Brown Butter Strawberry Crumble Pie
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This brown butter strawberry crumble pie is summer at its best! Flaky pie crust is filled with juicy fresh strawberry filling, topped with toasty brown butter oat streusel, and baked until golden brown. It’s truly the perfect summertime dessert for parties & BBQs!
Last Monday, I turned 27 and kicked off the year with a massage, izakaya, champagne, a very comfortable Reformation dress, and pie for both breakfast and dessert. I think if Day 1 was any indication of the year to come, everything is going to be fine, just fine.
In the months leading up to my birthday, all I was dreaming about was fresh strawberry pie. (It’s pretty on-brand for me to choose a birthday dessert that’s anything but cake to be honest.) I truly love making my own birthday dessert because I get to make anything I like and go absolutely overboard on all of my favorite things. Like, double the brown butter streusel please and thank you.
In the end, I think I may have just created the best summer dessert ever. This pie is based on one that I learned how to make in pastry school. It’s fresh, bright, cozy, buttery, and juicy. The crumble-to-filling ratio is just perfect. If you’re a huge pie fan like me, it’s time to make this pie like…yesterday.
And once you’re done with this pie, you definitely need to try some of my other strawberry desserts! Start with strawberry and apple crumble or my famous no-bake strawberry crunch cheesecake. For a mini option, you can’t go wrong with strawberry shortcake cups or these creamy mini strawberry cheesecakes!
Fresh strawberries
I tested this recipe with both frozen and fresh strawberries, but fresh won out in the end. Even when they were defrosted, the frozen berries made the filling a bit too watery. Look for ripe, bright red strawberries for the best flavor and texture!
And for pie dough, I always use my favorite homemade crust over store-bought. But, if time is a factor, or you just don’t want to make homemade dough, store-bought is fine!
Brown butter crumble
Strawberry filling
Assemble & bake
Just a friendly reminder – if you’re using homemade pie dough, make sure to leave enough time to make the crust, refrigerate it for at least an hour, and roll it out. After that, everything will happen pretty quickly.
9-inch pie plate
Standard pie plates are 9 inches which is my go-to for this recipe. It’s my favorite filling-to-streusel ratio and it’s what most people have on-hand. Of course, if you want to use a 10-12-inch pie plate, it’ll work totally fine but you’ll have a thinner layer of filling. When I made the recipe in the 12-inch pie plate, I made 1 1/2 batches of the filling which was the perfect amount!
Refrigerate leftovers
To store leftover pie, wrap the top well with plastic wrap or transfer slices to airtight containers. Refrigerate for 2-3 days.
Preventing a soggy pie bottom
Soggy pie bottoms are a huge bummer. Luckily, that’s not a problem for this pie, because I have a few tips for getting a crisp bottom every time. All of these are super easy adjustments that will help prevent soggy bottoms and make them crusts firm and golden-brown!
- Brush the pie dough with egg wash. This will create a little barrier between the fruit and the pie dough and keep the liquid from soaking through.
- Add a small handful of crumble on the bottom. This is just another barrier and won’t affect the taste or texture of the pie.
- Bake in the lower 1/3rd of your oven. The heat from the bottom of the oven will cook the bottom of the crust and keep the top from burning.
- Bake on a pizza stone or hot sheet pan in the lower 1/3 of your oven. I like to bake pies on a hot pizza stone or sheet pan, which quickly melts the butter and speeds up the cooking process on the bottom crust.
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Brown Butter Strawberry Crumble Pie
Ingredients
Pie & Assembly
- 1 9-inch pie dough (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 egg
- Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Brown Butter Streusel
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Strawberry Filling
- 2 pounds strawberries, hulled and sliced in half
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of Kosher salt
Equipment
- 9-inch pie plate
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Roll out the pie dough into a 12-inch circle. Roll the pie dough over your rolling pin and un-roll it into the pie plate. (If you're using store-bought crust, simply un-roll it into the pie plate.) Crimp the edges with your fingers, or trim the edges and crimp with the tines of a fork. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg with 1 Tablespoon of water to make egg wash. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Place a pizza stone or sheet pan on the rack while the oven is heating.
Brown Butter Streusel
- Start by browning the butter. Melt the butter in a light-colored pan over medium heat. It will start to simmer and foam up. Stir constantly until the butter smells caramelized and there are golden brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the butter into a heat-proof bowl to keep it from burning.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Using a fork, mix in 4 Tablespoons of the brown butter, just until the mixture forms into crumbs. (You can also use your hands.) Avoid over-mixing. If the mixture is dry, add more brown butter 1 Tablespoon at a time. Set aside.
Strawberry Filling
- Pour the strawberries into a large bowl. Add the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Stir the mixture until the cornstarch dissolves and the filling is slightly thickened. Set aside.
Assemble & Bake
- Remove the prepared pie dough from the refrigerator. Brush the bottom and sides with the egg wash. Evenly spread a small handful of the crumble (about 1/4-1/2 cup) on the bottom of the pie plate.
- Pour the strawberry filling over the crumble, leaving behind any extra juices. Sprinkle the remaining crumble evenly over the top of the pie.
- Place the pie on the hot pizza stone or sheet pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the filling is bubbly, the bottom crust is set, and the crust and crumble are deep golden-brown.
- Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool completely. Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy!
I don’t like the rolled oats can I use something else instead.
Hi there! I haven’t tested this recipe without oats, but you should be able to use extra flour. I would start with 1/4 cup of extra flour and add up to 1/2 cup if the mixture seems too wet. Hope that helps! xx.