This old-fashioned fruit crisp is one of my go-to desserts year-round. It's quick and easy to throw together, works with fresh or frozen blueberries and can be ready in under an hour. There's no special equipment or ingredients needed, just pantry staples, a bowl, a baking dish, and a bit of mixing.
You can adjust the sweetness or tartness easily, and it's incredibly forgiving, something I will always appreciate in a dessert.
Old-fashioned comfort
If you need a fruit dessert that turns perfectly golden and crunchy and is a crowd-pleaser, this bubbling blueberry crisp with an oat topping fits the bill perfectly.
A crisp should have oats in the topping; it's what makes it crisper than a crumble. Or just call it blueberry crumble with oats. This blueberry recipe uses simple ingredients, doesn't require fancy pastry skills, yet delivers big flavor.
And just like this popular quick blueberry crumble, not only is it easy to make with fresh or frozen blueberries, but you can refrigerate or freeze it before or after it's baked, and bake it directly or reheat it when needed, so there's also that advantage. Perfect as a weeknight dessert when you're tired or short on time but the family wants something special.
Fruit crisps and crumbles are comforting, homey, and rooted in classic American baking traditions. The kitchen will smell like a hug, and I recommend serving it warm with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. It will bring raves. But you already knew that.
This blueberry crisp is an easy old-fashioned dessert made with fresh or frozen blueberries and a buttery oat topping. The berries bubble into a thick, juicy filling while the top bakes golden and crisp. It requires no crust, comes together with pantry staples, and works year-round.
Testing Notes
Lemon: You can adjust it to make this dessert more or less puckery. If you like just a hint of lemon, don't use the zest and use only 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. My family likes a good lemon flavor, so I use 2 tablespoons.
Brown sugar, in my opinion, gives it a wonderful caramel tone, but white sugar gives you that classic flavor. Both work perfectly well; use them on their own or in a mix.
Oat crumble topping texture: I like and recommend mixing it by hand or with a pastry cutter (and not the food processor). It's the best way to get clumps while keeping the oat texture.
Ratios matter. A 9-inch square or 8x11-inch rectangular baking dish works well for this. If using a 9x13-inch baking dish, you'll have a shallower dessert but still as delicious! My ideal combination of topping to filling is the one in the recipe card, but you can adjust either to your liking.
Make individual crisps or single serve desserts using ramekins like we do for these peach cobblers.
Variations
- Flavorings: I use lemon and a pinch of cinnamon, but orange zest and juice works very well with blueberries. Also, a bit of ground ginger with the cinnamon or freshly grated (use a small amount or it will be overpowering). Adjust to your personal taste.
- Add nuts, like chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds. Coarsely chop them and stir them into the crumbly mixture. Sliced almonds are also an option, like in this cherry crisp or the popular apple berry almond crisp.
- Peaches: they make a great combination with blueberries. Substitute some of the berries for peach slices.
Process steps
I like to use traditional or rolled oats as they have more texture. It does work with quick oats, but the topping will have a little less bite.
Crumble with oats
It's a simple method of integrating the dry ingredients with the softened butter until crumbly and clumpy.
We use cold butter (not melted) and chill it (in the fridge or freezer) while making the filling, so it's cold when it goes into the oven.
It can be made ahead and refrigerated for a week or frozen for a month. Break up large clumps before using.
Blueberry layer
Mixing the ingredients in a large mixing bowl first makes it easier and less messy, but you can also carefully mix everything directly in the dish.
You can adjust the amount of lemon juice and zest depending on how sweet or tart you want it.
Crisp topping
Scatter it over the blueberries and leave a bit of space around the edges so the fruit juices can bubble up during baking.
Don't press it.
Baking
When the fruit filling starts to bubble up and the topping turns a golden brown, it means the juices are thickening and the crumble is baking as it should.
If it starts browning too quickly, you can loosely tent the dish with foil.
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Blueberry Crisp with Oats (old-fashioned dessert)
Ingredients
For the oat crumble:
- ¾ cup traditional oats, also called old-fashioned or rolled oats
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and diced
For the blueberries:
- 4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest, optional
- 1 or 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch, optional but needed if you want a thicker filling
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Have ready an oven-proof 8x11-inch ceramic dish (I use an oval one, but a 9-inch round or square baking dish also works).
Make the oat topping:
- In another medium bowl, combine ¾ cup traditional oats, ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Add ½ cup unsalted butter, diced and cold, and mix with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. It should be a bit clumpy. Keep refrigerated while making the filling.
Make the blueberry filling:
- Scatter 4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, in the prepared dish and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons light brown sugar and ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Sprinkle ½ teaspoon lemon zest (if using) over them and stir to mix lightly.
- Drizzle 1 or 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice with ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract over the berries. If using the 2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolve them first in the juice before drizzling. Mix the berry mixture lightly with a spoon.
- Top the blueberries with the chilled crumb topping. It will cover the surface irregularly, and the edges will not have much. That's fine. It's good to have some space around the topping for the juices to bubble up.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, until the top is dry and golden, and the blueberry filling is bubbling.
- Let cool on a wire rack until warm and eat with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Keep leftovers refrigerated, covered in plastic wrap, and warm slightly before eating.
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