We love crumble in our house, and this gluten free apple and blackberry crumble with oats is one of the best. (Rhubarb crumble is tied for first place!) There's a healthy fruit layer of apple and ripe blackberries, with a crisp oat topping. What's not to love?
This delicious oaty gluten-free crumble is perfect to make when blackberries are in season. If you are lucky, you might be able to forage brambles for free. But if not, then you can use frozen blackberries too.
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Why you'll love gluten free apple and blackberry crumble with oats
Delicious. With the perfect combination of crunchy topping and soft fruity base, blackberry and apple crumble with oats is a satisfying, comforting dessert. It signals the start of cosy Autumn evenings. Crumble is a hit with adults and children alike, and noone will notice that this recipe is gluten free!
Healthy. Made with fresh fruits and wholegrains, gluten free crumble with oats is high in fibre, and vitamins B and C. Gluten free recipes can often be low in fibre, but that certainly doesn't have to be the case. (Read more about the health benefits of oats)
Low in sugar. There's very little sugar per serving of this healthy blackberry crumble. In addition, the fibre content will help to even out your blood sugar levels.
Gluten free apple and blackberry crumble recipe is also super easy to make, and uses only 5 everyday ingredients. It's an ideal dessert after a gluten free Sunday roast. And much easier than making a blackberry and apple pie!
Ingredients
Apples. I prefer to use cooking apples to make crumble. Cooking apples are much softer in texture once cooked than eating apples.
In the UK, Bramleys are generally available in most supermarkets, and it's unusual to see other varieties of cookers in the shops.
But if you are lucky enough to have your own apples, you may well have other varieties. We're got a tree with the most enormous cooking apples with red skins, which are a bit sweeter than Bramleys.
Blackberries. I pick as many blackberries as I can in late summer and early Autumn and pack them in the freezer. I think the wild brambles are nicer than the huge cultivated ones that you tend to get in the shops, but you really won't notice the difference when they are in the crumble.
There are good selections of frozen fruit in the supermarkets now, and you may well be able to pick up blackberries. You can make the crumble with frozen blackberries as they'll defrost as they are cooking.
You can also use frozen apples as well if you prefer.
(If you are picking your own blackberries, keep an eye out for elderberries too. You can pop them in the freezer and make this easy elderberry cordial.)
Gluten Free Oats. Although oats are naturally gluten free, it's important to buy oats that are certified gluten free to ensure that they have not become contaminated during processing.
Oats are a very healthy wholegrain, rich in vitamins, minerals and soluble fibre. (Read more about the health benefits of oats here.)
Butter. There's not a huge amount of butter in this gluten free crumble topping, but it does add a good flavour and helps it to crisp up. It'll be a little easier to make the mixture if the butter is not rock hard from the fridge, but I often forget to take it out, and it still mixes in fine;)
You could make a vegan gluten free apple and blackberry crumble with vegan dairy free butter if you prefer, but you do need a fat which is solid at room temperature.
Sugar. There are just 3 tablespoons of sugar in the recipe to sweeten the topping. You could use either castor or granulated, white or brown.
I find the fruit base is sweet enough without added sugar. But if your apples and blackberries are very tangy, you could add an extra spoonful of sugar or honey to the base as well if you prefer.
For a healthy sugar free blackberry crumble, use this no sugar crumble recipe.
How to make gluten free blackberry crumble
Prepare the gluten free crumble topping first, so that the apple doesn't discolour. Add the oats, butter and sugar to the bowl of a food processor, and blitz until mixed. The butter should be mixed in, but the oats should still retain plenty of texture.
Prepare the fruit. Peel the apples, and cut the flesh off the core. Then slice into chunks about 5mm thick so that the apple cooks evenly.
Tip the apple and blackberries into your baking dish and mix together.
Add the crumble topping and spread it out evenly over the fruit.
Bake at 180 degrees for 40 minutes until golden.
Expert tips
- You can prep apple and blackberry oat crumble in advance, and pop it in the oven to cook when you take out your dinner. You'll have a bubbling, delicious gluten free dessert to finish off your meal!
- If you like almonds, you can also add ground almonds to the topping. See this apple crumble with ground almonds for exact quantities.
- For a super quick no bake crumble, follow this stewed blackberry and apple recipe and add a quick no bake granola topping.
Serving and storage
You can serve this delicious gluten free blackberry and apple crumble hot, warm or cold. Try it with this easy homemade custard (GF).
The fruit crisp can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it. Store cooled crumble in a freezer-proof container for up to 3 months.
You could also make extra crumble topping and freeze that separately if you want.
Frequently asked questions
A classic crumble recipe is made with wheat flour which does contain gluten. Gluten free blackberry and apple crumble is made without wheat flour. It uses all oats. Oats are naturally gluten free, but you need to ensure that they have not become contaminated by gluten. Certified oats are processed and stored separately to make them coeliac friendly.
Yes, you can make a gluten free apple and blackberry crumble without a food processor. Make sure your butter is at room temperature, and then rub the butter into the oats by hand.
For this quantity of blackberry crumble, you'll need a baking dish approximately 20cm x 15cm. My dish in the pictures is oval, so it's a bit bigger than this. The apple will reduce down quite a lot as it cooks, so you can fill the dish quite full.
If you enjoy your crumble warm, you can easily reheat it in the oven. Pop it in a preheated oven at 170 degrees for 20 minutes. Cover with foil if it is starting to brown too much.
If you're looking for other healthy blackberry recipes you could also try this easy blackberry sauce (perfect for ice cream and pancakes!), or blackberry oatmeal muffins which are delicious for breakfast and snacking. You might also like this healthy apple and blackberry loaf cake.
More healthy crumble recipes for you to try
All of these delicious desserts can be made with a gluten free crumble topping with oats. A British fruit crumble is also known as a fruit crisp, and there's a crumble recipe for every season!
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Recipe
Gluten Free Apple and Blackberry Crumble
Ingredients
- 500 g cooking apples
- 150 g blackberries
- 150 g gluten free porridge oats
- 50 g butter
- 3 tablespoon sugar white, brown, castor or granulated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 degrees fan, 350 fahrenheit).
Crumble topping
- Add the oats, sugar and butter to the bowl of a food processor. Blitz until the butter is mixed in, but the oats still retain some of their texture.150 g gluten free porridge oats, 50 g butter, 3 tablespoon sugar
Apple and blackberries
- Peel the apples, and remove the flesh from the core. Slice into 5mm pieces. Add to the baking dish and mix in the blackberries.500 g cooking apples, 150 g blackberries
Assembly and baking
- Add the topping to the dish, and spread out to cover the fruit. (It doesn't matter if the odd blackberry is peeping through.) Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes. The topping should be golden, and the fruit tender.
Notes
- Cooking apples are ideal for crumble as they soften down to a lovely texture.
- You can use fresh or frozen blackberries. If you use frozen, there's no need to defrost.
- Check the tartness of the fruit mixture. If you think it's too tart, add a spoonful or two of extra sugar, or honey.
- If you don't have a food processor, rub the butter into the oats by hand. You'll find this much easier if the butter is at room temperature and relatively soft.
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
Jen says
One of my favorite crumbles. Used frozen blackberries - delish!