Blueberry Crumble

Blueberry Crumble is the ultimate summer (or anytime) fruity dessert! It’s the perfect balance of flavors, textures; crunchy and jelly, sweet and tart. Sweetness and tartness level will vary based on the kind of blueberries used, but you just can’t go wrong with this deliciousness. Pair with a fresh batch of vanilla nice cream, for the ultimate crumble experience. The nice cream adds a vanilla ice cream and whipped cream-like texture, while keeping it dairy-free!

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Blueberries are my absolute favorite fruit. I eat them every single day (or nearly that). Usually I just enjoy them frozen topped with soymilk and a banana (it’s like a deconstructed smoothie) — it’s my favorite!  I joke all the time that I am probably 1/2 blueberry by now since you know, “you are what you eat”— and I eat a LOT of blueberries. When it’s berry season— I enjoy blueberries in all kinds of ways! Right out of the blueberry patch is one of my favorites. You get to taste so many different kinds of blueberries when you pick them— so many U-pick farms have several, if not dozens, of varieties of blueberries. It’s fun to try all kinds of varieties and enjoy the fresh berries!

 All fruit is amazing, but berries are some of the healthiest fruits you can eat since they are packed with antioxidants. Blueberries contain a phytonutrient, which has antioxidant properties, called anthocyanin –this is what gives blueberries their blue color. Blueberries have been shown to be beneficial for brain health, heart health , gut and artery health , and more! Check-out the berry videos on NutritionFacts.org to learn more! 

If you liked this recipe, be sure to also check-out my strawberry version.

A few notes before you get started:

BLUEBERRIES: You’ll need about 2-3 pounds of fresh blueberries for this recipe. I have not tried this recipe using frozen blueberries yet- feel free to give it a try, perhaps thaw them out a bit before baking. If I get a chance to make this with frozen berries, I will update the notes here.

BERRY BASE TEXTURE: For a more textured base, feel free to skip baking the berries first. My first test round of this, I did not bake the blueberries first and it left the berries much more whole in the base. It was really good, but reminded me more of like berries and granola than a true blueberry crumble. It could have very well been my blueberries too, but unlike strawberries- blueberries have a thicker skin around the juicy center. I have found cooking the berries first allows them to break down a bit before adding the crumble topping. 

DATE SUGAR: If you are unfamiliar with date sugar, it’s just pulverized dates- made into a sugar like consistency. It’s a nice way to sweeten recipe without adding a lot of extra liquid to the mix (like when making date paste). Date sugar can be purchased in some grocery stores, online, or even discounted stores like Home Goods and Marshalls (I bought one of mine there). No date sugar, no problem! See my note below. 

ALTERNATIVE DATE RECIPE: Instead of using date sugar, combine 1 cup of blueberries, ½ cup of chopped pitted dates, ¼ cup of water, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth. Add 4-5 cups of blueberries to an 8×8 glass dish. Pour on the blueberry-date paste. Stir together until berries are well coated. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the ground chia seeds evenly over the berries. Stir the chia seeds well. Then top with the crumble and bake.

GROUND CHIA: You can purchase ground chia in the stores or online, but I make mine at home! You can make it in a high-speed blender, or use a coffee grinder! I have a coffee grinder I use for herbs, spices, and chis seeds- and it’s a perfect way to make ground chia at home. I store the leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge, like my ground flaxseed. 

STORAGE: Store the crumble in the fridge for 3-4 days. The topping will lose some of its crisp texture over time, so feel free to rebake a bit as needed to crips it up again. If you transfer to a new container, try to avoid the crumble mixing too much with the berry base- that’s how it will get a bit more soggy too. I have frozen and reheated my crumbles and thought it tasted great- so that’s an option if you can’t finish it all within the first few days of making it. 

 

Blueberry Crumble

Kristina DeMuth, MPH, RD
Blueberry Crumble is the ultimate summer (or anytime) fruity dessert! It’s the perfect balance of flavors, textures; crunchy and jelly, sweet and tart. Sweetness and tartness level will vary based on the kind of blueberries used, but you just can’t go wrong with this deliciousness. 
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

Base

  • 4-6 cups fresh blueberries (about 2-3 pounds) 
  • ¼ cup date sugar (see note for whole dates)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup ground chia seeds

Topping

  • 1 cup rolled oats 
  • ½ cup pitted dates, chopped
  • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup raw walnuts
  • 1-2 tablespoons water

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350F. Wash the blueberries and add to an 8x8 glass dish. Bake the berries for 10 minutes. 
  • In a high speed blender combine the oats, dates, cinnamon, vanilla, and walnuts. Blend until fine. Add to a bowl and then stream in 1-2 tablespoons of water. Form small clumps with the dough.
  • Once the blueberries are done. Sprinkle on the date sugar, chia seeds, and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Top with the crumble. Bake for 30 minutes. 
  • Allow to cool and then serve warm or chilled. Enjoy! Serves 6-8 people.

Notes

Method for using whole dates:
In a high speed blender, combine 1 cup of blueberries, ½ cup of chopped pitted dates, ¼ cup of water, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Blend until smooth. 
Add 4-5 cups of blueberries to an 8×8 glass dish and top with the blueberry-date paste. Stir until well combined. Bake the berries for 10 minutes at 350F. 
Sprinkle the ground chia seeds evenly over the berries in the glass dish. Stir well. Then top with the crumble and bake for 30 minutes.