Blackberry Crisp

Name: Blackberry Crisp
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 cups fresh blackberries, about 2 1/2 pounds; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 3 tablespoons cornstarch; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon fine salt; 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes

Published by Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen — presented in the Lila editorial voice. Editorial standards

Quick Answer

Toss blackberries with sugar, cornstarch, lemon, and vanilla, spread them in a 9x13 dish, cover with a buttery oat crumble, and bake at 375°F until the center is bubbling and the topping is deeply golden.

Jump to Recipe

Blackberry Crisp is what you make when summer fruit is doing enough work that a pie crust would mostly get in the way. The filling needs just enough sugar and cornstarch to turn the berry juices glossy without hiding the tart edge that makes blackberries taste like blackberries.

The topping is deliberately rough: oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cold butter rubbed together until some pieces are sandy and some are closer to small pebbles. Those uneven pieces bake into the combination of crisp edges and tender clusters that a fruit crisp is supposed to have.

It closes out the Labor Day Recipes table nicely, especially next to the existing Peach Cobbler if you want two late-summer desserts.

Prep15 minutes

Cook40 minutes

Total1 hr 15 min

Serves10 servings

DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

Servings

8 cups fresh blackberries, about 2 1/2 pounds
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes

Instructions

1Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2Gently toss the blackberries with granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla until the cornstarch is evenly distributed. Spread the fruit in the prepared dish.
3Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the cold butter and work it in with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture has both sandy crumbs and larger pea-size clusters.
4Scatter the topping evenly over the blackberries without pressing it flat. Leave a few small gaps where berry juices can bubble through.
5Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the topping is deeply golden and the fruit is bubbling in the center, not just around the edges.
6Cool for at least 20 minutes so the berry filling can thicken. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition Information

Estimated per serving: 1 of 10 servings.

370Calories

5 gProtein

56 gCarbohydrates

15 gTotal Fat

9 gSaturated Fat

8 gFiber

31 gTotal Sugars

70 mgSodium

37 mgCholesterol

Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.

Pro Tips

The crisp is not done when only the outside edge bubbles. Wait until you see thick berry bubbles closer to the center of the pan.
Keep the butter cold and leave some larger topping clusters. Those pieces create the best crisp texture.
If your blackberries are especially tart, taste one before mixing and add another 2 tablespoons of sugar rather than automatically oversweetening the whole pan.

Substitutions

fresh blackberries → frozen blackberries Use them frozen and add about 5 to 10 minutes to the bake time; do not thaw first.

old-fashioned rolled oats → quick-cooking oats The topping will be finer and less chewy but still works.

blackberries → half blackberries and half blueberries The filling becomes a little sweeter and still thickens at the same rate.

Storage Instructions

Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days. Reheat portions at 325°F or briefly in the microwave. The oven restores more of the topping texture.

Make Ahead

Mix the topping up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it. The assembled unbaked crisp can be refrigerated for several hours before baking. Baked crisp can be frozen tightly wrapped for up to 2 months.

Allergen Note

Contains wheat and milk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use frozen blackberries for Blackberry Crisp?

Yes. Use them straight from frozen and expect the crisp to need about 5 to 10 additional minutes in the oven.

How do I keep Blackberry Crisp from being watery?

Use the full cornstarch amount and bake until the filling bubbles in the center. The crisp also needs at least 20 minutes of cooling for the juices to thicken.