How about a fruity treat? On a summer evening, there’s not much better than a warm homemade crisp with cold vanilla ice cream. This mixed berry crisp is the perfect use for those wonderful in-season berries. It’s easy to make (far less fussy than a pie) and just as good.
You can make this berry crisp recipe with any combination of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or raspberries—use all four or just a couple. Or, use it as a template for a single-berry crisp (here’s a more straightforward blueberry crisp recipe). You can’t go wrong.
This mixed berry crisp is the latest addition to my growing collection of crisp recipes on the blog. Like most of the others, this recipe just so happens to be gluten free, easily made vegan, and naturally sweetened. Depending on your standards, this crisp could definitely qualify as healthy.
I love the combination of oats and almond flour in the topping—the result is golden and crisp on top, and tender underneath. The topping keeps well to enjoy leftovers for several days. I like to eat it for breakfast with plain Greek yogurt. Why not?
On a fruity crisp kick?
Try saying that five-times fast. Here are a few more summertime options:
- Blueberry Crisp
- Dark Cherry Crisp in my cookbook, Love Real Food (page 198)
- Peach Crisp
- Plum Crisp
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Save these crisps for the fall:
Please let me know how your berry crisp turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you and hope you have a great weekend.
Mixed Berry Crisp (Gluten Free)
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Make this delightful berry crisp with any mix of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. It’s the perfect simple and fruity summertime dessert. Recipe yields one 9-inch crisp, about 8 servings.
Ingredients
Mixed berry filling
- 2 pounds (32 ounces, about 5 cups) mixed berries, fresh or frozen*
- ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch or 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon orange or lemon zest (if you don’t love strong citrus flavor, scale back to ¼ teaspoon, or omit)
- 2 tablespoons orange or lemon juice
Gluten-free oat and almond topping
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats**
- ½ cup packed almond flour or almond meal
- ½ cup sliced almonds or chopped pistachios or pecans (optional)
- ⅓ cup packed coconut sugar or brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons plain yogurt (Greek or regular), or additional melted butter
Plus vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse and drain the berries and pick through to remove any stems still attached. If you’re using strawberries, slice them into ¼-inch thick pieces. If you’re using particularly large blackberries, slice them in half.
- In a 9 by 9-inch baking dish, mix together the berries, honey, starch, citrus zest and juice. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the oats, almond meal/flour, sliced almonds (if using), 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 blueberry almond crisp.
*How to use frozen berries: Defrost the berries 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 berries 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. (For frozen berries, no need to slice before using since they are so tender already.) Then add the honey, etc. and proceed with the recipe as written.
**Make it gluten free: Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
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 about ⅔ cup oat flour (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).
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Hayley
I’ve made enough of your crisps to testify that for a vegan version melted vegan butter (Earth Balance brand) and coconut yogurt work great! I almost exclusively make fruity desserts in the summer because I just have to cook and eat them so much before they’re gone!!! This is the next one I’m making for sure.
Kate
I’m happy it worked vegan, Hayley! Thanks for reporting back.
Heather
Hayley – I was literally just typing a comment to ask Kate what to use as a butter replacement, and you answered my question! Yay! I am vegan mainly due to genetic heart and liver issues and so I need to avoid bad cholesterol as much as possible. Because of that, one of the things I don’t eat or cook/bake with is butter. Can’t wait to try this recipe now!
Emily
This crisp recipe is absolutely fantastic! It’s so easy and delicious. It truly is the perfect summer dessert. I was very happy that you included instructions for frozen berries, as that is all I had access to at the time. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m excited you already tried it and loved it. Thanks for your review, Emily!
Audrey
Delicious! This crisp isn’t too sweet but makes for a nice fruity treat on a hot summer day. I made the recipe as is but added a bit of cinnamon to the topping and used an 8 inch square pan instead of a 9 inch. Would make again!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for reporting back, Audrey! I’m excited you will make this one again.
Amanda
Made the berry crisp- it was DELICIOUS and easy to make! The vanilla ice cream with it was the perfect addition.
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! Thanks for letting me know you loved it, Amanda.
Tori
I was thrilled to see the notes for using frozen fruit! Although nothing compares to fresh fruit (in my opinion), sometimes you just need a short cut after a long day. I made this tonight with a mixture of frozen peaches, blueberries and raspberries. Luckily all the ingredients fit into my 10×10 glass baker and the crisp turned out absolutely delicious!! Will definitely make this again soon. Thank you Kate!!
★★★★★
Kate
That combination sounds delicious! I do love fresh, but sometimes all you may have is frozen. Thank you for reporting back, Tori.
Ana
I love your recipes! I’m thinking of making the crisp for a dinner party tomorrow, however, I would like to know If you think I could use ghee instead of butter and yoghurt.
