Slow Cooker Strawberry Crisp Recipe is easy, and there's no dough to fuss with. Fresh strawberries and a few ingredients will make this one of your favorite strawberry desserts.

Well, I made it. You don't know how fast I had to hurry to take these pictures. There was a strawberry crisp thief just waiting in the wings. He masquerades as my husband on most days, but his true nature comes out when a dessert is being made.

This is what I think 'might' happen. If I tell him I'm making a pie, crumble, crisp, betty, or cobbler for the blog then he'll know better and calmly wait until my photos are done. But really he hangs around and sort of waits. Kind of.

It's like a Catch 22. If I don't say anything then I'm afraid he'll think I made the dessert for us to eat immediately and he'll take a piece as I go and answer the phone or something. I mean I really need to take the pictures.

I truly shouldn't complain because he's also really showing an interest. He's even started doing the dishes once in a while. And unloading the dishwasher! Some dishes may be stacked up in the corner because he doesn't know where they go but I'm okay with that.

What I guess I'm saying is it's all good. My husband is the greatest, he's there for me, and he likes my food. Especially desserts 😀

The slow cooker is one of my favorite appliances. It can cook up any variety of cuisines and even desserts. I don't know if people realize how great the crockpot is for desserts.

Besides this easy strawberry crisp I also have an Apple Pie Cake and a Rice Pudding on the blog. Just to name a couple. They don't take much time at all and you don't have to hover over the pot either.

Table of Contents

Strawberry Crisp Ingredients

Fresh strawberries - Leave any small to medium sized berries whole, and slice any large berries into halves or quarters. I find fresh strawberries produce a far tastier and better textured crisp, but frozen strawberries could work too. Refer down to the Chef Tips section for my advice on using frozen fruit in this recipe.
Lemon juice - Lemon juice enhances the natural sweetness of strawberries while also providing a tangy and refreshing contrast. I recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice here, as it is far more fruity and brightly flavored as compared to bottled juice.
Coconut sugar - I love using coconut sugar as it has naturally caramelly flavor plus, is always vegan. Adding this sugar to the fresh berries boosts their natural sweetness and also helps to draw out their juices.
All-purpose flour - Adding flour to the berries will help the mixture to thicken a bit as it cooks. Use regular AP flour here, I don’t recommend any whole wheat or flour blends in this case.
Brown sugar - Helps to create your sweet and crunchy crisp topping. Not all brown sugar is vegan so be sure to check the label. You could also use coconut sugar or organic cane sugar here if you like, but I prefer the crumbly, extra moist consistency that brown sugar adds.
Vegan butter - Make sure the butter is cold, as this will produce the best texture for your crisp topping! See our vegan butter taste test and review for our top picks, or use whatever brand you prefer. You could also use solid coconut oil here instead.
Old fashioned rolled oats - Oats are a quintessential crisp topping ingredient, adding a crunchy texture and nutty flavor to the dish. Stick with rolled oats here, as the other types of oats–steel-cut, Irish, quick-cooking, instant–will each result in widely different textures.

How to Make Slow Cooker Strawberry Crisp

Make the filling. In a large slow cooker, combine the strawberries, lemon juice, coconut sugar, and just 2 Tbsp of the all-purpose flour.
Mix and spread. Stir until the ingredients are well combined and spread the berry mixture into an even layer across the bottom of the slow cooker bowl.
Make the crisp topping. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining all-purpose flour with the brown sugar and cubed vegan butter. Use a pastry cutter (or use the tines of a large fork or a metal whisk) to crumble and combine the mixture. You’re looking for a sandy texture here, with some pea-sized lumps of butter in the mix. You could also blitz these three ingredients in a food processor if you like.
Add the oats. Fold the rolled oats into the butter mixture, stirring until well combined.
Top the crisp. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the strawberry mixture in the slow cooker and cover with the lid.
Cook. Cook on high for 40 minutes, then remove the lid and cook on high for another 40 minutes.
Serve! I love to enjoy this strawberry crisp warm with a drizzle of coconut milk, dollop of vegan yogurt or vegan vanilla ice cream, or swirl of vegan whipped cream. It also tastes great chilled for breakfast the next day!

Watch Us Make Slow Cooker Strawberry Crisp

Chef Tips

Cooking with fresh vs. frozen strawberries. Fresh strawberries retain more of their firmness and texture during the slow cooking process whereas frozen strawberries will get softer and mushier. Fresh strawberries also have a brighter, stronger flavor that makes a big difference in the final taste of this crisp recipe. If you do opt to use frozen berries though, know that they will release more liquid as they cook, so you may need to increase the amount of flour you add to the initial berry mixture.
Using a slow cooker. Use a larger slow cooker so that the ingredients can be spread over a wider area. There is no need to place a liner inside the pot or oil the sides. A programmable slow cooker would really make life easy. I don't have one yet, so I just make sure to set a timer so that I can remove the lid halfway through cooking.

Helpful Tools

Slow Cooker - This is a nice large 7 quart crockpot.
Programmable Crockpot - This is the one I want.

📋 Recipe