Easy Apple Blackberry Crisp with Buttery Oat Topping

There is something especially good about an apple crisp when you add a handful of blackberries to the mix.

This apple blackberry crisp is the perfect dessert for a summer table when blackberries are coming off the bushes as well as a chilly fall evening when the first apples of the season are filling the kitchen.

And fortunately, it’s so easy to throw together.

Why You’ll Love This Apple Blackberry Crisp

Classic apple crisp is hard to beat, but blackberries give it something extra.

Their natural tartness cuts through the sweetness of the apples and buttery topping, keeping the dessert from becoming overly sweet. The berries also create a beautiful deep purple-red sauce as they bake, which makes an otherwise simple apple dessert much more interesting. I love desserts with a bit of color, and that’s exactly what the blackberries give you.

The topping is loaded with old-fashioned rolled oats for plenty of texture, with buttery clusters that stay crisp against the soft fruit underneath.

It’s rustic, comforting, and simple enough for a weeknight dessert, but good enough to put on the table when you’re having guests.

What Kind of Apples Are Best for Apple Crisp?

Not every apple is created equal when it comes to baking.

For this apple blackberry crisp, I prefer apples that are naturally sweet and hold their shape well during baking. Fuji and Braeburn are both excellent choices, and Honeycrisp can work well too.

I wouldn’t use an apple that becomes very soft or grainy when baked, like a Red Delicious.. The apples should become tender enough to cut easily with a fork while still retaining enough structure to keep the filling from turning into applesauce.

Since the blackberries provide plenty of tartness, sweeter apples work particularly well here.

Why Add Blackberries to Apple Crisp?

Blackberries aren’t just a colorful addition.

They bring a completely different flavor profile to the dessert. Apples provide sweetness and mellow fruitiness, while blackberries contribute acidity, depth, and that distinctive berry flavor.

As the blackberries bake, their juices mingle with the apples and create a naturally thick, syrupy filling.

If you’re growing blackberries at home, this is also a wonderful way to use a larger harvest. Fresh blackberries work beautifully, but frozen berries work just as good.

If using frozen blackberries, thaw and drain them first so you don’t introduce unnecessary liquid into the filling. For some good tips on how to properly freeze blackberries for baking, see How to Freeze Produce for Baking.

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Apple Blackberry Filling

• 6 medium sweet baking apples
• 8 ounces fresh blackberries
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Oat Crisp Topping

• 1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• ½ cup chopped pecans, optional

Helpful Tools for This Recipe

• 9×13-inch baking dish – ideal for baking the crisp evenly.
• Pastry cutter – makes cutting cold butter into the topping quick and easy.
• Apple peeler and corer – useful when preparing a large batch of apples.

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How to Make Apple Blackberry Crisp

1. Prepare the apples

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Peel, core, and slice the apples into approximately ¼-inch slices.

Try to keep the slices relatively consistent in size. If some pieces are very thick while others are thin, they will cook at different rates.

2. Make the fruit filling

Place the sliced apples in a large bowl and add the brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt.

Toss until the apples are evenly coated.

Transfer the apples to a greased 9×13-inch baking dish and spread them into an even layer.

Scatter the blackberries over the apples.

Dot the top of the fruit with the 2 tablespoons of butter.

3. Make the oat topping

In a separate bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pecans if using.

Add the cold butter.

Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a mixture containing both small crumbs and larger clumps.

Don’t worry about making every piece uniform. Those larger pieces are what give the finished crisp its wonderfully craggy, crunchy topping.

4. Top the fruit

Scatter the oat mixture evenly over the apples and blackberries.

Try to cover most of the fruit, but don’t press the topping down. You want some space between the pieces so the heat can circulate and the topping can brown properly.

5. Bake

Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until the topping is deeply golden and the fruit is bubbling around the edges.

A fork should slide easily into the apples.

If the topping starts browning too quickly before the apples are tender, loosely cover the dish with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time.

6. Let it rest

This is the part that’s tempting to skip.

Don’t.

Let the crisp cool for 20–30 minutes before serving.

The fruit juices will continue to thicken as the crisp cools, giving you a luscious filling instead of a puddle of fruit juice at the bottom of the dish.

How to Serve Apple Blackberry Crisp

This crisp is best served warm while the topping is still wonderfully crisp.

Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and let it melt into the warm blackberry-apple filling.

For something a little lighter, serve it with freshly whipped cream.

You can also serve it at room temperature, particularly if you’re making it ahead for a gathering. It’ll still taste so good.

Can You Make Apple Blackberry Crisp Ahead of Time?

Yes.

You can assemble the crisp several hours before baking and keep it covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake it.

If the assembled crisp is cold from the refrigerator, you may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time.

For the best topping texture, I recommend baking it the same day you plan to serve it.

Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 4–5 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for convenience, or reheat the whole dish in the oven when you want to bring some of the crispness back to the topping.

Can You Use Frozen Blackberries?

Absolutely.

Frozen blackberries make this dessert possible long after fresh blackberry season has ended.

For the best results, thaw the berries first and drain away any excess liquid before adding them to the apples.

If you’re freezing your own summer blackberry harvest, this is a particularly good recipe to keep in your back pocket. A bag of frozen berries can turn an ordinary winter afternoon into something that tastes like August.

A Few Tips for the Best Apple Blackberry Crisp

Don’t slice the apples too thick. Approximately ¼-inch slices give the apples enough time to become tender without requiring the topping to overbake.

Use old-fashioned rolled oats. They provide much better texture than quick oats, which can become soft and disappear into the topping.

Don’t overwork the topping. You want a mixture of different-sized crumbs and clumps rather than a uniform paste.

Don’t skip the cornstarch. Blackberries release a surprising amount of juice as they bake. The cornstarch helps turn those juices into a thick, glossy sauce.

Give it time to cool. The filling thickens considerably as it rests.

Don’t be afraid of big topping clusters. Those crunchy, buttery pieces are one of the best parts of a fruit crisp.

Apple Blackberry Crisp

This apple blackberry crisp takes everything I love about a classic apple crisp and gives it a little more personality.

Sweet, tender apples mingle with tart blackberries underneath a buttery oat topping that’s crisp around the edges and packed with golden clusters.

It’s simple enough to make when you have a few apples and a container of berries that need using, but it has enough going on to deserve a place on the dessert table.

Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream, preferably while the ice cream is melting into all those blackberry juices.

Because really, that’s when this crisp is at its best.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you put blackberries in apple crisp?
Absolutely! Blackberries pair especially well with apples because their tart flavor balances the sweetness of the apples and buttery oat topping.

Why is my apple crisp watery?
Apples and blackberries release quite a bit of juice while baking. Cornstarch helps thicken those juices into a rich fruit sauce. Let the crisp cool for 20–30 minutes before serving so the filling has time to set.

Should apple crisp be covered when baking?
No, apple crisp is generally best baked uncovered so the oat topping can become golden and crisp. If the topping starts browning too quickly, loosely cover it with foil for the remainder of the baking time.

How do you store leftover apple blackberry crisp?
Cover and refrigerate leftover crisp for up to 4–5 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave or warm the whole dish in the oven to help restore some of the topping’s crisp texture.