This apple and blueberry crumble has the sweet aroma of cinnamon with a crispy crumble topping that’s perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! With gluten-free and vegan options.

I based this crumble recipe on my Gluten-free Apple Crumble. It’s been a favorite for years, and I wanted to try it with regular flour instead of oat flour, and with some blueberries subbed in for a part of the apples.

We definitely prefer this version over the plain apple version, and hope you’ll give it a try!

Ingredients

Just basic crumble ingredients here! You likely have what you need.

For the topping

Flour – you can use regular all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, or for a gluten-free version, King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
I’ve made this recipe multiple times with both. The results taste like they were made with regular flour!
Rolled oats – you need to use rolled oats and not another type. More on that below!
Brown sugar or coconut sugar – brown sugar was used in the photos. The result is darker in color and also more crumbly if you use coconut sugar. I think it also tastes better with brown sugar, but it’s up to you. :)
Butter or coconut oil for a dairy-free/vegan version – I love the taste with butter! If using coconut oil, I recommend refined coconut oil so you don’t get any coconut flavor. You could also use vegan butter.
Ground cinnamon and salt

For the filling, other than what’s listed above, you’ll also need vanilla, lemon juice, blueberries and apples.

The full recipe is found at the bottom of the post.

Tips

You can make the crumble ahead of time. More on this below!
Be sure to measure ingredients correctly. If you have a digital scale, even better. Even though crumble toppings are easy to make, if you add too little butter or too much flour, it can turn out more like a dusty coating rather than a crumble.
Use fresh, crisp apples to get the best texture.

How to freeze

Freezing baked crumble

If you’d like to freeze the remaining baked crumble for later, it can be stored for up to 3 months. You can place it in freezer-safe tupperware boxes or wrap it in plastic wrap, although that’s a bit messy, and then place in a Ziploc.

Freezing unbaked crumble

If you prefer to freeze it unbaked for later use, prepare the crumble in a freezer-safe baking dish.

Wrap it up tightly, including the pan, and then place it in a large Ziploc. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Thawing

Are you certain that your dish can be transferred from the freezer to a hot oven without breaking? If not, then let it thaw before baking.

The day before baking, let it sit in the fridge overnight with some paper towels underneath it. If you forget, you can put it on the counter and let it thaw for a few hours.

If you’re confident that your pan can handle going from the freezer to the oven, then you don’t need to let it thaw. Just place it straight into the oven, but bake it for an extra few minutes.

Don’t have space in the freezer for a whole pan? You can freeze the fruit filling and topping separately in Ziplocs!

How to reheat

You can reheat the crumble in the microwave. It should only take a few seconds. Make sure you transfer it to a microwave-safe container.

Or pop it in the oven at 350°F (176 °C) for 15 minutes or until warmed through.

This crumble is also delicious at room temperature.

Crumble vs. crisp

Being from the south, I’ve always known cobblers were different from crisps and crumbles, but I didn’t know that there’s a difference between crisps and crumbles until I started this blog.

All three are fruity desserts that are relatively easy to prepare compared to pies.

Crumbles: Crumbles are baked fruit topped with a streusel topping that’s made up of oats, sugar, and fat.
Crisps: Crisps are like crumbles, but are oat-free, which makes the topping more crumbly, like a crumbled-up pie crust.
Cobblers: A cobbler is topped with biscuit dough or batter. So instead of having a full pie-like topping, the biscuits are dropped in individually. Then you get bubbles of filling bursting between the biscuits when it cooks. Sometimes batter is poured on top, like with this Frozen Peach Cobbler. And sometimes you spoon the batter over the top, and it spreads as it cooks, like in this Blueberry Cobbler.

What kind of oats should I use?

You need to use rolled oats. The topping gets soggy with quick oats, and steel-cut and instant oats wouldn’t work at all.

If you need to buy a bag just for this crumble and don’t know what else to do with it, you can also make these amazing treats:

This Easy Apple Crisp is another great option!

What kind of apples should I use?

Any apple you like to bake with will be fine. But if you are out to buy apples, here are some you can look for.

