Blueberry Almond Crisp
This blueberry crisp recipe is the perfect summertime dessert! It's easy to make with blueberries, maple syrup, lemon, oats and almonds. Gluten free, too!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Here we are in high summer, and it seems to be going just right. Slow. Lazy. Everyone’s out of town. My hot yoga class is empty (because only crazy people like me want to do hot yoga on a hot day). I’m nursing a sunburn and rocking some uneven tan lines. The locusts outside are screeching in unison every evening. Everything is as is should be.
Blueberries won’t be here much longer, so I had to make a blueberry crisp before they go. I found a hefty two-pound container at Trader Joe’s and baked them into a brilliantly purple dessert with a gluten-free almond and oat topping.
I’ll enjoy this crisp for breakfast with yogurt and later, for dessert with ice cream. Repeat every day, all week. It’s summertime!
Gluten-Free Blueberry Crisp
My original concept for the topping included cornmeal, not almond meal, but my medium-grind cornmeal didn’t soften up enough during baking. Hence, the crisp turned out to be a “crunch,” which wasn’t my intention.
My runner-up idea was a blueberry and almond crisp, with both almond meal and sliced almonds, and it turned out just right. Tons of blueberries, some maple syrup, bright lemon flavor, oats and almonds—you can’t go wrong there.
My favorite part about making this crisp? Unlike all my other crisp recipes (and I have more than a few!), this crisp recipe doesn’t require any chopping of the fruit. Just rinse off those blueberries and you’re good to go!
This is simple summer dessert at its finest.
Please let me know how this crisp turns out for you in the comments! If you’re craving more summertime crisp recipes, don’t miss my gluten-free peach crisp, plum crisp or strawberry rhubarb crisp (if you can’t find rhubarb, replace it with an equal amount of additional strawberries). View all desserts here.
Watch How to Make Blueberry Almond Crisp
Blueberry Almond Crisp
This amazing blueberry crisp recipe is the perfect summertime dessert! It’s easy to make with blueberries, maple syrup, lemon, oats and almonds. It’s gluten free, too! Recipe yields 6 to 8 servings (a lot!).
Ingredients
Lemon blueberry filling
- 2 pounds blueberries (that’s 32 ounces, which is about 5 cups or a little less than 3 pints), fresh or frozen*
- ⅓ cup maple syrup or honey
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch or 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest (less than 1 small lemon, zested—scale back to ¼ teaspoon zest if you don’t love lemon)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Gluten-free oat and almond topping
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats (certified gluten-free for a gluten-free crisp)
- ½ cup packed almond meal or almond flour
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ⅓ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons plain yogurt (Greek or regular), or additional melted butter
Don’t forget vanilla ice cream, for serving!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse and drain the blueberries and pick through them to remove any stems still attached. In a 9-inch square baking dish, mix together the blueberries, maple syrup or honey, arrowroot or cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice and cinnamon.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the oats, almond meal/flour, sliced almonds, brown sugar and salt. Mix in the butter and yogurt. Stir until all of the flour is incorporated and the mixture is moistened throughout.
- Dollop spoonfuls of the oat mixture over the filling and use your fingers to break up the mixture until it is evenly distributed (no need to pack it down).
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the filling is actively bubbling around the edges and the top is lightly golden. Let the crisp rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream (I insist!).
Notes
Recipe adapted from my pear cranberry crisp.
*How to use frozen blueberries: Defrost the blueberries in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for about 2 hours (no need to drain off excess juices). Or, while the oven is preheating, place the frozen blueberries in your square baker. Warm them up in the oven, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until they have defrosted to the point that they are cool to the touch but no longer frozen. Then add the maple syrup, etc. and proceed with the recipe as written.
Make it nut free: Omit the sliced almonds and use ¾ cup whole wheat flour and ¾ cup oats instead of the almond meal and oats specified above. It will no longer be gluten free. If you want to keep it gluten free, I suspect that you could replace the almond meal with oat flour or more oats (haven’t tried that, please comment if you do!).
Make it vegan: I believe you could use melted coconut oil in place of the browned butter/yogurt (use 4 tablespoons coconut oil and add up to 3 more, until the topping mixture is moistened throughout) and maple syrup instead of the honey. I haven’t tried it, though.
What’s arrowroot starch? Arrowroot starch is a great thickener to use in place of corn starch, which is often genetically modified. It’s gluten free, too. Look for it in the baking section of well-stocked grocery stores or buy it online (affiliate link).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Made this recipe for dinner and my guests and my family loved. Thank you for sharing the recipe
You’re welcome, Sunitha!
Can I freeze? As a party of one, I want to make three smaller size pans so I can enjoy over time. I enjoys all if your recipes. Thank you.
You could try it, but the topping may loose the crispiness. If you try it, let me know!
