Juicy apples and sweet-tart blueberries combine with a buttery crumb topping to make this apple blueberry crisp a delicious and EASY dessert for any time of year!
Can I please tell you how much I miss summer produce? Even though we can get decent berries in AZ year-round, they’re never as good as they are in June and July.
And I just don’t love apples the way I love blackberries. . .So how do I bridge the gap between summer and fall? By incorporating some frozen blueberries into a super easy classic fall dessert: the apple crisp.
Let me tell you: apples and blueberries belong together and you’ll be making this gorgeous dessert all year long!
Why you’ll love this apple blueberry crisp:
- It’s so easy to make
- The ingredients are easy to find and you probably have most on hand right now
- It only takes about 15 minutes to throw together!
How to make a fruit crisp topping
This topping actually works for just about any fruit crisp you’d want to make—it’s buttery and lightly flavored with cinnamon, which pairs well with almost everything. I’ve used it with pears and it was delicious.
- Combine all of your topping ingredients (except butter!) in the bowl of a food processor
- Pulse 2 or 3 times to chop everything
- Sprinkle cold chunks of butter over that
- Pulse to combine, until it looks like that last picture above
Refrigerate your topping while you work on the filling to keep the butter cold; cold butter won’t melt as quickly in the oven so your topping will be more crumbly when the crisp is done baking.
Note: If you don’t have a food processor, no problem! You can substitute quick-cooking oats (they’re smaller than rolled) and chop your nuts finely, then just work the butter into the crisp with your fingers.
It takes a little longer without the food processor but it’s still delicious!
How to make apple blueberry crisp filling
- Combine sliced apples (peeled or unpeeled—your choice) with frozen blueberries and a few other ingredients
- Stir to combine
- Spread into a 9-inch square baking dish
- Sprinkle with the crumb topping
Then just bake for about half an hour, let it cool a bit, and you’re ready to serve.
I recommend serving your apple blueberry crisp warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Dessert heaven—nothing short!
But it also makes a delicious breakfast cold, right out of the fridge, sans ice cream (you know, since starting your day with a healthy breakfast is important. . .).
Should I peel the apples for my crisp?
That’s completely up to you. I peel mine because I prefer the texture of baked apples without the peel, but do your own thing.
I will say that the most time-consuming part of this blueberry apple crisp is peeling the apples so if you’re pressed for time just skip it. (Or recruit someone else to peel and slice the fruit while you work on the topping.)
How long will blueberry apple crisp last in the fridge?
You can store the crisp, loosely covered, for a couple of days in the fridge. I tried freezing it but didn’t love it out of the freezer; the topping lost something.
The filling still tasted delicious though!
What kind of apples to use for apple crisp?
I like Granny Smith or Braeburn (or a combination of the two), but any baking apple will work.
Other good apples for baking are Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Fuji, and Pink Lady.
You want an apple that’s nice and juicy and will hold its shape after being baked. You also want an apple that’s not overly sweet, since you’re adding a little sugar to the filling.
Apples like Golden Delicious and Gala are very sweet and more likely to turn mushy in a crisp or pie so they’re not the best choices. Red Delicious apples don’t have a lot of flavor (to me) so I never use them in baking.
A few more desserts you might enjoy
Apple Cheesecake
Pear Crisp
Chocolate Crazy Cake
Cinnamon Apple Pie
Did you make this super easy apple blueberry crisp? Awesome! Let me know what you think with a comment and a rating below. Then post a pic on Insta–tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see your delicious creations!
Apple blueberry crisp is a quick and easy dessert that's perfect for fall or any time of year!
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter
- 4 1/2 cups sliced peeled apples*
- 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
- 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Combine all the topping ingredients EXCEPT BUTTER in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to chop.
- Cut the butter into 12 small chunks and scatter over the other ingredients in the bowl. Pulse the mixture 10 to 15 times, until combined but still chunky.
- Refrigerate while you make the filling.
- (If you don’t have a food processor you can use quick cooking oats and chop your nuts finely by hand. Stir all the ingredients EXCEPT butter in a bowl, then use your fingers to cut in the cold butter until crumbly.)
- Preheat the oven 400 degrees. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Combine all the filling ingredients in a large bowl and stir until the fruit is evenly coated with the sugar.
- Spread the filling into an even layer in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the refrigerated topping.
- Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until the topping is browned and the juices are bubbling a bit around the edge of the dish. Cool at least 20 minutes, then serve.
- Store uneaten crisp loosely covered in the fridge for 2 days.