If you like sweet and tart, the Granny Smith apple is a popular baking apple. They will bring more contrast to the flavor, and they’re easy to find.

I like to mix and match Granny Smiths or Gravenstein apples with Honeycrisp apples because they complement each other well, blending nicely with the tartness of the Granny Smiths or Gravenstein apples.

If you like a sweeter crumble, Pink Lady or Jazz apples are perfect.

Fuji apples are super sweet and are good baking apples. It really comes down to what you prefer.

It’s best to go with what you have and like.

Can I use frozen blueberries?

Sure! This way, you can make blueberry apple crumbles all year round.

I don’t love using frozen blueberries in some recipes because the blueberries often get smushed and turn everything purple, but they’re great in crisps and crumbles!

Gluten-free/vegan versions

To make this crumble recipe gluten-free, you just need to use gluten-free flour and oats. If you’re wondering, Are Oats Gluten-free? The short answer is yes, but if you are highly sensitive to gluten, be sure to read the article, as it contains important information for you.

Like I said above, King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free 1-to-1 Baking Flour both work. The crumble doesn’t taste at all gluten-free!

If the same is true when using other brands of gluten-free flour, I can’t say. This Homemade Gluten-free Flour looks great and might work, but I haven’t tried it.

But whatever brand you use, it should be a 1:1 replacement for all-purpose flour.

To make it vegan, you just have to use coconut oil or vegan butter in place of the butter.

Toppings

I love vanilla ice cream on my crumbles, but you might also like:

Variations

This recipe is versatile, so if you have other fruit around the house, you can use it up by making a crumble.

You could use raspberries or fresh cranberries instead of blueberries, for example. Or try this Vegan Blackberry Crumble!

And you can definitely bake the crumble in individual ramekins for individual desserts for a festive event.

More in the mood for pie? Try this fantastic-looking Strawberry Pie!

Looking for something else?

I really love crisps and crumbles because they’re easy to make, full of fruit, and they always taste amazing! I have this Apple Cheesecake Crisp that has a layer of cheesecake. And if you happen to have peaches that need to be used up quickly, this Blueberry Peach Crumble is a great choice.

I hope you enjoy this apple and blueberry crumble! Don’t forget to snap some pics and tag #texanerin so I’ll be sure to see it! Thanks. :)

Categories:

Dairy-free, Desserts, Fruit Desserts, Gluten-free, Gluten-free Desserts, Gluten-free Vegan Desserts, Gluten-free Vegan Recipes, Picnic and BBQ Recipes, Seasonal Recipes, Special Diets, Summer Recipes, Vegan, Whole Grain,

5 from 10 votes

11 Comments

Tristin says:

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This was a great end of summer dessert, seriously loved that crumbly topping! Making again soon!

Amy Liu Dong says:

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I may say that this is a great combination, this apple and blueberry crumble looks absolutely delicious. Especially when added ice cream toppings! Loved it!

Linda says:

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I love crumbles! They’re so easy to make and so delicious with all that warm fruit. And, oh course, you’ve got to put ice cream on top. This one was a great way to celebrate the beginning of apple season.

Jessica says:

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Vanilla ice cream on the way! I’ve never thought of combining apples with the berry crumble, but definitely the best of both worlds ;) Thanks!

Veronika says:

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This is my new favorite crumble recipe! I loved the flavor combination and it was perfect with homemade ice cream ;)

Allyssa says:

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Thanks a lot for this amazing and super easy to make apple and blueberry crumble recipe! It’s really tasty and very flavorful! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!

Ann says:

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An apple and blueberry crumble sounds like a delicious mix! I love making these types of crumbles for the fall season!

Denise says:

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I am not much of a baker but I love dessert. I like that this is easier than making a pie and I’m off to make it right now!

Amanda says:

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This crumble is wonderful! I just loved the apples and blueberries together, and the cinnamon gave it just the right spice kick.

Heidy says:

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This recipe for Apple and Blueberry Crumble was fantastic. It had such a great flavor! I made it for an office party, and the whole staff loved it.

Hayley Dhanecha says:

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This apple ans blueberry crumble looks amazing ! My friends are visiting me this coming weekend, can’t wait to make this for them.