Streusel Topping Recipe

This streusel topping is sweet, crisp and ready in only 5 minutes. A buttery crumb topping is the perfect way to top off all of your muffins, cakes, and pies!

Streusel Topping with Oats

The streusel topping aka oat crumble topping is that crunchy, buttery, sweet crisp oat topping that sits on top of muffins, banana bread, coffee cake and crisps & cobblers.

It’s a delicious finishing touch to all kinds of baked goods and is a simple combination of butter, flour, oats, and brown sugar. Streusel is such an easy way to enhance any dessert and comes together so quickly, you’ll want to find any excuse to use it.

Streusel Topping vs. Crumble Topping

The difference between a crumble topping and a streusel topping is that you make a streusel topping with oats.

For this oatmeal streusel topping, there are oats in it, but you’re welcome to opt to make it without and it will be just as delicious!

Ingredient Notes

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Oats: I prefer the texture and chew of old-fashioned oats for this streusel recipe. They give it a really nice bite and add a little bit of nuttiness.
• Butter: I prefer salted because it saves me an extra step of measuring another ingredient and the salt helps enhance the flavors. The butter coats the oats and gives the topping the necessary moisture to keep everything together.
• Flour: The all-purpose flour gives the streusel its crumbly structure and helps it hold its shape during baking.
• Sugar: Brown sugar gives the streusel a rich taste and caramel-like flavor. You can use a combination of both white sugar and brown sugar.
• Spices: I love adding a little cinnamon to give this streusel topping even more warmth, nutmeg works, too. During fall, I love using pumpkin pie spice instead.

How to Make Streusel Topping

• Combine. Stir together butter and flour with a fork or pastry cutter. Mix in oats, brown sugar, cinnamon until crumbly and combined. Add nuts, if desired.
• Sprinkle. Top your favorite cakes, muffins, or pies with a sprinkling of this irresistible streusel then bake recipe according to directions.

Recipe Tips and Variations

• Gluten-free. To make this gluten-free, substitute with a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour.
• Dairy-free. To make this simple streusel topping dairy-free use a plant based butter or coconut oil.
• Type of oats. You can use old-fashioned or instant oats for this recipe. I do prefer the taste and texture of the old-fashioned oats.
• Melt the butter, but cool slightly. Melt the butter then let it cool so it combines easily and crumbles nicely without big chunks of butter or turning into paste.
• Clumps are great: It’s okay if the topping is not uniform. Clumps of different sizes are great and chunks are better than a powdery topping.
• Bake it by itself: Baked streusel is delicious on ice cream or in a yogurt parfait! Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet at 325°F for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until golden brown. Cool then store.

Favorite Ways to Use Streusel

You won’t find a shortage of uses for a tasty cinnamon-sugar streusel! Switch up the toppings for crumbles and on cobblers and vice versa.

• Apple Crisp
• Caramel Apple Pie Bars
• Berry Crumble Pie
• Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake
• Pumpkin Crumb Muffins
• Blueberry Coffee Cake Recipe
• Peach Cobbler

Recipes that Use Streusel

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