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This Cherry Crisp is an old-fashioned, simple, sweet, and tart summer dessert with a deliciously buttery and crispy crumble topping made from oatmeal and brown sugar. Incredible when served warm with a scoop of ice cream!
It’s cherry season, and if you’re looking for ways to use the delicious summer fruit, you have to try this easy cherry crisp recipe!
If you’re already a fan of traditional apple crisp, you’ll love this summery version that is filled with juicy tart cherries and topped with a buttery, brown sugar oatmeal crumble topping. The perfect balance of sweet and tart!
Fruit crisps are one of my all-time favorite desserts because not only are they freaking incredible, but they are also a no muss, no fuss dessert. You don’t have to be precise or try to make it look pretty. It always comes out bubbly, golden and beautiful! And then once you top the whole thing off with vanilla ice cream, people can’t help but be impressed.
What is a Crisp?
Crisps are very similar to cobblers and crumbles, and knowing the difference between the three fruit desserts can be a bit confusing. They’re all kind of like pie, but with different crusts.
- Crisp topping contains oats and often nuts. The oats tend to crisp up during baking and provide the perfect crunch.
- Crumble topping bakes up soft and usually contains only brown sugar, flour and butter.
- Cobblers usually have a sweet biscuit or cake-like topping.
Cherry Crisp Recipe
This cherry crisp recipe is comprised of two main parts, the cherry filling and the crisp topping. So easy and so simple! See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of what you’ll need.
- Cherry filling. toss cherries along with the maple syrup, lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla and almond extract. Juicy, fresh and so delicious!
- Oat topping. mix rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, butter, salt and cinnamon. These ingredients bake over the juicy cherries and create total magic. SO GOOD!
How do you make cherry crisp?
- Cherry filling. To make this simple cherry crisp recipe, first add the cherries, maple syrup, lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla and almond extract to a bowl and toss gently to combine. Pour the cherry mixture and all of it’s juices into your prepared baking dish.
- Oat topping. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the crumble topping: rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, butter, salt, and cinnamon. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the cherries in the baking dish.
- Bake. Place the dessert in a preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes so that the cherries are nice and tender and the crumble topping is lightly browned.
- Cool and serve. Let crisp cool slightly and then serve (preferably with vanilla ice cream!) and ENJOY!
How to Serve Cherry Crisp
I’ve even used it as a topping for my fluffy vegan waffles. It was just as incredible as what you might imagine!
Fruit Variations
Even though cherries make a wonderful fruit crisp, feel free to use equal parts of your favorite fruits to add in or use instead. Try sliced strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, plums, nectarines and the list goes on.
You can also add about 1/2 cup chopped nuts to the topping, if you’d like. Pecans, almonds or walnuts make a great addition!
Storing Leftover Fruit Crisp
Since the topping has melted butter, I recommend that you refrigerate this cherry crisp recipe, if you want to eat it at a later date. It will stay good for the day out on the counter and then after that refrigerate it for 3-4 days. You can reheat your cherry crisp by microwaving individual servings for about 30-45 seconds. To reheat the entire dish, place (uncovered) in a 350 degrees F oven for 10-15 minutes.
Freezer Options
- Unbaked. Freeze an unbaked cherry crisp directly in a freezer-safe (and ovenproof) pan. Wrap the pan securely (to keep out excess moisture) with plastic and then foil.
- Baked. Allow the crisp to cool completely before storing. Then wrap it in freezer-safe packaging and freeze.
- Thawing. Thaw the unbaked or baked dessert in the fridge overnight. Once it’s thawed, you can bake it according to the original recipe or until warmed through. The reheating process of a baked crisp will take about 20-30 minutes.
To Make Ahead of Time
Make the cherry filling and the crisp topping separately. Refrigerate each in airtight containers, for up to one day. When ready to bake, sprinkle the crumble on top of the cherries, and bake as directed in the recipe below.
As usual, please let me know if you end up making this recipe and how you like it. You can come back here to leave a comment or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @foodwithfeeling! I always love to see what y’all are making from the blog!
More summer desserts to try:
- Kiwi Watermelon Popsicles
- Strawberry Milkshake
- Strawberry Brownies
- Cherry Crumble Pie
- Chocolate Cherry Coffee Cake
Cherry Crisp
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds of cherries, pitted (5 cups measured)
- ¼ cup of maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon of almond extract
FOR THE CRUMBLE TOPPING:
- 1 cup of rolled oats
- ¾ cup of oat flour, can sub for all-purpose flour if desired
- 1 cup of brown sugar, loosely packed
- ⅓ cup of vegan butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.
- In a large bowl, toss together the cherries along with the maple syrup, lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla, and almond extract. Pour the cherry mixture and all of it’s juices into your prepared baking dish.
- In another bowl, mix together the crumble topping: rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, butter, salt, and cinnamon. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the cherries in the baking dish.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes so that the cherries are nice and tender and the crumble topping is lightly browned. Let cool slightly.
- Serve (preferably with vanilla ice cream!) and ENJOY!
Can you use cherry pie filling?
yes! That will work