Berry Crisp

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Berry crisp is a warm summery desert brimming blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries baked under a crunchy-sweet topping. This gluten-free dessert is easy to throw together and a definite crowd-pleaser.

Berry crisp in baking dish with two bowls of dessert scooped out.

If ever there was a quintessential summertime dessert, it’s this one. When grocery stores are overflowing with baskets of brightly hued berries, do yourself a favor and grab a bunch. Then, whip this up this berry crisp and serve it warm and bubbling with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of coconut whipped cream.

This foolproof dessert couldn’t be easier to put together and looks so gorgeous. You’ll be proud to serve it at your next family gathering, summer potluck, or backyard barbecue. If you’re craving a decadent, fruity dessert…this recipe is the ticket. And come apple season, this apple crisp should be next!

Berry Crisp Ingredients You’ll Need

This recipe calls for a few pantry staples and a couple of special ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Berries: Any combination of berries works great, so choose your favorites!
  • Honey: A little bit of natural sticky sweetness.
  • Arrowroot Powder: This thickener absorbs liquid while the berry crisp bakes and firms up the filling without making it cloudy.
  • Lemon Juice: A squeeze of lemon juice for fresh flavor.
  • Gluten-Free Rolled Oats: I prefer rolled oats for a chunkier texture in the topping, but you could use quick cooking oats as well.
  • Almond Flour: This nutty flour provides a finer texture in the topping.
  • Coconut Sugar: My favorite unrefined sugar in granulated form.
  • Butter or Ghee: You can use butter or ghee (or even coconut oil). This is used to bind and clump the topping all together.
  • Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon, and Salt: Just a small splash and pinch of these are needed to round out the other flavors.

Find the printable recipe with measurements below

The ingredients for making berry crisp on a table.

Crisp vs Cobbler – What’s the Difference?

Traditionally, a crisp is a baked, deep-dish fruit dessert topped with a layer of crunchy ingredients – hence the name. It can also be called a crumble. A cobbler is a similar kind of dessert but it’s topped with a dropped-biscuit or pie dough. Same idea, different topping!

Crisp toppings usually include flour, butter, oats, and brown sugar. But since I’m gluten-free, I replaced the flour with almond flour and certified gluten-free rolled oats. Super easy. And once it’s baked with the fruit, the result is a delicious, juicy, fruity dessert with a sweet, crumbly topping.

Can I Use Frozen Berries Instead of Fresh?

Definitely! Frozen berries work equally as well, just let them thaw in their package on the countertop before using. No need to strain, just dump the thawed berries and their juices into the filling mix.

A bowl of berry crisp topped with ice cream.

Baking the Berry Crisp Is a Snap!

Just grab a 9×13 baking dish and preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Then, follow these three easy steps:

  1. Mix together the berry filling ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into your baking pan.
  2. Mix together the crisp topping ingredients in another bowl. Then sprinkle the crisp topping over the filling.
  3. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling around the edges of the pan and the topping is crunchy.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

With a recipe this delicious, you probably won’t have leftovers! If you do, here’s how to store and reheat them.

  • To Store: Place any leftover berry crisp covered in the pan in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also transfer it to a glass storage container.
  • To Reheat: Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave, or place the entire pan in a 350 degree oven until warmed through.
Berry crisp in a white bowl topped with ice cream.

More Summer Dessert Recipes

Looking for more summer desserts? These are reader favorites!

A baking pan of berry crisp and two servings in bowls.

Berry Crisp (Gluten-Free)

5 from 14 votes
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

This down-home dessert is bursting with berry flavor. It's a simple-to-make crowd pleaser that's juicy, fruity, and gluten-free.

Ingredients 
 

Berry Filling

  • 8 cups mixed berries
  • 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
  • 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Crisp Topping

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add all of the berry filling ingredients and gently fold together with a spatula until well combined.
    Filling ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  • Transfer the berry filling mixture to the prepared baking pan.
    Berry filling in a single layer in a baking pan.
  • Add all of the dry topping ingredients to a bowl, then stir together.
    Ingredients for making the crumble topping in a bowl.
  • Add the vanilla extract and melted butter to the bowl, then stir it together until clumpy.
    Topping mixed together with wet ingredients and clumpy in a bowl.
  • Spread the topping on the berry filling. It's okay if it doesn't cover it all. It's meant to look somewhat rustic.
    Crisp topping layered on top of berry filling.
  • Bake the berry crisp until the filling bubbles around the edges and topping is golden, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm. You can also add a dollop of ice cream, or whipped cream.
    Berry crisp in a white bowl topped with ice cream.

Lisa’s Tips

  • For the 8 cups of mixed berries I used 12 ounces of raspberries, 12 ounces of blackberries and 1 pint of blueberries (also about 12 ounces).
  • My favorite glass mixing bowls always coming in handy for desserts.
  • This is a great set of white baking pans, if you need some new ones.
  • To make this recipe vegan, just use maple syrup in the filling and vegan butter or coconut oil in the topping.

