Berry Crisp with Frozen Berries
This Berry Crisp with Frozen Berries is an easy baked fruit dessert consisting of a triple berry filling topped with a tasty oat crumble topping. It’s the perfect sweet dish for potlucks, spring gatherings, and summertime celebrations.
Berry crisp, also known as “berry crumble,” is a classic dessert that showcases the natural sweetness of berries with a crunchy, golden topping. This dish is typically made in summer with a bounty of fresh berries.
However, this berry crisp recipe calls for the convenience of frozen berries because they’re available year-round, pre-washed and prepped, and bursting with only the best-flavored berries.
As for the topping, you can easily make it gluten-free with simple ingredient substitutions, and in the end, your gluten-free berry crisp will have the same comforting taste and texture as the traditional version.
So, grab that bag of frozen berries from the freezer, and get ready to indulge in the berrylicious bliss of freshly baked berry crisp!
Why you’ll love this berry crumble
- Healthy and easy to make gluten-free. It’s much healthier than traditional fruit crumble recipes, and making it gluten-free is a breeze. You’ll never know it’s gluten-free!
- Quick and easy. This crumble is failproof regardless of your baking skills, and it comes together in minutes!
- Perfect year-round dessert. Berry crisp is often served during the summer when berries are in season, but thanks to the reliability of frozen berries, this one is excellent all year long.
Ingredients you’ll need
For the berry filling:
- Frozen berries – You can use any combination of frozen berries. I used blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, but frozen strawberries and black raspberries would also be great!
- Flour – Berries tend to release a lot of juice when baked. Coating them in flour helps absorb the excess liquid so the filling doesn’t become runny and soupy. You can use regular unbleached flour or an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.
- Brown sugar – Coating the berries in brown sugar (or coconut sugar) helps balance the tartness and enhances the berries’ natural sweetness.
- Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds a refreshing zing to the crumble.
For the crumble topping:
- Oats – When baked, the oats become slightly toasted and crispy, creating a pleasant contrast to the juicy berries. It’s worth noting that oats are often processed in non-gluten-free facilities, so if you or someone you’re serving has a gluten sensitivity, you must use certified gluten-free oats to be safe.
- Brown sugar – Or coconut sugar, adds sweetness and helps the topping develop delectable caramelized edges.
- Unbleached flour – Or gluten-free all-purpose flour helps prevent the topping from becoming soggy during baking.
- Sea salt – A small amount of salt enhances the overall flavor of the finished dish.
- Cinnamon – Adds warm, aromatic notes.
- Lemon zest – Provides a burst of bright, citrusy flavor to enhance the sweet berries.
- Maple syrup – Adds natural sweetness and moisture to help bring the ingredients together.
- Nuts – For some satisfying crunchy, you can use chopped walnuts, pecans, or silvered almonds,
- Butter – I used an olive oil blend spreadable butter (in the tub), but cold, stick butter works great too. *The original sponsored recipe that I posted was made with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Deliciously Simple. However, that product is no longer available.
How to make berry crisp with frozen berries
Ready to make an easy berry crumble with frozen fruit? Here’s how it’s done:
Step 1: Prepare for baking. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease an 11×8” casserole dish and set it aside.
Step 2: Prep fruit filling. Add the berries, flour, sugar, and lemon juice to a large bowl, and toss until the berries are fully coated. Then, spread the berries in the bottom of the casserole dish.
Step 3: Make the topping. Add the topping ingredients to the bowl of an electric mixer, and mix on low-medium speed until everything is fully incorporated and a moist, crumbly texture forms.
Step 4: Assemble, bake, and serve. Spread the topping over the berries, and bake until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown (45-50 minutes). Enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or topping of choice, and enjoy!
Recipe tips
- Use rolled oats. It’s better to use old-fashioned rolled oats instead of quick-cooking oats for the crisp topping. The larger oats provide a better texture and give the crumble a heartier consistency.
- Cover to prevent burning. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil if you notice the topping is overbrowning. This allows the berries to continue cooking and helps protect the topping from burning.
- Make mini berry crisps. Instead of assembling the crumble in a casserole dish, layer the berries and topping mixture in oven-safe ramekins before baking.
Variations
The beauty of this frozen berry crisp is the ability to mix and match the frozen berries with other frozen fruits. Here’s a list of fruit & berry filling flavors to try:
- Mixed berry peach crisp. Make the filling with 4 cups of frozen mixed berries and 2 cups of frozen diced peaches.
- Strawberry rhubarb crisp. Make the filling with 3 cups of frozen strawberries and 3 cups of frozen rhubarb.
- Blackberry mango crisp. Make the filling with 3 cups of frozen blackberries and 3 cups of frozen mango.
Storing & freezing
Storing: Allow leftover frozen berry crisp to cool to room temperature. Then, cover the baking dish or transfer it to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheating: Reheat leftovers in the oven at 350°F until heated through. Or reheat in the microwave in short intervals, stirring occasionally.
Freezing: If you can’t finish the leftovers within a few days, freeze it in individual portions in airtight containers for 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat as mentioned.
FAQ
The terms “crisp” and “crumble” are often used interchangeably, and in many regions, they refer to the same type of dessert. In some instances, crisps contain oats while crumbles do not, but all in all, they’re the same dish.
Yes! You can make the berry filling and crisp topping up to 24 hours in advance. If you plan to bake it within a few hours, go ahead and sprinkle the topping over the filling and keep it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. Otherwise, refrigerate the filling and topping separately and assemble the crisp before baking.
Berry crisp is best served straight out of the oven while the filling is warm and gooey, and the oat crumble topping is hot and crispy. This dish is typically served with vanilla ice cream, but it’s also delicious with whipped cream, powdered sugar, or a drizzle of chocolate sauce.
More baked fruit desserts
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Berry Crisp with Frozen Berries
Equipment
- 11×8" Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 6 cups frozen berry blend blueberries, blackberries and raspberries (a strawberry blackberry blend is great too, go with your favorite frozen berry blend)
- ¼ cup unbleached flour can sub with multipurpose gluten-free flour
- ¼ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar (coconut sugar will give the topping a more rich caramel color and flavor)
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 cup unbleached flour can use GF all-purpose flour here
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp lemon zest you can use up to a teaspoon for more citrus flavor
- 1 tbsp real maple syrup
- ½ cup slivered almonds or chopped walnuts or pecans
- ½ cup cold olive oil butter blend (in the tub) or regular cold butter, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix first 4 ingredients together in a large bowl. Toss to coat berries and pour into a greased 11×8" casserole dish.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, place remaining ingredients for the crumbled topping. Mix on low-medium speed until mixture sticks together with a crumbly texture.
- Place topping over the berries and bake for 45 minutes to 50 minutes until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Enjoy with your favorite vanilla ice cream or topping of choice.
Notes
Nutrition
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Looks delish! I love crisps of all kinds ๐
Thanks Emily! Me too! Crisps are my fav! ๐
I’ll be trying this recipe with gluten free flour. Can’t wait. Thanks!