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Easy Blueberry Crisp

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Easy Blueberry Crisp -- this fresh dessert is quick and easy to make, naturally gluten-free and vegan, and absolutely irresistible! | gimmesomeoven.com

Are you a book re-reader?

For years, I always used to think that I was. Or at least, I really really wanted to be. I bought and read and underlined and dog-eared books galore, and then placed them on beautiful bookshelves in my home with full intentions of picking them back up and taking them in a second or third time. (Or at minimum, I loved the idea of being able to flip through them at a book club or party to share some of my favorite quotes.)

But alas, out of the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of books I’ve purchased in my life, less than half of those made the move with me into my loft downtown when I moved (and minimized) a few years ago. And of those hundred or so, I’m pretty sure that there are maybe only a few dozen that I have ever fully re-read. And of those, maybe only a handful that I will ever read multiple times.

One of those will undoubtedly be the memoir Bread and Wine, by Shauna Niequist.

The book is only a few years old, and already I’m making my way through it for the third or so time. Although it’s written in short-essay form and I tend to just pick up a chapter here or there, so who knows. But man, something about this book just gets me. The subtitle calls it “a love letter to life around the table”, which is clearly what makes my little heart beat fast. But it’s also about family, and friendships, and ambition, and home, and hope, and careers, and faith, and blueberry crisp — and how they get all tangled up together into this beautiful, messy, difficult, mysterious, miraculous thing we call life.

Gah, it’s just so good. And like any truly good books, it seems to get better with each new season that I pick it up. And with each new season, the words and stories hit me and challenge me and inspire me in all sorts of good new ways.

Anyway, if you’re in search of good books for your summer reading list, I highly recommend it.

Also recommended?! This fresh and delicious (and healthier!) recipe for blueberry crisp, inspired by Shauna’s mom’s recipe that she shares in the book.

Easy Blueberry Crisp -- this fresh dessert is quick and easy to make, naturally gluten-free and vegan, and absolutely irresistible! | gimmesomeoven.com

Oh man, if I’m on my third read through the book, I’d say that I’ve probably made this crisp at least twice as many times. There’s not much better than warm fresh blueberries baked to warm, bursting, turn-your-lips-purple perfection, especially when topped with a remarkably good-for-you (and naturally-sweetened) crisp!

The food blogger and recipe developer in me can’t help but play around with tweaking the recipe a bit each time I make it. And I seem to have landed upon a version that’s a bit more lemony and almond-y than Shauna’s, but the credit goes to her (and her mom) for the base.

Easy Blueberry Crisp -- this fresh dessert is quick and easy to make, naturally gluten-free and vegan, and absolutely irresistible! | gimmesomeoven.com

Of course, the rockstar of the recipe is a heaping mound of fresh blueberries. I know that I’m jumping the gun a bit here with blueberry season. But they were on sale for $0.99 a pint at the store this week — which means that I naturally made it home with 6 — so a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do with a zillion berries. ;)

Easy Blueberry Crisp -- this fresh dessert is quick and easy to make, naturally gluten-free and vegan, and absolutely irresistible! | gimmesomeoven.com

To make the crisp, simply add a bunch of fresh blueberries to a large baking dish. Toss them with a little lemon juice and zest.

Then whip up a simple naturally-sweetened crisp to go on top, full of oatmeal, almond meal (you can just ground up almonds to make your own if you’d like), slivered almonds, maple syrup, a little coconut oil and pinch of salt. If you’re making this gluten-free, be sure to use GF oats.

Easy Blueberry Crisp -- this fresh dessert is quick and easy to make, naturally gluten-free and vegan, and absolutely irresistible! | gimmesomeoven.com

Then bake it all up, and watch in the oven as those blueberries begin to expand and pop and pool around the edges, and the crisp gets all toasty and crunchy and perfect. Then once it’s out of the oven, you can either be good and patient and wait for the berries to thicken up a bit. Or you can do exactly as I did and dive in.

