This blueberry crumble, easy to make with blueberries and a buttery oat cookie topping, is simple, easy, and the best blueberry dessert we can imagine. Simple and spectacular. Better make a double batch.
Adapted from Ian Knauer | The Farm | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012
This blueberry crumble recipe with its oatmeal cookie topping and simple burbling blueberry filling that’s not too sweet and not too tart is exactly what you bring to a backyard bash when all you want is mad crazy gratitude and an empty dish to take home. It’s simple. It’s easy. And it’s the most crowd-pleasing summer staple we’ve got in our repertoire. One taste and we think you’ll understand. Kindly note, it also functions admirably as breakfast when topped with ice cream, which is essentially oatmeal with fruit and milk, yes?!–David Leite
Blueberry Crumble FAQs
Why is my crumble topping not crunchy?
Just in case our mums are listening, the fruit is the most important part of a crumble so the crispness of the topping shouldn’t even matter. Just kidding—our mums know what’s up. And crumble topping has to be crunchy, crisp, and crumbly. It’s possible that you didn’t cook your crumble enough, if the topping isn’t a rich all-over golden brown then that’s a good start. If, in an effort to save on fat and groceries, you cut back on the butter, you’re gonna regret it. Not enough butter and your topping will be a dry, floury mess. Butter, which encourages both browning and crispness, is the magic ingredient in getting your topping just right, so follow the recipe instructions. Blueberry crumble isn’t the time for saintly abstinence.
Can I substitute other berries?
Sure thing. We’ve made this recipe with only blueberries, with blueberries and raspberries, and with blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. They’re all amazing. You could absolutely substitute other berries or add pitted, sliced cherries and maybe even apples (we’ve not tested apples yet but they’re on the to-do list). Just be sure to weigh your berries so that your crumble-to-fruit ratio isn’t affected – because you’re gonna want aaaalll of that buttery, crispy crumble. As with most recipes, we recommend you make it the first time exactly as it’s written, then feel free to get creative on your second, third… hundredth times. But, if and when you come up with a tasty new fruit combo, promise to let us know?
What’s the best way to incorporate the dry ingredients and butter?
Honestly? Wash up well and use your hands. In our experience, fingers work way better than a pastry cutter. It’s faster and easier to get the right crumble texture with your hands. If butter under your fingernails grosses you out, use a food-safe glove.
In this recipe
Blueberry Crumble
Ingredients
For the blueberry filling
- 12 ounces (about 1 pint) fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice depending on how tart the blueberries
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the crumble
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter cut into cubes and softened just a little, plus more for the pie plate
- Vanilla ice cream preferably homemade
Directions
Prepare the oven and pan
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Adjust the oven rack to the center position. Generously butter a 9-inch pie plate.
Make the blueberry filling
- Nibble a blueberry or three to determine how sweet or tart it is. Toss the blueberries with the sugar, flour, lemon juice, and salt, adjusting the amount of lemon juice according to the relative sweetness or tartness of the berries. Dump the berries into the pie plate.
Make the crumble topping
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Blend in the butter, using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, and mix until well combined. Crumble the topping over the berries in clumps of varying sizes.
- Bake the blueberry crumble until the berry filling is bubbling and the crisp oat topping is set and browned in places, 25 to 35 minutes. Let the crumble cool a little (but not a lot) before spooning it onto plates or into dishes and serving it warm with a scoop of ice cream plopped on top or on the side or wherever you choose.
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I have always shied away from blueberry crumbles and cobblers and crunches because they can be so sugary sweet. This one, however, is one of the best fruit desserts–and not just blueberry–I’ve ever made.
The easy-to-prepare crumble topping is absolutely wonderful. It bakes up golden brown and slightly crisp and adds just the right texture to the dish. The fruit portion of the crumble is perfectly balanced–not too sweet and not too tart. Add a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream and you have a dessert that looks humble but is so luxurious and satisfying. This recipe is well worth getting butter on your hands for.
Yum! Simple and sooo good. This blueberry crumble is much easier than a pie. The recipe makes a nice-sized dessert that’s great for a weekday meal. Next time I might put a little less flour in the filling, but otherwise I wouldn’t change a thing.
This was one of those perfect-storm recipes with all the right elements coming together to make something amazing. The warm fruit with the crisp, crunchy texture of the topping paired with the creamy cold ice cream was perfect.
The only debate in the family was if the blueberry crumble should be on the side of the ice cream, underneath it, or on top, although maybe this was just an excuse for each of us to have three helpings. The majority felt side-by-side was best to allow you to have total control of the ratio of cold to warm in each bite. The recipe came together very quickly and was so easy. This is a new family favorite!
A 10 in my book. Excellent and loved by my hubby and our houseguest. We all ate the blueberry crumble as quickly as we could. Quick and easy and sure to be a stand-by during blueberry season.
