Low-Carb Berry Cherry Crisp (Grain-Free, Sugar-Free, Paleo, Vegan)

Juicy burst berries & cherries topped with a crispy crumb topping! This EASY fruit crisp comes together in minutes using healthy ingredients. No gluten/grains, dairy, eggs, sugar or artificial sweeteners. (Paleo, Vegan, Low-Carb/Keto)  Jump to Recipe

WHY DID I WAIT

I don't know why it took me SO long to make a fruit crisp! Was it because I hated cooked fruit for 30+ years?? lol, possibly!

A couple of years ago, I FINALLY decided to make baked fruit desserts. First, Blueberry Cream Pie, then Peaches & Cream Pie. Then Peach & Blueberry Cobblers (which my family went NUTS for!)

But I like this CRISP even MORE. I love it for so many reasons. Not only because it's so quick and easy to make, but the flavors and textures are out of this world!

The blueberries burst into an AMAZING flavor explosion underneath the crisp topping that's like a warm, freshly baked cookie!  Just the right ratio of fruit to crumbs.

Traditionally, crisps are made with oats, regular flour, sugar and butter, which is one of the reasons I hadn't tried them -- I don't use ANY of those ingredients!

But I found a way to replicate the crisp topping without using grains, dairy or sugar! 

If you're Paleo, Vegan and/or Low-Carb, DON'T WAIT to make this crisp. For real, get to it stat! 

Disclosure: As an affiliate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through referral links in this post (at no additional cost to you). 

The 1-MINUTE Topping

Not only can you replicate the oat/flour/butter/sugar texture and flavor, but you can do it in one minute!

Seriously. ONE minute! Can you even believe this?! 

Throw ALL your ingredients into a food processor (I use this one):

1. Whole, dry roasted almonds (for a coarse crumb texture)
2. Large coconut flakes (to mimic oats)
3. Monkfruit or coconut sugar (to replace refined sugar)
4. Almond flour (to replace wheat flour)
5. Buttery coconut oil (to replace butter)
6. Cinnamon & salt (for warmth and flavor!)

Push the button and pulse a few times. Make some nice big crumbs.

And that's it! It's ready to go on top of your fruit!

Speaking of fruit...

There are some things to consider:

I chose to use blueberries and cherries, but I would image this recipe works JUST as well using many other types of fruits.

Chopped strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches, maybe even apples, pears, .. what else can you think of? It might work!

Cherries are higher in sugar (plus I REALLY love blueberries) so I only used ½ cup of cherries.

Feel free to use ANY fruit you wish. Just make sure it's chopped roughly in uniform sizes for even baking.

Side note: the macros are essentially the SAME whether you use cherries as stated, or all blueberries (which surprised me!) But that's what it said on Cronometer.com! 

CHERRY HACK

If you love cherries, but DON'T love the time it takes to remove all the pits, you've gotta try this amazing cherry-pitting HACK that a reader told me about recently.

A major time-saver!!

What you need is a medium size piping tip typically used for frosting (pictured above).

Place it right over the stem, push down and it grabs the pit and you can pull it right out!

AMAZING.

How to Sweeten without Sugar

Even though fruit is naturally sweet, and baking does intensify the sweetness, I still recommend adding some sweetener. Especially if your berries are more tart (if they're super sweet, you can scale back your sweetener a little)

To make this crisp delightfully sweet without using any refined sugar, use powdered monkfruit or powdered coconut sugar. Other dry sweeteners that measure 1:1 with sugar should work, too.

If you don't have the powdered form, you can make your own! You may have heard me talk about this 100x, but it's so magical I can't stop sharing about it!

To make your own Homemade Powdered Sugar:

1. Place your monkfruit or coconut sugar granules in a small blender (I use this small but powerful Ninja blender with a smoothie size cup)
   • Add enough so the blade will be covered during blending (About ⅓ cup or more)
2. Blend for 10-20 seconds until powdered. et VOILA! It's done.

Coat your fruit in the powder, place it in your baking dish and it's ready for the topping!

