This delicious sweet and buttery blueberry crisp is the perfect recipe for parties, because it’s quick to make and always gets rave reviews from everyone who tries it!
The Best Homemade Blueberry Crisp
This is one of my go-to recipes for a super easy party dessert.
Good for potlucks, brunches, barbecues, or Sunday night dinner, the classic fruit crisp has been a staple in my family since as long as I can remember.
It was originally my grandmother’s recipe, and I’ve made it so many times that I could probably bake it with my eyes closed!
The recipe can easily be modified to use up whatever fruit you have on hand – raspberries, apples, cherries, and peaches are all fantastic in this healthy and crowd-pleasing dessert.
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Blueberry Oatmeal Crisp
Sweet blueberry filling is covered with a melt-in-your-mouth crispy oatmeal crumb topping…
The recipe is pretty much guaranteed to be a hit with guests, and it’s no wonder there are never any leftovers! The easy berry crisp is everything you could ever want from a homemade dessert and the perfect segue from summer to Fall.
Ice Cream Topping Options:
Or serve it in a bowl topped with yogurt or a swirl of nondairy creamer, almond milk, whipped cream, or melted coconut butter.
Personally, my favorite way to eat this fruit crumble is warmed up and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream so that the cold and creamy ice cream melts into the warm berries underneath. Blueberry crisp and vanilla ice cream were pretty much made for each other.
What’s The Difference Between A Crisp And Cobbler?
Fruit crisps or crumbles traditionally include a layer of fruit on the bottom with a simple crumbly streusel topping made from flour, sugar, and butter. In contrast, a cobbler has a thicker batter resembling drop biscuits, dumplings, scones, or pie crust, without oats.
Can I Use Other Fruit?
You can! Feel free to replace some or all of the blueberries with chopped apples, peaches, plums, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, etc. You can also add a handful of crushed walnuts, almonds or pecans, shredded coconut, a tsp of lemon zest, or even some mini chocolate chips!
More Blueberry Recipes
Blueberry Bread (video included)
For Vegan Blueberry Crisp
There are numerous vegan butter options on the market. Most regular grocery stores in the US, as well as stores like Whole Foods, Target, and Walmart, should carry at least one or two options. Brands include Melt, Earth Balance, Miyoko’s Creamery, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Country Crock, or Smart Balance Light. Shortening, although not the healthiest option, will work in the recipe if it’s all you can find. Crisco and Spectrum spreads are both vegan.
For A Gluten Free Version
Oat flour, almond flour, or gluten free all purpose can be subbed for the wheat flour in the recipe. I haven’t tried sorghum or rice flour but would think they’d work. If you try one of these flours before I do, definitely be sure to report back.
While many people with gluten sensitivities do still consume regular rolled oats, certified Gluten Free Oats are also fine to use for those with Celiac disease or if you’re unsure and want to be on the safe side. I haven’t tried but would think Quinoa Flakes should also work.
For Paleo Or Keto Blueberry Crisp
For a flourless version of the recipe or a low carb blueberry crisp without oatmeal, see this grain free blueberry crumble recipe made with almond meal.
I’ve read conflicting things about whether or not blueberries are keto friendly, so if you want to make the recipe for someone on a keto diet, I’d recommend first asking the person if he or she consumes them.
How To Make The Recipe
Begin by preheating the oven and gathering all of your ingredients. Fresh or frozen berries can be used, so the recipe can be enjoyed year round.
If using frozen berries, be sure to thaw them first. Combine the berries, sweetener, and optional cornstarch, then spread into a greased pan. Combine remaining ingredients except butter spread in a bowl.
Cut the butter spread into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter until small crumbles form. (If using oil, simply stir it in with the crumble ingredients.) Sprinkle evenly over the berry layer, then bake until bubbly. Leftovers should be refrigerated or frozen for freshness.
Healthy Blueberry Crisp
With a full 4 cups of blueberries packed into the recipe and less than a third cup of sugar for the entire pan, it’s already remarkably healthy for a dessert!
For an even healthier crumble, you can get away with omitting the 1 1/2 tbsp sweetener and decreasing the butter to just 4 tbsp and/or using one of the light spreads mentioned above.
You can omit the butter completely for a low fat version that, although not as rich and buttery, will still be delicious. It makes an especially good healthy breakfast topped with yogurt or oatmeal.
For sugar free, simply substitute the sugar with xylitol or erythritol.
Or for a naturally-sweetened blueberry crisp, use 1/3 cup date sugar or pulse 1 cup pitted dates in a food processor until finely diced and use that to sweeten the recipe instead of sugar.
Blueberry Crisp
Also try these Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
Blueberry Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 1/2 tbsp sweetener of choice
- optional 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/3 cup flour, such as white, spelt, or oat (or here is a low carb version)
- 1/2 cup rolled or quick oats
- 1/4 cup sugar, unrefined if desired
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 6 tbsp butter or oil
Instructions
*The cornstarch will thicken the filling, but I’ve made it without and it’s just as good, so feel free to omit if desired. If you like more crumble, increase the oats to 2/3 cup and butter to 8 tbsp. For all other ingredient substitutions, see notes above in this post.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease an 8×8 pan (or double the recipe for a 9×13). If using frozen berries, thaw first. Combine berries, sweetener of choice, and optional cornstarch, then spread into the pan. Combine all remaining ingredients except butter in a mixing bowl. Cut butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter until small crumbles form. (If using oil, simply stir it in.) Sprinkle the crumbles evenly over the berries. Bake on the center rack 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Let cool before serving, as it thickens while it cools. The crumble will also thicken overnight. Store leftovers covered in the fridge, or they can also be frozen. Serve either hot or cold. If you try the recipe, be sure to rate it below!
