Healthy Berry Crisp
This is one of my favorite summer desserts! Lightly sweet and bursting with fresh or frozen berries, this healthy berry crisp is made with a maple sweetened oat topping and is naturally vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free.
This post was originally published with the title Healthier Maple Oat Mixed Berry Crisp, we’ve changed the name and updated it to improve the post but it’s the same great recipe!
About this Healthy Berry Crisp Recipe
I love to cook, but admittedly I’m not much of a baker.
I’m not sure why…maybe it’s all the exact measuring or how many steps & ingredients are usually involved.
I do, however, make a few exceptions to my no-baking rule, like for these one-bowl dessert recipes and easy quick breads & muffins.
But the one time I really can’t resist it is in the summer when berries are at their peak, and the fall when I get to make this delicious caramel apple crisp!
Whether it’s a simple Sunday supper or celebrating with friends over a casual dinner, chances are very good that I’m making a simple crisp or cobbler.
They’re always a huge hit and they aren’t fussy to make, a few easy-to-find ingredients and a baking dish is pretty much all you need.
The juicy triple berry filling pairs perfectly with the maple oat crisp (and a scoop of ice cream on the side).
The best part is since you can make it with fresh or frozen berries you can enjoy this one all year round!
Process & Tips
My favorite thing about this gluten-free berry cobbler with oats is that the ingredient list is short, simple and works with any combination of berries.
All you have to do is make your berry filling right in the baking dish, mix together your oat crumble topping with maple syrup & sprinkle it on top.
Pop it into a hot oven and bake until the berries are bubbling and the topping is a beautiful golden brown.
The method is so simple but the results are downright delicious.
It’s not overly sweet, and I’ve found people prefer this version since they can actually taste the true flavor of the berries!
Tip: Be sure to let the crisp cool for at least 15 minutes so the berry filling can thicken & set properly. This makes for a much better texture and is totally worth the wait!
Ways to Serve this Healthy Berry Crisp
Just like this strawberry raspberry almond crisp, this recipe is so healthy you can eat it for breakfast or serve as a sweet option at brunch.
Enjoy it either hot or at room temperature – I usually serve it hot but it’s honestly really delicious straight from the fridge.
If you’re looking for an extra special dessert, add a scoop of dairy-free ice cream or coconut whipped cream on top!
How to Make Your Own Oat Flour
It’s super simple to make your own oat flour at home.
To make oat flour pour 1 cup of whole rolled oats into a food processor or high-speed blender and process until it is finely ground – it’s seriously that easy!
Of course, to save time, you can also use pre-made oat flour.
Look for it in well-stocked grocery stores in the baking aisle or gluten free section, or find it easily online.
The Oat Flour I Use
I love baking with this gluten free oat flour – helps me make family recipes that everyone can enjoy. A great, quick ingredient option when I don’t have time to make my own!
Ingredients & Modifications
Berries: You can use fresh or defrosted frozen berries, whatever you happen to have on hand will work great. I used a combination of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries but you could use any combination of berries that you like. If you’re using frozen berries be sure to thaw them first before baking.
Lemon juice: I love the lift and brightness that fresh lemon juice adds to fruit-based desserts. You can also use lime juice in its place. The added bonus is that the lemon juice will keep the color of your final dish nice & vibrant too!
Pure maple syrup: I used maple syrup in this recipe to keep it both refined sugar free and vegan but you could use any liquid sweetener you like (such as honey or agave) in its place.
Coconut oil: I used melted refined coconut oil to keep the topping dairy-free, but feel free to use melted butter if you prefer, or even a neutral flavored oil such as avocado oil.
Oat flour: Oat flour is a great gluten free baking staple to keep on hand in your pantry! I use it often in my one-bowl baking recipes. You can make your own using my directions above, or to save time you can purchase pre-made oat flour.
Rolled oats: Whole rolled oats (not quick cooking oats) work best for this recipe. If you are gluten-free be sure to buy oats that are specifically labeled gluten-free. Please note that steel cut oats will not work for this crisp recipe.