Use Ramekins for Individual Servings

This recipe makes six individual portions, which is perfect for entertaining, portion control, and overall cuteness-factor 😉

I found these ramekins at Pier 1 for around $1.50 each. Score!

Since the're ceramic, they are both oven-safe and dishwasher-safe. I baked my berry crisps on a baking sheet for ease of transport.

Confession: I only bought 4 ramekins, when I should've gotten six. For the other two servings, I used a medium glass bowl that fit 2 portions and was oven safe. It worked great, too!

Bake until BUBBLY

Golden brown on top, buttery crisp, and sizzling underneath! The EPIC combination of textures!

When these crisps reach the end of baking, the fruit inside will burst and the juices will start to bubble up. You'll hear the sizzle!

Baking the fruit enhances and concentrates the flavor and creates an amazing soft fruit texture.

If you REALLY want to make it EPIC: add a scoop of my homemade dairy-free keto vanilla ice cream!! YASSS.

OMG GOOD (freshly baked OR as leftovers!)

Juicy, tender, FLAVORFUL, crispy, crunchy, crumbly!! I can't get enough of this CRISP.

And you know what! I like it even better the next day when it's COLD. Soooo dang GOOD because the topping solidifies into a crispy COOKIE. I freaking Love it So Much.

If you make this recipe, leave a star rating below and be sure to tag me on Instagram #prettypies so I can see!

Check out this ONE MINUTE video to see how EASY this is to make!

Low Carb Berry Cherry Crisp (Paleo & Vegan)

Simmering berries and cherries topped with warm crispy crumbs-- without the grains, dairy and sugar! Add a scoop of dairy-free ice cream for even more deliciousness!

4.74 from 15 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Emily

Equipment

• Food Processor

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Fruit:

• 1 ½ cups blueberries
• ½ cup cherries - pitted and chopped
• 2 Tbs powdered monkfruit - (see notes)

Topping:

• ½ cup almonds
• ¼ cup large coconut flakes
• ¼ cup monkfruit granules  - or coconut sugar for non low-carb
• ⅓ cup fine almond flour
• 2 Tbs buttery coconut oil
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of pink salt

Instructions

To prepare:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Place fruit in a mixing bowl and sprinkle with powdered monkfruit. Stir to coat.
• Divide fruit among 6 ramekins.

To make the topping:

• Pulse together all ingredients in a food processor for a few seconds until a coarse crumb forms.
• Scoop roughly ¼ cup topping onto each ramekin.
• Bake for about 20 minutes until fruit is bubbly and topping is lightly golden.
• Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm or chilled (with a scoop of homemade ice cream if you like!)

Notes

To store:

Keep refrigerated for 5-7 days, in an airtight container. Freezing not recommended.

Fruit Swap:

Use any berries or stone fruit you like! Frozen work, too, but thaw them first so there's not too much moisture.

To make your own Homemade Powdered Sugar:

1. Place your monkfruit or coconut sugar granules in a small blender (I use this small but powerful Ninja blender with a smoothie size cup)
   • Add enough so the blade will be covered during blending (About ⅓ cup or more)
2. Blend for 10-20 seconds until powdered. et VOILA! It's done.

Nutrition Facts

Low Carb Berry Cherry Crisp (Paleo & Vegan)

Amount per Serving

Calories

191

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

15.5

g

24

%

Carbohydrates

 

23.7

g

8

%

Fiber

 

3.7

g

15

%

Sugar Alcohol

 

12.3

g

Net Carbs

 

7.7

g

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Tried this recipe?Tag @emily.likes.food #prettypies!

Disclosure: As an affiliate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through referral links in this post (at no additional cost to you). 

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Blanched Almond Flour from:

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• Amazon

Lakanto Monkfruit from:

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Buttery Coconut Oil from Thrive Market {use my referral link to save an extra 25% on your first order}

Coconut Flakes from Amazon

Approx. Macros

• Cal 191
• Fat 15.5 g
• Carb 23.7
• Fiber 3.7
• Sugar Alcohol 12.3
• Net Carb 7.7
• Protein 4.2