Sweet and juicy, this gluten free blueberry crisp recipe is crammed with gorgeous summer blueberries and finished with a buttery, toasted oat topping. Don't forget the ice cream!
Easy Blueberry Crisp Recipe
When "good fruit season" rolls around I am all about the crisps and crumbles, which in my opinion are some of the best ways to showcase summer produce. This dead simple gluten free blueberry crisp recipe takes minutes to assemble and features all the good stuff: a melt-in-your-mouth buttery crisp topping that balances atop lemon-spiked blueberries. The best part? There's not too much sugar, which allows the natural flavor of the blueberries to take center stage. Each bite is bursting with juicy berries, making this a dessert you'll want to make all season long - and beyond.
Also try my gluten free oatmeal apple crisp, gluten free nectarine crisp, and gluten free blackberry apple crisp recipes!
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This Blueberry Crisp Is ...
- Absolutely jam-packed with blueberries
- Lightly sweet, so you can really taste the fruit
- Unfussy
- Naturally gluten free (see any ingredient substitutions lower down)
- A perfect way to celebrate summer
Ingredient Notes
I've outlined what you'll need for gluten free blueberry crisp below, with the full ingredient amounts included in the recipe card lower down.
Topping
- Lemon - You'll use lemon zest and juice in this recipe.
- Bown sugar - Light or dark brown sugar is fine.
- Oat flour - Whole grain oat flour forms the base of the topping.
- Oats - For the best texture, use old-fashioned rolled oats.
- Salt - A little fine sea salt balances the sweetness of the crisp.
- Butter - Use unsalted butter! Give it a stir after it's cooled to incorporate the fat and liquid together.
Filling
- Granulated sugar - You can add a little more sugar if you like.
- Tapioca flour - Subsitite 1 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch if needed, to help bind the filling.
- Lemon juice - You can use the lemon from the zested lemon for freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Blueberries - Use fresh or frozen blueberries.
Can I Use Frozen Blueberries?
You can certainly use frozen blueberries in this recipe and they perform the same as fresh berries. A point in favor of using frozen berries is that you can always make this crisp whenever you're in the mood - you don't have to wait for summer! And, frozen blueberries are often a more economical choice. No need to defrost them first, just add them in to the recipe straight from the freezer.
How to Make Gluten Free Blueberry Crisp
Here's a glance at how to make this easy crisp! The full instructions are in the recipe card.
- Make topping: Zest the lemon directly over the sugar in a medium bowl and mix with a fork. Mix in the oat flour, oats, and salt.
- Add butter: Stir in the butter until the mixture forms pea-sized crumbles.
- Make the filling: Whisk the sugar and tapioca flour in a large bowl. Add the blueberries and lemon juice from the reserved zested lemon.
- Add to pan: Toss until evenly coated, then scrape into a 9-inch square dish.
- Top: Spread the filling in an even layer, then fully cover with the topping.
- Bake and cool: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake until the topping is golden brown and set and the filling is bubbling. Cool 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
- Let it rest: In the recipe instructions, I advise letting the crisp rest for 15 minutes after baking to allow the crisp filling to solidify a bit. This is the minimum time it should rest - I like to let my crisp sit out at room temperature for at least an hour or more so that it's not goopy. You can gently rewarm it in the oven before serving or serve it at room temperature.
- Swap in nuts - Instead of the 1 cup of rolled oats, substitute 1 cup of sliced almonds (you can toast them lightly or leave them untoasted). Or, add ½ cup of chopped walnuts to the topping and leave in the oats.
- Oat and oat flour substitute - Substitute almond flour and almonds for the oat flour and oats, or use 1 ½ cups of your favorite 1:1 gluten free flour blend.
- Make it dairy-free - Substitute your favorite non-dairy butter for the butter to make this blueberry crisp dairy-free.
- Make it sweeter - I add just ¼ cup of sugar to complement the blueberries because I find them to be plenty sweet and the topping is quite sweet. However, if you want the filling to be sweeter, increase the amount of sugar to ½ cup.
