Apple and Blackberry Oat Crumble – Delicious hot or cold, this simple apple and blackberry oat crumble recipe only calls for 8 ingredients. This is the perfect last minute 'dump and bake' dessert to bring to a potluck!
What is a crumble?
A crumble is a baked topping typically created from flour, sugar and butter mixture, and often with warm spices like cinnamon or nutmeg. It is often sandier and softer in texture than a crisp, which is more crunchy. Also, a crumble is also more likely to have lumps rather than the crips which is more evenly spread out. The crumble topping is often placed on top of a mixture of fruit and sugar and baked in the oven to create a dessert (a crumble) which has a soft fruit layer with a drier crumble topping layer.
You can make a crumble using any kind of fruit as a base (usually berries, as they are soft when baked). In this recipe, I used granny smith apples and blackberries for a less homogeneous filling as well as oats in the topping for that extra texture.
What do you need to make this apple and blackberry oat crumble?
You only need these 8 main ingredients to make this delicious apple and blackberry oat crisp!
- Apples
- Blackberries (frozen or fresh)
- Rolled oats
- Flour
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon powder
- Baking powder
- Vegan butter
You also need the following equipment:
- A medium baking dish (I used an 11 inch oval baking dish, but an 8x8 pan or a large pie dish would also work.)
How do you make the best apple and blackberry oat crumble?
This apple and blackberry oat crisp is so easy to make! There are only 8 steps to this recipe:
- Peel the apples and cut them into cubes. Place them in a bowl with the blackberries.
- Prepare the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture for the fruit filling.
- Toss the apple cubes and blackberries in the cinnamon powder and brown sugar. Leave this to sit.
- Prepare the ingredients for the oat crumble topping. Break the butter chunks into a paste by pressing the spatula against the butter.
- Mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon powder and oats into the butter using a spatula.
- Work the oat crumble mixture with your hands until you can form small clumps.
- Place the fruit layer in a medium baking dish.
- Top the fruit layer with the oat layer, making sure the mixture is evenly distributed and no fruit pieces are visible. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes on 350F.
That's it! You can enjoy this dessert with some vegan vanilla ice cream, or even as a breakfast the next morning.
Tips and Tricks:
- Use the correct type of apples: Although you can technically use any kind of apples, I like to use Granny Smith applies because they hold their shape well after being baked for a long period of time. Plus, their tartness balances out the sweetness of this dessert.
- Make sure the apple cubes are of uniform size: Making the apple cubes are similar in size to the blackberries will help in striking a balance between soft and textured apples.
This apple and blackberry oat crumble is...
- Sweet and Tart
- A light and fruity dessert for a group meal.
- A perfect last-minute easy 'dump and bake' dessert to bring to a potluck!
- A great lazy breakfast if you have leftovers
Frequently asked questions
- How long can I store this apple and blackberry oat crumble? You should be able to store this in the fridge for a week. However, I recommend eating within 3 days for freshness.
- Can I make it gluten free? I have not tried this recipe with gluten free flour, but you may be able to make it by swapping out the regular all-purpose flour for the gluten free kind. Please let me know how it went if you try it!
If your question isn't answered here, be sure to check out the comments section below. You might find the answer to your question down there. Otherwise, please leave a comment on this post so I can get back to you ASAP!
As always, thanks for reading!
Best,

Apple and Blackberry Oat Crumble
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Apple and Blackberry Oat Crumble – Delicious hot or cold, this simple apple and blackberry crumble recipe only calls for 8 ingredients. This is the perfect last minute 'dump and bake' dessert to bring to a potluck!
Ingredients
For the fruit layer:
- 2 peeled and cubed apples (I used Granny Smith)
- 1 cup blackberries, frozen or fresh
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon powder
For the oat crumble topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) vegan butter, at room temperature and cut into small cubes
- ¾ cup of rolled oats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a large bowl, mix the cubed apples, blackberries, brown sugar and cinnamon powder in a bowl and leave to sit. Make sure the cinnamon is evenly distributed.
- In another large bowl, cream the vegan butter with a spatula. Make sure the butter spreads well and it is not too cold. If the butter is still hard, leave it to warm up to room temperature.
- Mix in the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon powder, salt and the oats into the bowl with the butter and roughly mix with a spatula, making sure the butter is scraped off the bottom of the bowl.
- Use your hands to evenly distribute the butter between all the dry ingredients. The final oat crumble mixture should be firm and able to hold shape when you shape with your hands, but still be able to crumble into smaller pieces when you drop it into the bowl.
- Place the fruit layer in the baking dish, making sure the fruit is evenly distributed.
- Top the fruit layer with the oat mixture and press down evenly across the surface to allow the fruit layer to be completely covered.
- Bake uncovered for 40 minutes.
- Serve on its own or with a scoop of vegan ice cream.
Notes
- I used an 11 inch oval baking dish for this recipe, but an 8 x 8 pan or a 9 inch pie dish would also work!
Keywords: dessert, crumble, apple, blackberry, soy-free, nut-free
Let me know what you think!