Easy Blueberry Crisp -- this fresh dessert is quick and easy to make, naturally gluten-free and vegan, and absolutely irresistible! | gimmesomeoven.com

I know that crisps are traditionally served with ice cream or whipped cream, but in my home, the crisp stands alone. I think this dessert is fabulous all on its own! The berries are literally bursting with natural sweetness, the crisp is crunchy and nutty and oh-so-comforting, and the combination of the two = perfection.

Ok, if you really want some ice cream, I won’t fight you. But if you’re looking for a healthier dessert this summer, I don’t think you’ll miss it. :)

Big thanks to Shauna for the recipe inspiration, and for doing the hard work of sharing her heart in a memoir that has become a literal “keeper” for me. I love it so.

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Easy Blueberry Crisp

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  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x

Description

This Easy Blueberry Crisp recipe is simple to make, naturally sweetened with fruit and maple syrup, and topped with a (naturally gluten-free) delicious almond and oatmeal crisp.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 1/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 pounds (about 5 cups) fresh blueberries
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • juice and zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

  1. Prep oven. Heat oven to 350°F.
  2. Mix the oat topping. Add oats, almond meal, sliced almonds, maple syrup, coconut oil and salt to a mixing bowl and toss gently until evenly combined.
  3. Mix the blueberry filling. In a 9×9-inch baking dish, toss blueberries gently with the lemon juice, lemon zest and cornstarch until evenly coated. Sprinkle the oat topping evenly over the blueberries.
  4. Bake. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the topping is crisp and golden and the blueberries are bubbling up around the edges. (If the topping starts to brown too much near the end of baking, just gently lay a sheet of aluminum foil flat on top of the oat topping.)
  5. Serve. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 10 minutes to thicken the filling. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy!

Easy Blueberry Crisp -- this fresh dessert is quick and easy to make, naturally gluten-free and vegan, and absolutely irresistible! | gimmesomeoven.com

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55 comments on “Easy Blueberry Crisp”

  1. I am definitely not a book re-reader. I can’t even watch the same movie twice…but I HAVE heard amazing things about this book, so clearly I need to get on reading it!
    Until then though, bring on ALL the blueberry crisp. Love that you used almond meal! Pinned!

    • Thanks Taylor! I’m having fun experimenting more with more gluten-free! Hope you enjoy the crisp and the book. : D

  2. Blueberries are on sale for me too!  I know what my weekend dessert looks like (although I probe have to splurge with some ice cream)… :) Great recipe!

  3. You sold me – time to order Bread and Wine on my Kindle! This recipe looks delicious too – so perfect for summer parties.

  4. Oh I MUST read this! I’m no book re-reader but I am a book lover. And memoirs are my favorite. And food memoirs? My favorite favorite. If you haven’t read it yet you must read Amelia Morris’ Bon Appetempt. It’s raw and funny and real in all the right places.

    • I haven’t read Bon Appetempt, but from the sound of the title, I can already tell I’d love it! Adding it to my list, thanks for the rec! : )

  5. I’m like you: I re-read a FEW books but it’s really very few. I’ve never read Bread & Wine so thanks for the rec!

  6. Definitely a book re-reader! I can’t wait to try making this for my book club, which by the way, is a topic I wish you’d write more on! I could use some ideas on how to build book-themed dinner menus centered around some good book club reads! Then again, I’ve been trying so many of your recipes already. They’re all so good!

    • Thanks Christina! And book-themed dinner parties sound like the BEST idea! I’ll have to brainstorm on that, it seriously sounds so fun!! So glad to know that you’ve been enjoying my recipes, thank you! : )

  7. I am a book re-reader! Although only for an elite section of books which I track in a spreadsheet (every book gets a rating, and the only books that get 5 stars are books I would re-read). I am actually in the middle of re-reading one of my favorite books ever – The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. You should absolutely seek it out; I cannot recommend it highly enough. I cannot wait to read the book you suggested! True book recommendations from a book lover are worth their weight in gold. And obviously pinning the Blueberry Crisp! :D

    • I love that you have a spreadsheet for books you’ve read, that’s so smart! And thanks for the book recommendation, I’ll add it to my list! Enjoy the crisp. : )

  8. I like e-books, but I much prefer the feeling of a physical book in my hands!

    This crisp sounds so ridiculously delicious, and I love how you were able to keep it refined sugar-free! I must give this a try!

