Fruity desserts always please a crowd, and this recipe for fresh blueberry crisp is no exception. From the sweet, gorgeous, purple-hued filling to the addictively crispy topping, there’s much to love about this fruit crisp.
The best part? You only need 10 minutes of prep time to make this delicious dessert. Let your oven do the rest! Serve this summer treat warm with a scoop of ice cream or rich whipped cream. For more blueberry desserts, try my blueberry cheesecake, blueberry cobbler recipe, or blueberry pie recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Sugar — granulated sugar adds sweetness to the dessert and helps to create a jam-like filling.
Cornstarch — blueberries are juicy fruits, so cornstarch is a must to prevent the blueberry filling from becoming soupy. Even though this is a dessert you scoop and don’t have to worry about slicing (like a pie), a thickener gives body to the filling, so it’s more like a jam instead of becoming runny.
Blueberries — I prefer to use fresh blueberries when in season because they release less liquid when baked, but an equal amount of frozen berries will work very well, too. (See more info below.)
Lemon juice — lemon juice adds brightness and a hint of tang in this recipe for blueberry crisp. A little bit goes a long way to amplifying the flavor of blueberries!
Flour — all-purpose flour is combined with the other oat streusel ingredients to make the crisp topping. For gluten-free blueberry crisp, use your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Light brown sugar — light brown sugar adds sweetness, moisture, and a caramel flavor to the streusel topping. You can swap it for all granulated sugar in the topping, but it will be crunchier than if you stick with brown sugar.
Oats — rolled oats are ideal for the best texture, but quick-cooking oats are fine to use if that’s all you have. If you need to keep this gluten-free, use certified gluten-free oats.
Butter — I prefer to use unsalted butter so the dessert does not taste salty. But if you like a little bit of salty flavor in your crumb topping, go with salted butter.
Cinnamon — ground cinnamon adds warmth and subtle flavor to the topping.
How to Make Blueberry Crisp
1. Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add the juicy blueberries and lemon juice and toss well.
2. Transfer the blueberry mixture to a greased 2-quart or 8-inch square baking dish.
3. Make the crisp topping in a medium bowl by stirring together the flour, light brown sugar, oats, melted butter, and cinnamon. It should be crumbly, and all the flour should be moistened by the butter. Squeeze the mixture into larger clumps using your hands.
4. Scatter the oat streusel topping over the filling. Bake at 375°F for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
What Is The Difference Between A Crisp And A Cobbler?
Crisps and cobblers are very similar desserts. The main difference is the topping.
- Crisps are topped with a buttery streusel topping made with butter, flour, sugar, and oats.
- Crumble toppings are almost the same as crisp toppings, except they do not contain oats.
- Cobblers are topped with biscuit dough or batter, and the topping is soft and cake-like instead of crisp like this blueberry crisp topping.
Using Fresh Blueberries Vs. Frozen Blueberries
I prefer using fresh fruit for this recipe. However, if fresh blueberries are out of season, you can use an equal amount of frozen blueberries. Be aware that frozen blueberries release more juices as they bake, so the filling may end up runnier. I suggest adding an extra 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to the filling beforehand to prevent this.
Do I Have To Thaw The Frozen Blueberries First?
No need to thaw frozen blueberries first. Just prepare the filling using the frozen berries and bake as directed, increasing the overall bake time by about 10 minutes to account for the cold filling.
Can I Make This In Individual Ramekins?
Yes, for single serve fruit crisps, you can use 8-ounce ramekins. Divide the filling and the topping evenly amongst the ramekins. Place them on a baking sheet and bake at 375°F for about 30 minutes, or until the topping is a nice dark golden brown and the filling is bubbling nicely. You should be able to fill six ramekins.
Can I Double The Recipe?
To make this blueberry crisp recipe for a crowd, feel free to double the recipe and use a 9×13-inch baking pan instead. You may need to add about 10 minutes to the bake time, but keep an eye on it and watch for a golden brown topping with a very bubbly filling.
Can I Freeze Blueberry Crisp?
You can freeze this dessert before or after baking. To freeze this blueberry dessert before baking, assemble it completely and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen as directed in the recipe, but add 10 to 15 minutes of baking time. Check for a golden brown topping and bubbly blueberry filling to make sure it is done.
If you want to freeze baked blueberry crisp with oats, wait for it to cool completely before wrapping with plastic wrap and freezing for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 350°F until warmed, about 20 minutes.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Use a different thickener. If you don’t have cornstarch, use double the amount of flour or an equal amount of tapioca flour instead.
- Use a variety of berries. Fresh raspberries, sliced strawberries, and blackberries make for a wonderful addition to the filling.
- Add lemon zest. Add ½ teaspoon of fresh lemon zest to the filling for a bit of added citrus flavor.
- For an extra crunchy topping: Add ½ cup chopped pecans, almonds, or walnuts into the topping mixture before sprinkling it over the fruit.
- Use a baking dish with tall edges so that the filling does not bubble over the sides. If your dish doesn’t have high edges, place a baking sheet under the dish to catch any liquid and prevent a mess.
- To prevent excess browning: If you notice that the topping is browning too quickly, loosely cover it with foil after 25 minutes, or at any point you see very dark spots.
- Allow the berry crisp to rest. Let the crisp cool at room temperature for 30 minutes to let the filling set up nicely before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Once completely cooled, transfer the fruit crisp to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can enjoy leftovers cold, or warm them up in the oven at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through.
Blueberry crisp is fantastic by itself, but is made even better served warm with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
Since this dessert is so quick to prepare, I like to prepare it fresh. But you can assemble the entire dessert and refrigerate it for up to 8 hour before baking, or freeze it and bake it from frozen (see instructions above).
You can also prepare a large batch of crisp topping and freeze it in a freezer bag, and pull out as much as you need for this recipe when you’re ready to assemble and bake.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this blueberry crisp recipe, don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Blueberry Crisp
Video
Equipment
- 8″ baking dish
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 6 cups blueberries (800g)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the Topping:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (90g)
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar (110g)
- ½ cup rolled oats (or quick-cooking) (56g)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (85g)
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
For the Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the blueberries and lemon juice and toss well to combine. Transfer the filling to a greased 2-quart or 8-inch square baking dish.
For the Topping:
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, oats, butter, and cinnamon until crumbly but all of the flour is moistened by the butter. Squeeze the mixture into larger clumps using your hands. Scatter the topping evenly over the filling.
- Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the topping is golden brown and and the filling is bubbly. (Loosely cover with foil after 25 minutes if needed to prevent excess browning.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Serve the crisp with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Notes
- Use a different thickener. If you don’t have cornstarch, use double the amount of flour or an equal amount of tapioca flour instead.
- Use a variety of berries. Fresh raspberries, sliced strawberries, and blackberries make for a wonderful addition to the filling.
- Add lemon zest. Add ½ teaspoon of fresh lemon zest to the filling for a bit of added citrus flavor.
- For an extra crunchy topping: Add ½ cup chopped pecans, almonds, or walnuts into the topping mixture before sprinkling it over the fruit.
- Use a baking dish with tall edges so that the filling does not bubble over the sides. If your dish doesn’t have high edges, place a baking sheet under the dish to catch any liquid and prevent a mess.
- To prevent excess browning: If you notice that the topping is browning too quickly, loosely cover it with foil after 25 minutes, or at any point you see very dark spots.
- Allow the berry crisp to rest. Let the crisp cool at room temperature for 30 minutes to let the filling set up nicely before serving.
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