Easy Apple Blueberry Crisp (With Oat Crumble Topping)

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A delicious crumble recipe but with a berry twist! Apple blueberry crisp is made with fresh apples and sweet blueberries and topped with a buttery cinnamon oat streusel. This crisp is so delicious and comes together so easily (using frozen blueberries!), you’ll be making it on repeat this season.

A bowl of apple blueberry crisp, sitting on a green napkin. A baking dish of fruit crisp, a wooden spoon and apple is in the background

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Why you’ll love this recipe

It’s super easy to make, it can even be made ahead
Blueberries and apples are best friends, and both complement each other well.
Uses minimal and widely available ingredients (Granny Smith apples and frozen blueberries) that are available all year long and can be found in any season
The buttery oatmeal crumble is OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious

How to make the fruit crisp topping

This is my absolute favorite streusel topping to use on apple crisp or anything requiring a crumble topping. I even use this topping for my dutch apple pie on a graham cracker crust, I just remove the oats. It’s super buttery, loaded with cinnamon, and comes out perfectly crispy every time!

What you’ll need

Melted Butter: Use the unsalted variety for this recipe, that way you can control the salt content in the dessert. The butter will add a nice richness to the recipe and help to bind all the ingredients together.
Brown sugar and granulated sugar: The combination of brown and white sugar will add a deep flavor and the necessary sweetness and crispiness that every crumble needs. You can use light or brown sugar for this recipe.
Flour: All purpose flour is my go to for this topping. The flour will help the streusel hold together and clump nicely, keeping it from melting into the crisp.
Oats: I use old fashioned rolled oats for this recipe. The oats will add a nice texture to the crumble and help to absorb any additional moisture during baking. This will help keep the topping nice and crisp.
Cinnamon: This streusel topping uses a generous amount of cinnamon. This will not only make the dish feel super warm and cozy, but it will help to flavor the bland flour and oats.
Salt: I use kosher salt. The salt acts as a balance to offset all the sweetness in the crisp.

Instructions

To make the crumble topping for your crisp, combine your flour, oats, sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Give that mixture a whisk.

Next, pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients. Make sure the butter is not too hot, we don’t want to melt the sugars.

Use a rubber spatula (or clean fingers) to combine. Mix until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened and large clumps form. Set the topping aside until ready to bake.

A bowl of oat crumble topping in a glass bowl

How to make the apple blueberry filling for the crisp

A spoon scooping out a helping of crisp out of a white baking dish.

This is such a simple filling, but yields delicious results! The filling bakes up thick, and bubbly, with tender chunks of apples and juicy blueberries. The lemon juice is added to brighten the flavors and a touch of cinnamon is added for an extra dash of warmth.

What you’ll need

Granny Smith Apples (peeled, cored, and sliced): They add a wonderful tartness and hold their shape during baking
Frozen blueberries: These are great for winter or year round baking, but you can use fresh berries if they’re in season
Granulated sugar: For sweetness and making a thick bubbly sauce
Fresh lemon juice: The lemon juice brightens up the flavors of the fruit and offsets the sweetness
Cinnamon: Adds warmth and flavor
All purpose flour: For thickening the blueberry and apple juices

Instructions

To make the apple blueberry crisp, preheat your oven to 350º and move your oven rack to one position below the middle level. This will help keep the topping from browning too quickly!

Spray a glass 8×8″ baking dish with cooking spray or grease with softened butter.

Pour the lemon juice over the fruit and sprinkle on the sugar and flour. Use a rubber spatula to gently toss the mixture together, until the fruit is evenly coated.

Next, grab a large bowl and combine the apple slices and blueberries.

Pour the fruit mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Next, crumble the topping over the fruit, making sure to keep any large chunks intact.

Set your crisp on top of a rimmed baking sheet (in case it bubbles over) and bake at 350º for 60-70 minutes until the apples are tender and the juice is bubbling and thick.

Allow the crisp to sit and cool for 30 minutes before serving. Serve with homemade vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream!

How to tell when your crisp is done baking

A baking dish of apple blueberry crisp, a scoop has been taken out of the baking dish.

The crisp is done when the blueberry and apple juices are thick and bubbling in the corners of the baking dish.

You can also check if the apples are cooked through by sticking a small knife in the center of the crisp. If the knife pierces through an apple chunk with little to no resistance, the crisp is done!

Storing leftovers

A baking dish, full of apple blueberry crisp, with a spoon in it.

Leftovers can be stored in the original baking dish and wrapped in plastic or transferred to an airtight container. Your crisp is fine to sit at room temperature for up to 3 days.

If you live in a humid climate or want to make the leftovers stretch a little longer, you can store your crisp in the fridge, but refrigeration is not necessary.

FAQs

What are the best apples for baking apple crisp?

I love Granny Smith apples for this recipe. They hold together really well during baking and they add a nice tartness to the dish. This really helps to balance out all the sweetness from the blueberries, apples, and rich crumble topping.

Golden Delicious apples would be great in this crisp too! If you’re looking to add a sweet apple to the mix, do a combo of Honeycrisp and Granny Smiths. The Honeycrisps will add a nice flavor while the Granny Smiths will give you nice bites of apple.

Can I make this recipe for a crowd?

Absolutely! Double the amount of fruit and crumble topping and bake in a 13×9″ baking dish. Start checking for doneness after 60 minutes and add more time if needed to cook through.

Should I peel the apples for apple crisp?

Yes! Otherwise, the peels would fall off during baking, throwing off the texture.

Do you refrigerate apple crisp with blueberries?

I do not. Both the apples and the blueberries are cooked through so they’re fine to sit at room temperature on the counter. However, if you live in a particularly humid climate, you can store your fruit crisp in the fridge to make it last a little longer. But again, refrigeration is not necessary.

Should I use fresh or frozen blueberries for this fruit crisp recipe?

For this recipe, I use frozen berries. There’s a very small window where both apples and blueberries are in season at the same time, so by using frozen berries, I know I’ll get a great blueberry flavor alongside my in season apples. If you live in an area where blueberries are in season all year long, feel free to use fresh! You’ll need 10 ounces for this recipe.