Blueberry Crumble

One of the best ways to take advantage of the summer is using sweet, jammy blueberries all season long. There’s so much you can do with this summer fruit, but one of my tried-and-true favorites will always be the classic blueberry crumble. This jammy, bubbling delight is bursting with sweet fruit, paired with a buttery crumble topping I can’t get enough of. Serve it at a backyard BBQ, Fourth of July celebrations, or showcased as part of a summer dessert bar with all the rest of your faves. Never made a crumble before? No sweat—it truly couldn’t be easier. Read on for everything you need to know:

How To Make A Blueberry Crumble

INGREDIENTS

• Blueberries: This blueberry crumble is made for blueberry season. Fresh blueberries are so flavorful and really make this baked dessert pop, but if you are making it out of season, or just otherwise can’t get your hands on the fresh fruit, frozen blueberries can be substituted in a pinch.
• Lemon Juice: Lemon juice helps bring out the brightness of the blueberries. The tartness and acidity of the lemon juice enhances the natural sweetness of the berries and helps them to really shine here.
• All-Purpose Flour: I’m using AP flour here both to thicken the blueberry filling and to create the crumble crust. It helps to create a golden brown crust and a bubbly, syrupy filling.
• Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar helps pull double duty here. It both adds sweetness and helps to break down the blueberries and pull out some of their moisture, creating the syrupy mixture that forms the base of the filling.
• Light Brown Sugar: I’m using light brown sugar in the filling and the topping. The molasses flavor goes really well with the warm, golden brown topping and the sweet blueberry filling.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: The light, floral notes of vanilla add a layer of depth and warmth to this perfect summer recipe. Vanilla compliments the sweetness of the baked blueberries and makes the crumble that much more comforting.
• Ground Cinnamon: Cinnamon brings a little bit of warmth and depth to this baked fruit dessert. Warming spices always go well with sweet, fruity desserts, and this is no exception.
• Kosher Salt: All baked goods should get a little bit of salt. This won’t make the crumble salty, but will help bring out all of the other flavors already present.
• Lemon Zest: The oils in the lemon zest bring in some more citrus flavor and aroma and help really make the crumble pop.
• Baking Powder: Since there isn’t hardly any acid present in the crumble topping, baking soda is the best option for making sure the crumble crust isn’t too dense.
• Butter: The fat and moisture in the butter help the crumble topping to come together and bake into a nice golden brown crust. Unsalted butter is always my go-to in baking projects.
• Sliced Almonds: The almonds bring a nice nutty flavor to the topping that compliments the blueberry filling really nicely. They also bring a nice texture to the topping and a bit of aroma as well; however, if you don’t like almonds or are allergic, feel free to swap them for another nut like walnuts or pecans, seeds, or take them out altogether.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare your cooking space by preheating your oven to 375°. Then, in a large bowl, make the filling by mixing together the blueberries, lemon juice, flour, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Transfer the mixture into a baking dish or pie dish.

Then, in a medium bowl, start the crumble by whisking together flour, brown sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt. Use your fingers to work the cubes of butter into the flour mixture, flattening the pieces out and working together until the mixture is crumbly. Then stir in the sliced almonds until evenly distributed and sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the blueberry mixture.

Place the baking or pie dish onto a rimmed baking sheet and then into the heated oven to bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and crisp and the berry mixture is bubbling. Remove the crumble from the oven and set aside to cool for 30 minutes before serving with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

What's The Difference Between A Cobbler, A Crisp & A Crumble?

While cobblers, crisps, and crumbles are all baked fruit desserts, they have a few differences. A cobbler is topped with pillowy biscuits, which are dropped on top of the fruit filling (check out our blueberry cobbler if that’s more your speed). Crisps and crumbles both have toppings similar to streusel, but crisps usually contain oats, while crumbles do not. Craving an oat-y topping? Our blueberry crisp will scratch that itch.

What's In A Crumble Topping?

This crumble topping features almonds and just enough flour to bind the topping into perfectly crunchy clusters. Of course, there's plenty of butter in there too to turn our topping into a rich, golden-brown delight. Scented with lemon zest, cinnamon, and pure vanilla extract, this crumble is sophisticated enough to serve for a dinner party, but classic enough to be a crowd-pleaser.

Recipe Tips

• Making it out of season? No problem! Frozen berries work in place of fresh ones. No need to defrost—just proceed as written. Use blueberries, or swap them out for your favorite in-season fruit (hint: our peach crumble and apple crumble are great places to start).
• Swap the almonds if you’re nut-free. If you have a nut allergy, swap in an equal amount of toasted seeds instead (may we suggest pepitas or sunflower?), or simply skip them altogether.

Storage

Any leftover crumble can be stored for 2 to 3 days covered at room temperature or stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 or 5 days. If you make the crumble ahead of time and store it in the fridge, just be sure to remove it from the fridge a few minutes before reheating to allow it to come down closer to room temperature before placing the cold dish in the oven.