  9. I love how fresh the blueberries still look! This sounds lovely!

  10. This sounds like the perfect thing to whip up on a Sunday and have for breakfast all week, which is exactly what I need. I love breakfast, but I’ll be the first to admit that I’m the WORST about making it most mornings, especially if I have a long to-do list. 

    Josh – The Kentucky Gent
    https://thekentuckygent.com

    • Yes, you could, and should totally eat this for breakfast! You could eat it with a little scoop of yogurt instead of ice cream. : )

  11. I just made an individual serving in a ramekin and it’s delicious! I just had to add a sprinkle of cinnamon to the topping mixture.  So glad I made extra topping, so I can make another serving tomorrow! Thanks for sharing! 

  12. Going on my reading list! The blueberry crisp looks amazing!

  13. Looks absolutely delicious! And I love that you added coconut oil (I use it with almost every dish these days!)

  14. I have members in my family who are gluten and dairy free. This is awesome! I’m a re-reader when I have time! Which I never seem to have any spare bits of! But I enjoy good reads as often as I can get them. :)

  15. This is the perfect weeknight dessert for me to whip up tonight. Thanks for the recipe & inspiration!

  16. I love blueberries!  One of my favourite berries for sure, and I love it when they go all warm and juicy like they do in crisps and desserts.  This looks delicious:) Thanks for sharing!

    • Me too, Laura! I like them cooked or baked into things that way so much more than I like them raw. Hope you enjoy this!

  17. Wow, I’m totally jealous of those blueberry prices! I definitely would’ve done the same thing. And probably eaten half of them straight from the box as soon as I walked in the door. (And washed them.) But you caught me — I have the same book-collecting problem! I try to read as many as I can, but… I read a lot more food blogs than books these days. ;) But if you say this book is worth rereading, I’ll definitely try to give it a go this summer!

    • Yeah, I know, they can be so expensive sometimes! And yes, definitely give the book a try if/when you have the chance, and let me know what you think! : )

  18. Almond and berries together is always a killer combination. And that color in the first photo is so stunning!!

  19. So glad I came upon your site. I am vegan as well as on a Gluten free and low FODMAP diet for IBS and I’ve already found 2 recipes which I can use! I live in northern Quebec in Canada and blueberries grow very well here.  We pick lots in the summer so I freeze quite a bit .  As I still have some in the freezer I’m going to make a batch right now.   I am a re reader for certain books.  Some I’ve red up to three times.  Some I re read by mistake, because I’m not sure I’ve read it before but as I go along. It finally seems familiar…I usually reread it all once more.  Will be looking up your reading suggestion 

  20. I made 2 batches of this when my entire family was in town this weekend. It was all gone in about 3 seconds. It has the perfect amount of sweet. Super easy dish especially for all the dairy free and gluten free needs!

    • Woohoo, that’s awesome to hear! We’re so glad it was a hit with your family!

  21. she was a speaker at the Storyline conference in Nashville a few years ago, and a friend of my son-in-law.  She’s amazing!!!

  22. Would I be able to replace the almond meal with either ground walnuts or ground flaxseed, or another flour such as whole wheat? 
    thank you! looks delishhh

    • Hey Hannah! We think you could probably use any of the things you mentioned, but you’d probably have the best results with the ground walnuts, or a different flour. We hope that’s helpful — enjoy!

  23. Wondering if I could use rasberries

  24. Could you use just oatmeal? I don’t have any almonds…

  25. Do you have a substitute for the coconut oil? Thanks! 

  26. Have you tried this recipe using apples?

  27. Would frozen berries work? 

    • Yes, those should work just fine – just be sure to thaw them first. We hope you enjoy! :)

  28. I was wondering if I could use regular all purpose flour instead of almond meal, and margarine instead of coconut oil? Making it for a dairy free friend, but trying not to buy a bunch of stuff I won’t use again