Plum crumble bakes juicy, oven-softened plums under a golden, buttery topping with a nutty almond crunch — ready for the oven in under 15 minutes. This warm, comforting plum crumble turns tart fruit into something a little special.
Plum crumble takes ripe, in-season plums and bakes them soft and jammy under a crisp, buttery topping scattered with toasted almond flakes. The fruit goes in raw and quartered, the crumble is rubbed together by hand in a few minutes, and the whole thing bakes to a golden finish with very little effort. It uses just six ingredients and works from late summer right through to early winter. Cheap to make when plums are on offer, easy enough for a weeknight, and smart enough to serve at a dinner party.
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Ingredients You Need for This Plum Crumble
- Plums – Ripe plums turn soft, juicy and almost jammy once baked, and bring the tart edge that balances the sweet topping.
- Plain flour – The neutral base of the crumble, letting the buttery and nutty notes come through. No special flour needed.
- Chilled butter – Unsalted, full-fat and cold, it binds the mixture into proper crumbs rather than a soft dough.
- Light brown sugar – Adds gentle warmth and a hint of caramel that melts into the topping as it bakes.
- Muscovado sugar – Deep and molasses-rich, it gives the crumble a dark, roasted edge that suits baked fruit.
- Almond flakes – They toast in the oven for a subtle nutty crunch that plays against the soft plums.
How to Make Plum Crumble Step by Step
This is an easy plum crumble with simple steps. You cut the plums, rub together the crumble by hand (or pulse it in a food processor), then bake.
- Step 1: Put the butter in the freezer for 15–20 minutes and preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Wash and pit the plums, cut each one into quarters, and spread them out evenly in a baking dish.
- Step 2: Make the crumble topping. In a bowl, combine the plain flour, light brown sugar and muscovado sugar. Cut the chilled butter into small cubes and add it in. Rub it in by hand, or pulse gently in a food processor, until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs — not doughy.
- Step 3: Stir in the almond flakes. This adds extra crunch and a delicate, nutty flavour through the topping.
- Step 4: Scatter the crumble evenly over the plums and sprinkle a few more almonds on top if you like. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10–15 minutes, until the top turns golden and crisp.
Cooking Tips:
- We need the chilled butter for this recipe. We need nice crumbs, not the cookie dough, that is why we need to keep the butter for some time in the freezer. If the butter is softened, we will have the soft cookie dough — and that's not what we’re after here.
- When covering the dish with the foil, we make sure that top would not burn too fast. I love when the plums are soft and baked to the point of “angel tenderness”, but it might require more time and the crumble topping might burn at that point — that is why I am using the foil. To get that nice golden brown touch — just remove the foil after 25–30 minutes of baking.
How to Serve and Store Plum Crumble
Plum crumble is best served warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream that melts into the fruit and makes its own sauce. A dollop of crème fraîche, a jug of custard or some double cream all work just as well, and low-fat Greek yoghurt is a lighter option if you want one.
To store, let the crumble cool completely, then cover the dish and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven at 160°C (320°F) until warmed through, or microwave a portion for about 1 minute. It freezes well in portions too, and you can reheat it straight from frozen.
More Easy Dessert Recipes You Might Enjoy
If you like this plum crumble, here are a few more easy puddings from the blog to try next.
For another fruit crumble that keeps things just as simple, take a look at my Strawberry Crumble Recipe — sweet summer berries under the same kind of golden, buttery top.
When you want something cosy and a little more traditional, try my Baked Apples with Oats Recipe — soft apples stuffed with an oaty crumble, pecans and brown sugar.
For an elegant finish with very little effort, there's my Baked Pears Recipe — tender pears baked with walnuts and dried apricots.
And if you fancy a quick no-bake option, have a look at my Easy 15 Minute Cherry Meringue Dessert — a fast pavlova-style pud with cherries and cream.
How Much Does This Plum Crumble Cost to Make Around the World
This plum crumble is a genuinely budget-friendly dessert, and the price swings mostly on the plums.
- In the UK, supermarket plums run around £3–4 per kg (less on seasonal promotion), so a full dish using roughly 800g of plums plus storecupboard flour, butter, sugar and almonds comes to about £4.50–£5.50, or around 75p–90p per serving across six. Buy your plums loose at Tesco, Sainsbury's or Aldi.
- In Ireland, plums sit at about €3.50–4.50 per kg in Dunnes, Tesco or SuperValu, putting the whole crumble near €6–7, roughly €1–1.15 a serving.
- In the USA, plums are around $2.50–3.50 per pound at Kroger, Walmart or a farmers' market, so the dish lands close to $7–8 total, or about $1.20 per serving.
- In Australia, plums cost roughly AU$5–7 per kg at Woolworths or Coles, bringing the whole plum crumble to about AU$9–11, near AU$1.60 a serving.
- In Serbia — one of Europe's great plum-growing countries — plums are cheapest of all at local green markets (pijaca), often under €1 per kg in season, so the entire dish can come in around €3, making this one of the most affordable warm desserts you can bake.
Tips and Notes for the Best Plum Crumble
- Always start with properly chilled butter, ideally straight from a short spell in the freezer. Cold butter rubs into the flour as small, distinct flecks, and those flecks are what give you crisp, crumbly clusters rather than a flat, greasy layer. If the butter is soft, it smears into the flour and you end up with cookie dough instead of crumble. A 15–20 minute freeze is usually enough to firm it up without making it rock hard.
