This healthy blueberry crisp is vegan and gluten free! Made with oats, chia seeds, almonds, cinnamon and cardamom. It’s a refreshing dessert that can serve a crowd.
Let's start with a fun fact: July is national blueberry month! My mom and I went blueberry picking last week and got almost 10 pounds of blueberries for $7! The state of Michigan supplies 92 million pounds of blueberries each year. We are number 3 in the top 10 states of blueberry suppliers (Washington and Georgia have us beat). Crazy!
I love this lemon blueberry crisp for so many reasons. Can we talk about the smell of cardamom in the oven? It’s what heaven smells like and the cardamom combined with the cinnamon, almonds and oats is the perfect hearty combo. It’s too healthy to be a dessert!
Let’s talk blueberry crisp, shall we?
Cobbler vs. Crisp vs. Crumble
To preface, I didn’t know what the difference was. I actually thought this recipe was a cobbler before, but turns out it's a crisp! A cobbler has a more biscuit or pie like filling on top, whereas a crisp is traditionally made with nuts, oats, flour, butter, and sugar. A crumble has more of a streusel topping with flour, sugar and butter.
How to Make a Healthy Blueberry Crisp
What you will need:
- A food processor or blender
- 2 bowls
- 8x8 baking dish
First, you need to pulse the almonds and the oats together. This will create a nice hearty base for the crisp topping. I have not tried this using almond flour, but I’m not sure it will work. Almond flour is finer and super absorbent, whereas almond meal (ground almonds) has a more course texture that will hold up well with the oats.
Combine the remaining dry ingredients to the pulsed almonds and oats in a large bowl.
Can you use frozen blueberries in this blueberry crisp?
Yes, but thaw and drain before mixing with the other ingredients. Once you have the crisp topping finished, macerate some of the blueberries with the lemon zest, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Add the ingredients to the bottom of an 8x8 pan and crumble the crisp on top.
How long is it good for?
7-10 days in the refrigerator
Is this recipe gluten free?
This blueberry crisp recipe is gluten free if you use gluten free oats, which most are!
I love to serve this lemon blueberry crisp with some vanilla bean ice cream. It cuts down the acid from the lemon and blueberries. In order to keep it vegan friendly, substitute dairy free ice cream.
Have some leftover? Eat it at breakfast with some yogurt! It has 5 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein per serving!
PrintHealthy Lemon Blueberry Crisp {Gluten Free}
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 1x
Description
This healthy lemon blueberry crisp is gluten free and vegan. It serves a crowd and is always a favorite summertime dessert!
Ingredients
Crisp topping
- 1 ¼ cup oats, divided
- 1 ¼ cup almonds, divided
- ¼ tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
Blueberry layer
- 2 pints or 4 cups of blueberries
- ½ lemon, zested
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 and prepare an 8x8 baking dish, set aside.
- Using a food processor or blender, pulverize 1 cup of oats and 1 cup of almonds until finely ground and place in a large bowl.
- Add cinnamon, salt, cardamom and chia seeds to bowl with ground oats and almonds. Chop remaining ¼ cup of almonds with a knife and add to dry mixture. Stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients for the crisp topping - 1 tsp vanilla, maple syrup and coconut oil. Once mixed together, add to the large bowl with dry ingredients. Mix to combine and set aside.
- To make the blueberry layer, place the blueberries in a bowl with the cornstarch, lemon zest and maple syrup. Option to smash some blueberries lightly against the bowl using a spatula. Once mixed and the cornstarch is dispersed, add in remaining ingredients of salt and vanilla.
- Pour the blueberry mixture in the 8x8 pan and crumble the crisp topping evenly over top. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup of whole rolled oats on top and bake in oven for 25-28 minutes or until crisp turns light brown.
Notes
It's best served with ice cream!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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