Gluten-Free Blueberry Crisp

By Kath Dedon

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Blueberry Crisp was the dessert Laura requested for her birthday. It’s a quick and easy recipe to make and delicious plain or with a bit of ice cream.

I combined some of the ingredients and methods from two other recipes, Blueberry Pie and Peach Crisp. The blueberry filling was adapted from the out-of-print 1981 Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. The crisp is an adaptation of Mark Bittman’s recipe in How to Cook Everything The Basics.

This time I used pecans in the crisp and I chopped them as the original recipe suggested. I would definitely chop them if you’re mixing the crisp mixture by hand. I, however, used my food processor and the chopped nuts were chopped up a bit too much. Next time I would add the nuts whole to the food processor.

If you love blueberries, I definitely recommend this Blueberry Crisp! It’s quick to put together and easy (much easier than a blueberry pie) and it makes a festive dessert that serves 6 – 8 people.

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Blueberry Crisp

(Adapted from recipes in the 1981 Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book and Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything The Basics)

(print the recipe)

Serves 6 – 8

I like to use my food processor to make the crisp but you can definitely do it by hand. Just chop the nuts, if you use them, into pieces that seem to be the right size. Then put all of the ingredients in a bowl and mash it together with your fingers until they are pretty well combined.

If you don’t need to make it gluten-free, just substitute all-purpose flour for the tapioca flour and the gluten-free flour blend for the crisp. 

The blueberry filling

About 6 cups blueberries, picked over to remove any stems, rinsed and well-drained (4 – 5 half pints or 1½ – 1¾ pounds)

½ cup sugar (I used maple sugar.)

1/3 cup tapioca flour

Zest of 1 lemon

Crisp topping

5 tablespoons cold butter, plus more for greasing the pan.

½ cup packed brown sugar (I used maple sugar.)

½ cup gluten-free rolled oats (not instant oats)

½ cup of your favorite gluten-free flour blend (I like this one)

¼ cup nuts, optional (I used pecans. Chop them if you’re mixing by hand.)

Pinch of salt

Vanilla ice cream for serving, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Put a rimmed baking sheet in the oven to catch any drips that might occur.

2. Use a bit of butter to grease an 8×8 square baking pan or a 9-inch pie plate.

3. Cut the 5 tablespoons of butter for the crisp topping into small pieces and put them in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes while you prepare the blueberries.

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4. Toss the blueberry filling ingredients (the blueberries, ½ cup sugar, tapioca flour, and lemon zest) together and put them in the prepared pan.

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5. Put the topping ingredients in a food processor. Pulse a few times until everything is mixed but still has some texture.

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6. Sprinkle the topping over the blueberries. Put the crisp on the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until the blueberries are bubbling and the top is browned a bit.

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7. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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