The Best Gluten Free Blackberry Crisp

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In the summer when berries are bursting from branches, this gluten free blackberry crisp is a fan favorite and highly requested dessert in our house. 

It comes together in just a few minutes and contains a few basic ingredients that we always have stored away on pantry shelves. Bonus, it is filled with nutrient dense ingredients while being oh so yummy! If you are looking for a quick and easy dessert for your next potluck, picnic, or just simple night at home, give this gluten free blackberry crisp a try!

Blackberries – A Nutritional Powerhouse

When selecting fruits and vegetables, we always prioritize darker varieties. The darker in color, the more robust nutrients that fruit or vegetable generally contains. This definitely holds true for the blackberry, touting nutritional benefits superior to other common summer berries like strawberries and red raspberries.

Nutritional Benefits of Blackberries include:

• A great source of Vitamin C. One cup of blackberries contains roughly 50% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C. Vitamin C is important for building a robust immune system, protecting cells from damage caused by free-radicals, and aiding the synthesis of collagen.
• Tons of polyphenols. Blackberries are one of the most highly concentrated sources of polyphenols of any food. Polyphenols are known to have significant benefits for health.
• Rich in manganese. Manganese is a critical mineral for many routine body functions and blackberries are a great source of this important mineral.
• Great bang for your buck. Blackberries are rich in nutrients and fiber while being low in overall calories and carbohydrates. A handful of these berries will have tremendous benefits with no risk of causing damage to your waistline.

Foraging for Blackberries

Another perk of blackberries (also called black raspberries) is that they can be found wild throughout the world. That is definitely the case where we live here in the Midwest. Come late June/early July, blackberries are ripe and can be found in almost any forested or wooded area growing like gangbusters.

We are thankful to have them growing abundantly on our property. In those months when they are in season we stock up on as many as we can to freeze for the winter. However, prior to living here, we’d often bring our buckets and forage blackberries at local nature areas. Free berries plus family fun and outdoor time – wins all around.

Tips when foraging for blackberries:

• Dress appropriately. Blackberry bushes are quite thorny and prickly so pants and a long sleeve shirt can help protect skin from inevitable scrapes and cuts.
• Look low. To find the best berries you need to look all around. The best one’s often hide low to the ground or their shoots hide within other plants.
• Be prepared for mosquitoes. Enough said!

Uses for Blackberries

In addition to this delicious gluten free blackberry crisp, there are several other ways to put those abundant blackberries to use. Besides eating them as-is of course, some of our favorites include using them to top salads, in soaked and baked oatmeal, as a topping for yogurt or vanilla ice cream, or in a simple sauce served with sourdough pancakes or a gluten free dutch baby.

Preserving Blackberries

The traditional method of storing blackberries would be to dry them out. You could do this in the sun, dehydrator, or oven set to a minimal temperature.

Blackberries can also be canned into jams or sauces.

Our favorite preservation method is freezing blackberries. Simply put the freshly harvested berries straight into a ziplock bag and store in the freezer. Blackberries are nice because of their texture, they do not all clump together when frozen so they are easy to break apart when ready to thaw and use.

Gluten Free Blackberry Crisp – Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to sweeten the filling? 

This is totally up to you. We do add around ¼ cup of honey to our blackberry filling but if you are accustomed to food on the tarter side, you might prefer to omit the sweetener here all together. Honey can also be substituted with a sweetener of choice, but our preference is either honey or maple syrup for this.

Why arrowroot flour or tapioca starch? 

Arrowroot flour and tapioca starch are used as thickeners in this recipe and play an important role! If you leave this ingredient out you will be left with a much more soupy crisp. The thickener helps bind the liquids that are released as the berries cook and give it a nice thick, fruity texture. Either arrowroot flour or tapioca starch are our favorite gluten free thickeners but cornstarch can be substituted.

Where do you source your ingredients? 

We get most of the ingredients for this recipe at Costco. This includes the one degree sprouted gluten free rolled oats, almond flour, organic brown sugar, and coconut oil.

Can you use a different fruit? 

Absolutely! This is my go-to crisp topping for various fruits including mixed berries, apples, peaches, and we have even substituted ground cherries. The important thing to remember is that the filling needs fruit, a thickener, and a sweetener.

What substitutions can be made? 

While we have always made the recipe pretty much exactly as written, it is a somewhat flexible recipe. 

The filling for this gluten free blackberry crisp needs fruit, a thickener, and a sweetener.

For the topping, coconut sugar (or white in a pinch) could be substituted for brown sugar, butter for coconut oil, and extra butter or coconut oil instead of the yogurt if you don’t have it. I personally haven’t tried substituting for the almond flour but I’m sure it’s possible to play around there too!

Enough talking – on with the gluten free blackberry crisp recipe!

Gluten Free Blackberry Crisp

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Filling

4-5 cups fresh blackberries
¼ cup honey
2 Tbsp arrowroot flour or tapioca starch

Topping

1 cup gluten free oats
½ cup almond flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup coconut oil or butter (melted or soft)
¼ cup plain yogurt
A pinch of salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix filling ingredients in an 8×8 inch pan or pie plate.
• In a separate bowl mix oats, almond flour, brown sugar, and salt.
• Add coconut oil or butter and yogurt to the oat mixture and stir until everything is incorporated.
• Spoon dollops of topping onto your filling until filling is covered and all topping is used up.
• Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes until berries are bubbly and top is lightly browned.
• Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

No gluten free blackberry crisp is complete without being served with some vanilla ice cream. If you’ve never tried making your own, we highly recommend giving it a try!

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