Lemon Berry Crumble Recipe From Scratch

When you imagine a bright and sunny day, what flavors does that remind you of? For me, I think of lemon and berries. As the flowers begin to bloom, the air begins to warm, and the windows are open again, there’s no better way to celebrate than by making this Lemon Berry Crumble recipe!

This Lemon Berry Crumble Recipe is a Cheerful Treat That Can be Enjoyed Year Around

When you bite into this Lemon Berry Crumble, you can just feel your tastebuds light up. The sweetness of the berries, the zing of the lemon, and the crunch of the crumble topping all work together beautifully to create a delicious and fresh treat.

There are so many ways that you can enjoy it as well!

Ways to Enjoy

You can serve it warm straight out of the oven, which is my favorite! If you prefer cold berry cobblers you may chill and serve it cold as well.

It can be a delicious dessert and would be amazing served with vanilla bean ice cream as a rare and extra special treat. Or who am I kidding…even on a random Tuesday or something. The contrast of a warm cobbler with cold ice cream is so dreamy.

This also doubles as a delicious breakfast that’s healthier than some other options, because of the berries and oats. The refined sugar content per serving of this recipe is less than half of the average amount in a bowl of cereal! It’s comparable to warm oatmeal with a berry topping.

Supplies You’ll Need

• Measuring cups: I like these from Amazon.
• Measuring spoons: My favorites are these from Amazon. They have flat bottoms that keep them from tipping over.
• A grater or zester: For zesting the lemon. This one on Amazon is highly rated and dishwasher safe.
• A spatula or spoon: For stirring. I like to use silicone spatulas or wood spatulas, especially when I’m using my cast iron skillet.
• A medium bowl: My favorite bowls of all time are these from Amazon.
• A baking vessel: I love using my cast iron skillet (this cast iron skillet from Amazon is the best I’ve ever used, and I highly recommend it). This recipe fits a 10” skillet, but you can also use a 9”x9” baking dish if you prefer.

Ingredients You’ll Need, and Substitution Options

For the Filling

• Your favorite berries: These can be fresh if berries are in season, or frozen if they are not! If you’re using frozen berries, the baking time may need to be 5-10 minutes longer than fresh berries. My favorite berries for this recipe are a mix of organic blueberries and organic strawberries.
• Maple syrup: You may also substitute honey for maple syrup if you prefer.
• A lemon: If you’re in a pinch, you can substitute this for 3 tbsp. lemon juice, but the juice and zest of the fresh lemon makes this recipe really bright and delicious.
• Salt: I use sea salt, but you can use any table salt you like.
• Vanilla extract: This gives an extra warm and sweet flavor to the filling.

For Both Filling and Crumble Topping

• All-purpose flour: I use King Arthur’s unbleached all purpose flour. You could substitute this for whole wheat, einkorn, bread flour, almond flour, or any type of flour that you typically keep on hand.

For the Crumble Topping

• Oats: I use old-fashioned rolled oats, but you can use any form of oats that you have.
• Brown sugar: You may also use coconut sugar, or even omit the sugar all together for an extra healthy treat. If you omit the sugar, you may consider adding more maple syrup to the filling to make up for the lost sweetness.
• Ground nutmeg: The nuttiness of the nutmeg pairs so well with the oats. If you do not have nutmeg, you can substitute for cinnamon or just leave it out.
• Salted butter: My favorite is Kerrygold grass-fed butter.

Step-By-Step of How to Make the Lemon Berry Crumble Recipe

First, preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit.

Next, make the crumble topping.

In the medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, and nutmeg and stir until incorporated.

Melt the butter.

Tip: I like to melt my butter right in my cast iron skillet on the stovetop. This does two things. One, it begins to preheat my cast iron skillet for the next step. And two, it butters up my skillet for the most non-stick results.

Pour the melted butter over your oat mixture.

Stir until combined and the entire mixture is moist and crumbly.

Set aside for now.

Next, make the lemon berry filling.

Preheat your cast iron skillet. Skip this step if you are baking in a glass or stainless dish.

While the skillet is preheating, zest and juice your lemon into a small bowl. You’ll be using this momentarily.

Pour your berries into the skillet, and spread them out. If you are using frozen berries, let sit a minute to thaw the berries just a bit.

Sprinkle the flour, maple syrup, salt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract over the berries. Stir to combine.

Using your spatula, break apart the berries to be the texture of your liking. I like to cut the strawberries in half and leave the blueberries whole. You can’t mess it up, it’s all up to your personal preference.

Spread the filling out evenly across the bottom of the skillet.

Then, top your lemon berry filling with the crumble topping.

Sprinkle your topping in an even layer across the top of the filling.

After that, bake the Lemon Berry Crumble.

Place the entire skillet (or baking dish) into the preheated oven. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the berry filling is nice and bubbly.

Finally, remove it from the oven, and allow it to set up for 5 minutes before digging in (if you can wait that long!).

Can this be made ahead and baked later?

Partially! The berry mixture can be made the day before, but the crumble topping may be soggy if made in advance.

If you want to get ahead on the Lemon Berry Crumble recipe the day before, here are some tips:

• Only make the filling up to 1 day in advance. Fresh and frozen berries can sour quickly. For best results, only make the filling up to one day before you plan to bake it.
• Use a stainless steel baking dish instead of cast iron or glass. It’s not recommended that you refrigerate your cast iron skillet, unless you’re confident in how well seasoned it is. The moisture in refrigerators can rust cast iron, and it is also not recommended that you take cast iron straight from the fridge to a hot oven. This is the same situation with glass, as the temperature shock could shatter the glass.
• Keep your crumble separate, and leave out the butter until just before baking. After stirring together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and nutmeg for the crumble, place the mixture in an airtight container and keep it at room temperature. It is then ready to stir in the melted butter just before topping the filling and baking. This will give the best results for your crumble and will keep it from getting soggy in the fridge overnight.

Can I freeze it for later?

You can freeze the Lemon Berry Crumble for up to 3 months. Do not thaw and then refreeze the berries if you are starting out with frozen berries. And for best results, make the crumble topping just before baking!

To bake a frozen Lemon Berry Crumble, follow the instructions for a fresh recipe, but you may need to add 5-10 minutes to the baking time.

How can I store Lemon Berry Crumble leftovers?

Leftovers need to be kept in the refrigerator. Because of the moisture content in refrigerators, it’s recommended that you transfer the leftovers to a separate container if you baked it in a cast iron skillet. My favorite containers are these glass containers from Amazon, but you can use whatever you typically store leftovers in.

Leftovers can be kept for a maximum of 2-3 days.

Make sure you pin the recipe for later!