When I applied for graduate chemistry programs, every school that accepted me also mailed me an invitation to an all-expenses-paid visitation weekend with the other prospective students. I’d hop on a plane, stay in a hotel, tour the campus, meet with various faculty pursuing interesting research, and finally head to a fancy wine-and-dine session at an upscale restaurant in town.
Although not quite as glamorous because I already knew almost everything about the department, I also attended the visitation weekend hosted by my undergraduate university. I mainly treated it as a point of comparison for the other schools, so I skipped the tours but still met everyone downtown for dinner to socialize with the other potential incoming students.
I was assigned a seat at a table with two of my professors, along with multiple twenty-somethings my age, where we tried to make pleasant conversation to the best of our abilities. That’s hard with a table full of introverts and complete strangers! Everyone breathed an unconscious sigh of relief when the food trickled in—finally, an easy distraction!
Towards the end of the evening, one of the well-known faculty members stood up to present the keynote talk right as the waiters slid plates of dessert in front of us. I wanted to make a good impression and pay attention… But I really love dessert! So I picked up my spoon and dug into the berry crumble à la mode.
The vanilla ice cream immediately melted into the warm streusel topping, settling into the cracks and surrounding each bite of fruit with rich cream. Honestly, I barely remember that presentation—something about radioactive markers, perhaps?—but from then on, I realized just how much I adore fruit crumbles!
So with my freezer full of berries, I decided to bake my own… With a little twist. This Clean Almond Berry Crumble, full of juicy summer flavors, contains NO refined flour or refined sugar! Entirely clean-eating, with gluten-free and vegan options too, this skinny dessert is certainly a sweet and healthy way to end any meal.
I started my easy crumble with frozen fruit. When it comes to berries, I’d much rather save the fresh for snacking and bake with frozen instead because frozen is cheaper and available all year round. For this particular crumble, I used Trader Joe’s Fancy Berry Medley, a combination of blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Toss those with a little almond extract (my favorite baking flavor!) and cornstarch to thicken their juices, and that’s all there is to it!
Now for the streusel… The thicker, the better in my opinion! It’s my favorite part, so I always save the bite with the most streusel for last. This particular topping is purely clean-eating and spiced with a hint of cinnamon—just enough to perfume your kitchen and fill the house with its warm smell.
To make things even easier, I used melted butter. Many crumble recipes call for cutting chilled butter into the oats, but that requires a lot more effort than simply stirring in a liquid. This method works just as well and saves a lot of time! Because of the melted butter and agave, this crumble topping is slightly wetter than your typical ones, so it may stick to your fingers a little more when you sprinkle it over the fruit.
To really help the fruit juices thicken, it’s important to chill the crumble after it cools to room temperature. If left on the counter, the juices stay liquidy. The dessert still tastes the same! The slices just won’t hold together as well when you scoop them out of the pan to serve.
With its sweet summer fruit and cinnamon crumb topping, this Clean Almond Berry Crumble tastes every bit as satisfying as the traditional ones made with an entire cup of butter. But with its minimal sugar and tons of fruit, this one is practically healthy enough to eat for breakfast!
So that’s exactly what I did.
This juicy berry crumble tastes exactly like summer! With a subtle hint of almond and plenty of cinnamon streusel topping, it’s the perfect dessert for any fruit lover. Cover and store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, mix together the oats, flour, and cinnamon. Add in the agave and butter, mixing until completely incorporated.
- In a medium bowl, toss together the frozen berries, cornstarch, and almond extract until thoroughly combined.
- Spread the berry mixture into the prepared pan, and evenly sprinkle the oat crumbs on top. Bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes, or until the berry juice is bubbling and the oat mixture turns crunchy. Cool completely to room temperature. For best results, let the crumble chill for at least 2 hours after coming to room temperature before serving to help the juices to thicken.
Notes: I prefer a triple berry medley with blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries.
Honey and maple syrup may be substituted for the agave.
If especially sensitive to nuts, substitute vanilla extract in place of the almond extract.
I wouldn’t have been able to pay attention to a speech on radioactive somethings even without the distraction of a crumble! I have the same love for crumbles – hot crumble plus cold ice cream is incredible. It is like the epitome of summer! Oat and fruit crumbles are the best. Pinning!
Thanks so much for the sweet comment and pin Mary Frances! It’s so true about crumbles and summer. Nothing beats them, especially with ice cream! Although I still love them with apples and cranberries during the winter too… Maybe I’m just a fruit-a-holic!
WOW, what a program to fly you out for a tour. SO awesome. This looks delicious and can EASILY be made vegan with a simple swap of coconut oil for the butter!! I WANT!!b
Thanks Brittany — I’ll gladly share! So true about the coconut oil. I actually used Earth Balance in them because I had eaten too many coconut-flavored things during the week, but I’m positive that’d be incredible! 🙂
Could you use almond flour as the flour and forgo the extract? Would the almond flour create the same consistency in the streusel?
The almond flour would create the same consistency, but since it doesn’t have quite the same sweet flavor as the extract, the taste may be a little different. I hope you enjoy the crumble Janet!
Am I reading that right, 6 cups of frozen berries? That’s a lot of berries!
Yes, 6 cups Natosha! I hope you enjoy the crumble! 🙂
Can I substitute almond flour for the whole wheat flour? Which do you think would be the best?
Yes, you can substitute almond flour Molly-Ann! They would both work equally well. I’m excited to hear what you think of the crumble!
The crumble was delicious!! I ended up going for the whole wheat flour, since it was my first time making this I thought I would stick to the recipe, although I had no agave so I used maple syrup and it was amazing! Great recipe!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the crumble Molly-Ann! 🙂
Hi Amy, I made the Berry Crumble last night and just want you to know it was the best Crumble we have had , all delicious and healthy was a treat for my hubby for Fathers Day here in Australia and his daughter Ali’s loved it , will be on our menu many times now and even for brekky ? Cheers from Down Under x
I’m so glad you loved the crumble, and that means so much to me that you think it’s the best you’ve ever had! Thank you for sharing that with me Kris! 🙂 I hope you and your family enjoyed your Father’s Day celebrations too!
I just made this for my family and it was fantastic! I used almond flour for the crumble and cherries for the fruit. It came out perfect and was a huge hit!
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it Lisa! that means a lot to me! 🙂