The Best Blackberry Crisp {Can Use Other Berries, Too!}
This amazing blackberry crisp loaded with juicy fruit and a buttery crisp topping is simple and so delicious! Even better, you can use other berries, too. Think of it as an all-purpose, best-ever fruit crisp!
I love a good fruit crisp. But I have a special place in my heart for fresh blackberry crisp.
It is probably my favorite of all the berry crisps out there (although if I’m being completely honest, this caramel pear crisp is my favorite of all favorites if we are looking at the crisp family as a whole).
A Beautiful Dessert
Fruit crisp desserts, like this one, are fantastic because not only do they taste amazing, but they are so quick to assemble.
In this recipe, the blackberries are tossed with:
- sugar
- flour
- lemon juice
And then layered on the bottom of a baking dish.
Simply top the fruit with that glorious streusel topping, and everything bakes together until bubbly, juicy, and perfect.
Adaptable for Other Berries
The great news about today’s best-ever blackberry crisp is that it’s actually divine with other berries, too, like blueberries or raspberries (haven’t tried it with strawberries, which tend to be more watery).
A couple weeks ago, I made this blackberry crisp with a combo of blueberries and blackberries, and it was amazing.
As long as you keep the ratios in the recipe pretty much the same, this blackberry crisp recipe will prove to be very adaptable.
The Topping is Where Its At
And since we’re friends, I can tell you, without fearing judgement, that 95% of the reason I love a good berry crisp is because of that golden, buttery topping sitting right there on top.
Blackberry crisp topping! Now you’ve got me excited.
All the texture and flavor of a glorious, sweet, buttery oatmeal cookie stretching as far as the eye can see across the fresh, juicy berries.
The last time I served this blackberry crisp, I decided to be bold and skip the vanilla ice cream (a very safe and delicious option) and go with a lemon frozen yogurt.
Oh my goodness, you guys.
It was unreal. Probably one of the better things I’ve ever eaten in my life (especially because I stole all of the topping from Brian’s serving when he wasn’t looking).
One Year Ago: Divine Tres Leches Cupcakes
Two Years Ago: Sweet and Spicy Pork and Pineapple Tacos
Three Years Ago: Whole Wheat Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
The Best Blackberry Crisp
Ingredients
Topping:
- 1 ½ cup (150 g) old-fashioned or quick oats (I prefer the texture of quick oats here)
- 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (212 g) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (227 g) butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
Fruit:
- 8-10 cups (680-1020 g) fresh blackberries, washed and dried well
- ⅓ cup (71 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (47 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and salt.
- Add the butter and cut it into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or a couple forks until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is evenly cut in. Set aside.
- In another bowl, add the blackberries, sugar, flour and lemon juice. Stir until combined.
- Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan and spread the fruit mixture on the bottom.
- Sprinkle the crisp topping evenly over the top.
- Bake for 45 minutes until the fruit is bubbly and the crisp topping is golden (add time, if needed).
- Remove from the oven and let the fruit crisp rest for 10-15 minutes before serving (the fruit layer will thicken as it cools). Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream (or lemon frozen yogurt!) or sweetened, whipped cream, if desired.
This was So tasty. I loved it. Mel, I was wondering, could you use tapioca as the desiccant instead of flour to make the juices clear if using frozen berries? The filling looked a little opaque with the flour amount you recommended for frozen berries. If yes to tapioca, what amount would you recommend? Thank you!!!
Hi Dominique, yes, I think you could definitely use tapioca (I would suggest using tapioca flour vs tapioca pearls). Usually you would want to use about half as much tapioca flour.
I made with frozen thawed and drained blackberries…..wonderful!
Such a fun recipe. I love blackberries and have been looking for new ways to use them. This was extra tasty with ice cream on top!
I ended up with twice as much crumble as needed, even though it was fully covered. Followed recipe as stated.
Made this last night and OMG!! One of the best desserts I’ve ever had! Thank you for posting.
Husband declared this best dessert he’s ever had in his 53 years. Made exactly as recipe stated, w blackberries from our back yard. I’m not usually a very good cook so surprising to get this kind of excitement over a dessert from my usually stoic husband. Thanks!
That’s such high praise from your husband – hope you took all the credit for yourself. You’re amazing!
Should be 1/2 cup of butter or double on all other ingredients. Perfect flavor, very delicious.
It is the best recipe ob blackberry dessert, thank you!
we loved the recipe. The quantities were perfect and the crumble itself was tasty, crunchy and not too sweet, but def sweet enough. I mixed what fruit there was, blackberries with apple and some plums. A perfect summer dish. Can’t move now!
Have made.this recipe a few times and it’s always a hit!! Delicious!! To make a larger pan I scale the berries to 12 cups (1.5 times) and triple the topping except the butter which I double. Definitely a keeper!
I made this for Father’s Day. It was the best crisp I have ever made. The fruit was perfectly sweetened. The topping was buttery and crunchy. This will be my forever go to recipe. Can’t wait to try it with other fruit.
Absolutely delicious ! The directions were easy to follow and my whole family LOVED it! This recipe is a keeper!!
I have an annual bbq party in May. I also have a boysenberry crop in my yard. I will be trying this recipe for sure. I do have a question. Can this recipe be fully prepped before our party, left in the fridge, then baked a few hours into the party? Thanks
I would like to know this as well. Prepping a dessert ahead is perfect for company when you’re making the entire meal.
Yes, this can be made ahead of time – I suggest refrigerating the topping separately and then fully assembling right before baking.
what can i use ruhbarb with to make a crisp?
You could try mixing rhubarb with any kind of berry!
Have you used apples?
I have not, sorry!
I grew up always mixing our apples with our blackberries in our pies and crisp to help them go further. It was always delicious. I just used the recipe essentially that way this last time and it was wonderful. I loved the topping.
So good!! Thank you!
Sooo good! I’ve made this recipe several times as our berries are ripened. I cut the butter to one and a half cubes, instead of two cubes, but it’s delicious either way and I’m sure you can substitute different fruits and it’d be equally good.
Need one cube (1/2) cup of butter–not one cup of butter. If you use a cup, it will not be crumbly but will have to be physically cut into cubes or strips and won’t have a crumble texture!
The recipe actually calls for one cup of butter. Using 1/2 cup will alter the results of the crisp.
Needed a bit longer cook time but was delicious !
We only had 6 cups of blackberries (picked from the side of the road in Oregon) and we still just followed the recipe and it was delicious! So don’t be scared if you don’t have enough blackberries.
Can this be frozen for future use?
I haven’t tried…but if so, I’d probably freeze the topping separately than the filling.
this freezes well!! I just made it and we love it – but with only two of us… I put a piece of waxed paper in a dessert dish and then put the crisp on it and freeze. I’ll take a half dozen of these and put them into a gallon freezer bag. so easy to pull out and thaw and serve!
Love this crisp recipe! It’s not too sweet and the topping is divine.
How much is 1 serving?
1/12th of the pan is the easiest way to calculate a serving.