This easy gluten-free blueberry crisp with juicy bubbling blueberries and a buttery almond oat crumbly topping is the perfect summer dessert. Just as delicious as pie, but with half the effort and time. Serve warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream.
This post is sponsored by Andronico's Community Markets, a long-term partner of Snixy Kitchen, but the opinions are all my own.
QUICK LINKS: Gluten-Free Flour Substitutions | Make-Ahead Crisp
If I made a Tinder profile for summer desserts, my list of preferences would include:
- Requires little attention (10 minutes tops)
- Great at parties
This gluten-free blueberry crisp would be my perfect match. With less than 10 minutes of hands-on time, this blueberry crisp will be the most popular dessert at any summer party. Little effort for high reward. After all, it's summer, a slow-down time of relaxation. I don't want to fuss over dessert, but I do like entertaining.
This gluten-free blueberry crisp is a spin-off of one of my most popular summer desserts, gluten-free blueberry cobbler. I've swapped out the fluffy biscuits for a crisp buttery almond flour topping with rolled oats and sliced almonds. Serve warm with my favorite homemade coconut vanilla ice cream and you've got yourself the quickest most delicious summer dessert, perfect for backyard entertaining.
Be sure to try my gluten-free apple crisp and gluten-free peach crumble for more crispy crumbly variations!
Why you'll love this recipe
- Crisp buttery almond oat topping made with simple ingredients with lots of tested substitution options.
- Tart lightly sweetened blueberries that release their juicy sweetness as they burst in the oven.
- Quick and easy dessert with less than ten minutes of hands-on time and just ONE BOWL.
- Summer entertaining staple with bright flavors that pair perfectly with a scoop of ice cream.
What is a Blueberry Crisp?
Crisps or crumbles are deep-dish baked fruit desserts topped with a crumbly streusel-like topping. With their rustic crumbly topping, crisps are distinctly different than cobblers which are typically topped with biscuits, batter, or pastry dough.
There are conflicting sources about the difference between crisps and crumbles, but the bottom line is: the names are used interchangeably among bakers, so call it whatever feels most authentic in your heart.
Andronico's: Ingredients for Gluten-Free Blueberry Crisp
A blueberry crumble has two parts: the blueberry filling and a crisp topping. And both use simple ingredients to let the blueberries shine.
All of the ingredients for the crisp come from my local Andronico's Community Market. They've got top-notch organic seasonal fruit and their blueberries are outstanding right now.
Here's everything you'll need to make this recipe:
Blueberry filling:
- Blueberries: fresh or frozen
- Granulated sugar: coconut sugar will work as well
- Tapioca flour
- Fresh lemon juice
Crisp topping:
- Super-fine blanched almond flour
- Sweet rice flour
- Tapioca flour
- Gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
- Light brown sugar: coconut sugar will work as well
- Sliced almonds
- Kosher salt
- Cinnamon
- Unsalted butter: dairy or plant-based
Visit the recipe card for exact quantities! See below for flour substitution options.
How to Make Gluten-Free Blueberry Crumble with Almond Flour
This recipe takes less than 10 minutes of hands-on time! Start by preheating the oven to 375°F.
Mix together all of the dry ingredients for the filling, except for the sliced almonds.
Add the melted butter and mash the filling together.
Add the sliced almonds and mix again. We waited to add the sliced almonds to prevent them from breaking into small pieces in the earlier mixing.
Use your hands to thoroughly mix the topping until it is evenly moistened and clumps together when pinched.
In the baking pan, toss together all of the filling ingredients.
With your fingers, clump the topping and crumble it over the top of the blueberries.
Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the blueberries have burst and are bubbling on the edges, rotating the pan halfway through.
Tip: Each oven is calibrated differently and ovens may have hot spots that affect baking. While this did not happen in my oven, if you notice the topping getting too dark before the blueberries are bubbling, lightly cover it with a piece of foil while you continue baking.
Gluten-Free Flour Substitutions
I tested this gluten-free blueberry crisp six different ways to find the most flavorful crispiest topping. While the recipe posted here had the best balance of texture and flavor in taste tests, for each of the substitutions listed, the results were incredibly similar and very delicious! Unless you were eating side-by-side like we did, I'd doubt you'd notice a difference.
