Quick & Easy Blueberry Crumble (with video!)

As the title implies, this is a simple, easy-to-put-together dessert that can be ready in under an hour. It consists of a layer of blueberries with a crisp topping that you can make ahead. How's that for convenience? And I added a variation with coconut and pecans too. You can't go wrong with crumbles. Or blueberries.

Crumbles and crisps

I tend to gravitate towards these type of desserts year-round. I use fresh fruit when in season and frozen when they're not up to par. Almost any fruit can be used frozen, especially blueberries. Exceptions might be apples, but they're available year round also.

What's the difference between crisps and crumbles?

This gets asked a lot! And the difference relies in whether you use oats in the topping or not. Now, I grew up eating an apple crisp that had no oats. But then I googled and it turns out that crumbles don't have oats and crisps do. Well, what do I do now, huh?

So, don't get too picky around the name because you will find both used interchangeably.

About this recipe

• Quick & easy: simply dump the blueberries in the dish, add a few ingredients and mix, top with the frozen (or cold from the refrigerator) crumble and pop in the oven.
• Make ahead: you can freeze the baked dessert in the dish or the crumble and the blueberries separately and put it together an hour before sitting down to eat. It'll be ready when you're done.
• Dessert for a crowd: though large gatherings are probably not happening yet, this is the perfect dessert to make for a barbecue, a picnic, a birthday lunch, or any type of similar celebrations, especially during the good weather months.

Ingredients

I bet you have them all at home right now. This blueberry crumble uses easy to find ingredients and can be adjusted here and there. Some comment about them:

• Blueberries: fresh or frozen, they both work.
• Sugar: I like the mix of white sugar for the topping (crunchiness) and brown for the filling (caramel undertone).
• Lemon: you can't go wrong with this combination of flavors, so I add both juice and zest to the filling. The amount is easily customizable.
• Butter: unsalted is what we use.
• Flour: all-purpose or cake flour, both work.
• Flavorings: vanilla and cinnamon, both enhance the lemon flavor and add a unique touch. But feel free to omit them if that suits you.

Step-by-step

Crumbles are super easy to make and, for the topping, you can use the food processor, a fork, a pastry cutter, or your hands (my favorite, always).

I put together a step-by-step video to guide you 👇🏻

1

For the filling: scatter blueberries in dish and sprinkle with sugar and lemon zest.

2

Add lemon juice and mix.

3

For the crumble: mix flour, salt and sugar in a bowl.

4

Add cold butter and start to integrate with your hands or a pastry cutter.

5

It’s ready when the butter is, roughly, the size of peas.

6

Too the blueberries with the crumble.

7

Bake as directed until golden and bubbly.

8

Eat warm, plain or with some whipped cream or scoop of ice cream.

Check out my other content @VintageKitchenNotes on Jumprope.

My top tips

• Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
• Fruit: use fresh or frozen, both work well. Following comments on other similar recipes (Blueberry Dump Cake and Blueberry Cobbler) you can add some cornstarch to the filling if using frozen berries which tend to release more liquid making the filling not firm enough for some of you. All is added to the Notes section in the recipe card.
• Crumble: this is very versatile and you can play around with brown sugar instead of white or add some sliced almonds. There's a coconut variation below in case you like that combination (hint: it's so good!) because that's the way I made it for years.
• Ratio: these type of desserts can be adjusted to your personal taste when it comes to the proportion of fruit and topping you use. I like more fruit and a crisper topping, but for example my father likes a more floury topping (I know!) so I use less butter when he's coming over. Play around until you find what works for you and your family.

Coconut variation

I used to make this blueberry crumble with coconut, both shredded and flakes. And serve it as bites (finger food) or in individual ramekins. It's still a great idea if you like to change it up a bit.

The berries with the coconut is a very good combination. Very unique and delicious. And I found that people in general like coconut. That's a fact. The variation can be found in the Notes section of the recipe card, below.

Other recipes you might like:

Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe! I’d love to hear what you think about it. Thank you for being here, I appreciate it! Let’s connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
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Quick & Easy Blueberry Crumble

• Author: Paula Montenegro
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 40
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Desserts
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: International

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Description

As the title implies, this is a simple, easy-to-put-together dessert that can be ready in under an hour. It consists of a layer of juicy blueberries with a crisp topping that you can make ahead.  How's that for convenience? And I added a variation with coconut and pecans too. You can't go wrong with crumbles. Or blueberries.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the crumble:

• 1 ¼ cups (175g) all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• ½ cup (100g) sugar
• ½ cup (110g) butter, cold

For the blueberries:

• 4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest 
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Large pinch of ground cinnamon

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Instructions

For the blueberries:

1. Have ready an oven-proof glass or ceramic dish (I use an 8x11-inch oval one, but 9-inch round or square works also).
2. Scatter blueberries in the dish and sprinkle with brown sugar. 
3. Grate zest over them and drizzle the lemon juice. 
4. Mix lightly with a spoon. 

For the crumble:

1. In a bowl mix flour, salt and sugar. 
2. Add cold butter in pieces and integrate with your hands until grainy and the butter is the size of peas. You can do this in a food processor; make sure you stop processing when it still has butter bits. Don’t turn it into a paste. 
3. If not using immediately, cover and keep refrigerated for up to a week. Or frozen for a month. 
4. Top the blueberries with this mixture. It will cover the surface irregularly and the edges will not have much. That’s fine. 
5. Bake for about 40 minutes, until dry, golden and the fruit is bubbly. 
6. Let cool on a wire rack until warm and eat with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. 
7. Keep leftovers refrigerated, covered, and warm lightly before eating.

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Notes

Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!

Fruit: use fresh or frozen, both work well. Following comments on other similar recipes (Blueberry Dump Cake and Blueberry Cobbler) you can add some cornstarch to the filling if using frozen berries which tend to release more liquid making the filling not firm enough for some of you. All is added to the Notes section in the recipe card.

Crumble: this is very versatile and you can play around with brown sugar instead of white or add some sliced almonds. There's a coconut variation below in case you like that combination (hint: it's so good!) because that's the way I made it for years.

Ratio: these type of desserts can be adjusted to your personal taste when it comes to the proportion of fruit and topping you use. I like more fruit and a crisper topping, but for example my father likes a more floury topping (I know!) so I use less butter when he's coming over. Play around until you find what works for you and your family.

Coconut variation: use 1 cup flour and ¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut and 2 tablespoons coconut flakes for the topping (instead of the 1 ¼ cups flour). Add 1 teaspoon orange zest and 1-2 tablespoons orange juice to the filling instead of the lemon zest and juice. Follow the rest of the recipe as written. 

Keywords: blueberry crumble

Paula Montenegro

I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.