My mom perpetually stocks her fridge with fresh blueberries. Many mornings, she pours herself a small bowl of cereal, usually something containing bran flakes and granola clusters with some slivered almonds as well, and she drops in a handful of those blueberries after pouring in her vanilla almond milk.
Have you ever added fresh fruit to a bowl of cereal? When you get a bite with everything—that soft, sweet, juicy burst paired with the slightly crisp flakes or crunchy granola clusters and the cold liquid from the milk—oh my yummm. It’s worth rolling out of bed for, every single time!
When the temperatures started rising here in California earlier this month, Mom also began fixing herself one of her favorite summertime treats in the evenings with that same fruit: berries athenaeum. It’s one of the dessert options on the menu at the Athenaeum, a club-style restaurant owned by the college in southern California where she completed her undergraduate degree, and it’s very simple and straightforward.
Add vanilla bean ice cream to a bowl, top with fresh berries, and, if desired, drizzle that with a little Grand Marnier and finish with a cookie, traditionally a classic hazelnut pirouline.
Mom generally sticks to the ice cream and berries… And after bringing a coworker to the Athenaeum a few years ago for dinner during one of their business trips to the college, that sweet lady started making berries athenaeum at home too!
So when I gave Mom and Dad this Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Crumble last Friday, she topped her first slice with vanilla ice cream, just like with her favorite easy dessert. And by the end of the weekend, every last crumb had disappeared from the pan!
But since the crumble contained no refined flour or sugar… And a full serving of fruit in every slice… And just 127 calories… My parents didn’t feel guilty about that at all!
To make this healthy crumble, you’ll start with the topping. It’s super simple! Just whole wheat flour, old-fashioned oats, and cinnamon held together with a little sweetener and melted butter. Yes, melted butter! Traditional recipes require you to cut cold, cubed butter into that mixture, but… That takes more effort. (And makes my muslces tired, especially if I already finished an arm workout earlier in the day! 😉 ) It’s much easier to stir in melted butter, so we’re doing that instead!
As for the sweetener, you’ll use pure maple syrup instead of granulated or brown sugar. Be sure to use the real kind! Avoid pancake syrup; that can behave differently in baking recipes. The only ingredient on the label should be “pure maple syrup.” It’s generally sold in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs, like this.
For the fruit, both fresh and frozen blueberries will work! This means that it’s completely possible to enjoy this crumble all year round… Which makes me one very happy girl. Fruit crumbles are one of my favorite desserts because they’re basically healthy enough for breakfast! Lots of fruit + “granola” topping made of wholesome ingredients = breakfast food, right?? (Just say yes!)
Because the blueberries release lots of juice while baking, you’ll mix them with cornstarch before adding them to the pan. The cornstarch thickens those juices, especially while the crumble cools, so it’s very important to let the crumble cool completely to room temperature before serving so the cornstarch can do its thing. If you prefer eating your crumble warm, I still highly recommend letting it cool completely, then reheating individual portions!
And topped with a little vanilla ice cream… Or, umm, how about vanilla frozen Greek yogurt for breakfast?…
Pure bliss. And when you bake this, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees that I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy blueberry crumble!
The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Crumble
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (75g) old-fashioned oats (gluten free if necessary and measured like this)
- ¼ cup (30g) whole wheat flour or millet* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp (30mL) pure maple syrup, room temperature
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) unsalted butter, melted
- 6 cups (840g) blueberries (see Notes!)
- 3 tbsp (24g) cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat an 8”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the topping, whisk together the oats, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour in the maple syrup and melted butter. Stir until fully incorporated.
- To prepare the filling, toss the blueberries with the cornstarch in a large bowl until completely coated.
- Transfer the filling to the prepared pan, and sprinkle evenly with the topping. (The topping tends to clump, so break it up into really small pieces!) Bake at 350°F for 45-55 minutes or until the juice is bubbling at the sides of the pan. Cool completely to room temperature; then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving to allow the juices to fully thicken.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Blueberry Almond Crumble
♡ Healthy Peach Crumble
♡ Healthy Almond Berry Crumble
♡ Healthy Strawberry Poppy Seed Crumble
♡ Healthy Blueberry Mango Crumble
♡ Healthy Blueberry Breakfast Crumbles
This is excellent; not overly sweet; I did add 2T sugar to the blueberries and corn starch as our berries are a bit more tart this year. It came out great with vegan butter and gluten-free all,purpose flour; it would be very good in a yogurt parfait with a few sliced strawberries. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this blueberry crumble, Jane! Thank you for taking the time to let me know and rate the recipe. That truly means a lot! 🙂
i can not wait to make this
It sounds DELICIOUS and I like its on the healthy side
Thank You
You’re so kind, Eileen! I’m looking forward to hearing what you think of this blueberry crumble!
It was DELICIOUS i ate it all in 2 days with some whipped cream on top. I am going to try it with apples next time . I used applesauce instead of butter to mix the crumble It was perfect !!!!!
I’m thrilled that you loved this crumble, Eileen! That’s the highest praise there is, if it disappeared that quickly AND you’d rate this recipe as 5 stars. I’m honored — thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! 🙂 If it’s helpful, I actually have an apple version here — and you can find the rest of my crumble recipes here too!
Much appreciated. Now how to teach me to have self control HA HA
Keep up your great work
It’s my pleasure, Eileen! And as soon as I figure it out myself, I’ll let you know… I’m often still a work in progress in that area too! 😉
Can this be frozen?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Jane! I haven’t tried freezing this crumble, so I’m not personally sure and don’t want to lead you astray. If you do end up making it, I’d love to hear what you think of this blueberry crumble!
I’m looking forward to making this but wondered if almond flour would work since I’m trying to stay away from regular flour. Thx!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Laura! Yes, almond flour will work — and I’ve actually covered that in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions!). Just look for the “Gluten Free Option” note. I know it can be really easy to miss though! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of this crumble if you end up making it!
Oh that’s yummy dish. I love blueberries. Thankyou for sharing this.
So so good! Love that this was simpler than a lot of other recipes which call for making a jam. Easy healthy ingredients. Delicious served cold!
This is a wonderful dessert. Company loved it (and so did my husband). We are a crumble family , so I doubled the ingredients for the crumble and put it in a 9×9” baking dish I have. I did not have millet flour, so I used blanched almond flour. Really, really delicious.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed this crumble, Debi! Thank you for taking the time to let me know and rate the recipe. It really means a lot! 🙂 I’m honored that you’d pick my recipe to make and share with company too. That’s such a huge compliment!
Looks like a great recipe- can olive oil be substituted for the butter to make it fit into a Mediterranean diet? If so how much would you think?
We really appreciate your interest in this crumble, Rebecca! We haven’t tried using olive oil in this recipe, so I’m not personally sure. I do know that usually when olive oil is used in baking recipes, it often adds savory notes to the flavor, even in small amounts. So keep that in mind if you decide to try it! If you’re okay with using canola oil, that might be a better alternative since it has a much more neutral flavor. I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to give this recipe a try! 😉