This Vegan Berry Crumble combines tart, lightly sweetened mixed berries with a crisp oatmeal topping. With just 5 minutes of prep work, this is one of the easiest vegan dessert recipes around! Perfect for holidays or any night of the week.
If you're a fan of easy desserts that taste delicious and require little prep work, then this Vegan Berry Crumble is for you! This dessert uses frozen berries and a simple, oil-free oatmeal crumble. Pop it in the oven to bake for 35 minutes, and that's it! Serve with a scoop of vegan ice cream, banana nice cream, or plant-based yogurt and you've got a crowd-pleasing vegan dessert that everyone will love!
Jump to:
- Can this be gluten-free?
- Can you make a crumble topping without butter?
- Is it a crumble or a crisp?
- What's the difference between a crumble and a cobbler?
- What sized baking dish should I use?
- Ingredients
- Substitutions
- Instructions
- How to serve
- Can I make it ahead?
- How to store
- More Vegan Dessert Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
You'll love this Vegan Berry Crumble recipe because it's:
- Super Quick & Easy
- Kid-friendly
- Vegan / Vegetarian
- Dair-free
- Easy to make Gluten-Free
- WFPB
- Lower in Calories and Fat than traditional crumbles
- Refined-Sugar Free
- Absolutely Delicious!
Can this be gluten-free?
Yes! To make this gluten-free just substitute the whole wheat flour with oat flour or almond flour.
Can you make a crumble topping without butter?
Fruit Crumbles or Crisps have long been one of my favorite desserts. But I always thought you needed butter to make the crumble topping. So you can imagine I was pretty stoked when I realized I could make this crumble topping without butter or oil! Not only can you do it, but it's actually much quicker and you won't miss the butter. The maple syrup acts as both a binder and a sweetener.
Is it a crumble or a crisp?
While both crisps and crumbles have a streusel topping, crisps originally contained oats and crumbles did not. However, these days the words crumble and crisp can be used interchangeably, so call it whatever you prefer!
What's the difference between a crumble and a cobbler?
Unlike crumble or crisp, a cobbler is something different and shouldn't be used interchangeably. A crumble has a crisp and crumbly streusel topping, while a cobbler is topped with a drop biscuit dough or pie crust.
Fun fact: In a cobbler, you drop the biscuit dough over the fruit, which gives the dessert the look of a cobbled road--hence the name!
What sized baking dish should I use?
I used a medium-sized, rectangular dish (roughly 11 x 7 inches or 28 x 18cm), however, a square 8 x 8-inch dish (20 x 20cm) would also work.
Ingredients
Fruit Compote
- 5 cups frozen mixed berries
- 2 Tbsp + 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Oat Crumble Topping
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Substitutions
- You can substitute any type of frozen berries for the mixed berries. Feel free to make this a Vegan Blackberry Crumble, Peach Crumble, Blueberry Crumble or Raspberry Crumble any combination you want!
- If you want to use apples, the directions are a little different so check out my Apple Crisp Recipe here.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F or 175C.
- Add the mixed berries, lemon juice, cornstarch (or arrowroot powder), and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup directly to a baking dish (This will save you the trouble of washing an extra bowl). Stir to combine and set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl add the flour, oats, cinnamon, salt. Mix to combine.
- Next, add the maple syrup and stir to combine. Be sure to incorporate all of the flour, scraping the bottom of the bowl if needed.
- It will seem a bit wet at first, but you should continue to mix until large clumps start to form. Use a spoon or your hands to break the larger clumps into smaller crumbles.
- Pour the crumbles over the top of the fruit in the baking dish, making sure to spread the crumbles evenly across the top.
- Place the berry crumble in the oven and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the fruit starts to bubble.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
How to serve
Serve the vegan berry crumble warm or cold with a scoop of vegan ice cream, banana nice cream, or coconut yogurt.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes! To make ahead you have two options:
- You can get everything for the berry crisp into the baking dish but wait to bake it. Just store it, covered, in the refrigerator until you are ready to pop it in the oven. (Let it sit out on the counter while the oven preheats so you're not putting a cold dish into a hot oven.)
