This is one of our base recipes. This recipe is for those of you that don’t love making homemade pie crust. The dietitian chefs at To Taste count ourselves among that crowd, which is why we developed this alternative dessert recipe. This crisp recipe is made with frozen fruit, making prep time that much quicker for you! Frozen fruit crisp also happens to be a healthier (but just as delicious) alternative to pie. Give it a try and let us know how it turns out for you!

Three Must-Know Cooking Skills

For recipe success, learn how to:

Culinary Tips for Making the Best Frozen Fruit Crisp

When measuring brown sugar, be sure to pack it in the cup. Watch this video to learn how to measure brown sugar properly!

Frozen berries can be tart depending on the variety, so you might need to add 1-2 tablespoons more sugar to the fruit. Note that the crisp topping is sweet on its own, so it will also help balance any tartness.

Different fruits store different amounts of water. When using frozen berries or cherries, use 3 Tablespoons of cornstarch. If using peaches, pears, pineapple, mangos, or apples, use 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch. 

Base Recipe Ingredient Substitutions

• Frozen Fruit: use any variety of fresh or frozen fruit. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, dark cherries, blackberries, apples, peaches, pears, mangos, or a combination of a few are all great options.
• Brown Sugar: substitute coconut sugar, turbinado sugar, or cane sugar, but note that the flavor won’t be as complex if using cane sugar. Honey or agave can also work, but if using, drizzle it over the frozen fruit after coating the fruit in cornstarch.
• Cornstarch: substitute ¼ cup all purpose flour.
• Lemon Juice: substitute orange juice. You can also add or substitute 1 teaspoon lemon zest.
• Old Fashioned Oats: you can substitute quick oats, but note the quality of the crisp is not as good. Do not substitute steel cut oats.
• All Purpose Flour: substitute whole wheat pastry flour for added nutrition, but note that the crust will be slightly denser.  
• Kosher Salt: We use Morton kosher salt. If using Diamond Crystal kosher salt, use ¾  teaspoon. If you use table salt, use slightly less than ½ teaspoon. 
• Butter: you can try substituting avocado or canola oil, but we weren’t impressed with the results. We did not test coconut oil, but it would probably work better than other oils. 

Base Recipe Variations

Remember that this is a base recipe, so the goal is for you to customize to your taste!

Use these additional ingredients for an even more flavorful fruit crisp.

• Crystallized ginger: substitute ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger or ¼ teaspoon dried ginger. Note that crystallized ginger can greatly vary in size. If yours includes very small pieces, consider cutting back on the amount.
• Citrus zest: use lemon or orange zest.
• Flavor extract: use 1 teaspoon vanilla or ½ teaspoon almond extract.
• Nuts: use sliced almonds, chopped pecans, or chopped walnuts. Raw nuts are best because they will get toasted in the oven.
• Spices: use cinnamon, cardamom, apple pie spice, pumpkin spice, ginger, nutmeg, or cloves. For stronger spices, use less.

To make a gluten-free berry crisp, substitute a gluten-free flour mix, such as King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Flour, in place of the all-purpose flour, and be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.

Want some fruit crisp recipe inspiration?

Use this base recipe as a guide, or check out some of our favorite variations!

Equipment Recommendations

This recipe doesn’t require any fancy equipment, just a few kitchen staples:

• Mixing Bowl
• Citrus Juicer
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• 8×8 Glass or Ceramic Baking Dish

If you choose to serve this frozen fruit crisp recipe with homemade whipped cream, you may also want an electric hand mixer or stand mixer. Whisking by hand is always an option too, just get ready for a good arm workout! 

Frozen Fruit Crisp Nutrition Facts

Although this is a dessert recipe, we still found a few ways to ensure you get some good nutrition in every bite. Fruit, old-fashioned oats, and less sugar than most desserts makes this a perfect recipe for those looking for a lighter dessert! 

Frozen Fruit

Fruit is packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Together, these nutrients promote heart health and may reduce inflammation.

Oats

Oats of any variety are a good source of fiber and complex carbohydrates. Fiber is important for digestion, satiety, stable blood sugar, good cholesterol, and healthy gut bacteria. Complex carbohydrates are important for steady energy and focus.

Less Sugar than Most Desserts

Although we expect to find sugar in most desserts, many recipes and pre-made desserts contain way more than necessary. In this frozen fruit crisp, we use lemon juice to enhance the natural sweetness of the fruit and nuts, then add some brown sugar to balance the flavors out. Each serving of frozen fruit crisp contains ~14 grams (~1 Tablespoon) of added sugar – far less than you would find in any store bought dessert! Even homemade fruit crisp recipes have almost twice the amount of sugar than is in this recipe!

Serving Suggestions

Serve frozen fruit crisp straight from the oven with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, banana nice cream, or a dollop of homemade whipped cream,

You can also make this recipe a day or two in advance. Allow to cool completely, then cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to eat. To reheat, preheat the oven to 350ºF and cook for 20 minutes, or until fruits are bubbling and mixture is heated through. 

You can also serve fruit crisp chilled on its own or topped with whipped cream. Good luck keeping sneaky hands from sampling a taste if you leave it in the fridge for too long before serving! 

Storage Recommendations

Cool completely, cover, and place in the refrigerator. The fruit crisp will keep its quality in the refrigerator for 3-5 days (but we doubt it will last that long!). The crispy topping may begin to get soggy, but we promise it will still taste good!

Want more healthy recipes to complete a meal?

Use these other recipes to create a delicious summer meal!

Salmon Burgers

Strawberry Feta Side Salad

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges

Frozen Fruit Crisp Base Recipe

This is one of our base recipes. We developed this alternative dessert recipe for those of you that don’t love making homemade pie crust. This frozen fruit crisp recipe is made with frozen fruit, making prep time that much quicker for you!

4.25 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 9 servings

Ingredients

  

• 2 pounds (~6 cups) frozen fruit pieces
• 2 Tablespoons + ½ cup packed brown sugar, divided
• 2-4 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup butter (1 stick)

Additions to YOUR taste

• 1-2 Tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 1 teaspoon citrus zest
• ½-1 teaspoon flavor extract
• ¼ cup chopped, sliced, or slivered nuts
• ½-1 teaspoon spice(s)

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• Place frozen fruit in an 8×8 baking dish. Add 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and optional ginger and/or flavor extract. Mix to combine.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, remaining brown sugar, salt, and optional nuts and spices.
• Cut butter into ½ inch cubes. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it makes a coarse crumbly mixture. Do not overmix. Sprinkle oat mixture on top of fruit in an even layer.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the fruit mixture is bubbling around the edges of the pan. Cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

Different fruits store different amounts of water. When using frozen berries or cherries, use 3-4 Tablespoons of cornstarch. If using peaches, pears, pineapple, mangos, or apples, use 2-3 Tablespoons of cornstarch. 

 

If using tart frozen fruit such as berries, sweeten fruit with an additional 1-2 Tablespoons brown sugar.

 

Check out these recipes for flavor inspiration!

Strawberry

Berry

Peach Ginger

Keyword Frozen Fruit Crisp