Cinnamon: I love adding cinnamon to baked goods, it not only adds delicious flavor to this fruit crisp but it’ll also make your kitchen smell amazing!
Chopped pecans: The chopped pecans add great texture to this recipe but are entirely optional. Be sure to omit the pecans to keep this frozen berry dessert recipe nut-free
Kosher salt: Look for kosher salt with the regular iodized salt at the grocery store (it has a subtler flavor). Use less iodized salt if that’s what you have on hand.
Storing Leftovers & Reheating Tips
This berry crisp is a great make-ahead brunch option to keep in the fridge!
Store leftovers in the fridge, covered tightly for up to 5 or 6 days.
Either dish out & reheat individual portions, or allow the baking dish to come to room temperature before trying to reheat the entire dish in the oven.
This Recipe Is…
Dairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreeVeganVegetarian
Healthy Berry Crisp
Ingredients
For the base:
- 4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen defrosted
- 2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen defrosted
- 2 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen defrosted
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
For the topping:
- 1 cup oat flour*
- 1 cup whole rolled oats
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped pecans, optional (omit for nut-free)
- ⅓ cup refined coconut oil, melted
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Add the blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, lemon juice, and ¼ cup maple syrup to a large oven-proof baking dish.
- In a medium bowl combine the oat flour, rolled oats, salt, cinnamon, and pecans (if using). Pour in the melted coconut oil (or butter) and ½ cup maple syrup. Stir together until well combined. If the mixture seems a little wet let it sit for a minute or two to thicken up.
- Using your hands or a large spoon, layer the oat mixture over the berry mixture.
- Bake, uncovered until the berries are bubbling and the topping is browned, about 45-50 minutes. You may want to place a sheet pan lined with foil under the baking dish to catch spills in case the berries bubble over the side of the dish while baking.
- Let cool at least 15 minutes for the berry layer to thicken. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Delicious! I made this last night but substituted almond flour for the oat flour and added strawberries from the local farm stand to the berry mix. I may or may not be eating this for dinner…it’s healthy, right?
Kelly, I will definitely try substituting some almond flour for the oat flour next time! I may or may not have eating this one for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 🙂
I know what you mean about baking. Sometimes I just don’t want to exactly measure everything or I know I’ll eat way to much of it so I decide not to bake. But I love berry crisps because they are more forgiving to experimentation. Yours looks amazing!
Megan, I’m with ya on this one! I have so many crisps on the blog because they are just the easiest thing to throw together without much work at all. Hope you enjoy this version! 🙂
Hi Robyn, absolutely loving all of your recipes! THANK YOU! Noticing a couple do not have the print button feature. Any chance you can add them in? Would love to have an easy print version on some of these favourites. Cheers, Daniela
Daniela, I’m thrilled you’re enjoying the recipes! Unfortunately the web publisher I use doesn’t have a native way to allow for printed recipes, so at a certain point in the life of the blog I started cutting and pasting the recipes into a word doc, saving as a PDF, and adding it using the print button you see. I’m happy to go back to old recipes to add the button when readers ask! I’ve added one here (this is one of my favs, too!). Feel free to comment on other recipes where you’d like me to add a print option. xxoo
Thanks a mil! xox
What are the dimensions of your baking dish?
Looking forward to trying this recipe soon. Just picked two buckets of blueberries!
EP
Hi Erin, I used a 2 inch high by 10.25 diameter pie dish for this recipe, but you could also use a square baking dish. You want the berries to fit into the bottom of the pan in about a 2 inch layer. Blueberries would be amazing here. i hope you enjoy!
Hey! Made this yesterday and all my guests loved it!!! I made it specifically for one of the guests who had a huge allergy to gluten. Unfortunately the oats I used are not completely gluten free (old fashioned Walmart brand oats). She explained that oats are naturally gluten free however most of them are processed in a factory that has other gluten products thus cross contaminating them. So if you are gluten by choice for a healthier diet regular oats are fine but if you are gluten by allergy Quaker Oats makes roller oats that specifically say gluten free on the container so use those and it is fine!
