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This Blackberry Crisp recipe comes together in less than 10 minutes with either fresh or frozen blackberries. With sweet-tart blackberries and a buttery oat topping, it's perfectly sweet without being overly rich. Add a scoop of Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, and you have a dessert that's hard to beat.
Blackberry Crisp at a Glance
- Serves: 6; easy to scale
- Time Needed: 10 minutes prep + 40 minutes bake time + 10-20 minutes cooling
- Best For: Summer desserts, holiday gatherings, potlucks, or using up fresh or frozen blackberries.
- Dietary Notes: Easy to make gluten-free and dairy-free with simple ingredient swaps.
- Why You'll Love It: No peeling or chopping! Just simple ingredients and minutes of prep deliver a warm crisp with a jammy berry filling topped with a buttery oat topping.
Recipe Highlights
Kristen's Key Tips
As one of my favorite easy dessert recipes, I have had a lot of experience making this blackberry crisp. And through the years, these are the things I have found help guarantee a crisp topping and perfectly thick, juicy berries every time.
- Don't thaw frozen berries. If you are using frozen blackberries, simply add them straight into the baking dish frozen. We don't want the fruit to release any release excess liquid before baking, which helps create a thick, jammy filling.
- Use cold, cubed butter. Just like when making buttermilk biscuits or an all-butter pie crust, using cold butter rather than softened or melted butter, allows for a slow melt that creates a crisp, flaky topping.
- Use old-fashioned rolled oats. They create a heartier, crispier topping with more texture. Quick oats work in a pinch, but the topping won't be quite as crumbly. I recommend them for my homemade peach crisp and old-fashioned apple crisp as well.
- Mix the topping by hand or with a pastry cutter. This evenly distributes the butter for the crispiest topping. I find using my hands is the quickest and easiest method.
- Bake until the filling bubbles. Bubbling juices tell you that the cornstarch has had time to activate and thicken the filling.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
5-Star Reader Review
This was seriously amazing!! Everyone at my house loved it! Really a huge hit! -Toni
Notes on Ingredients
- Blackberries: Fresh or frozen work equally well. If using frozen berries, do not thaw.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is used to sweeten the berries while brown sugar (dark or regular) is used in the crisp topping for more depth.
- Lemon Juice: While fresh is always best, this is one recipe I find you can get away with using jarred lemon juice. You just need a splash to brighten and balance the filling.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the berry juices as they bake. Feel free to replace the cornstarch with equal amounts of tapioca starch or arrowroot powder.
- Rolled Oats: Old-fashioned is best, but quick oats work if that is all you have on hand. Do not use steel-cut oats.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is best, but for added whole grains, whole wheat pastry flour works here too. Even a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend can be used.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
I have tested each one of these modifications, so you can be assured that they work.
- Use Any Berry You Like. Don't have blackberries on hand? Swap them out for blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries. I sometimes use a combination of a variety of berries with delicious results.
- Dairy-Free Blackberry Crisp: I have made this blackberry crisp using vegan Earth Balance butter sticks in place of the butter with fabulous results. My family didn't even suspect a difference.
- Gluten-Free Blackberry Crisp: Be sure your oats are certified gluten-free and replace the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. The results are superb.
How to Make Blackberry Crisp
- Prepare the blackberries. Gently toss the berries with lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch to coat, then transfer the mixture to a buttered baking dish.
- Prepare crisp topping. Mix together the flour, oats, cinnamon, and brown sugar, until combined. Add in the cold cubed butter and mix until the butter is distributed throughout oats and the mixture is crumbly.
- Top the berries with the oat mixture. Using your hands, sprinkle the crisp topping evenly over the berries.
- Bake. Bake until the topping is golden brown and the berry juices are bubbling around the edges.
Browning Too Quickly?
If you notice the crisp is browning too quickly, lightly cover with foil and continue to bake as directed.
- Serve. Let the crisp cool for 10-20 minutes to continue to thicken. Then serve semi-warm with a scoop of no-churn ice cream, homemade vanilla ice cream, or homemade whipped cream.
Storage Tips
- Leftovers: Refrigerate tightly covered for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Warm larger portions in a 300°F oven for 15-20 minutes or microwave individual servings.
Blackberry Crisp FAQs
Using cornstarch will help to thicken your filling, but it is also important to bake until the juices are bubbling slightly around the edges of the pan and letting the crisp rest for 10-20 minutes before serving. Those tips together should prevent a thin or runny filling.
Yes! You can prepare both the blackberry filling and crisp topping up to 24 hours in advance. Assemble the filling directly in the baking dish, cover tightly, and refrigerate. Store the crisp topping in a separate airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator. When you're ready to bake, simply sprinkle the topping over the berries. Keeping the components separate prevents the topping from becoming soggy and ensures it bakes up crisp and crumbly.
I prefer using frozen berries, as they are picked and frozen at their peak and there's no need to wash and dry before assembling the crisp. But if you're lucky enough to have freshly picked, ripe blackberries, nothing beats their flavor.
More Dessert Recipes Starring Fruit
- Homemade Peach Cobbler
- Banana Pudding from Scratch
- Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
- Blueberry Pie Bars
- Cherry Crumble Pie
- No Bake Key Lime Pie
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Blackberry Crisp
Video
Ingredients
- butter or coconut oil for greasing pan
Berry Mixture
- 6 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, ~1 medium lemon
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
For Crisp Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup butter, cold and cubed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃). Grease a 7x11 or 8x8 baking dish generously with butter.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 6 cups blackberries3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch until well combined and the cornstarch and sugar evenly coat the berries. Place the berries into the buttered baking dish.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ cup brown sugar, and ⅓ cup butter (softened) together with your hands until the mixture is crumbly. Spread the crumble evenly over the berries.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the berries are soft and the juices are bubbly and the crisp topping is golden. Note: If you notice the crisp is browning too quickly, lightly cover with foil and continue to bake as directed.
- Let the crisp cool for 10-20 minutes to continue to thicken. Then serve semi-warm with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Disappointing. I followed the recipe exactly but using frozen berries, I found I had way too much liquid on the bottom of the dish. Is this simply an issue with insufficient cornstarch?
Hi Earl! I am sorry you were disappointed in the results. Can I how you measured your frozen berries and what blend of berries you used? I have made this many times using frozen berries and have not had too much liquid.
Made with a combination of fresh and frozen blueberries, family loved it, making 2nd one tonight. Dinner and dessert recipes on your site have all been delicious!
I love hearing this, Beth! And love you are enjoying again tonight! Thanks for sharing.
this is the perfect use for the last of the blackberries I have in my fridge! thank you for sharing this recipe
You bet! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the crisp Jess!
Highly recommended! Thanks a lot for sharing this super easy to make recipe! Fam really loves it! Will surely have this again!
Great to hear that Alyssa! Thanks for sharing!
This was seriously amazing!! Everyone at my house loved it! Really a huge hit!
I love hearing that Toni! Always a hit here as well 🙂
Looks delicious and I'm looking forward to making it!
Happy Birthday, Kristen! Best to you always!
Thank you so very much Sandra!