This skillet mixed berry crisp is a cozy summer dessert that is vegan, gluten free, and sweetened with coconut sugar. Ready in about 35 minutes, it’s perfect for using up fresh summer berries like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. (receipe updated May 9th, 2026)
Cozy Skillet Mixed Berry Crisp– An Easy and Fairly Quick Summer Dessert!
When summer berries are in season, you don’t have to do much to them because they are so incredibly juicy and flavorful! This easy skillet mixed berry crisp keeps things as minimal as possible in order to let the flavor of the berries shine through. No matter what berries you use, I can guarantee it will be incredibly delicious!
The berries are flavored minimally with lemon and vanilla, sweetened with a little coconut sugar (this is a dessert after all!), and tossed with cornstarch to thicken their juices. The crisp topping is super simple, made mostly with oats and pecans, sweetened with a little more coconut sugar, and held together with coconut oil. This summer dessert recipe bakes for just 25-30 minutes. It is naturally vegan and gluten free and absolutely perfect paired with a dollop of vanilla yogurt or ice cream!
Key Ingredients
Any mix of summer berries works great here and I highly recommend using fresh over frozen (frozen berries will release more moisture into the crisp making it soupy). I love a combination of raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries since there’s absolutely no chopping involved!
If you don’t normally keep coconut sugar on hand, you can use brown sugar instead for a similar flavor. Brown sugar has a sweeter taste than coconut sugar in my opinion, so you might want to reduce it to 2-3 tablespoons in the berries and 2-3 tablespoons in the crisp. Old fashioned rolled oats will create a nice, crisp texture on top though quick oats can be used in a pinch if that’s all you have.
Making Your Own Oat Flour
To keep this recipe gluten free, I call for oat flour in the crisp mixture. If you have rolled oats on hand, you can make oat flour at home with a food processor or blender! Add 1 1/2 cups of old fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking oats) to your processor or blender. Process until very finely ground and powdery. That’s it! I like to keep leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer. Or, try using leftover oat flour in these oat flatbreads or ginger molasses cookies.
How to Make a Mixed Berry Crisp in a Skillet
The great thing about this summer dessert recipe is that you can make the berry filling and crisp topping in the same mixing bowl! Gently toss the berries with the lemon, coconut sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch then dump it into your lightly greased skillet. Use the same bowl to mix the oat crisp! Mash the coconut oil into the dry ingredients with a fork until crumbly.
Scatter the crisp evenly over the berries then pop the skillet in the preheated oven. This crisp bakes relatively quickly – just 25 to 30 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when you see the fruit juices bubbling around the edge of the skillet and the crisp topping has turned golden brown. I highly recommend letting it rest for 10-15 minutes once it comes out of the oven to let the juices thicken (and avoid burning your mouth!).
My Favorite Way to Enjoy this Vegan and Gluten Free Summer Crisp
I feel like a crisp is a slightly healthier dessert than a crumble or cobbler so I love a dollop of vanilla yogurt on the side. I know it sounds weird, but it pairs really well with the berry flavors and *almost* takes this into breakfast territory. Full disclosure, I have indeed eaten this crisp for breakfast! You can always add a scoop of your favorite ice cream if you prefer to make things a little more decadent. I love it with this dairy free honey sage ice cream.
Have Extra Berries? Make These Summer Desserts!
- Toasted Fig Leaf Pudding Cups with Summer Berries — there’s no oven involved for these, just a quick cook on the stove for the pudding! These can easily be flavored with vanilla instead of fig leaf to keep it easy.
- Blackberry Lime Crumble Bars — similar vibe and flavor to this crisp but in portable bar form! You can use raspberries or blueberries here, or a mix.
- Coconut Vanilla Chia Pudding with Berry Compote — another no-bake snack or dessert! Enjoy both together or just make the berry compote to enjoy on ice cream, pancakes, yogurt, and more.
Skillet Mixed Berry Crisp
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegan
Description
This skillet mixed berry crisp is a cozy summer dessert that is vegan, gluten free, and sweetened with coconut sugar. Ready in about 35 minutes, it’s perfect for using up fresh summer berries like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries.
Ingredients
- 4 cups mixed fresh berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar, divided
- 1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, or arrowroot
- 3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup raw pecans, chopped
- 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, at room temperature, plus a little extra for the skillet
- Vanilla yogurt, or ice cream, optional for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 8 to 10-inch cast-iron skillet or 1 ½ to 2 quart baking dish with a small amount of coconut oil.
Toss the berries with ¼ cup of the coconut sugar, the zest of the lemon, 1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice, and the cornstarch in a medium bowl. Pour this mixture into your lightly greased skillet or baking dish and spread the berries into an even layer.
In the same bowl, mix together the oats, oat flour, salt, cinnamon, pecans, and the remaining ¼ cup of coconut sugar until combined. Add the coconut oil and mash it into the dry mixture with a fork until crumbly.
Scatter the crumble mixture over the top of the berries in an even layer. Bake the crumble at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbly.
Allow the crisp to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving to allow the juices to thicken. Serve with a dollop of yogurt or ice cream if desired!
Store leftovers in the fridge and make sure to enjoy within 5 days.
Notes
- 4 cups of berries is approximately 1.25 to 1.5 pounds of berries depending on the varieties.
- If you’re not gluten free, feel free to use an equal amount of all-purpose flour in place of the oat flour.
- An equal amount of almonds or walnuts can be used in place of the pecans.
- This is a smaller crisp, about 4-6 servings, so keep that in mind! This is perfect for small households or if you live solo.
- Keep in mind that the size of your baking vessel will affect the total baking time. A wider vessel that puts the berries in a more shallow layer will bake quicker than a narrower vessel that puts the berries in a thicker layer.
- If you’re celiac, make sure your oats and oat flour are certified gluten free.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
I am so excited to try this! I have a friend who just had a baby who is vegan. This is going to be perfect!!! I'll eventually make one for myself because I have really been craving something cobblerish for a while.
That looks amazing!