Nutrition

Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 190mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 426IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: berry crisp, gluten-free berry crisp
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

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Recipe Rating




55 Comments

  1. For a dessert, to me this recipe is perfection. It’s almost too delicious. It’s rare I have desserts so the sugar rush was quite strong. I will experiment with reducing the sugar but I suspect it will lose it’s perfect crumble taste. I went all out and used fresh organic blackberries, organic raspberries, and organic blueberries. I’m not opposed to frozen but it can’t compare to fresh. I’ve never used arrowroot as a thickener before and am so pleased with it. I usually use corn starch but this was a better consistency and didn’t clump. I’m particular about what I put in my recipe box but this is definitely going in there! I look forward to making the apple version as well. Thank you so much Lisa for this recipe!5 stars

  2. I used all purpose gluten free flour instead of the almond flour because I bought a massive bag from the Costco Business Centre and don’t really have place for it. Oops. But either way – this was DELICIOUS! I have made it with almond flour as well, and it is very good that way, too!

    I normally make a huge batch of topping and then freeze it. Then when I want to whip up a dessert, I dig out a bag of frozen berries and a jar of this topping from my freezer and have such a quick and easy and healthy dessert! Top it with raw whipped cream for a true delight.5 stars

  3. I absolutely love this dessert. I combine all different fruit depending on what I have on hand so it always tastes a little different.
    The crunchy topping tastes amazing, it’s perfect for the weather we are having here at the moment.

  4. Made this for a dinner party – it was an easy, light, and tasty dessert with the icecream. I baked it a few hours in advance of the party and then reheated it at 180F for 20-30 minutes while we were eating the main dinner.5 stars

  5. This looks sooo good! I wonder if I might be able to substitute gluten-free flour for the almond flour? I have a hard time digesting the almond flour. I can handle nuts in small amounts, but years of baking with copious amounts of almond flour left my digestive system intolerant of them. :(

    Thank you! I have your cookbook and wondered the same for your pancake recipe and other yummy looking recipes using almond flour.

    1. Yes, that’s no problem at all in this recipe. But each recipe is different on substitutions, so it’s always best to ask for each recipe. :)

  6. Lisa, absolutely love this recipe!! I usually have allergies when I eat things similar to this, but I was fine!🤸🏼‍♀️ Flavor and consistency was perfect. I did add some desiccated coconut and shivered almonds to the topper. This is going in my regular line up for breakfasts.5 stars

  7. LOVE this recipe, turned out delicious and today when I made it I literally grabbed all my fruit that was about to go bad so it was blackberries (too tart to eat alone so perfect for this recipe) Blackberries, frozen, Apricots, Plums and Sweet Cherries, what a great combo~! Thanks much Lisa ;) This one’s a Winner~!5 stars

      1. Frozen berries work equally as well, just let them thaw in their package on the countertop before using.

  8. HI Lisa, I am going to try your crumble for a gathering this week Easter and don’t have coconut sugar – will brown sugar change the taste and work equally well in the crumble mixtureor not? Thanks so much.

  9. This recipe is so simple yet so delicious! I’ve already made it twice, once with arrowroot powder and once with tapioca, and it’s turned out just fine. I do have a question on how to store this, how long will it last? 5 stars

    1. Good to know this came together with arrowroot powder! You can find storage instructions written in the post – but this will last for up to 3 days in the fridge :)

    1. Hi Shawn – I haven’t tried this with other flours, but I’m sure a nut-free flour blend would work just fine.

      1. Hi Lisa!
        I was wondering the same thing. I have all kinds of other gluten-free flours such as ckickpea and rice flour. I wonder if one of these would be an ok substitute for almond flour, as I am making this for a guest with nut allergies.

      2. Unfortunately, I haven’t tested this recipe with other flours, so not sure how they might turn out. Sorry!

  10. Hi Lisa, 
    Just wondering what I could substitute the gluten free oats for? I still have issues with these but love this recipe.

      1. Oh! You could, but the flavoring will be a bit different as you’ll need to add some cinnamon into the mix. I’ll be making an apple crisp recipe eventually :)

  11. Made this for a dinner party. Used blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries ( part fresh part frozen).  
    Everyone loved it. 
    Can’t wait for leftovers at breakfast 😁
    Thanks for another delicious recipe. 5 stars

    1. Wonderful! I’m happy you loved the recipe, Sandra. And I can attest to the fact that it makes for delicious breakfast the next day – ha! ;)

    1. Hi Amy – check out the topping I did on my Pear and Pomegranate Crumble recipe. There’s no oats in that one! :)

  12. Hi Lisa, 

    I LOVE this recipe! Thank you!
    Could you send me the link to where you purchased your lovely white baking dish ( with handles)? I have been looking for something like this all summer and can’t seem to find it. 

    Many Thanks, 

    Cynthia 5 stars

  13. I followed the recipe to a T (bought arrowroot powder and coconut sugar specifically to make it) and it turned out really good!5 stars

  14. I just made this with frozen mixed berries I already had on hand… wow! I doubled the oatmeal crisp part that goes on top, because I like that part a lot. This is an excellent summer dessert!5 stars

  15. I can’t wait to make this! I looked in my pantry and I only have tapioca flour and cassava flour. Can I use either of those instead of arrowroot? Thank you for all of your awesome recipes!

    1. Unfortunately I didn’t make a video for this berry crisp. But I hope to make one in the near future for another crisp recipe :)