Last weekend, my parents generously offered to drive up and help me start packing, so on Sunday morning, I ran around the house with a yellow legal pad and pen, scribbling down what could be packed that day and what needed to wait until the following weekend. (Pots! Pans! Photography equipment!)
When they knocked on the door, I invited them inside, still in my PJs. They unloaded Home Depot’s entire inventory of cardboard boxes, packaging tape, and Rubbermaid containers before scanning my list. As Mom started taping up the bottoms of boxes and Dad opened the first closet, I asked what I could do to help.
Mom replied, “Go shower and work on your blog. We got this.”
I know almost every says this, but… I definitely have the BEST parents in the entire world!
Six hours and 31 boxes later, half of the house had disappeared into various closets and corners. After lots of hugs good-bye, my parents hopped back into their car to head home as my dog and I waved from the front porch.
During the next few days, I worked on packing up food: sacks of flour, bags of sugar, a million canisters of sprinkles… (Baking bloggers’ pantries practically look like episodes of Hoarders.) Once I boxed up most of the nonperishables, I turned to the freezer.
Holy cow…
How many cartons of ice cream did I own?? Vanilla bean, caramel swirl, moose tracks, pumpkin pie… And that’s not even counting my guy’s sorbets. (He’s lactose intolerant, so lucky me—I never have to share!)
Then I spotted the frozen fruit. Multiple bags of mixed berries, whole strawberries, mangoes, and blueberries stared back at me, reminders of all of the recipes I meant to try but hadn’t quite crossed off my baking list just yet. With our moving clock rapidly ticking, I decided to change that and immediately set to work baking a dessert that has been rattling around in my mind for seven months.
Blueberry Mango Crumble! A summery combination of sweet fruits with a seriously addictive spice oat topping, this easy dessert came together in mere minutes. Created with only wholesome, clean-eating ingredients, nobody needs to know this comfort food treat is actually low fat, low calorie, and vegan too!
If I was cleaning out my freezer to bake this dessert, then you’ve probably already guessed that it starts with frozen fruit mixed with cornstarch to thicken the juices as the crumble bakes. If your frozen fruit lacks sweetness, add in a touch of your favorite sweetener—or just top your slice with vanilla ice cream! That’s always the best summer dessert in my book.
Note: You could probably substitute fresh fruit and use a little less cornstarch, although I haven’t actually tried it.
Because this crumb topping calls for melted butter and liquid agave, it’s much moister than typical ones and may stick to your fingers a little more as your sprinkle it over the fruit. (But if you lick them afterward, I won’t judge!) Because I always look forward to the sweet cinnamony oat topping the most, I layered it on this fruit crisp as thick as possible!
Note: Remember to use gluten-free oats, if necessary! Trader Joe’s carries them for the cheapest price, from what I’ve found, and I absolutely love them.
We’ll bake this skinny fruit crisp until the blueberry juices start to bubble around the edges of the pan. My mango chunks weren’t very juicy, so I barely saw any juice poking up at the rim. However, that just means after the crumble cools and thickens, it’ll be a lot easier to serve each slice!
Well, almost too easy… I devoured two whole servings of this Blueberry Mango Crumble as soon as I finished its photo shoot! That cozy spiced crumb topping kept tempting me to sneak bite after bite… But with so much fruit and very little sweetener, it’s basically healthy enough for breakfast!
And I can never refuse dessert for breakfast. ♥
This sweet fruit crisp tastes like the epitome of summer. Topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it’s a downright irresistible dessert! Cover and store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 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 mango, frozen blueberries, and cornstarch until thoroughly combined.
- Spread the fruit mixture into the prepared pan, and evenly sprinkle the oat crumbs on top. Bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes, or until the fruit juice is bubbling around the sides 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: Honey and maple syrup may be substituted for the agave.
If your frozen fruit isn’t very ripe, you may mix in a little sweetener to the filling along with the cornstarch as well.
Hi Amy! Can’t wait to try this recipe. Do the fruits have to be frozen? How would the recipe alter if fresh?
Thanks!
I’m honored that you’d like to try making this crumble Asia! If using fresh fruit, I’d recommend adding 2-3 tablespoons of water to the fruit filling and then starting to check on it after 30 minutes of baking. It may take the full amount of time to finish baking, but it’s always easier to stick the pan back in the oven than it is to salvage an overbaked dessert! 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this crumble!
Hi Amy, thanks for your recipe! Any substitute suggestions if we don’t have butter or margarine? Would some derivative of oil work in this case?
It’s my pleasure Dorothy! If you don’t have butter or margarine, then coconut oil would be the next best alternative. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this crumble if you try making it!
Hello Amy, We meet again!
In my math class, we had a project to make any recipe we wanted and turn it into an unpublished website. I chose this recipe as I had been craving a dessert with fruit in it. I made this dish for Thanksgiving, and I truly enjoyed it! I followed the ingredients and instructions, and it turned out fantastic. I made a few modifications in my process by using honey instead of Agave and using oat flour in whole wheat. The smell that filled my kitchen was warm and comforting! I would say that all of Amy’s Healthy Baking recipes are easily modified to your needs, which is no different from this recipe. The taste of these crumble bars were similar to any pie you like except with WAY better ingredients!! It is essential to let yours chill for at least 2 hours to let the juice thicken and create a much more excellent overall dessert. I had this for dessert the day after Thanksgiving and for breakfast the next morning. After the first few days, the cornstarch thickens quite a lot, and your juice becomes similar to a jello consistency, which I wasn’t a fan of, but I knew it would occur. Unfortunately, I did not finish serving this recipe because the texture was not very smooth. Also, keep in mind that this recipe does mold quite fast since it has fruit, which wouldn’t be an issue if we had more people to eat. I would make this again as it was very yummy. As always, I recommend Amy’s dishes to anyone, so if you’re hesitant about making something fall to her to meet all your baking expectations. Have a great day!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this crumble, Millie! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. That means a lot! 🙂
That’s so strange that your crumble molded so quickly, though! Did you store it in the refrigerator, as I recommended in the text directly underneath the recipe title in the recipe box? I haven’t had any issues with mold appearing when stored in that manner!