More Reader Favorite Party Desserts:
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
Oreo Brownie Bars, from the Hello Breakfast Cookbook
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Melissa says
15th August 2019 at 5:48 pmYum, this looks and sounds great and I already have most of the ingredients on hand! I’ll definitely be making this soon!
Elimar says
15th August 2019 at 9:09 pmThat looks great can’t wait for my wife and I to start making this recipe.
Annika says
16th August 2019 at 10:22 amHi Katie,
I’m sad that you seem to have decided to not be a vegan blog anymore.
I understand that you are trying to appeal to non-vegans as well, but no omnivore is hurt by baking a vegan desert for a change. This is what makes your blog special!
And about the vegan options: There are contradictory claims about the health benefits of butter, but vegan butter or margarine is definitively a highly processed food, often contains trans fats, and is mostly made from palm oil which destroys rain forest habitats! This does not really qualify it for use in a (formerly) vegan healthy desert blog.
I know that you are still including the option to use oil instead, but it is not the same whether you optimize your recipes for using oil or for using (dairy) butter.
Please reconsider this decision. Your blog was the first that made me realize that vegan baking can be simple, healthy, and delicious, and helped me on the way to transitioning from vegetarian to vegan.
Jason Sanford says
16th August 2019 at 10:29 amKatie’s blog has not changed :). It has always listed generic terms (butter spread, cream cheese, milk of choice, etc.) and pointed out which ones she recommends. Katie has been a vegan since the start of her blog, and the format has always been the same. Completely understandable that some readers might not want to use butter spread, and some are healthier than others (as the post mentions about the shortening), but there are some butter spreads that are not highly processed. Katie personally likes Melt Organic. She’s also posted recipes with butter spread in years past – Nothing changing over here, still the same blog ;).
Jason (media relations)
Katherine D Emerson says
8th November 2019 at 3:43 pmHi Annika,
An easy way to remember how to differentiate between desert and dessert is to pretend the “s” stands for servings. You would only want one serving of being lost in the desert, whereby we all want two servings of dessert. That is how I remember which is which and thought I would pass this helpful tidbit onto you. Have a lovely day 🙂
Katherine
joyce says
16th August 2019 at 10:35 amI do not understand where these calorie counts come from. Based on 5 serviings (the max suggested):
blueberries 66 calories per serving
cornstarch 6 calories per serving
flour 30 calories per serving
oats 31 calories per serving
sugar 38 calories per serving
butter 100 calories per serving
TOTAL at least 240 calories per serving….big difference from 160 listed???
Michelle says
16th August 2019 at 11:04 amIt just depends what the ingredients you are using are. Cornstarch is optional so I doubt she would have included that. And butter spread has less calories than butter 🙂
joyce says
16th August 2019 at 11:19 amThe difference between butter and butter spread is about 10 calories! and the cornstarch is only 6, that still leaves a huge unaccounted calorie difference. For people on strict diets, calorie counts are important.
Michelle says
16th August 2019 at 11:27 amSmart Balance lite is only 47calories for a tablespoon. That is a big difference than butter which is 100. You can’t expect to use different ingredients and get one blanket answer. I’m not trying to start an argument in the comments I promise, but for people on strict diets, hopefully they know that calorie counts will be different depending on the brand and what ingredients they use.
Suki says
16th August 2019 at 6:46 pmI agree. I’m on the MyFitnessPal app and they also give 265 even WITH light butter! I truly do not understand how Katie gets such a low calorie count for this recipe.
Jason Sanford says
16th August 2019 at 6:55 pmIn terms of online calculators, Calorie Count is much more accurate, so I’d recommend that one. Most online calculators are notorious for having incorrect numbers for many ingredients in their database.
Michelle says
16th August 2019 at 11:05 amIt’s like you read my mind! I have a ton of blueberries that I bought on a whim and now I know what to do with them! 🙂
Becky says
17th August 2019 at 8:15 amOur newest favorite dessert. This was so delicious. I did not use cornstarch and I used fresh blueberries. I can’t wait to make it again.
Rewari Haryana says
17th August 2019 at 10:22 pmThis is fantastic! I made it exactly as is, and it’s very, very good.
Tiffany says
18th August 2019 at 9:06 pmJust made this tonight and it was delicious! I omitted the sweetener and it tasted perfect.
Rita says
22nd August 2019 at 11:35 amAre the frozen blueberries measured frozen or after they’re thawed? There’s a big difference.
Jason Sanford says
22nd August 2019 at 12:44 pmWhile it can make a difference in size/amount, the recipe is very forgiving and honestly will work either way so it really does not matter here whether you measure frozen or thawed 🙂
Steven says
28th August 2019 at 1:06 amVery nice, very beautiful recipe. Love these Blueberry Crisp Recipes. Thank you.
Rahul says
13th September 2019 at 4:38 amNice Post
HannH says
18th October 2019 at 3:35 pmCan I use honey or maple syrup instead of the sugar in the topping and blueberry mixture?
Jason Sanford says
18th October 2019 at 4:22 pmWe haven’t tried, but it sounds like it might work. Be sure to report back if you try!
Jason (media relations)
Hannah says
19th October 2019 at 7:16 pmSo what other non refined sugars do you suggest?
Jason Sanford says
19th October 2019 at 10:01 pmCoconut sugar, Sucanat, or evaporated cane juice all work!
Jack says
17th November 2019 at 2:47 pmHi Katie,
What kinds of sweeteners can we use for this recipe? Would you mind providing some examples? I am a pretty novice cook, so I am not too familiar with sweeteners. Thanks for your help!
Jason Sanford says
18th November 2019 at 9:56 amHi! It means regular sugar, or brown sugar, or coconut sugar, or maple syrup, or agave, or whatever you use to sweeten foods like oatmeal or coffee where it doesn’t make a difference what one you use, if that makes sense 🙂
Jason