Gluten Free Cherry Crisp

Call it dessert, call it breakfast, call it whatever you want - this gorgeous cherry crisp is ideal any time of day, whether served warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream after dinner or dolloped with Greek yogurt to make a sweet breakfast. I used a method similar to my recipes for gluten free blueberry crisp and gluten free cranberry crisp to tuck jammy fruit under the coziest, toasty topping.

The versatility of a good crisp cannot be understated, and this is one for the books: you can use fresh or frozen cherries (though may I suggest fresh during cherry season?) to create a beautifully thick base to bolster a buttery, caramelized crisp topping that's worth the price of admission. Even better? This easy crisp is handily made gluten free with a couple of gluten free flours, including oat and almond flour, and substitutions can be made in a snap if needed.

Why You Should Make This Crisp Immediately!

Crisps are marvelous desserts, and very forgiving, easily adapted to whatever fruit you have on hand. Cherries, while involving a bit of work to pit if you're using fresh, are a true harbinger of summer and worth the effort. They're ripe and ready for just a few months (depending on the region you live in, you may find they're only available from late spring into early summer), and I find it's best to embrace them fully while I can. So, make this recipe! Straightaway! Some highlights:

• Easily gluten free - Crisps are a perfect recipe to turn gluten free, because they don't need a lot of flour anyway. Here, I've used a blend of oat and almond flour, but you could use any gluten free flour you like.
• Nearly effortless - Once the cherries are pitted (and this may be an argument for buying frozen pitted cherries in the off-season!) you only need to toss the fruit with sugar and a little tapioca to thicken the base. The topping comes together in seconds - just stir the melted butter into the topping ingredients and sprinkle it over the fruit.
• As sweet as you like - Adjust the amount of sugar called for in the filling depending on the sweetness of the cherries you use, or how sweet you prefer. Look at the measurement as a suggestion: you can, of course, make it as the recipe is written, or add the sugar a bit at a time, taste it, and continue if necessary.

Cobbler, Crumble, Crisp - What's the Difference?

Don't be tempted to consider these as the same entity. I like to call them the Big 3 of summer desserts, but they are quite distinct from one another. A cobbler features a biscuity dough scattered across a fruit base and straddles the line between cake-like and crumbly. A crisp and a crumble are more similar with one major difference: crisps contain oats while crumbles do not (they utilize a flour-based topping that's also mixed with butter). I will always prefer a crisp, mostly because I love oats, but each has its place in the summer baking canon.

Ingredients in Cherry Crisp

Here's a look at what you'll need to make this cherry crisp, plus some ingredient notes. The full ingredient amounts are in the recipe card lower down.

For the Cherry Filling

• Cherries - Fresh cherries are best if you can get them! Make sure to pit them before adding them to the filling.
• Granulated sugar - As noted, you can adjust the amount of sugar to your taste.
• Tapioca flour - This gluten free starchy flour is used to thicken the filling.
• Lemon juice - I always use freshly squeezed lemon juice (I typically need about as much as half of a lemon), but bottled may also be used.

For the Topping

• Oats - Only use old-fashioned, rolled oats for the topping! You will not have the same nubby, crispy texture once baked from quick-cook or instant oats.
• Oat flour - Naturally gluten free oat flour adds structure to the crisp topping.
• Almond flour - I love the combo of almond and oat flour in this recipe. The almond flour adds a bit of moisture and nutty flavor.
• Baking powder - A little baking powder helps the crisp to fluff up a bit, resulting in a thick, crisp layer on top of the cherries.
• Cinnamon - Warming cinnamon augments the fruit.
• Salt - A pinch of fine sea salt balances the sweetness of the topping.
• Butter - Use unsalted, melted butter to drizzle over the topping ingredients to hold them together.

Recipe Tips & Variations

A few substitution options are below if needed, but please know that this is a very quick and easy recipe to put together! You can even prep it in advance if needed: combine the filling ingredients, place them in an airtight container, and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then, make the topping and store it in a separate airtight container. When you're ready to bake, spread the filling evenly in a pan, crumble the topping over it, and place it in the oven!

• Use the topping with other fruit! Yes, this topping is the best crisp topping I make, and you can handily perch on top of other crisp fillings. Try it atop blackberries, plums, apples, peaches, and so much more.
• Let it stand before serving - I prefer to let the crisp cool up to half an hour before serving it so that the filling is not burning hot and thickens up a bit. If you're short on time, let it stand at least 10 minutes before serving.
• Add almond extract - Cherries and almonds were made for each other! Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract to the filling to play up this pairing.
• Oat flour substitute - Use sorghum or teff flour, or try a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
• Almond flour substitute - You can use another nut flour of choice for the almond flour, substitute oat flour, or make a gluten free flour blend swap for the combination of oat and almond flour.
• Tapioca flour substitute - I prefer tapioca flour/starch to thicken filling recipes, but cornstarch is a fine substitute. Use 2 tablespoons of cornstarch if you make the swap. Or, use 4 tablespoons of arrowroot powder for the tapioca flour.
• Make it dairy-free - Use cold coconut oil instead of butter if you wish to make this crisp without dairy.
• Make it refined sugar-free - Substitute coconut sugar for the brown sugar in the topping, and try coconut sugar or honey in the filling for the granulated sugar.
• Add nuts - Sliced almonds added to the topping are lovely and add a little crunch, turning the crisp topping very granola-like.

Serving Suggestions

This crisp is delicious served warm, at room temperature, or cold! Like I said, it's a forgiving recipe by nature. I believe strongly that a cherry crisp needs ice cream, and I stand by that opinion! I'm pretty simple, so I like to pair it with vanilla ice cream, but other flavors could work well too, like butter pecan, salted caramel, or even cherry ice cream. Or top, portions of crisp with homemade whipped cream and a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce.

To serve gluten free cherry crisp for breakfast, you can enjoy it cold and straight from the fridge, with or without any accompaniment. I also like to place a little bit of crisp in a bowl, give it about 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave, and then add generous spoonfuls of regular or Greek yogurt.