Gluten-Free Apple Blackberry Crumble

Name: Gluten-free Apple Blackberry Crumble
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 cups apples (peeled, cored and sliced); 3 cups blackberries (fresh, or frozen and thawed); 2 tablespoons cornstarch (or tapioca starch); 1/4 cup sweetener (maple syrup, coconut sugar or 0-calorie Monkfruit sweetener); 2 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon sea salt; 1/2 cup butter (melted); 2/3 cup almond flour, (finely ground); 1 cup rolled oats (not quick oats); 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

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This healthy apple blackberry crumble is made with buttery rolled oats, ripe blackberries, and sweet juicy apples. This is a simple fruit crisp with apples and blackberries. It's gluten-free, it's refined sugar-free and it's absolutely delicious!

A baking dish with apple blackberry crisp with a spoon.

Apple Blackberry Crumble, Apple Blackberry Crisp, it's always a treat, whatever you choose to call it! While apples and blackberries ripen in the late summer and early fall, they're both available in stores year-round. This gluten-free apple blackberry crumble is one you can enjoy at any time of year.

Warm fruit with a buttery toasted oatmeal topping (served with a generous scoop of ice cream) is a dessert I'll happily devour any day.

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

Easy and simple. Fruit crisps bubble in my oven year-round. They're an easy dessert to put together at the last minute. They're quick to make and they're the perfect dessert to pop in the oven just before dinner to be ready to serve warm for dessert.
Allergen-friendly. Fruit crisps are the best dessert to make for a crowd. When you don't know everyone's dietary needs, this dessert is the solution! It's very easy to make a fruit crisp gluten-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free and vegan.
Healthy. Fruit, rolled oats, optional nuts or almond flour, and a minimal amount of sugar makes this a dish you could have for breakfast, too.
Delicious! You'll find at least eight more fruit crisp recipes here, with everything from Apple Crisp with Salted Caramel Sauce, to Blueberry Limoncello Crisp, to Cherry Crisp and more! Find them all in my Fruit Crisp section.

🛒 Ingredients and substitutions

You'll find a complete list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But before we get to the full recipe, here are a few notes about some of the ingredients.

Labelled ingredients for apple blackberry crumble.

Apple Blackberry Filling

blackberries: You can use fresh or frozen blackberries. I like to use 3 cups of blackberries and 2 cups of apples. You can vary the amounts, as long as you have 5 cups of fruit in total.
apples: Peeled, cored and sliced. Choose a firm, sweet variety so you don't have to use a lot of sugar. Sugar tends to draw the moisture from fruit, and can lead to a soggy topping if you use too much.
sweetener: honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, brown sugar, or 0-calorie Monkfruit sweetener. All work well.
lemon juice: adds flavour and prevents the apples from browning.
cornstarch: thickens the filling as it bakes in the oven. You can substitute tapioca starch.
cinnamon: Apples and cinnamon go hand in hand! Your kitchen will smell amazing as this blackberry and apple crisp bubbles away in the oven.

Crisp Topping

rolled oats: use large flake or "old-fashioned" oats. Quick oats won't be as crunchy and may tend to become soggy.
almond flour: I love the flavour of almonds with apples and blackberries, so almond flour is a clear choice for me. However, you can substitute a gluten-free flour blend or oat flour.
sweetener: coconut sugar or brown sugar gives the best caramelized flavour and the best texture for the topping.
butter: melted butter or coconut oil
pinch of salt

🔪 Instructions

Here's a quick overview of what you'll do to make this recipe perfectly. You'll find complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

First, combine the crisp topping ingredients and set aside.

Toss the apples with lemon juice, cinnamon, cornstarch and sugar then spread them in a baking dish.

Top with blackberries.

Sprinkle the crumble topping over the fruit and bake.

🔁 Possible Variations

Keep it gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free oats if necessary and combine them with either almond flour, oat flour or a gluten-free flour blend.

Keep it free of refined sugar: Use coconut sugar or Monkfruit sweetener.

Make it dairy-free: Substitute melted coconut oil for butter. (It won't taste like coconut!)

Keep it nut-free. Substitute gluten-free flour blend for the almond flour.

Or, add nuts! Mix in ¼ cup of flaked almonds or finely chopped pecans or walnuts into the crumble topping.

This recipe has been updated. It was originally posted as Mason Jar Apple Blackberry Crumble. However, warnings about jars possible breaking in the oven made me decide to revise this recipe. If you want to make individual servings, simply use ramekins.

👍🏼 Helpful Tips

Taste a little of the apple blackberry mixture before you add the topping. If you don't think it's sweet enough, add a little more sugar. However, remember that it will be topped with a sweetened crisp topping.

❓Reader's Questions

What kind of apple is best for apple blackberry crumble?

Blackberries are often a little bit tart, so choosing a sweet variety helps to balance the flavour. I like to use Honeycrisp, Gala, Pink Lady, Ambrosia or Fuji.

How can I tell when the apple crisp is done?

The blackberries will be bubbling quite vigorously and the topping will be evenly golden brown. It's best to cook this crisp at a moderate heat (375°F.) If you cook it at too high a temperature, the topping will brown too quickly before the fruit is fully cooked.

Why is my blackberry apple crisp runny?

When fruit crisps first come out of the oven, the filling is sometimes fairly thin and liquid. Once it cools, if you've used the correct amount of cornstarch, the filling will set and thicken.

Why is my fruit crisp soggy?

Fruit crisps are sometimes soggy if you haven't fully baked them or if the topping is too thick. It's best to use a shallow dish like a pie dish or a 9 x 13 inch baking pan so the crisp is no thicker than 1 ½ inches in total.

⏰ Make ahead of time

You can make this a day before you need it. Cover it and store it in the refrigerator until you want to bake it.

You can also freeze this fruit crisp before baking. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes or so, then bake.

To save time, I suggest making the crumble topping and freezing it until you want to bake the crisp. It's convenient to double the crumble topping recipe so you always have extra on hand to make a quick dessert.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream or dairy-free ice cream, or with whipped cream or whipped coconut milk.

It's also very delicious with homemade caramel sauce!

A blue pottery bowl with apple blackberry crumble and ice cream. — Serve blackberry apple crumble with whipped cream, coconut whip, ice cream or caramel sauce.

⏰ Storage Instructions

To store: Store leftover blackberry apple crumble covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.

To reheat: Heat in a 350°F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through.

Freeze it: Freeze leftover crisp in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

🗒 More gluten-free fruit crisp recipes to make soon

When you make this gluten-free blackberry apple crumble recipe, please leave a comment and a rating below. I love hearing from you! Thanks in advance. Subscribe to my newsletter and receive new recipes delivered straight to your inbox.