What to do with all those feijoas? Make this cosy Feijoa Crumble - the perfect blend of feijoa and apple, with an oat, coconut, almond and chia topping.
Autumn is my absolute favourite time of year, give me crisp air, cozy sweaters, hot drinks and golden leaves over stinking hot sun any day.
It’s also feijoa season for us here in New Zealand – and apparently, due to the aforementioned stinking hot and very dry summer we’ve just endured, we’re in for an absolute killer of a feijoa season.
Feijoas are the fruits from evergreen trees, originally from Brazil, though thriving here in New Zealand.
They have pink edible flowers and the sweetest, most fragrant fruit, similar to a guava (in fact, they’re also known as pineapple guavas). They’re in season mid-March to early June each year.
They’re a bit of a Kiwi icon, the fruits fall to the ground when they’re ready - and when that happens, it doesn’t just rain, it pours! There’s always enough to share abundantly with friends, neighbours and family, and they always get absolutely scoffed.
A mature plant can yield up to 30kg of fruit per season, so you can imagine, the frantic search for feijoa recipes begins – feijoa crumble, muffins, cake, wine, juice, fiz, booch, jam, chutney, salsa, fritters… no single fruit should go to waste!
Feijoas not only taste heavenly, they are packed with goodies;
- 5g dietary fibre, 8% of the RDI (more if you’re one of the crazies that eats the skin)
- 25mg vitamin C, 64% of the RDI
- Rich in phenolic compounds – plant secondary metabolites with antioxidant effects, such as catechin, epicatechin, gallic acid and ellagic acid – all of which are also found in green tea
- Rich in aromatic compounds – again with antioxidant effects
Based off a serving size of two medium fruits [1, 2].
Healthy and delicious Feijoa Crumble with an oat, almond, coconut and chia topping – find the recipe here.
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Today I’ve gone with a delicious and nutritious feijoa crumble – it has the perfect ratio of feijoa to apple, and is topped with an oat, almond, coconut and chia seed crumble.
10 minutes prep, 20 minutes in the oven, let’s have a look at how to make it.
Making feijoa crumble, step by step
Pre-heat the oven at 180˚C / 356˚F, fan bake.
Peel your apples, then cut into thin slices. Steam them until *just* soft – I’d say a few minutes or so [pic 1].
Meanwhile cut and scoop out the flesh from your feijoas. Roughly chop them. We’re using a good 1kg (2.2 lb) or more if you like – which is about 8 large or 10+ small-medium sized feijoas. Ideally the net weight should be at least 550g of fruit [pic 2].
Transfer both steamed apples and feijoas to a ceramic baking dish, and toss to combine. I used a 25cm / 9.8 inch dish – perfect, but wouldn’t go any bigger [pics 3-4].
To prepare the crumble, combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl [pic 5], then use your hands to mix well [pic 6].
Spoon the crumble over the fruit and flatten out the surface [pic 7]. Then cover with tin foil and bake for 15 minutes [pic 8]. At this point, you can remove the foil and bake a further 5 minutes to crisp up the topping.
Feijoa crumble done! Too easy!
We love it with a blob of vanilla coconut yoghurt and a drizzle of pure maple syrup. Divine.
Recipe tips and tricks
- Feijoas can be substituted for other fruits – apples, pears, berries – as a guide, 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of feijoas yields about 550g of fruit
- Steaming the apples is ideal so that the consistency of both fruits is the same in the final product
- You can try substituting oats for quinoa flakes if you need this to be cealiac friendly
- To make this nut free, substitute the flaked almonds for more coconut, though I’d probably use desiccated
- The foil is quite important – otherwise the topping will burn
- This is a totally legitimate breakfast! We’ve actually been devouring a little over our morning oats
Storing leftovers
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for about 4 days
- Freezes well
What can I do with the feijoa skins?
Try making kombucha! Honestly, feijoa booch is just divine. Follow my guide to making kombucha here, and use the skins in the second ferment.
If you want something even easier, then try this delicious Feijoa Fizzie:
- Loosely pack a sterilized 1 litre (1 quart) glass jar with feijoa skins
- Sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of sugar
- Top with water – have the water cover the skins
- Cover with a cheesecloth or even a paper towel
- Leave somewhere warm and out of direct light for two days to get fizzy
- Strain the liquid (discard the skins) into a fresh sterilized 1 litre glass jar, add another tablespoon of sugar and top up with water if needed – this time, cap it tightly. It will start to ferment for a second time now and get nice and bubbly
- After another day or two, transfer to the fridge and enjoy!
Feijoas have plenty of natural yeasts on the skins – it kind of looks a little like white fuzz if you look closely. The yeasts consume the sugar as it ferments. If you wash the skins, you may not get a good result. If your skins go mouldy I’m afraid you’ll have to biff and start again.
Can I compost feijoa skins?
Absolutely kiddo.
More healthy New Zealand treats
- Raw Ginger Slice
- Gluten Free Vegan Date Scones
- Chocolate Crackles
- Easy Afghan Biscuits {GF, V}
- Healthy ANZAC Biscuits
Hope you enjoy the recipe - pin the images to save them for later, and tag me on social media if you make it!
Lauren. X
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Feijoa Crumble
Equipment
- 25cm / 9.8 inch baking dish
- Pot with steamer
Ingredients
- 8 large ripe feijoas about 1kg / 2.2 lb
- 3 sweet red apples
- 1 cup rolled oats fine
- ½ cup coconut chips/flakes
- 40 g flaked almonds just under half a cup
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Instructions
-
Pre-heat the oven at 180˚C / 356˚F, fan bake.
-
Peel and slice apples, and steam until just soft.
-
Slice feijoas in half, scoop out the flesh and roughly chop.
-
Toss the apples and feijoas together and transfer to a baking dish.
-
Combine oats, coconut chips, flaked almonds, chia seeds, cinnamon, maple syrup and coconut oil in a bowl, and use your hands to mix together.
-
Spoon the crumble mixture over the fruit, even out the surface, cover with tin foil, and bake for 15 minutes, middle rack. Remove the foil and bake a further 5 minutes or so to crisp up the topping.
-
Serve hot with a dollop of coconut yoghurt!
Notes
- Feijoas can be substituted for other fruits – apples, pears, berries – as a guide, 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of feijoas yields about 550g of fruit
- Steaming the apples is ideal so that the consistency of both fruits is the same in the final product
- You can try substituting oats for quinoa flakes if you need this to be celiac friendly
- To make this nut free, substitute the flaked almonds for more coconut, though I’d probably use desiccated
- The foil is quite important – otherwise the topping will burn
- This is a totally legitimate breakfast! We’ve actually been devouring a little over our morning oats
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for about 4 days
- Freezes well
- Nutrition facts are an estimate, and are based on 1 serving size. Recipe yields 6 serves
Nutrition
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