- Super-fine blanched almond flour: The flavor driver of this cookie-like crisp is almond flour, adding sweet nuttiness that pairs with the buttery crumbles and jammy berries. I do not recommend substituting the almond flour in this recipe.
- Sweet rice flour: Also called mochiko, sweet rice flour is the same flour used to make mochi. It has the stick-it-together power that helps mimic gluten when used in combination with more delicate flours like almond flour.
- Substitute: For a grain-free version, you can replace the sweet rice flour with additional tapioca flour by weight.
- Tapioca flour: Tapioca flour helps with binding and also absorbing moisture to give your crumbles the ideal crispy crumble topping texture.
- Substitute: You can substitute the tapioca flour in both the topping and the filling with corn starch by weight.
Recipe Variations
The great thing about fruit crisps and crumbles is that they're incredibly versatile. You can swap out the nuts for pecans or walnuts, replace the fruit with whatever is in season, or add spices.
- Fruit: Use a combination of seasonal berries or swap out for peaches, nectarines, or apples
- Nuts: Replace the nuts with chopped pecans or walnuts
- Spices: Add ¼ teaspoon cardamom or ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
See my gluten-free brown sugar peach crumble and gluten-free apple crisp versions on my website!
Baking Equipment for Gluten-Free Blueberry Crisp
This blueberry cobbler calls for a 2-quart baking pan - metal, glass, or ceramic will all work! I recommend a 9x9 or 7x10 baking pan or a 10-inch round baking dish.
Make-Ahead Crisp
If you want to save even more time, you can make the crumbles entirely in advance and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month. You can use them straight from the fridge, or if storing them in the freezer, defrost them on the counter first.
How to store Blueberry Crisp
While blueberry crisp is best the same day it's made, you can store leftovers for up 2 days. Once cool, store the blueberry crisp covered lightly with foil at room temperature. Note that the longer it sits, the softer the topping will get.
If desired, reheat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds or in the oven at 350°F for 20 minutes until warmed.
Recipe FAQ
Yes! Frozen blueberries work in this crisp! Do not defrost the berries, but use them straight from the freezer.
Frozen blueberries also release a lot more liquid when baking, so add an additional tablespoon of tapioca starch to the filling to help thicken it up in to a jammy filling.
I also recommend adding 2 tablespoons more sugar to the filling, as frozen blueberries are not quite as sweet and flavorful as fresh.
To make this crisp vegan, replace the butter with a stick-based plant butter. Don't forget to top with homemade vegan vanilla ice cream!
More Gluten-Free Blueberry Recipes
Recipe
Gluten-Free Blueberry Crisp
Ingredients
- 3 lbs (8 cups) fresh blueberries, (4 pints)
- 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 28 g (¼ cup) tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 83 g (¾ cup) gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
- 100 g (½ cup) light brown sugar
- 84 g (¾ cup) super-fine blanched almond flour
- 40 g (¼ cup) sweet rice flour, also called mochiko, distinctly different from brown rice flour or white rice flour
- 28 g (¼ cup) Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 50 g (½ cup) sliced almonds
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Mix together all of the dry ingredients for the filling, except for the sliced almonds.
- Add the melted butter and mash the filling together with a silicone spatula or spoon. Add the sliced almonds and mix to combine. Use your hands to thoroughly mix the topping until it is evenly moistened and clumps together when pinched.
- In the baking pan, toss together blueberries, sugar, tapioca flour, and lemon juice.
- With your fingers, clump the topping and crumble it evenly over the top of the blueberries.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the blueberries have burst and are bubbling on the edges, rotating the pan halfway through.
Nissa -
Crisps are my favorite, but I have never tried with blueberry. It’s a fresh, summery option! Crumble topping is perfect w/the tartness of blueberries. Thank you!
Steph T. -
This looks lovely! Would you have a recommendation for a nut flour substitute please?
Sarah Menanix -
Hmm - this is a good question! While I haven't tested it, I would recommend replacing the almond flour with 75% of the amount of oat flour, by weight (so, 63g, or 1/2 cup, gf oat flour).
Stephanie Tsouloufis -
Thank you so much! I'm looking forward to making this in a couple of days for friends. I appreciate you reply and suggestion amounts for the oat flour, I was thinking oat flour but the amount is very helpful.