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This Paleo Berry Crisp is the perfect way to use up any summer berries you happen to have on hand. It’s naturally sweetened with maple syrup, and is topped with a crispy, grain-free topping that takes just minutes to assemble. It couldn’t be easier!
Why You’ll Love It
- It’s naturally gluten-free. Because this recipe doesn’t use flour or oats, it’s perfect for those with Celiac disease, or those following a gluten-free or Paleo diet.
- It’s festive. This is the perfect dessert for a patriotic holiday, like Fourth of July or Memorial Day. I love mixing red berries, like strawberries or raspberries, with blueberries and some coconut whipped cream or cashew ice cream for a “red, white, and blue” look!
- It’s easy. I’ve recently modified this recipe to make it as easy as possible. Just add the fruit filling to the pan, blitz together the crumble topping, and bake it all together for a hands-off dessert.
- It’s not too sweet. The filling isn’t too sweet, since berries are naturally sweet on their own. If you decide to only use raspberries in this filling, instead of strawberries or blueberries, you might want to add a couple more tablespoons of maple syrup, to counteract their tart flavor.
- It’s easy to customize. If you don’t want to add any sweetener to the filling, you don’t have to! If you want to use a different type of nut, you can certainly do that, too. Feel free to use what you have on hand.
I tend to use shredded, unsweetened coconut in my grain-free recipes, like grain-free granola, because it helps add a certain “crispiness” that you don’t always get with nuts alone. But, if you prefer to make this recipe without coconut, you can swap it for almond flour or more ground nuts of your choice.
If you don’t need a grain-free recipe, you can use oats instead, too.
How to Make It
Here’s how to make the perfect Paleo Berry Crisp:
- Make the fruit filling. Stir together the fresh fruit, arrowroot (which helps thicken their juices), maple syrup, and vanilla. You can do this directly in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, so you don’t have extra dishes to do later.
- Make the crumble topping. Add the pecans to a food processor, and briefly pulse them to make a course flour. As an alternative, you can use almond flour here and skip the food processor entirely. Add in the coconut, maple syrup, oil, and salt, and process again briefly, until the mixture looks uniform, but not totally pureed.
- Bake. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the berries, then bake uncovered until the topping looks lightly golden, about 40 minutes at 350ºF.
- Enjoy! Let the berry crisp cool for at least 10 minutes, then serve warm with your favorite toppings. I like to add extra sliced fruit on top, to make it look extra pretty.
Wondering how long can you store it? This fruit crisp will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It does lose some of its “crispness” in the fridge, so you’d need to warm it up in the oven again if you want to bring it back to life.
I tend to just eat it cold as a fast breakfast, with some yogurt for creaminess.
Variations
Need to use different ingredients? Be sure to try my other fruit crisp recipes below.
- Strawberry Ruhbarb Crisp. This recipe is nut-free! It calls for oat flour and rolled oats, which keeps it gluten-free when you buy certified gluten-free ingredients. Feel free to use any other fruit you happen to have on hand with this recipe.
- Almond Flour Blueberry Crisp. This recipe uses almond flour to make a buttery crisp topping, and you don’t have to use a food processor at all.
- Cranberry Crumble Bars. Prefer to make bars? Try this easy recipe, which uses homemade cranberry sauce as the filling. You can swap the cranberries for any other fruit you like, or try Chia Seed Jam as an alternative.
Ingredients
Filling:
- 2 pounds fresh berries , sliced if using strawberries
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch (18 grams; or corn/tapioca starch)
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup (60 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 grams)
Crumb topping:
- 1 1/2 cups raw pecan halves (177 grams)
- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (47 grams)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (40 grams)
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil (13 grams)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (2 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, add the berries, arrowroot, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir well to coat the berries evenly.
- To prepare the crumble, add the pecans to a food processor fitted with an S-blade, and process briefly, until they have a coarse, crumbly texture. Add in the coconut, maple syrup, oil, and salt, and process again, just until the mixture looks uniform. Be careful not to overblend, as you don't the mixture to become too greasy.
- Sprinkle the crumble topping over the berries, then bake at 350ºF until the topping looks lightly golden and the fruit is tender, about 40 minutes. Let it cool for 10 minutes, then serve warm with your favorite toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Paleo Berry Crisp, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you have any other requests for future recipes, I’d love to hear about those, too!
Reader Feedback: Would you like to see a dessert made with a different kind of flour next? Let me know what type of flour you keep in your kitchen!
This recipe is so simple and so delicious!! I used whatever frozen berries and/or cherries I have on hand and it always turns out spectacularly. In fact, I just put a half recipe in the oven. Can’t wait to have some!
This is my go-to recipe when I need a quick easy dessert option for ANY occasion and I have made it countless times! It is always a hit and is so versatile with almost any fruit I have on hand. The only ingredient I sometimes replace is the coconut oil with real butter, simply because the taste of the real butter makes almost everything better! It does make it not paleo, but doesn’t change much else, and my friends and family always ask for the recipe!
Would frozen ( fresh harvested)peaches work for cobbler?
Megan if we did this recipe in the instant pot, what would be the directions?
I love berry crisps at any time of year, though they certainly are a natural right now at the height of berry season. That is a clever way to make the topping with very little added fat or sugar.
I made this using apples and frozen raspberries and switched the pecans for walnuts and it can out fantastically!
I made this last Saturday night for dessert and my husband and picky daughter loved it so much. Thank you for sharing your wonderful healthy recipes. I am picking up a copy of your book Everyday Detox today at Barnes and Noble. Blessings!!!