Recipe Video
- *You’ll need 3 or 4 apples to get 4 1/2 cups. I like Granny Smith and/or Braeburn apples for this recipe but any good baking apple is fine.
- I specify to peel the apples for this recipe but you don't have to unless you want to!
Joan says
I made this with apple crabs which are larger and sweeter crabapples. They were quite ripe and I just cored and quartered them, instead of slicing. The crabs were a bit crunchy, but better that than mushy. I didn’t increase the sugar as we had made applesauce out of the crabs and it was quite sweet! I added a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to the filling which gave it a little bit of a bite! I also added a tablespoon of cornstarch and the consistency was perfect. To top it all off, I sprinkled it with toasted sliced almonds! My guests loved it.
Kelsie says
The addition of balsamic sounds genius! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Barbara Koontz says
I always use tapioca to thicken a fruit dessert. Works wonders!
Claudine says
Too soupy. Needed a thickener like flour/gluten free flour.
Kelsie says
I’m sorry it wasn’t thick enough for you!
Diane says
Can I double this in a 9×13 dish?
Kelsie says
I think that would work but you’ll want to bake it a little longer; I’m not sure exactly how much so just keep an eye on it. The only thing is that the edges might brown a little more than you want before the middle is done (I’m not sure though!). If you start to see the edges browning too much you can tent some foil over the top of the pan in the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking.
Becky says
Hi why the frozen blueberries could I use fresh ones or would they not be as good? Sorry if my question seems redundant just wanted to make sure
Kelsie says
I prefer using frozen because fresh ones tend to break apart and turn to mush when you stir them with the apples. But if you can still find fresh berries and it doesn’t bother you that they might break apart, they’re find to use!
Jen B says
I set to bake this right now! I love that the topping is oat based and you call for real butter. I feel like I can trust you!! lol. And I’ll have to trust you because I’m worried there is no flour or cornstarch to thicken the blueberry apple filling. Seriously though, I can tell it’s going to taste great, even if it comes out runny
RK says
hi, this looks amazing. do you cover it in the oven?
Kelsie says
I don’t think it needs to be covered but if you’re worried about it browning too much, you could tent some foil over it in the last 10 minutes or so of baking. If you’re worried about it leaking into the oven without a cover, just put the baking dish on a large rimmed baking sheet to catch any juices that might boil over. Hope that helps!
annie@ciaochowbambina says
Perfect combination….not to mention – gorgeous! Give me all the autumn crisps!!
David @ Spiced says
No wonder you moved away from New York – the apples! If you aren’t a huge apple fan, you’re in trouble in upstate NY. We’re in the middle of apple season, and I think I have about ~40 pounds of honeycrisps sitting on my kitchen counter. Clearly I need to use some of them for this crisp. It sounds delicious, and it reminds me of one my grandma used to make when I was a kid!
Kelly | Foodtasia says
Kelsie, just when I thought apple crisp couldn’t get any better! Love the flavor and color the blueberries give!
Rosie says
This looks so delicious. I’m totally craving apples and blueberries now (ideally with that amazing looking crisp topping!)
Matt - Total Feasts says
I love a good apple crisp, and who doesn’t love blueberries. What a great idea to put them together!
Kelly @ Kelly Lynn’s Sweets and Treats says
This looks amazing!! Totally loving that you can use frozen blueberries so we can enjoy this dessert year round!!
Carlee says
I am here for all things apple and crisp. This looks absolutely scrumptious!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
This looks like a dessert that would fly right off the table at our house Kelsie! We all love crisps! Such a cozy dessert!
Kankana Saxena says
As much as I love stone fruits, am so ready for pears and apple and warm crip fresh out of the oven!
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
You know what’s funny? As I write this I have apple crisp in the oven, haha! That’s what most people do on a Thursday at 2 right?! Anyway the colour of this is just outstanding, and I MUST make it next. Gorgeous!
Milena says
Love this fall version of blueberry crisp, Kelsie! Never thought of combining apples and blueberries though and now I feel a little bit obsessed with the idea. I am going to have to make your recipe, I am thinking with Granny Smiths per your suggestion. When its ready a bit of brie cheese next to it..Mmm.
Kim Lange says
I’d love this for breakfast!! Do you deliver? 🥰Pinning! xo
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Summer fruit is definitely the best, but I love love love fall! This crisp has such a beautiful colour, Kelsie, and love the pairing of apple & blueberry. Such a lovely transitional recipe from summer to fall. Pinned 🙂 Have an awesome weekend ahead!