Looking for a tasty gooseberry recipe? This is it! Juicy, tart gooseberries with a buttery, crispy topping makes this gooseberry crumble an easy dessert that will disappear fast! Enjoy with ice cream or as is!
Hi friends!
I recently raided some wild berries from my parents the other day. They have a gooseberry bush on their property and I just knew I had to have them!
They’re quite seasonal so, of course, I had to take advantage of them while the gettin’ was good! I just know I had to make a homemade gooseberry crumble, and I was so happy I did!
Fan of gooseberries? Check out this gooseberry cake!
What Are Gooseberries?
Gooseberries are a type of wild berry that looks somewhat similar to a grape, in my opinion (especially the darker ones).
They start out green and turn to a purple/red colour as they ripen.
Aside from tasting delicious, gooseberries have lots of benefits!
Plus, don’t they just look beautiful?
What Do Gooseberries Taste Like?
The less ripe version of gooseberries (the green ones) taste super tart and are a little firm. They’re best enjoyed cooked and enjoyed in goodies, like crumbles, jams, jellies and the like.
As gooseberries ripen (and becomes darker) they become sweeter and softer. These are tastier for eating raw compared to the less ripe, green ones.
Gooseberries are quite juicy with a thin skin.
If I were to compare the taste of this gooseberry crumble recipe to something, I’d say it’s giving me rhubarb or cranberry vibes because of the tartness.
So, if you’re a rhubarb or cranberry fan, chances are you’ll really enjoy gooseberries too!
Preparing the Gooseberries
Before using the gooseberries, remove any debris from them, then rinse and drain under cold water.
Then remove the ends on either side (top and tail) of each berry (the part where the berry was attached to the branch and the other tuft/blossom end).
By the way, it’s good to grab a buddy here because it makes things go along that must faster!
How To Make Gooseberry Crumble
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- Mix the gooseberries, sugar, lemon zest (or orange zest) and cornstarch together.
- Place the gooseberry mixture in a greased baking dish.
- Make the crumble topping next. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add butter and use a pastry cutter (or two knifes or your hands) to make it nice and crumbly.
- You want a coarse/sandy mixture with some buttery chunks.
- Spread the crumble topping over the gooseberries.
- Bake, then allow the crumble to cool for 30 minutes before serving.
What To Serve With This Fruity Dessert
Some delicious things to serve with gooseberry crumble:
- Ice cream (vanilla, matcha or strawberry works lovely). The ice cream melts a little bit over top and you get some gooseberry juices to drizzle over. So good!
- Whipped cream
- Clotted cream
- Sprinkle some crushed, roasted almonds over top
- Drizzle of melted chocolate or caramel
Tips and Variations
- As mentioned above, the green (less ripe) gooseberries are more tart than the ripe purple/red ones. Depending on how much you have of each will impact just how tart or sweet your gooseberry crumble is.
- If your gooseberries are on the extra tart side of things, you may want to use more sugar. I’ve made this gooseberry crumble with anywhere from ¼ cup of sugar in the filling up to ½ cup or so of sugar (and it still wasn’t overly sweet). Plus, if you generally prefer things sweeter, you may want to add a little more sugar anyway.
- The colour of gooseberry you use in this gooseberry dessert will also impact the overall colour of your crumble. If you use more ripe gooseberries, you will end up with a rich, pinkish colour (like you see here). Alternatively, if you use a lot of green gooseberries, you will end up with a paler colour.
- When cleaning gooseberries, keep in mind that the green ones are a lot firmer than their more ripe counterpart. Therefore, when cleaning, they may be easier to handle. Should you slightly squish the purple/red ones, no worries! Still use them because they’re getting baked anyway and will break down.
- Let the gooseberry crumble cool for about 30 minutes before digging in. This will give things a chance to settle and cool down.
- You can use either lemon or orange zest and juice. Of course, the lemon will give yield more tartness, while the orange will add more sweetness.
