Blueberry Crisp

The best blueberry crisp is something I make all year around. During blueberry season, I like to use fresh blueberries — usually ones that I pick at Wells’ Blueberry Farm in New Jersey. But this recipe is brilliant with store bought blueberries and frozen blueberries. The best part is that this blueberry crisp recipe is easy, simple, quick and outrageously delicious. What’s even better, is that you can easily adapt this recipe for any type of fruit crisp. In fact, you can make this recipe into a dairy free blueberry crisp and/or a gluten free blueberry crisp.

Blueberry crisp is great any time of day. Seriously, it makes a wonderful breakfast, snack or dessert. When I serve it for dessert, I usually accompany it with Vanilla Ice Cream or Cinnamon Ice Cream.

What is a Fruit Crisp?

A fruit crisp is basically any fruit prepared much like a pie filling, dumped into a baking pan, and topped with a crumb mixture usually made with flour, brown sugar, oats, spices and butter. The beauty of a crisp is that it’s just as delicious as a pie (if not more so), and tons easier because you do not need to roll out pie dough.

Ingredients to Make a Fruit Crisp

A fruit crisp is so easy to throw together, and you need just a handful of staple ingredients:

• Fruit. I am obsessed with blueberries, so I almost exclusively make blueberry crisps.
• Sugar. Of course, sugar adds sweetness. For sweeter fruits like apples, you may want to reduce the amount of sugar. If the fruit you are using is not sweet at all, you may want to add more sugar.
• Cornstarch. Cornstarch thickens the juices that are created when the fruit bakes in the oven. If you like a thicker consistency, or if the fruit you are using has a high water content, add more cornstarch.
• Lemon Juice. Lemon juice generally helps any fruit shine. An additional benefit is that lemons are high in pectin (which is also found in apples), helping to thicken the fruit mixture as it cooks.
• Spices. Completely optional, feel free to add spices to your fruit mixture. Keep in mind, however, that the crisp topping is sweet with spices, so less can be more when it comes to the fruit mixture.

For the crisp topping, we again just need another handful of ingredients:

• Flour. All purpose flour serves as the base for the crumbs. Want to make a gluten free blueberry crisp? Just swap out the flour for gluten free flour.
• Brown sugar. Light brown sugar adds sweetness and provides the sandy consistency in the crisp topping.
• Oats. Old fashioned oats are traditional in a crisp topping. You could certainly use chopped nuts in their place or add chopped nuts.
• Cinnamon. The perfect spice for a fruit crisp. Feel free to play around with other spices, such as ground cloves, allspice, cardamom, and ginger.
• Butter. Unsalted butter is ideal here, cold or at room temperature. Want to make a dairy free blueberry crisp? Use vegan butter or dairy-free margarine instead of butter.

How to Make Blueberry Crisp

Making a blueberry crisp, or really any fruit crisp, is super easy and simple.

Mix the Berries

Rinse the blueberries if you’re using fresh ones. If you’re using frozen ones, set them in a bowl without defrosting them. Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir until well combined.

Make the Crisp

Again, super easy. Mix all the dry ingredients together. With your fingertips, work the butter into the mixture until it is sand-like in texture. I like to mix this up first and pop it in the refrigerator while I prepare the berries.

Pour, Crumb and Bake

I like to bake my crisps in a 7 inch by 11 inch casserole dish, mostly because it just looks pretty. No need to grease the pan. Just dump the prepared berries in and even them out. Be sure to scrape the bowl to make sure you get all of the cornstarch from the bowl. Sprinkle the crisp topping evenly all over. If using a 7 inch by 11 inch dish, bake for approximately 45 minutes. The berries near the sides of the pan should be boiling. If using a 9-inch by 9-inch pan, it may need a few less minutes. If using an 8-inch by 8-inch pan, it may need a few more minutes.

Print Pin

Blueberry Crisp

5 from 7 votes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 16 servings

Calories 120

Easy and quick, this blueberry crisp is a delicious treat.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

Crisp Topping

• 80 grams all purpose flour (⅔ cup)
• 55 grams light brown sugar (½ cup)
• 40 grams old fashioned oats (½ cup)
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• 71 grams unsalted butter (5 Tablespoons, cold, cut into small pieces)

Blueberry Filling

• 6 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 50 grams sugar (¼ cup)
• 1½ Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• small pinch ground cloves (optional)

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 375°.

Crisp Topping

• Combine the flour, brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Using your finger tips, a pastry cutter or a fork, cut in the butter until it is crumbly. Set aside or refrigerate.

Blueberry Filling

• In a medium size bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and ground cloves (if using). Pour the blueberry mixture into an 11-inch by 7-inch dish. (Alternatively, either an 8-inch square or 9-inch square baking pan will work.)
• Spread the crisp topping evenly over the blueberries. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Cool at least 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

Store leftovers in the refrigerator. Serve cold, at room temperature, or reheat for approximately 15 minutes at 350° F. 

Author: Rob Finkelstein

Calories: 120kcal

Course: brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blueberry, crisp

Nutrition

Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 141IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg