Easy Blueberry Crumble
There is nothing more delicious in summer than crumble desserts with seasonal fresh berries, such as this blueberry crumble recipe. Bubbling and delicious blueberries topped with a buttery crumble baked until crisp and golden. The best part is it takes just 5 minutes to prep and 25 minutes to bake.
Are you enjoying all the summer fruits in season this year? Or, shall I say, are you taking full advantage of all the fresh fruits and veggies in season?
Blueberries have got to be one of my favorite fruits. Not just because they are so healthy, but also because they are tart and sweet all at the same time. I often use frozen blueberries during the year, but fresh now that’s something else! Isn’t it?
Why make this crumble?
- One of the reasons I love berry crumbles is this: Look at that thick, tart yet sweet, chewy fruit syrup. Next, look at the crisp, buttery bits of crumble on top. Now imagine a spoonful of that syrupy fruit with the crispy crumble that just bursts in the mouth. There’s a mouthful you cannot resist. Explosion!
- A fruit crumble is the easiest dessert you can make in summer with any fruit. Berries and stone fruit, such as peaches, apricots, and apples, are always a big hit.
- Today, I am making these with blueberries, but you can also make them with other berries, such as raspberries, blackberries, or a mix of berries. Of course, stone fruits, such as apricots, plums, peaches, and nectarines, are also the perfect candidates for crumbles.
- By the way, a blueberry crumble bar is a great way to take these fruit crumbles to family and friends when you visit.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Blueberries – The crumbles work with fresh or frozen blueberries. If you are using frozen, you can keep the amount of sugar unless they are sweetened. Some brands use sugar as a preservative, so please read the label.
- Sugar – I like using a mix of white and brown sugar. The white adds sweetness and keeps a beautiful color, while the light or brown sugar brings the flavor of molasses, which is an absolute luxury when combined with cinnamon or nutmeg.
- Unsalted Butter – I always use unsalted butter because I like to control the amount of salt I use. And if you use salted butter, that’s fine. Just omit salt in the recipe. Margarine or vegetable shortening works as well, and yet they both will affect the texture of the crumble. Margarine has a bit more liquid, so you may need to use a tad less. Vegetable shortening will make the crumble topping crisper.
- Cornstarch – Blueberries are juicy, and the cornstarch helps thicken the juices, giving them a thick, syrup-like consistency rather than a pool of liquid.
- Vanilla – Always use good-quality vanilla extract, bean paste, or vanilla sugar.
- Spice mix – There are so many flavors you can add, like pumpkin spice or gingerbread spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I admit that when it comes to crumble, I often prefer the fruit to shine. So, I usually add just a pinch of cinnamon and a grating of nutmeg.
Step-by-step: Blueberry crumble recipe
- Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C/ Gas Mark 5.
- Crumble – In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, nuts/oats, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, spice, and chilled cubed butter. Pulse a few times until crumbly, and you’ll have a mix of small and large breadcrumbs. Keep chilled.
Pro tip – The crumble mixture can be made up to four days in advance. Keep it in the fridge to ensure the butter stays chilled.
- Fruit – Combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a greased 8 x 8 square pan or 6-inch pie pan. Alternatively, you can also use 4 x 4-oz ramekins for individual servings. Set aside.
Pro tip – Greasing the pan with butter is optional, but it will prevent the crumbles from burning into the pan.
- Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top of the blueberries. Make sure to cover all areas.
Pro tip – I like to do this with my hands and make sure to cover all areas. Try putting the large crumble pieces on top, as they look prettier.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is crisp and golden. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Pro tip – If you make small individual ramekins, you will need only 12 to 15 minutes of baking time. - Fruit crumble can be served hot or cold. We love to serve it warm with chilled ice cream or cold with whipped cream.
Pro tip – The fruit syrup is very hot, so wait 10 minutes to prevent anyone from getting hurt.
Frequently asked questions
I love baking the crumble fresh so the topping stays wonderfully crisp. And yet, you can make this crumble in advance. Cool it completely before wrapping it well and placing it in the fridge.
Both are baked fruit desserts. A cobbler uses dollops of biscuit dough or pie dough topping, which, when baked, often looks very similar to a cobblestone. A crumble uses a streusel-like topping made of flour, sugar, and butter with nuts.
Again, a crumble and a crisp are both baked fruit desserts, and a streusel topping is used with butter, sugar, and flour. And yet, a crumble uses the addition of nuts, while crisps use rolled oats. These oats become crisp and flaky when cooked, while the crumble topping is cakey and dense.
Adding more butter to the crumble topping is very tempting, but too much butter will blend the flour and sugar mixture. Creating the perfect crumb with flour and sugar requires not adding too much butter. Ideally, a ratio of 1:1:2 works best – One part butter, one part sugar, two parts flour
Easy Blueberry Crumble
Nothing is more delicious in summer than crumble desserts with seasonal fresh berries, such as these blueberry crumbles. Bubbling and delicious blueberries are topped with a buttery crumble and baked until crisp and golden. The best part is that it takes just 5 minutes to prep and 25 minutes to bake.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 g) All-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp (60 g) Light brown sugar
- 4 tbsp (60 g) White sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) Unsalted butter chilled, cubed
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Spice mix cinnamon / gingerbread
- ½ cup (40 g) Almond meal or rolled oats
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg fresh grated
Method
- Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C/ Gas Mark 5.
- Crumble – In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, nuts/oats, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, spice, and chilled cubed butter. Pulse a few times until you have a combination of small and large breadcrumb consistency. Keep chilled.
- Fruit – Combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a greased 8 x 8 square pan or 6-inch pie pan. Alternatively, you can also use 4 x 4 oz ramekins for individual servings. Set aside.
- Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top of the blueberries. Making sure to cover all areas.
- Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is crisp and golden. Let cool for 10 minutes before you serve.
- Fruit crumble can be served hot or cold. We love to serve it warm with chilled ice cream or cold with whipped cream.
Notes
- Fruit – You can use fresh or frozen blueberries. If using frozen, make sure to thaw well and drain excess moisture so the crumble does not become soupy.
- The perfect crumble topping is the flour, sugar, and butter ratio—two parts flour, one part butter, and one part sugar work every single time. You can replace some of the flour with oats and nuts.
- Freezing crumble mixture – You can store any extra crumble mix well wrapped in a freezer bag (to prevent ice crystals) for up to 3 months.
- Gluten-free fruit crumbles – Simply replace the flour in the recipe with your favorite gluten-free flour and oats.
- Reducing sugar – You can reduce sugar by simply tasting the blueberries. If you have sweet blueberries, reduce the sugar accordingly. If the blueberries are tart, you can also use maple syrup or honey to substitute some of the sugar.
- Reheating crumble – A few minutes in the microwave will bring it back to its syrupy goodness. Then, a few minutes in the oven will help crisp the streusel topping.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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Crumble desserts are the best! Always great with a scoop of icecream.
Definitely great with a scoop of ice cream.
Blueberry season is on and i was looking for easy delicious recipes for my kids using this berries. Great and for the breakfast and for the dessert!
Thank you, Ruchi. Kids definitely love this.
Forget about Muffins.Those Blueberries I bought today are heading for a crumble.. I love this recipe it brings back childhood memories
Ah so true Kryn. Make a delish cobbler.. forget the muffins. ha…!!
What a lovely way to present a blueberry crumble in an individual serving super easy and using fresh blueberries that are now so abundant in the market. Perfect for summer entertaining.
Thank you Adriana. Yes, I love making different berries of small portions at the same time instead of one large big one
This is the perfect summer dessert! My fiance’s dad is growing blueberries this year and brings them to use all the time – gonna try this next time he stops by!
Thank you, Lauren. I wish I had blueberries growing closer. We get them so expensive here.
That is such an inviting and delicious looking blueberry crumble. It sounds so easy to make too. Great summer time treat.
Thank you Pavani. I hope you try it.
I love blueberry anything but this looks so easy thats another bonus. I love making a dessert that doesnt take all day to do and look this good!
Me too!! Love blueberry anything.
What a great looking dessert. Luckily it’s now blueberry season here. I didn’t want to use my blueberries just for muffins. This is so much better.
Thank you Marisa. I love blueberry Muffins but this has summer all over it.. !My kids love it with a scoop of ice cream
Wow…how delicious does this look. My husband LOVES crumble, and I LOVE blueberries. It’s a win for both of us. This would be perfect for the BBQ parties this summer too.
Absolutely Gloria.. We love crumble easpecially around the BBQ Thanks
I love easy dessert recipes like this. This is a perfect summer time recipe!
Thank you Arlene.. I know right?