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Hi Bold Bakers!
WHAT YOU GET: A healthy breakfast crisp that’s delicious enough to serve for dessert, made with honey-sweetened berries and a flourless crisp topping of oats and nuts. And it’s gluten-free!
For dessert, nothing beats a crisp. They’re fast and easy, and I love using the best of whatever fruit is in season. Now, with a few tweaks to my typical crisp recipe, I can claim that it’s healthy for breakfast too!
My Healthy Breakfast Crisp doesn’t use sugar to sweeten the berries. Instead, I opted for honey, and I added a touch of lemon juice to the mix to really brighten the dish. As for the crumbly topping, I kept the flour in the cupboard and made a crunchy streusel with old-fashioned oats, almond flour, and pecans.
It takes just ten minutes of prep time, and after baking in the oven for 45 minutes, this breakfast crisp comes out perfectly. The topping is nice and crunchy, and the fruit is bubbly and jammy. I like to serve it on top of some vanilla Greek yogurt for my morning protein, and I’m set until lunchtime!
How To Make Healthy Breakfast Crisp
Instead of baking this crisp with sugar, I sweeten the berries with honey. While there’s little difference between sugar and honey when it comes to calories, honey does have more health benefits. Sugar also raises your blood sugar quicker, which means you could have too much in the morning and crash.
I also make the topping with almond flour instead of all-purpose flour, which makes this a gluten-free breakfast crisp to boot!
What’s The Difference Between A Crisp And A Crumble?
Both a crisp and crumble are composed of baked fruit, but the difference lies in the toppings. Crumbles do not have oats, while crisps do. The oats will crisp up when you bake them, hence the name!
Can I Use Frozen Berries In A Crisp?
You can use either fresh or frozen berries in this recipe! You do not have to thaw your berries before baking. If you find that the top of your crisp is browning too quickly, but your fruit isn’t jammy enough, cover it with a piece of tin foil to avoid burning.
Tools You Need To Make Healthy Berry Breakfast Crisp
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 9-inch (23-cm) round baking dish
- Mixing bowls
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Breakfast Crisp
- Feel free to use any combination of mixed berries for this recipe — or just one kind, if you prefer!
- You can use either fresh or frozen berries.
- Taste how sweet your berries are before you add the honey, and adjust to your preferred sweetness level.
- The touch of Greek yogurt adds protein and allows for less butter to be used in the crisp topping.
- Although still crunchy, this crisp is slightly softer than a traditional crisp. For something a little crunchier, mix an egg white into the topping.
Try Some Of My Favorite Healthy Recipes
- My Mum’s Healthy Banana Muffins
- Keto Sugar Cookies
- The Ultimate Cowboy Cookies (Gluten-Free)
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Homemade Clif Bars
- Apricot Almond Homemade Larabars
Try These Recipes!
Healthy Breakfast Crisp
Ingredients
Filling
- 5 cups (25 oz/710 g) mixed berries
- 2 to 4 tablespoons honey, to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
Topping
- 1 cup (3 oz/85 g) old-fashioned oats
- ½ cup (2½ oz/71 g) almond flour
- ½ cup (2½ oz/71 g) pecans, chopped
- ⅓ cup (4 oz/115 g) honey
- ¼ cup (2 oz/57 g) plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (2 oz/57 g) butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Vanilla yogurt, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
For the Filling
- In a medium bowl, toss together the berries, honey, lemon juice, and cornstarch and place in a 9-inch (23-cm) round baking dish.
For the Topping
- In the same bowl, mix together the oats, almond flour, pecans, honey, Greek yogurt, melted butter, and salt until well combined and crumbly. Sprinkle over the filling.
- Place the crisp on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for 45 minutes, until the top is nicely browned and the filling is bubbling thickly.
- Let cool for 15 minutes before serving either plain or with a dollop of vanilla yogurt. Store leftovers in the fridge covered for up to 3 days.
Can I use frozen berries? If so, do I need to thaw them first?
Thank you, Gemma. You are aptly named because you are a gem for answering even the simplest of questions.
Can I substitute olive oil for butter?
I am definitely making this!!! 🙂