Strawberry Crunch Recipe

This recipe for Strawberry Crunch creates a crispy, crunchy, strawberry-flavored topping for ice cream, pies, cakes, and more!

bowl of strawberry crunch next to a box of strawberry shortcake ice cream bars.

Ever had a Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake bar? I LOVE those old fashioned treats. And this is a copycat recipe of the topping!

Homemade Strawberry Crunch, also known as Strawberry Shortcake Crumble is a mixture of Golden Oreos, strawberry Jell-O, and butter.

It creates a truly irresistible topping that you can sprinkle over ice cream, stir into yogurt, or dip homemade popsicles in. I personally love it sprinkled over Strawberry Crunch Cake!

Ingredients

You just need three ingredients for this recipe:

  • Golden Oreos (24 of them—regular or gluten-free work great)
  • One box of strawberry Jell-O (3 ounces)
  • 4 tablespoons of melted butter

How to make Strawberry Crunch

Start by placing 24 Golden Oreos in a food processor—the whole cookie, WITH the filling. If you don’t have a food processor, you can put them in a large resealable bag, and pound them with a rolling pin or meat mallet until they’re broken into very small crumbs.

golden oreo crumbs in a food processor.

They don’t all have to be uniform.

Then, place the crumbs in a large bowl, and add the strawberry Jell-O powder (do NOT add water) and the butter. Stir until combined.

uncooked strawberry crunch topping in a white bowl.

Transfer the mixture to a sheet pan fitted with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Spread into a thin layer.

Bake for 8 minutes at 350°F. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

strawberry crunch on a sheet pan.

That’s it! You’ve just made the crunchy part from a strawberry shortcake bar!

How long does strawberry crunch last?

Keep the crunch topping in a covered container at room temperature. It’ll last about a week.

Uses for strawberry crunch

The uses for this crunchy strawberry topping are endless! Here are some ideas to get started:

  • On top of ice cream
  • Sprinkled on top of Strawberry Crunch Cake
  • Make a strawberry crunch poke cake by piling it on top of this classic Jell-O poke cake)
  • Stirred into yogurt
  • Sprinkled onto pie (like french silk, or another whipped cream based pie)
  • On top of buttered toast
  • Roll the edges of an ice cream sandwich in it
bowl of strawberry crunch next to a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar.

Check out this Strawberry Crunch Cake while you’re here! I made it using a classic strawberry cake topped with cream cheese frosting, and then the strawberry crunch topping goes on top. You can also make your own cake, frost it, and then sprinkle this topping on top (a chocolate + chocolate frosting + strawberry crunch would be SO good!).

single piece of cake topped with strawberry crunch topping on a white plate with a fork.

📖 Recipe

strawberry crunch topping in a white bowl.

Strawberry Crunch Recipe

Published by Kate
Make a homemade strawberry crunch topping using this easy recipe. It tastes just like the crunchy part on the Strawberry Shortcake ice cream bars!
4.91 from 85 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 18 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 15 servings
Calories 141 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 24 Golden Oreos
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 (3 oz) box strawberry Jell-O

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Crush the Golden Oreos into very small crumbles. You can use either a food processor, or place the Oreos in a plastic bag and pound them with a meat mallet or rolling pin. They do not all have to be the same size. The filling is included in this—don't scrape it out.
  • Place the crumbled Oreos in a medium bowl, and add strawberry Jell-O powder and melted butter. Mix gently to combine.
  • Spread the mixture onto a greased baking sheet (or top the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat first). Bake for 8 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool.

Notes

Ideas for use: enjoy the crumble on ice cream, stirred into yogurt, rolled on the edges of ice cream sandwiches, on top of cake + frosting—the uses are endless!
Want to make different flavors of the crumble? You can substitute any flavor of Jell-O that you like.
Need it gluten free? Gluten-free golden Oreos or Glutino vanilla sandwich cookies work well in this recipe.
Store any leftover topping in an airtight container at room temperature. It’ll last at least a week.

Nutrition

Calories: 141kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 101mgPotassium: 19mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 93IUCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg
Keyword strawberry crunch
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a star rating and comment below!

Recipe is inspired by The Denver Housewife.

37 Comments

  1. Hi I’m going to make strawberry quick bread tomorrow for Mother’s Day gifts and wanted to sprinkle this on top. The recipe calls to bake bread for about an hr, will that be too long to bake with the crumb on top?

    1. Hi Melonie, I unfortunately haven’t tried baking it that long. I suspect that could be too long as the original recipe has it baking for 8 minutes.

  2. 5 stars
    Can we store this in the freezer? How long do they last in the freezer? Can we store it in the refrigerator? How long do they last in the fridge?

    1. I haven’t frozen it to know for sure. It’ll keep at least a week at room temperature (likely longer in the fridge).

  3. 5 stars
    I decided to use orange jell-o, but used Glutino Gluten Free vanilla sandwiched cookies. I also added cinnamon and a little nutmeg as this is for winter time (fill my vanilla gluten free cake). I’m baking this for a group of friends who one is gluten free, another can’t have chocolate and someone with a dairy sensitivity. So I made adjustments with the people I care about in mind. I love the smell and this recipe is so nice as a base recipe! Thank you! Oh I use a delicious plant butter that you can’t even tell it’s not dairy!

    1. I’m so glad this recipe was helpful! Thanks for sharing your take on the recipe. How kind of you to accommodate for your friends!

  4. Do you know if boxed pudding would work for a vanilla crunch or pistacio crunch?

    1. I haven’t tried it, but I doubt it—the pudding mix is very different from the gelatin mix!

  5. Would these be okay if added as a filling between the layers, or would the consistency get soft and yucky? Also would they get stale quickly if topping a cake?

    1. I’m honestly not sure about adding them as a filling. They stay fresh for a few days if stored in a covered container (even if on top of a cake).

    1. I’ve seen recipes that include them, but I don’t think they are baked in the oven like this one is.

  6. Are they still soft after taking out of the oven? I’m assuming they don’t harden until cooled? 🙂

    1. Correct—they will fully harden when cooled. Crunchy might be a better description as they don’t get rock hard! 🙂

  7. 5 stars
    This is seriously super easy and quick to make! I’ve been craving this since a recent trip where I got an amazing sundae that had strawberry crunch packed into the ice cream.

    After cooking, the mixture is nice and crunchy! I got my hands I there to break it up a little and keep it nivel and crumbly.

    This recipe is PERFECT! You have to make this, it’s so quick and easy and the end result is exactly what you want!

      1. About 4–5 days in an airtight container. It will start to get harder after that.

4.91 from 85 votes (78 ratings without comment)

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