This post may contain affiliate links. Learn more.
Fruit crisps are our jam, and this easy blueberry crisp recipe is among our very favorites. Make it with fresh or frozen berries, in advance if you like, and don’t let me stop you from eating leftovers for breakfast.
Why we love this recipe
Fruit crisps are so much easier than pies, and they’re a great choice for highlighting an abundance of beautiful fruit without getting in its way too much. Our simple, standby blueberry crisp recipe:
- Is gently sweet
- Amplifies the perfect flavor of ripe blueberries
- Is very easy to make
- Tastes special, but has the relaxed vibe of a summer party
I first published this recipe here way back in 2009. I’ve updated the post for clarity, but the recipe remains the same.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
For the filling
You only need a few basic ingredients to make a luscious filling.
- You can use fresh or frozen, farmed or wild blueberries for this recipe. No matter which you choose, they’re a superfood. See below to learn how to handle the juiciness of frozen fruit.
- Cornstarch acts as a gentle thickener for all the gorgeous juices that will seep out of the fruit as it cooks.
For the topping
Here’s what you’ll need to make the easy crumble topping.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works great here, but this is a flexible recipe. If you prefer whole wheat pastry flour, that’s fine too. Or make it gluten-free with a measure-for-measure gluten free flour blend like this one.
- Oats: Use good old rolled oats — old fashioned if you have them (but quick are okay too). If you want to make the recipe gluten-free, make sure your oats are certified GF. (Oats don’t contain gluten, but sometimes they’re processed in factories where cross-contamination can happen.)
How to make it
Here’s what you’ll do to make a beautiful blueberry crisp. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Place the blueberries into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle in the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice.
- Give it all a good stir so everything is evenly coated. Grab your favorite deep-dish pie plate (this is ours) and spoon the filling into it evenly.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, and salt. Add the diced butter and use your fingers to pinch the topping together. You’ll know you’re done when there’s no loose flour in the bottom of the bowl and the topping comes together into lots of pea-sized pieces.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling. Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Cover and bake in the middle of a 375°F oven for 60 minutes, then uncover and continue baking until bubbling in the very center and lightly browned, 30+ minutes more. Serve warm or at room temperature, with ice cream if you like.
Expert tips and FAQS
Absolutely. This is a great place to use frozen fruit, especially out of season. Defrost it first and drain the juices into a small pot. Simmer juice until it’s reduced to just 3 to 4 tablespoons. Proceed as directed, pouring the reduced juice into the bowl to mix with the fruit after stirring in the cornstarch, sugar, and lemon juice.
Yes, you can. It’s great warm or at room temperature, so you’re welcome to make it earlier in the day and leave it to cool until serving time.
I have never tried this, but all research indicates that you can make a fruit crisp in advance and freeze it before baking. Cover it well with plastic wrap and then foil and freeze for up to a few months. Uncover and bake directly from the freezer, adding extra time as necessary and covering with foil partway through baking to prevent topping from getting too brown.
Leftovers keep well on the counter, covered with foil, for 24 hours. After that, place it in the fridge for up to about a week. If you like, reheat and re-crisp the topping in the oven or toaster oven before serving.
More favorite fruit crisps
Hungry for more?
Subscribe to Umami Girl’s email updates, and follow along on Instagram.
Easy Blueberry Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
For the filling
- 2 pounds (907 grams) blueberries
- ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar
- ¼ cup (32 grams) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the topping
- ¾ cup (60 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup (90 grams) flour
- ¾ cup (150 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea
- 8 tablespoons (112 grams) cold butter, diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F with a rack in the center.
- Into a large bowl, place the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Stir until well-coated. (See note 2 if using frozen berries.)
- Pour mixture into a deep-dish pie plate.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and salt. butter and salt.
- Add the diced butter and work it into the flour mixture with your fingertips to form a crumbly topping with no loose dry ingredients.
- Distribute the topping over the fruit.
- Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes, then uncover and continue baking until the topping is browned and the filling is bubbly all the way to the very center, 30+ minutes more.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Filling will thicken a bit as it cools.
Notes
- You can use fresh or frozen, cultivated or wild blueberries for this recipe. Two pounds is about three pints. Unlike in most baking, the precise amount isn’t super-important here.
- If using frozen berries, defrost them first and drain the juices into a small pot. Simmer juice until it’s reduced to just 3 to 4 tablespoons. Proceed as directed, pouring the reduced juice into the bowl to mix with the fruit after stirring in the cornstarch, sugar, and lemon juice.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use certified gluten-free oats and a gluten-free flour blend such as this one.
- Bake the crisp in a deep-dish pie plate like this one or a two-quart oven-safe dish, and set it over a baking sheet to catch any drips.
- Protip: Fruit crisps make an acceptable breakfast once in a while. Serve with alone or topped with vanilla ice cream for dessert, or with Greek yogurt as an excuse to eat dessert for breakfast or brunch.
- Storing and reheating leftovers: Cover and leave at room temperature for 24 hours. After that, store it in the fridge for up to a week. If you want to recrisp the topping before serving, pop it into the toaster oven for a few minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hungry for more?
Subscribe to Umami Girl’s email updates, and follow along on Instagram.
Awesome recipe, but enough with the NJ stereotypes already. The quaint notion that NJ doesn’t offer the best of everything is useful for nothing more than a cliche article stub anymore.
Crazy, yes. It is Boxed Organics in Montclair.
Olga, yes, it’s encouraged around here. As is much of NJ, it’s a direct link back to the mid-1980’s. Cheap time travel is great, especially in this economy.
Maggie, I guess if I have a subscription to Sunset, you can have a NJ t-shirt, so no questions asked.
Cheryl, I’m glad NJ could contribute to your amazing dinner, and I’m flattered that my blog got a sneak peek into an otherwise closely guarded event.
Urmomcooks, Peoria and NJ need to get together and brainstorm some guerrilla marketing tactics.
Layla, yay! More soon, I hope.
Michele, thank you! That’s crazy about your CSA. Is it Purple Dragon?
Danielle, I’m glad! This one is a little different from last year (closer to the strawberry-rhubarb than the blueberry). Maybe a taste test is in order? xx
You know I love that crisp…made it last weekend after a trip to the farmer’s market. It never disappoints!! Glad to see it making another appearance this year :).
I love your blog and the crisp. I do know about New Jersey and blueberries having lived here my whole life. Now, if only my CSA would find out. I’m getting pears from Argentina and nectarines from California!
Yum! Happy I got treated to your blueberry crisp last week! I like the new logo.
So funny! (I can relate. I need a story like this when I tell people I’m from Peoria IL) Luv the NJ blueberries! Here’s to a summer full of ’em!
I will tell you this: I just ate my birthday dinner at a very fancy wine country restaurant (yes, That One), and my super-duper–kind-warm-professional waiter told us halfway through the meal that he was from New Jersey. And then I said I was from New York, and we bonded, and an already splendiferous meal became even better. He did make a “What exit?” joke before I had a chance to, which made me like him even more.
I did not know about New Jersey & blueberries. But I do know there’s an Ikea right off the Turnpike, so I at least I know something.
Was just discussing my “New Jersey: Only the Strong Survive” teeshirt with Carey…
but did NOT know that blueberries are the NJ state fruit.
OMFG Can I use “But that ain’t right, jerkoff” from now on!? What a great expression! And that crisp looks beautiful.