If you want a dessert that’s quick and easy to put together and will delight your guests, make this blueberry crumble and serve it with vanilla ice cream or homemade cinnamon ice cream.
The recipe works as-is, no need for any changes. The lemon juice brings a nice brightness to the richness of the desser. The only trouble is that the recipe says it serves 6 to 8 but it’s more like 4 to 5 as everyone will go back for seconds!
This blueberry crumble takes no time to put together and can be divided, like I did, to make individual tarts. The topping was nice and crunchy.
I didn’t do the ice cream–we just ate it warm from the oven–although I’m going to fold the leftovers into some ice cream, just like the ice cream companies do! Enjoy this little recipe.
This blueberry crumble is a breeze to make and looks wonderful.
If you have sweet-toothed friends and family, then this would be great for them. Although my niece and others loved it, this was too sweet for my tastes. If I made it again for myself, I’d leave out some of the sugar.
This blueberry crumble is a delicious dish. I was going to call it a delicious dessert, but it proved to be a delicious breakfast, too. (Lunch, anyone?) It’s very quick and easy to throw together.
Although I sprinkled the crunchy topping on evenly, I found that it seemed to morph and clump up in spots. The very center of the crumble was still a bit wet, even after the berries were bubbling away and the outside of the crumble was browned. I removed it from the oven anyway. And it in no way stopped this from being a winner.
The finished product is excellent even without ice cream.
We were moving out of our apartment last weekend and I wanted to do something sweet—literally—for the super and the doormen who work at the apartment building, but I didn’t have a heck of a lot of time. So I threw together this crumble topping and heaped it on top of my usual apple pie filling and baked it. But it never made it to its intended recipients. My 12-year-old nephew and my husband caught one whiff of the dessert cooling on the stovetop and the rest was history.
My guys loved the crumble topping for its own merits as well as the fact that it doesn’t try to compete with the fruit beneath. And I loved the fact that I could toss it together in less than 10 minutes. It’s now our go-to topping for any sorta fruit that’s in season. Blueberries. Peaches. Pears. Rhubarb. One of these times maybe I’ll be able to sneak a crumble out of the kitchen to the guys at the old building.
P.S. It’s months later, and at least once a week my nephew wakes up begging for this crumble for breakfast. And his grandma (my mother-in-law) just devoured the entire crumble I made for my nephew’s birthday so I had to make another one. And my family, whom I baked the blueberry version for when I was visiting, have been asking for the recipe and already told me I’m not welcome in their homes unless I bring it again. And the neighbors who tried it for the first time last weekend? They just demanded that we bring another one to their backyard barbecue this afternoon—actually, they asked that we bring two. It’s that good.
The blueberry crumble recipe worked very well. I’d like to substitute crushed pretzels for the oats and take out the salt.
Originally published May 25, 2012
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This is really good! I don’t follow the recipe to a tee. I double it with the exception of flour, butter, oats. I use 11 tbsp butter and only about 3/4 cup flour, 1.5-2 cups oats and skip the lemon juice altogether. I have made this several times and is a wonderful seasonal dessert.
Thanks, Joseph! So glad you’ve found a way to make the recipe perfect for you.
Turns out yummy every time. Sometimes I use frozen wild blueberries and I cut back on all the sugar. Instead of 1/2 cup, I use 2 tablespoons. So good!
Thanks, Kimberley! Appreciate you taking the time to let us know.
We have made four of these this week as they are quick, simple and delicious. Leftovers make a great breakfast!
Marie, I do believe we’re kindred souls! Love hearing this. Thank you for taking the time to let us know! Looking forward to hearing which recipe on the site enthralls you next…
This is a great blueberry crumble recipe! It smelled absolutely wonderful while it was baking and was delicious to eat. The four of us polished it off. I’ll definitely be making it again. I might cut back a bit on the sugars next time, or I might just keep it the same.
Amy, thrilled to hear you, too, love this cobbler. It’s sorta irresistible, yes?! It is a touch sweet, do depending on how tart your blueberries, a little less sugar would suffice, although then again, the sweetness is sorta part of the allure…
We love blueberries and are always excited to try something new and wow, this crumble was a home run! I don’t think my wife—-who’s been the crumble baker in our house–is going to make another one! And that’s OK because this recipe is so easy. OMG the aromas flowing from the oven as the 25 minutes ticked down…we couldn’t wait to dig in. And when blueberry season passes, I’m looking forward to trying the topping with other fruit!
Greg, I know that elation! I am not allowed to attend a family gathering without bringing this crumble, whether made with blueberries, peaches, apples, what have you. It’s definitely a keeper. So happy to hear that you and your loved ones feel the same! Greatly appreciate you letting us know…