A simple raspberry crisp made from scratch with fresh berries and a buttery oat topping is the best of the best summer dessert!
There’s something very special about a raspberry crisp. First of all, raspberries. They’re the queen of berries, I think we can all agree. And when you gather a whole bunch of them together and bake them up with a touch of sugar and a crisp buttery oat topping, it’s just about the richest fruit dessert I know of. The mere thought of all those raspberries bubbling underneath that crunchy crust is intoxicating even before you take that first bite.
ingredient list for raspberry crisp
- fresh raspberries
- where I buy my raspberries they come in 6 ounce clamshells. You’ll need 4 of them, or 24 ounces of berries.
- sugar
- flour
- salted butter
- oats
- vanilla bean paste or extract
- cornstarch
bulk crisp/crumble topping in the freezer is a blessing!
Raspberry crisp is an easy dessert, but guess what? You can make it even easier!
Follow my lead and make a big batch of the crisp topping for the freezer. Then all you need to do is scoop out what you need, top your fruit, and bake! Do it again tomorrow, and the next day. If you’ve got a handful of berries and want a quick dessert, top it and bake. Unexpected guests? You know what to do! Make ahead freezer crisp/crumble recipe here.
Crisp, Crumble, Cobbler, Buckle ~ what’s the dif?
Crisps, crumbles, cobblers, and buckles are all delicious desserts that feature fruit and a cake or crumb topping. While they share some similarities, there are distinct differences between them. Let’s explore each one:
- Crisp: fruit filling and a crispy topping that includes oats and sometimes nuts.
- Crumble: fruit filling and a crumbly topping (without oats).
- Cobbler: fruit filling topped with dollops of dough or biscuits.
- Buckle: cake-topped fruit with a slightly uneven surface as the cake batter bakes up around the fruit.
what to expect from your raspberry crisp
expect juice!
Raspberry crisp is juicy, and if it isn’t, you didn’t do it right. Yes we add some cornstarch to give a little body to the sauce, but basically you’re looking for a crimson river of deliciousness to flow when you dig in. Don’t fight it, slurp it. The juice is what makes this dessert memorable, and it can congeal with too much thickener.
expect a rich dessert
Ever since I made this crisp I’ve been trying to identify what makes raspberries so special. They have a richer, more aromatic and more complex flavor experience that sets them apart from other berries for sure. This helps to make raspberry crisp more intense than most fruit desserts. A little goes a long way! It’s helped by the addition of a little whipped cream or ice cream, which softens the intense raspberry-ness. It’s really wonderful, I hope you try it!
if you love raspberry crisp you’ll also love
- Cranberry Apple Crisp
- Cherry Crumble Pie
- Rhubarb Crumble Tart
- Pumpkin Spice Crisp
- Blood Orange Crumble Bars
- Cherry Almond Crisp Dump Cake
- Apple Crisp Muffins
Raspberry Crisp
Equipment
- 9 inch round or square 2 qt baking dish
Ingredients
- 24 ounces fresh raspberries*
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
crisp topping
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature
- 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Toss your rinsed and drained raspberries with the sugar and cornstarch to coat. Turn into your baking dish and spread out into an even layer.
- To make your crumble topping put the flour, sugar, oats, butter and vanilla into a food processor, or into a bowl if you want to do it by hand. For the processor pulse/process until the mixture is crumbly. If doing by hand, use your fingers to blend everything together until evenly crumbly.
- Top the raspberries with the crumble.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden.
- Let cool partially (or completely) before serving. The crisp can be served warm or at room temperature, with ice cream or whipped cream.
Favorite fruit crisp recipe at our house! It’s incredible! So easy, so delicious.
I made this twice now. Turns out perfect every time!!! I used frozen raspberries both times.