Vegan Blueberry Crumble

This fresh vegan blueberry crumble recipe is as beautiful as it is delicious. A thick blueberry sauce is topped with oats-infused crumble topping. It’s an easy recipe that’s a real crowd favorite too!

Two plates full of blueberry crumble sit one in from t of the other.

Love crumbles? This vegan apple crisp is delicious!

I love how easy crumbles are to make. That’s why this easy blueberry crisp recipe is such a favorite. It’s sort of like a berry pie without rolling out a crust.

What Makes This Recipe Shine?

  • Lemon juice and zest is added to the filling to brighten the flavor and cut the sweetness
  • Flour is used as a thickener in the filling, making a rich filling with just the right amount of sauce
  • Melted vegan butter is added to the crumble topping to give it a buttery flavor and to give it the perfect texture that’s tender and yet crispy on the edges.
A glass bowl holds fresh blueberries.

What Blueberries are Best?

Look for blueberries that are plump and smooth-skinned. The color of the berries is an indicator of ripeness (not the size of the berries), so choose berries that are deep purple-blue. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries with this recipe. Frozen blueberries are great because they’re frozen at the peak of ripeness, and they hold their shape better while cooking.

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • Flour — You can use all-purpose, whole wheat pastry flour (different than whole wheat flour) or even gluten-free flour.
  • Brown sugar — Use light, dark, or homemade brown sugar.
  • Rolled oats — This is also referred to as old-fashioned oats.
  • Chia seeds — We’ll add a few chia seeds in the filling to help thicken the sauce. This is an optional ingredient, but recommended.
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Vegan butter — Use any storebought vegan butter or margarine, or make your own dairy-free butter.
  • Granulated sugar
  • Cornstarch
  • Lemon zest
  • Chia seeds — We want the sauce to be thick, and chia seeds are a great way of achieving that.
  • Frozen blueberries — This blueberry crisp is made with frozen blueberries, but you can use fresh. I love the convenience of frozen blueberries.
  • Lemon juice — Use freshly squeezed or bottled lemon juice.

How to Make Vegan Blueberry Crumble

I love the simplicity of a blueberry crumble. It’s a thick saucy blueberry mixture on the bottom with a crumble topping. Here’s how to make it:

  1. Make the crumble topping by stirring flour, oats, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter.
  2. Make the filling thickener by stirring the sugar, flour, cornstarch, lemon zest, and chia seeds in a bowl.
  3. Add blueberries to a large bowl and pour the thickener mixture over the top. Stir gently to combine.
  4. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Toss gently to combine.
  5. Spoon the blueberry filling into a 9×9-inch baking dish or casserole dish.
  6. Top with crumble topping.
  7. Bake for 50 minutes, until the sides are bubbly and the crumble is golden brown.
  8. Cool the crumble for 3 hours at room temperature after baking. This allows the filling to thicken properly.

Marly’s Tips

Use these expert tips to make this easy blueberry crumble so tasty and delicious every time:

  • Add ½ teaspoon of lemon extract to the filling to create a blueberry lemon crisp.
  • Make this into a gluten-free crumble by using gluten-free baking flour in place of the all-purpose flour.

What’s the difference between a crumble and a crisp?

Both a crumble and a crisp are used to describe a delicious fruity dessert with a streusel-like topping. A crumble has a denser, thicker crust on top. However, others have noted that crisps include oatmeal, whereas a crumble does not. Either way, clearly the lines have blurred between the crisp and the crumble, and today just about anything goes.

Looking down on a casserole dish full of blueberry crumble. A bite has been taken out, revealing, blueberry sauce at the bottom.

Serving a Crumble

Serve a blueberry crumble by spooning it into individual serving plates and top it with vegan ice cream or some coconut whipped cream. Then drizzle some of the blueberry sauce at the bottom of the pan over the top of the ice cream for a dramatic finish!

Two plates of blueberry crumble have ice cream on top and blueberry sauce drizzled on top. They are sitting on a kitchen towel.

Make-Ahead Tips

This quick blueberry crumble is a perfect make-ahead dessert recipe! Bake this the day before your event, then allow it to cool completely.

Next, cover and place the crumble in the fridge.

When you’re ready to serve? Sit it out at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. Then reheat in the oven at 350°F and cook the crumble for 15 minutes or so, until it’s thoroughly heated.

Storage Tips

Cover the crumble and refrigerate it for up to 5 days. You can freeze it as well. Follow the instructions to make the crumble, but do not bake it. Cover and wrap the unbaked crumble in a freezer-safe container. This will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. The day before you’re ready to serve, place it in the fridge to thaw out overnight. Then follow the steps above to bake it.

Best Blueberry Desserts

Sure, this vegan blueberry crumble is amazing. But if you love all the vegan blueberry desserts, you’ll want to try these vegan desserts and snacks, too:

Here are even more delicious blueberry desserts. Here you’ll find healthy, easy, and even indulgent desserts to tickle your taste buds!

Two plates full of blueberry crumble with ice cream on top. There are two spoons between them.

That’s it for this recipe for blueberry crumble!

Two plates full of blueberry crumble with ice cream on top. There are two spoons between them.

Vegan Blueberry Crisp

This blueberry crumble is a beautiful dessert that's also easy to make. Top each serving with vegan vanilla ice cream!
5 from 2 votes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Resting Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 9
Calories: 364kcal

Ingredients

Crumble Topping

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup  light or dark brown sugar
  • 1 ½ cups rolled oats
  • 1 teaspoon  ground cinnamon
  • 10 tablespoons vegan butter melted

Blueberry Filling

  • ½ cup  granulated sugar
  • cup  all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon  cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons  lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 5 ½ cups frozen blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon  lemon juice

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.

For the Crumble

  • In a bowl, stir together the flour, oats, sugar, and cinnamon. Pour melted butter over the to and stir to combine.

For the Blueberry Filling

  • In a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch, lemon zest, and chia seeds. Add blueberries to a large bowl. Pour flour mixture over the top. Stir to combine.
    Two hands hold a bowl of flour mixture, pouring it in with a bowl of frozen blueberries.
  • Sprinkle with lemon juice. Toss gently to combine.
    A bowl of blueberries has been coated with a flour mixture.
  • Spoon the blueberry filling mixture into a 9×9-inch baking dish or casserole dish. Top with crumble topping.
    A hand holds crumble mixture and is spreading it across blueberries in a casserole dish.
  • Place on a baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes until the sides are bubbly and the crumble is golden brown.
  • When done, remove it from the oven. Set it aside and allow it to cool for 3 hours at room temperature. This allows the filling to thicken properly.
    Hands hold a towel around a freshly baked batch of blueberry crumble.
  • If there any leftovers, cover and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Recommended Equipment

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Notes

Make this into a Gluten-Free Crumble by using a 1:1 gluten free baking flour like Bob’s Red Mill Baking Mix.
Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 106mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 616IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

A photo shows two blueberry desserts topped with ice cream and blueberry sauce. The text reads: Best Vegan Blueberry Crumble.

2 Responses to Vegan Blueberry Crumble

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyGinger Reply

    I couldn’t find the tip for making it gluten-free.

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      5 stars
      Thanks, Ginger! The gluten-free tips have been added. Hope you enjoy!

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