Name: Easy Mixed Berry Crisp (My Granny’s Recipe)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 cups fresh raspberries; 2 cups fresh blueberries; 2 cups fresh blackberries; zest and juice of 1 small fresh lemon; 1 Tbsp raw honey; 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup; 3 Tbsps arrowroot powder; 2 cups organic rolled oats; 1 cup chopped nuts of choice (I used raw almonds and walnuts); 5 Tbsps unrefined organic coconut oil (ghee, or grassfed butter, melted, plus more for greasing); 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup; 1 Tbsp raw honey; 2 tsps ground cinnamon; 1 tsp pure vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp fine sea salt; 13.5 oz can full fat coconut cream ( refrigerated overnight ); 1 tsp raw honey, pure maple syrup, or stevia to taste ((optional))

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mixed berry crisp with a granola oat crumble topping.

Enjoy this easy Mixed Berry Crisp Recipe made with fresh blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries that form a thick, gooey filling, and are topped with a crispy oat, granola-like topping.

Perfect for a holiday table, parties, celebrations, or a regular Tuesday weeknight, just-because. And if you love this crisp, try one of our other ones like strawberry rhubarb crisp in the spring.

triple berry crisp in a white baking dish with a crispy oat topping.

My Granny’s Berry Crisp
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Variations And Substitutions
How to make Mixed Berry Crisp
Rachel’s Tips For The Best Results
How To Serve Triple Berry Crisp
Storage And Reheat
Recipe FAQs
More Berry Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
More Recipes You’ll Love
Easy Mixed Berry Crisp (My Granny’s Recipe)
Storage, and Reheat

My Granny’s Berry Crisp

This delicious Berry Crisp is so lovely! There are some recipes that taste like home, and Granny’s Berry Crisp is one of them.

Whenever we visited my grandmother, she almost always had a beautiful fruit dessert bubbling away in the oven, filling the entire house with the sweetest, most comforting aroma. This simple berry crisp is inspired by the one she made for us again and again.

It was almost always some version of this exact crisp. Simple, all-natural ingredients, wholesome, with an extraordinarily delicious finished dessert.

Now growing up in the country we had access to many other types of berries that most grocery stores do not often carry; such as gooseberries, mulberries, currants, huckleberries, and lingonberries. If you have access to any of these berries throughout the summer, be sure to use them. They are all interchangeable and create their own special contribution to your dessert.

There are just a few ways I made this recipe different just because I wanted to stick to my CFC way of eating. I wanted to get away from using cornstarch so I tried arrowroot and it worked beautifully despite granny’s recipe which used cornstarch because Arrowroot wasn’t as accessible back then.

I made a whipped cream topping from coconut cream, it was delicious! You can certainly use fresh cow’s milk cream if you like! That’s what granny did – but she had fresh cream skimmed from the morning’s milk that needed to be used.

I really loved the enhanced flavor created by using both raw honey AND pure maple syrup, but feel free to simply use one or the other.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Here are a few more reasons you’re going to absolutely love this quick and easy crisp recipe:

10 Minutes of Easy Prep: It will only take you around 10 minutes to coat the fruit and mix the topping. Then all you have to do is sit back and relax while it bakes into a bright berry dessert you’re gonna love.

Great For Serving A Crowd: Did I mention this dessert is a huge crowd favorite? It’s always a hit at our end of the summer party!

Light And Crisp Flavors: Unlike other fruit desserts like crumbles and cobblers that can feel heavy due to their battery toppings, this berry crisp dessert is light, crisp, and tastes just like summer dessert should!

Gluten Free And Dairy Free: We used gluten free arrowroot powder and oats as well as coconut cream, instead of traditional dairy cream, in our berry crisp.

Looking for a fantastic dessert to make for the holidays? Then try our cranberry apple crisp, made with all the same clean, whole ingredients as our berry crisp.

Ingredients

These are the simple ingredients that make this Berry Crisp recipe perfect for a holiday table, party or celebration, or just an easy weeknight dessert.

Mixed Berries: Of course you need berries! We used three different kinds of fresh berries to get the triple berry flavor we wanted. Blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries were our choice. Feel free to also use frozen berries if you can’t find pints of fresh berries, or even other kinds of berries like gooseberries or huckleberries.

Honey and Maple Syrup: Instead of using brown sugar and refined sugar like most traditional crisp recipes, I really loved the enhanced flavor created by using both raw honey AND pure maple syrup as the natural sweetener in this dessert, but feel free to simply use one or the other.

Arrowroot Powder: Most traditional crisp dessert recipes use all purpose flour, but my granny always used cornstarch. I wanted to get away from using cornstarch, so I tried arrowroot and it worked beautifully.

Rolled Oats: The gluten free old-fashioned oats are mixed with coconut oil (or another fat), nuts, and honey or maple syrup, creating a deliciously crispy oat crumble topping right on top of the ooey, gooey berry layer underneath.

Nuts: The nuts not only add extra crunch to the topping, but also deepen the flavor as the nuts roast while cooking.

Oil: You can use coconut oil, ghee (here’s our homemade ghee recipe), or grassfed butter.

See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.