- Always zest your lemon or orange before juicing.
Like This Gooseberry Recipe? You May Enjoy These Too!
If you make this easy gooseberry recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Gooseberry Crumble
Ingredients
Gooseberry Crumble Filling
- Baking spray or butter, to grease baking dish
- 5 cups gooseberries, cleaned of debris and tough ends removed (top and tail), about 1 ¾ pounds
- ¼ cup sugar, use a little more (another ¼ cup or so) if you like things sweeter or if your berries are on the tart side
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, or orange zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or orange juice
- 1.5 tablespoons cornstarch
Crumble Topping
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- pinch salt
- ⅓ cup cold unsalted butter, shredded or cubed (5 tablespoons)
Instructions
Gooseberry Crumble Filling
- Grease a 9 to 10-inch round baking dish (or similarly sized baking dish) with baking spray or grease with butter and set aside.
- To a bowl, add gooseberries, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and cornstarch, stirring to combine until there are no streaks or big clumps of cornstarch remaining. Pour into prepared baking dish. Set aside.Note: One of the great things about crumbles, is the berry syrup at the bottom of the dish after it has baked. It's delicious spooned over the crumble and ice cream. If, however, you want things more set/less juice, you can add a little more cornstarch, about another ½ tablespoon or so.
Crumble Topping
- To make crumble, in a bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Add cold butter to the crumble. Use a pastry cutter (or two knives) to cut butter into the flour mixture until you have coarse crumbles and some buttery clumps. Set aside.
Assemble the Crumble and Bake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sprinkle crumble topping over the gooseberry filling. Place the dish on a baking tray to catch any spills that may happen (makes for easier cleanup). Bake for 50 minutes or until bubbly and the top is golden brown and crispy.
- Carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes or so before serving. This allows the crumble to set up and cool down.
- Serve as is or with ice cream. Drizzle the gooseberry juices/syrup over top for an extra punch of flavour!
Notes
- As mentioned above, the green (less ripe) gooseberries are more tart than the ripe purple/red ones. Depending on how much you have of each will impact just how tart or sweet your gooseberry crumble is.
- If your gooseberries are on the extra tart side of things, you may want to use more sugar. I’ve made this gooseberry crumble with anywhere from ¼ cup of sugar in the filling up to ½ cup or so of sugar (and it still wasn’t overly sweet). Plus, if you generally prefer things sweeter, you may want to add a little more sugar anyway.
- The colour of gooseberry you use in this gooseberry dessert will also impact the overall colour of your crumble. If you use more ripe gooseberries, you will end up with a rich, pinkish colour (like you see here). Alternatively, if you use a lot of green gooseberries, you will end up with a paler colour.
- When cleaning gooseberries, keep in mind that the green ones are a lot firmer than their more ripe counterpart. Therefore, when cleaning, they may be easier to handle. Should you slightly squish the purple/red ones, no worries! Still use them because they’re getting baked anyway and will break down.
- Let the gooseberry crumble cool for about 30 minutes before digging in. This will give things a chance to settle and cool down.
- You can use either lemon or orange zest and juice. Of course, the lemon will give yield more tartness, while the orange will add more sweetness.
- Always zest your lemon or orange before juicing.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Eleanor
What fruit could I add to red gooseberries as don’t have enough of the later
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Hi Eleanor! Strawberries would work (just cut them in half). Hope you enjoy the recipe!!
Christina
Just made this and the smells were to die for. I did a little twist on the crumble. I also added some lemon zest and oatmeal adds a bit more flavor and crunch. So excited to try it out. I took a picture and it looks beautiful.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much, Christina!! It does make the kitchen smell so good as it bakes, doesn’t it? Yum – hope you enjoy it!! It’s so good with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Marty
This was way too tart for me. If I made it again I would add more sugar or add some blueberries!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Hi Marty! Great idea! If you try it again, I’d love to know how it turns out (I also like strawberries paired with gooseberries).