Let me know. Thank you!
Vera Joy Herman
I defrost frozen berries at level 2 in the microwave.
Also 1/4 lb of butter from the fridge softens at 1min at level 1.
Joy
★★★★
Gina
I just made this and it was super easy and delicious. Mine looked exactly as yours did in the picture! I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a touch of cinnamon in the oatmeal. It was fantastic!! Will try the peach crisp next!
★★★★★
Kate
Yes! I love it when that happens. Thanks for sharing and I hope you love the peach crisp, Gina!
Nicole
I made this berry crisp today with blueberries and strawberries and it was so yummy!! It was a big hit and at your insistence we had it with vanilla ice cream!! Everything I’ve made from your recipes has been awesome thanks
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful, Nicole! Thank you for taking the time to let me know your feedback. I appreciate it!
Theresa Leyva
This crisp was delicious and earned these comments: “better than a restaurant” and “best dessert I ever had.” I used ripe nectarines and blueberries and if I make it again, I will try less honey because I feel the natural sweetness does not need quite as much. Another winner!
★★★★★
Kate
The best? Fantastic! Thank you for sharing your feedback, Theresa.
Shannon
I followed the recipe and it turned out great. We loved it! Thank you!
Kate
Thanks for letting me know, Shannon! I’m happy you loved it.
Haleema
Can I make this with sweet cherries?
Love your apple crisp!!!!
Kate
Thank you! You can! I have a dark cherry crisp recipe in my cookbook. :) Use 2 pounds fresh cherries (pitted and halved) or 2 pounds thawed frozen (pitted) cherries. Should work great!
Marie Graf
Hi Kate,
We are unable to eat oats ‘of any kind’; gluten free oats still have gluten in them. Do you have any suggestions on what I could use to replace the oats?
Kate
Hi Marie, I’m sorry to hear that! Have you tried Bob’s Red Mill gluten free oats? Those are gluten free and are tolerated by most with an allergy. This recipe is specifically designed with oats. Changing them would be an entirely new recipe.
Marie
Thanks, Kate. Yes; I know of this brand. However, my Naturopath has been clear in informing me that ‘gluten free’ products can still contains gluten. When I asked him about Bob’s brans he confirmed that there would still be ‘gluten’ in the oats.
Kate
Hi Marie, that’s interesting. I know several people that don’t have issues with it, but you need to do what’s best for you. Sorry I don’t have more insight!
Jen
Made this yesterday with berries and a couple pears and it turned out perfectly! The topping is excellent (I included pecans). I used less maple syrup and it was not too sweet but sweet enough – served with cardamom & ginger ice cream.
Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Erin
This is a never fail! Your crisp recipes are always amazing and every summer I go back to this one! Our pantry was a bit low and to make this dairy free, I subbed melted coconut oil for the butter and it worked amazing. I also didn’t have any almond flour so I blitzed my oats to make oat flour in the blender instead and it made for a super dense and chewy topping.
★★★★★
Rebecca
As good as this was for dessert with vanilla ice cream, it was (possibly) even better the following morning spooned over Greek yogurt and a few chia seeds. Delicious- thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Rebecca! I’m glad you love it.
Sara
This is the best fruit crisp! I’ve made it following the recipe and also a few variations and all turned out delish! Works great with blueberry/strawberry mix, or just blueberries even peaches. Arrowroot makes it all come together without the cornstarch flavor. For vegan, lower sugar: use melted coconut oil and agave syrup.
★★★★★
Liz
Loved this recipe, and so did my family and friends! I used frozen berries, defrosted on low power in the microwave for 8 minutes. Used 1 1/2 cups gluten free oats, 1/4 cup buckwheat flower, 1/4 cup coconut flour and 1/2 cup pecan bits for the crumble and an extra tablespoon of butter… absolutely perfect. I can’t eat almonds and needed to make it gluten free, so success! Love that it’s not too sweet and it’s a perfect ratio of berries to crumble. Delicious, can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing how you made this one, Liz. I appreciate your review! I’m excited you are going to make it again.
Jennifer
Absolutely delicious! This is our new favorite crisp! Best fruit recipe yet!
★★★★★
Leslie Spencer
Hi Kate – I love your recipes and have added many as my go-to favorites. Is there a way to make this or any crisp without the flour? I’m camping and that is the one ingredient I lack!
Kate
Hi! Sorry for my delay. It won’t quite hold together the same. Did you end up trying it?
Leslie Spencer
I haven’t yet but plan to give it a whirl!
Theresa
Just delicious! I had a bag of frozen mixed raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries to use up. What a wonderful way to do so. I took your whole wheat flour/oat recommendation for nut-free. We all enjoyed it! Thank you!
Kate
You’re welcome Theresa! Thank you for your review.