Variations And Substitutions

Swap The Berries: If you want, you could use strawberries, or get really creative and use berries you can’t find in the grocery store like gooseberries, mulberries, currants, huckleberries, and lingonberries. You could also completely sub out the berries for apples or peaches. Also, frozen mixed berries will work in this recipe as well.

Arrowroot Powder Substitution: You can also use cornstarch instead of arrowroot.

Vegan Option: Make this crisp completely vegan by using coconut oil as the fat and maple syrup as your natural sweetener.

How to make Mixed Berry Crisp

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees f.

raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries in a bowl to make triple berry crisp.

Step 1. Very lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish with a small amount of coconut oil, ghee, or grassfed butter.

Combine your filling ingredients in a large bowl, by first whisking the liquid ingredients and arrowroot together first; then gently folding in the berries and zest.

Gently toss until thoroughly combined to prevent pockets of powder. Set aside and let sit while you make the topping.

oat topping added over layer of berries to make mixed berry crisp recipe.

Step 2. Add all topping ingredients in a separate large mixing bowl and stir to combine everything well.

Transfer berry mixture to the bottom of your prepared 9×13 baking dish. Evenly distribute the topping mixture onto the berries.

Place your dish on a large rimmed sheet pan in case the berry juices bubble over.

baked mixed berry crisp with a granola oat crumble topping.

Step 5. Bake in your preheated 350 degree oven until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling around the edges, about 40–50 minutes.

Let your crisp cool for 15 minutes or so. The berry filling needs time to thicken and set.

Rachel’s Tips For The Best Results

For the most even filling, first whisk the lemon juice, honey, maple syrup, and arrowroot together in the mixing bowl until smooth. Then add the lemon zest and berries and fold gently. This is even more effective at preventing powdery pockets than sprinkling the arrowroot directly over the fruit.
Get all that delicious lemon juice out easily by using a hand juicer to help you.
Make zesting easier by using a handheld zester.

Looking for more berry filled desserts that are healthy? Then try our Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake made with cottage cheese for extra protein, or our 4th of July Berry Trifle Cake for an absolute crowd pleaser!

berry crisp in a bowl with coconut cream and a spoon.

How To Serve Triple Berry Crisp

I love to serve mixed berry crisp after letting it sit for about 15 minutes out of the oven. That allows the fruit mixture to thicken, but the crisp is still warm and the topping is nice and crispy. Add a dollop of coconut cream on top if you want, or you could add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top for an al la mode version.

How to Make a Quick Whipped Coconut Cream Topping:

1 can of full fat coconut cream, refrigerated overnight

1 tsp raw honey, pure maple syrup, or stevia to taste (optional)

Refrigerate the can overnight or at least 8 hours. Keep the can upright and do not shake it.
Scoop out the firm cream from the top of the refrigerated can of your coconut cream, place in a mixer. Save the remaining coconut watery liquid and use in a smoothie later.
Beat your coconut cream on medium high speed for about 2 minutes. You can add sweetener if you would like, I didn’t find it necessary, the coconut cream has a nice sweetness to it. Whip first, then add sweetener gradually so you can control the flavor and consistency.

Rachel’s tip: For even better results with your coconut whipped cream; place your mixing bowl itself in the freezer or fridge for a few minutes beforehand because the cold really lends itself to beautiful, whipped cream.

Storage And Reheat

Triple berry crisp will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The consistency of the topping may lose its crispness, but I promise it still tastes amazing!

To freeze, store the berry crisp in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

Reheat any leftovers in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds or in the oven on 325F for about 15 minutes if thawed, checking to make sure the topping does not burn.

To reheat from frozen, microwave in 10-15 second bursts until heated through or heat in the oven on 325F for about 25 minutes or until the center is hot. Be sure to check the topping and if it starts to get too brown, cover it with a piece of parchment paper.

a serving of mixed berry crisp in a bowl with a dollop of coconut cream on top.

Did you try this Berry Crisp recipe? If so, it would mean so much to me if you would comment and rate this recipe!

🩷Rachel

Recipe FAQs

What’s the difference between a berry crumble and a berry crisp?

A crumble typically has more of a batter-like topping made with flour where a crisp has a granola-like topping made with oats.

How do you keep a fruit crisp from being soggy?

If you find that your crisp is turning out soggy, it means you need to add more arrowroot powder or cornstarch to the fruit. The berries may have been extra ripe and juicy and just need a little extra help coming together. Also make sure you added enough fat to the topping since that’s what causes it to crisp up.

Can you make a fruit crisp ahead of time?

Absolutely! You can do it two ways. The first is to mix the berry mixture and the granola mixture, assemble the entire crisp, and then store it in the refrigerator or freezer until you’re ready to bake it. The second is to bake the entire thing, then keep it at room temperature until ready to serve. I recommend the second method only if you are planning to serve the crisp the same day.

Can you make berry crisp from frozen berries?

You can absolutely make berry crisp using frozen berries. This is a great way to make this delicious dessert when berries are not in season.

Is berry crisp healthy?

This triple berry crisp recipe is healthy because it is made with gluten free ingredients, natural sweeteners, and fresh berries for an all-natural dessert that is high in fiber and antioxidants.