This almond blueberry crisp is an absolute favorite at our house! Last night I changed it up and made it with peaches and sweet cherries. It was amazing! Thank you, Kate!
Great to hear, Ginger! I appreciate your review.
This crisp is delicious!! I love the maple syrup flavor. If you are serving it with ice cream I think the topping amount is just. If not, I would increase the topping by 50%.
Thank you for sharing!
Hi Kate. Question for you… you mention in the notes that you can use extra browned butter in lieu of yogurt, but the recipe only calls for melted butter. Which is your preference?
Thanks!
I think it’s delicious both ways! Maybe a bit more rich with more butter. Let me know what you think!
Delicious!!!! I absolutely love all your recipes and would love them even more if you gave the weighted measurements to make things go faster for those of us that prefer to use a scale instead. I’m a huge fan and tell all my friends about this website!
This cobbler is beyond delicious! I took it to a dinner party and everyone (8) was in love. Very subtle flavors which emphasize the blueberries. The crumble topping is GF but no one even knew! This is a simple but very unique way to enjoy one of the healthiest berries and low sugar makes it a winner! Easy to make and the maple syrup gives it just the right sweetness. Thank you for this wonderful creation!
Happy to hear you loved it, Stacey!
Hello, what size pan would I use if I double the recipe? And how long would the doubled recipe cook?
Thank you,
Michelle in Maine
11/25/23
You can try a 9×13. Let me know how it turns out!
Can this be prepped the day before? Like assembled and just pop in oven the day of?
I don’t know if it will hold up as well. Sorry! If you try it, let me know how it turns out for you.
QUESTION Hello – Can this be assembled in the morning and then baked before serving later in the day? Maybe mix the berries and mix oat mixture (separately) before hand and then assemble and bake? Or, can it be made ahead and reheated? If so, please let me know how best to reheat. Thank you!!!
I don’t know how well the topping would add up. You could pre-mix the dry then add the liquid when you are ready to bake.
Would I use a 9 x 13 if I doubled it? Happy Fourth! And GOD bless!
That should work. I hope it was a hit!
I can’t believe how delicious this is–the perfect blueberry crisp. I’m sure it will be just as perfect with other fruits. I used fresh blueberries; 2 heaping Tbs of brown sugar and and 2 Tb coconut sugar instead of all brown sugar; cut the butter to 3 Tb and used vegan; and used regular plain, low fat yogurt. Another triumph as have everything been from Cookie and Kate..
Thank you, Linda!
I’ve made this recipe, the pear cranberry crisp and many variations more times than I can count! This is my go-to dessert with any fruit I have! I make it gluten free for my husband. I made one for my birthday party, and there wasn’t a bite left over. Half of the sugary bakery bought cake was left.
Great to hear, Bonnie!
Hi can you tell me whete you got the white handled 9″ square pan please?
Hi! I got this at Crate & Barrel.
Hi Kate, can i use a round 9″pie plate to make crisp in?
Sure, that should be ok. Let me know how it turns out for you!
If I don’t have arrowroot flour or cornstarch, can I use tapioca flour? I read online that I should just double the amount of tapioca, but not sure if that would throw off the rest of the recipe…
I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure.
Question- the recipe calls for almond meal – I’ve searched everywhere and only see almond flour in my markets – is this the same? If not where can I find almond meal?
Thanks!
Hi Patti,
Almond meal is made from almonds with the skin intact, resulting in a coarser texture. Bob’s Red Mill has a helpful article about the difference. If you can’t find it in stores, you should be able to order it online.
Looking for an easy dessert that will wow friends and family? This is the one. I have made this crisp many times and it never disappoints.
My only tip is to start with good blueberries. I found that heat does not make tart blueberries sweet. If you wouldn’t want to eat the blueberries on their own they are not worthy of this crisp.
Looks great but there is no way I’m heating up the oven here in central California with back to back 100+ degree days and very little overnight cooling breeze. Blueberries we do have in abundance so I’ll freeze a few pounds and try this when the weather cools. Thanks for all the great recipes. I recently tried the roasted red pepper and feta dip and it was fantastic.
This dish was absolutely scrumptious! My hubby loved it. Nothing like a homemade dessert. Not too sweet. I used more lemon zest and lemon juice and slivered almonds.
This was absolutely delicious! I used fresh blueberries this time, but great option to use frozen when not in season. Will certainly make this again and again!
Thanks, Kate!
You’re welcome, Lorriane!
Thanks for the recipe!
Could the plain yogurt be nonfat?
Or does it need to be whole plain yogurt?
This is best as written. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Hi Kate,
Thank you so much for your great recipes!
I am just about to make the Almond Crisp using blackberries (plentiful in the garden at the moment).
Do you know if I can substitute the corn starch by corn flour?
Thanks again,
Soizic
I don’t think you will have the same result, sorry!