Serving Suggestions
Serve blueberry crisp for dessert, or enjoy it for breakfast warm or cold! You have options. Here are my favorite ways to serve this berry delight:
- Ice cream: Top warm bowls of gluten free blueberry crisp with big scoops of vanilla ice cream for the best summer treat!
- Whipped cream: I also like a dollop or two of softly whipped cream (although ice cream is my preference).
- With yogurt: You can also eat crisp for breakfast - in fact, I encourage it. Add plain or vanilla yogurt to your portion of crisp, or try Greek yogurt.
- Warm, room temperature, or cold: Trust me when I say blueberry crisp tastes amazing warm, at room temp, or even straight out of the fridge. It's up to you.
Storage Options
Save leftovers on the counter or in the fridge, or even freeze them! Here's how to do it:
- Counter - Cover the crisp with plastic or foil and store it on the counter for up to 2 days.
- Fridge – Place leftover blueberry crisp in an airtight container or leave it in the baking pan, cover it tightly, and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer – This crisp freezes well! You can freeze it whole, by wrapping the baked and cooled crisp in a layer of plastic, and a layer of foil, and then storing it in the freezer for up to one month. And, you can reheat the crisp directly from the freezer: Place it in a preheated 350˚F oven until it’s hot all the way through. Or, place individual portions in freezer-safe containers and freeze them for up to 3 months. Defrost the crisp in the fridge before reheating or serving.
- To Reheat – Enjoy your crisp cold, or warm it up in a preheated 350˚F oven until the topping is crisp and the filling is bubbly. Or pop it in the microwave to heat in 30-second increments until warm.
More Gluten Free Crisp Recipes
Gluten Free Blueberry Crisp
Ingredients
Topping
- 1 lemon
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 ¼ cups oat flour, 140 grams
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Filling
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 2 pounds blueberries
Instructions
Make Topping
- Zest the lemon directly over the sugar in a medium bowl and mix with a fork. Mix in the oat flour, oats, and salt.
- Stir in the butter quickly until the mixture forms pea-sized crumbles. Place in the fridge until ready to use.
Make Filling
- Whisk the sugar and tapioca flour in a large bowl. Add the blueberries and squeeze in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice from the reserved zested lemon. Toss until evenly coated, then scrape into a 9-inch square dish or deep-dish pie dish.
- Spread the filling in an even layer, then fully cover with the topping. Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Bake until the topping is golden brown and set and the filling is bubbling, about 45-50 minutes. Let the crisp set for at least 15 minutes after it comes out of the oven.
Notes
Tips
-
- Let it rest: In the recipe instructions, I advise letting the crisp rest for 15 minutes after baking to allow the crisp filling to solidify a bit. This is the minimum time it should rest - I like to let my crisp sit out at room temperature for at least an hour or more so that it's not goopy. You can gently rewarm it in the oven before serving or serve it at room temperature.
-
- Swap in nuts - Instead of the 1 cup of rolled oats, substitute 1 cup of sliced almonds (you can toast them lightly or leave them untoasted. Or, add ½ cup of chopped walnuts to the topping and leave in the oats.
-
- Oat and oat flour substitute - Substitute almond flour and almonds for the oat flour and oats, or use 1 ½ cups of your favorite 1:1 gluten free flour blend.
-
- Make it dairy-free - Substitute your favorite non-dairy butter for the butter to make this blueberry crisp dairy-free.
-
- Make it sweeter - I add just ¼ cup of sugar to complement the blueberries because I find them to be plenty sweet and the topping is quite sweet. However, if you want the filling to be sweeter, increase the amount of sugar to ½ cup.
Storage
- Counter - Cover the crisp with plastic or foil and store it on the counter for up to 2 days.
- Fridge – Place leftover blueberry crisp in an airtight container or leave it in the baking pan, cover it tightly, and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer – This blueberry crisp recipe freezes well! Wrap the baked and cooled crisp in a layer of plastic and a layer of foil and store it in the freezer for up to one month. You can heat the crisp directly from the freezer: Place it in the oven at 350˚F until it’s hot all the way through.
- To Reheat – Enjoy your crisp cold, or warm it up in a preheated 350˚F oven until the topping is crisp and the filling is bubbly. Or pop it in the microwave to heat in 30-second increments until warm.
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