Blueberry Crumble
This blueberry crumble bakes fresh blueberries under a buttery brown sugar streusel until the filling turns thick and jammy. It's everything you love about blueberry pie, with a lot less work.
Why crumble beats pie
I learned to make blueberry crumble in my early restaurant days, and I've been refining the streusel ever since. Without a bottom crust, the fruit is the main event, so the blueberry flavor comes through brighter than it does in a pie.
It comes together faster, too. There's no dough to make, chill, or roll out. You toss the berries with sugar and cornstarch, work together the topping, and bake. The streusel is the fun part: cold butter worked by hand into brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon, with no oats. It only takes a few minutes. And when only pie will do, make Jackie's mom's Brandy-Soaked Cherry Pie.
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What goes into it
- Fresh blueberries: the star of the filling. They're tossed with sugar and cornstarch before they go into the dish.
- Cornstarch: thickens the berry juices as they bake, so the filling sets instead of running.
- Brown sugar: pack it loosely when you measure. It gives the streusel a deeper, caramel-like sweetness than white sugar alone.
- Cold unsalted butter: cut into ⅛-inch pieces first, so it breaks up into crumbs as you work it in instead of melting into a paste.
- Cinnamon and vanilla: these add warmth to the streusel and make it taste like more than flour and sugar.
👉 See the recipe card below for exact quantities.
🔪 Top tip
Let the crumble rest for 10 minutes before serving. The filling is still loose straight out of the oven. Those few minutes give it time to thicken, so every scoop holds together under the streusel.
How to make blueberry crumble
- Start the filling. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss the blueberries with the sugar and cornstarch until they're evenly coated, then pour them into an 8-inch deep pie dish.
- Make the streusel. Combine the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and vanilla, then add the cold butter pieces. Work everything together with your hands or a large fork, breaking up the butter as you go, until the mixture is crumbly.
- Top and bake. Spread the streusel evenly over the berries and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the blueberries are bubbling and the topping is browned.
- Rest and serve. Give it 10 minutes to set, then spoon it into bowls and top with whipped cream, if you like.
Storage and make ahead
- Make ahead: you can prep it ahead, but I recommend baking it fresh.
- Store: refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: not recommended.
- Reheat: warm individual portions in the microwave until heated through.
faq
Blueberry crumble is a baked fruit dessert made with blueberries tossed in sugar and cornstarch, then covered with a crumbly streusel topping. It has no bottom crust, so it's quicker to make than pie.
They're all baked fruit desserts with different toppings. A crumble has a streusel topping of flour, sugar, and butter. A crisp usually adds oats to that topping. A cobbler is topped with biscuit dough or batter.
No. The streusel is made with brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, and cold butter, with no oats.
Yes. Other berries like raspberries and blackberries can be used in place of the blueberries. For stone fruit, try our Peach Crumble.
Yes. Thaw them before you start.
Serve it with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but it's just as good on its own.
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Blueberry Crumble recipe
This blueberry crumble recipe pairs fresh blueberries with a cinnamon and vanilla streusel, with no oats. There's no crust to roll out: just toss, top, and bake.
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 8 portions 1x
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 pints fresh blueberries
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Crumble toppping
- 1 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ⅛-inch pieces
For serving
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream(optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Wash the blueberries and place them in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and cornstarch and stir to combine.
- Pour the blueberry mixture into an 8-inch deep pie dish or similar oven-safe baking dish.
- In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and vanilla. Add the butter pieces.
- Using your hands or a large fork, work the butter into the dry ingredients, breaking it up as you go, until the mixture is crumbly.
- Spread the crumble topping evenly over the blueberries.
- Bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until blueberries are bubbling and the topping is browned.
- Let the crumble rest for 10 minutes before serving so the filling can set.
- Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
- Swap the berries: other berries like raspberries and blackberries can be used in place of the blueberries.
- Frozen blueberries: thaw them before using.
- Let it rest: give it 10 minutes after baking so the filling can set.
- Storage: refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat portions in the microwave.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- rest time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: dessert
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ c
- Calories: 327
- Sugar: 44.2 g
- Sodium: 10.7 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 61.8 g
- Protein: 2.3 g
- Cholesterol: 22.9 mg