- Don't overwork the topping when you rub it in. The aim is a loose breadcrumb texture with some larger pea-sized lumps still in there, because those bigger pieces bake into the best crunchy bits. Once the mixture starts to clump and feel warm from your hands, stop — overmixing develops the flour and turns everything dense. If your kitchen is warm, work quickly or chill the bowl between stages.
- Choose plums that are ripe but still firm to the touch. Very soft, overripe plums collapse into liquid and can make the base watery, while rock-hard plums stay sour and never soften properly. A plum that gives slightly under gentle pressure will bake down into that lovely jammy texture without flooding the dish. Taste one first — if it's pleasant raw, it'll be lovely baked.
- Cover the dish with foil for the first 25 minutes of baking. This lets the plums soften right through to the centre without the topping catching and burning before the fruit is ready. Plums need real time to break down into softness, and the foil buys you that time. Remove it for the final 10–15 minutes so the top can crisp and turn golden.
- Spread the plums in an even single layer where you can. Piling them deep in the middle means the centre stays raw while the edges overcook, giving you an uneven bake. A wide, shallow dish gives more surface for the crumble to crisp and helps the fruit cook evenly. An oval or rectangular baking dish works better here than a tall, narrow one.
- If your plums are very juicy, toss them with a teaspoon or two of cornflour before adding the topping. The cornflour thickens the released juices as they bake, so you get a glossy, spoonable filling rather than a thin puddle underneath. This is especially worth doing with frozen plums, which carry more water. It's a small step that makes the finished crumble hold together much better on the plate.
- Taste your plums for sweetness before you decide on sugar. Some plums are naturally tart and need the full amount, while sweeter varieties can take a little less so the crumble doesn't tip into sickly. You can always sprinkle a spoon of sugar directly over very sharp plums before topping them. Balancing the fruit's sweetness against the sugary topping is what keeps the dessert moreish rather than cloying.
- Let the crumble rest for 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven. Straight from the oven the fruit is molten and the juices are loose, so it slides around the plate and can burn your mouth. A short rest lets the filling settle and thicken slightly, making it far easier to serve in neat spoonfuls. It'll still be lovely and warm, just more manageable.
Plum Crumble FAQ: Your Questions Answered
Can I use frozen plums in this plum crumble?
Yes, frozen plums work well with a little prep. Thaw them fully first and drain off any excess liquid so the filling doesn't turn watery. It also helps to toss the thawed plums with a teaspoon of cornflour before topping, which soaks up the extra juice and keeps the fruit layer rich rather than soggy.
How do I stop the crumble topping from going soggy?
The two things that matter most are properly chilled butter and not overworking the mixture. You want visible crumbs and small clumps, not a smooth dough that bakes flat and dense. Uncovering the foil part-way through baking is also essential, as it lets steam escape and the top crisp up to a golden finish.
Why does this plum crumble use two types of sugar?
Each sugar brings something different to the topping. Light brown sugar gives a mellow, gentle caramel note, while muscovado adds depth with its dark, almost molasses-like richness. Used together they create a more layered, indulgent flavour than either would on its own, which suits the tart baked plums beautifully.
Is there a gluten-free version of this plum crumble?
Yes, simply swap the plain flour for a good-quality gluten-free plain flour blend. The texture may be very slightly different, but you'll still get a lovely crumbly topping over the soft baked fruit. Just check that your other ingredients, like the almond flakes, are certified gluten-free if you're cooking for someone with coeliac disease.
Can I leave out the almonds if I have a nut allergy?
Absolutely, the almonds can be left out entirely without affecting how the crumble bakes. For a bit of texture in their place, try stirring in some rolled oats or a mix of seeds such as sunflower or pumpkin. You'll still get a satisfying crunch on top without any nuts in the dish.
Do I need to peel the plums before baking?
No, there's no need to peel plums for a crumble. The skins soften as they bake and add a lovely colour and a slight tartness that balances the sweet topping. Just wash them, halve or quarter them, and remove the stones before arranging them in the dish.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Healthy Oatmeal Cookies with Dates for Breakfast
- Easy Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies Recipe with Almonds
- Ricotta Syrniki Recipe
- The Best Ricotta Pancakes Recipe
Pairing
Plum Crumble is for dessert, but what about the bowl of good soup for starter?
- Easy Chilled Carrot Soup Recipe for Hot Summer Days
- Easy Pea Soup with Bacon and Vegetables
- The Best Creamy Roasted Root Vegetable Soup with Roasted Garlic
- The Best Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup Recipe
Plum Crumble Recipe
Plum crumble made with juicy baked plums under a golden, buttery almond topping. This easy plum crumble is comforting, crunchy and deeply flavoured, ready for the oven in minutes and perfect served warm with ice cream.
Ingredients
- 8–10 plums (about 800g / 1¾ lb, roughly 4 cups sliced)
- 100–120g (½ cup / about 1 stick) chilled unsalted butter
- 180g (1½ cups) plain flour
- 50g (¼ cup) light brown sugar
- 50g (¼ cup) muscovado sugar
- 100g (1 cup) almond flakes
Instructions
- Place the butter in the freezer for 15–20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Wash and pit the plums, cut each into quarters, and arrange them evenly in a baking dish.
- In a bowl or food processor, combine the plain flour, muscovado sugar and light brown sugar. Cut the chilled butter into small cubes, add it to the flour mixture, and either pulse or rub in by hand until it looks like breadcrumbs — not dough.
- Stir in the almond flakes gently.
- Spread the crumble evenly over the plums and sprinkle a few extra almonds on top. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 10–15 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp. Rest for 10 minutes before serving warm.
