins, coffee cakes and scones for texture and flavor.
- As a pie or tart topping: Omit a top crust and bake streusel over fruit pies, tarts or pumpkin pie for a crisp finish.
Frequently asked questions
Store unbaked streusel in a clean airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks or frozen up to 2 months. Baked streusel keeps at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, though flavor declines over time.
Size and texture differ: crumbles are smaller and looser and often use melted butter, while streusel is usually made with cool or room-temperature butter and yields larger, tender pieces when baked.
It may need more butter, or it was under-mixed. If butter is cold, squeeze a handful—this often brings it together.
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Streusel Topping
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Ingredients
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 3 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 22 tablespoons unsalted butter cool but pliable, 1 cup + 6 tbsp
Instructions
Make the streusel
- Combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, salt and cubed butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle. Mix on medium-low until combined.
- Or mix by hand: combine ingredients in a bowl and squeeze until the mixture clumps into large pieces with no visible dry flour.
Bake the streusel alone
- Crumble on a parchment-lined sheet and refrigerate 20–30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake 8–12 minutes until golden and centers of larger pieces look matte. Time varies with crumble size.
To use on baked goods
- Crumble streusel over unbaked quick breads, muffins, cakes or pies and bake as directed. Allow extra bake time if needed.
Video
Notes
Variations – Add spices, chopped nuts or oats.
Storage – Store unbaked streusel in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks or frozen up to 2 months. Store baked streusel at room temperature in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 21 g |
Protein: 2 g |
Fat: 11 g
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Before you go
This recipe is chef-tested and versatile. If you enjoyed it, explore other dessert toppings and sauce recipes to expand your dessert toolkit.