Courtney, excellent point! Most of my recipes have a note to buy gluten-free oats is that’s important to you, and I’ll be sure to add that note here as well. Glad you enjoyed. 🙂
This is excellent! I made this earlier tonight. Instead of the fruits you mentioned, I used just (frozen /thawed) strawberries. On Saturday when we have a family get together, I am making this with strawberries and rhubarb. Instead of the oatmeal, cinnamon and salt (and pecans ) you said, I used a gluten free granola I had made earlier this week. Such a wonderful dish! Thank you! I really really appreciate no sugar, as I’m trying to slow down my sugar intake. (I eat the sweet & salty popcorn like it’s going out of style!!) Thank you again. I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
To Courtney Shifflet: Bob’s Red Mill makes good gluten free oatmeal too.
Jeanette, so glad you enjoyed this one! I absolutely love that you are doing a strawberry + rhubarb version. I need to do one of those for the blog. And great suggestion on the Bob’s Red Mill gf oats. One of my favorite brands. 🙂
HI this looks amazing, but I was wondering if I could replace the coconut oil with water or almond milk for an oil free version?
Hi Lyn, the oil is what olds the topping together, so I don’t think oil or almond milk won’t work for this one, I think it would end of more like a baked oatmeal. If a baked oat meal sounds good you could definitely give that variation a try. If you do let us know how it goes!
Hi Robyn! I love your recipes and I want to make this for a BBQ tomorrow. But I was hoping for some guidance on how to time it. If we’re having a sit-down dinner and serving this for dessert, will it get soggy if I bake it before dinner and then re-heat it (I assume it should be served warm?) If I want to make it fresh, can I have the fruit and the toppings assembled separately and store them in the fridge, and then just crumble the topping over the fruit and pop it in the oven as we are finishing up dinner?
Julia, sometimes I make this the day of and just serve at room temp. You can also make it the day ahead, cover, refrigerate, then bring to room temp and heat back up for about 15 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
Perfect–thanks so much!!
This is absolutely delicious!! I’m new to cooking and new to a diary free/ gluten free diet & I was SO impressed with this! Can’t wait to take this to my family’s thanksgiving dinner.
Yay, so glad you enjoyed this one Amanda!
So I want to make sure I’m reading this right…. it calls for a total of 8 cups of berries? It seems like more than will fit in my pie plate (like the one you described). Thanks for making a refined sugar/gluten free recipe. These are hard to come by!!
Nancy, yes, 8 cups is correct. The dish pictured is larger and deeper than a standard pie plate, so you can reduce the amount of berries if they don’t fit the plate you have!
Thanks!! I loved this so much!!! Have you tried with other fruit like apples or peaches?
Nancy, yes, I do an apple crisp that’s very similar! Here’s the recipe: https://realfoodwholelife.com/recipes/healthier-old-fashioned-apple-crisp/ I image you can do something similar with peaches as well!
Hi there! I made this for a dinner tonight with gluten free vegans. Switched blackberries for cranberries and added vegan butter instead of coconut oil. It was deelish!! Cheers from Canada….
Kim, yay, so happy to hear you and your crew enjoyed. Thanks for the tip on cranberries and vegan butter, too. Yum!
maybe a stupid question but does this have to be refrigerated or can I leave this out at room temperature?
Also would like to know the estimated serving size that yields 10 servings. Thanks!!
Hi Allie, it’s about a cup!
Allie, not a stupid question! The crisp can sit out at room temperature for 1-2 days! After that I’d pop it in the fridge. Hope this helps!
If you are debating making this crisp, MAKE IT! It was so delicious! I made mine with 4 cups of strawberries and 4 cups of wild foraged wineberries. I made it in a square 9×9 pan and baked it for 50 minutes. It turned out perfectly. It tasted so wonderful! I made it according to the instructions with the addition of 2 tbsp of tapioca flour to the berry mixture to help thicken the juices. Great recipe!
Deni, yay, so glad you enjoyed this one. Wild wineberries sound like an amazing addition. Yum!
Just made this, and I will definitely make it again! Everyone loved it 🙂
Yay, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one. Thanks so much for leaving a review!