- Alternatively, you can bake the berry crumble ahead of time, let it cool, and then store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve. Enjoy it cold or reheat it, covered, in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes on 350F/175C.
How to store
- Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to a month.
More Vegan Dessert Recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Berry Crumble
Equipment
Ingredients
Fruit Compote
- 5 cups frozen mixed berries
- 2 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Oat Crumble Topping
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F or 175C.
- Add the mixed berries, cornstarch, 2 tablespoon maple syrup, and lemon juice directly to the baking dish. Mix to combine. Set aside.
- In a different mixing bowl, add the oats, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Mix to combine.
- Add the maple syrup to the oat/flour mixture and combine, making sure to scrape all of the flour from the bottom of the bowl. Once combined, use a spoon or your hands to break the mixture into small clumps.
- Pour the oat crumble topping over the fruit mixture in the baking dish. Spread the oat crumble evenly over the top of the fruit.
- Place the crumble in the oven and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the topping is crisp and the fruit is starting to bubble.
- Let cool 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with a scoop of vegan ice cream or let cool completely to store for later.
Notes
- I used a medium-sized, rectangular dish (roughly 11 x 7 inches or 28 x 18cm), however, a square 8 x 8-inch dish (20 x 20cm) would also work.
Nutrition
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Dianne says
I've made this recipe so many times! I always loved fruit crisps but despaired of ever having one again when I quit using butter/oils. But this is great. And so easy to vary it with different types of frozen berries. I usually have it warm with a bit of soy milk poured over. Yum!
Thanks for all the great recipes you have. Your potato soup is another favourite, and a staple in cold weather.
Julianne Lynch says
Awesome! I'm so glad you love it! This is one of my favorites too!
Linda says
Hi, this looks delicious but I only have whole wheat flour(not white) or almond flour. Would either one of these work?
Linda
Julianne Lynch says
Thanks! Either of those should work.
Sharan says
We love this quick healthier fruit dessert. I use frozen mixed berries and old fashioned oats. I also use whole wheat pastry flour. Delish! Thank you!
Julianne Lynch says
I'm so glad you liked it!
Mary says
Absolutely delicious, easy, and beautiful! A perfect spring & summer dessert. It was a huge hit with my family.
Julianne Lynch says
Thanks so much!! I'm always glad to hear when my recipes please the whole family!!
Jennifer Griffin says
Confirming that you put the frozen berries in the oven...no defrosting required?
Julianne Lynch says
Yes! They will be fine. No defrosting needed.
Jane Martorana says
Can you use fresh berries?
Julianne Lynch says
Sure!
Melissa Affolter says
Should the dish be covered with aluminum foil when baking?
Julianne Lynch says
No, it's doesn't need to be. With my apple crisp recipe, I recommend it because it takes longer to cook. But for the berry crumble, the fruit cooks quickly and so it's not necessary.
Carol says
I was a little skeptical of making an oil free crisp but this recipe did not disappoint. I maybe could have cut the cooking time down a bit because I didn’t use frozen berries but it was so delicious and I added a high protein vegan yogurt on top for a delicious breakfast option. Thank you so much. My daughter who is a baker liked it and didn’t even notice it was oil free 🙃
Julianne Lynch says
Awesome! I'm so glad you liked it!
Nirmita says
Hi Julianne,
I have quick cooking oats. Would that be an okay substitute for the rolled oats?
Thank you.
Julianne Lynch says
You could use them. The texture will just be a little different.
Susan says
This is the 2nd time I am making this dessert. It is so delicious and easy to prepare. Perfect with vanilla ice cream or yogurt.
Julianne Lynch says
Great! I'm so glad you liked it.
Karen Young says
Great recipe - do you think using date syrup as a substitute would work. I love maple syrup - just looking to cut out some calories, thanks
Julianne Lynch says
Hi Karen! Yes, I think that would work. Let me know if you try it!
Susan slonaker says
Ok to use regular all purpose white flour?
Julianne Lynch says
That's fine!