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This incredible cherry crisp recipe is made with fresh cherries and a sweet and buttery oatmeal crisp topping.
You won’t believe how easy it is to throw this cherry crisp together, so the next time cherries are on sale…scoop them up!
Table of Contents
Best Cherry Crisp!
Everyone has their favorite fruit crisp recipe. My mom’s rhubarb crisp will always be my favorite crisp recipe and our apple crisp is a close second,
What makes a good crisp? A good balance of natural fruit with the crunch of a crumble topping are two of my must-haves in a crisp.
Our cherry crisp recipe is made with delicious fresh cherries and a simple, yet perfect oatmeal crisp topping.
Why Make this cherry crisp?
Butter Love
We used butter for our crumble topping. It really gives it the old-fashioned flavor that we are always looking for in a cherry crisp.
Only Fresh Ingredients
We also don’t ever use anything canned for our fruit filling and we stayed away from adding any sweeteners to the cherries themselves (they just didn’t need it).
That’s it. After you pit your cherries, make your crumble, and layer them together. You’re all set! It’s a perfect recipe for those of you looking for a light and easy dessert this summer.
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Main Ingredients for Cherry Crisp
- Fresh Cherries – fresh cherries are a must for this recipe! If you don’t have them in your area, look for frozen cherries. Whatever you do, don’t use canned.
- Rolled Oats – rolled oats are the basis of the crisp topping. You can also use quick-cooking if you want.
- Light Brown Sugar – sweeten up the crisp topping with some brown sugar.
- Cinnamon – a pinch of cinnamon helps bring out the sweetness of the cherries.
- Flour – we’re using white whole wheat flour in this cherry crisp recipe, but you can use all-purpose.
- Butter – butter is seriously the way to go when it comes to crisp topping. You won’t be dissapointed!
- Orange Juice – OJ is our secret ingredient and really helps cook the cherries into a perfect filling for this crisp recipe.
Ingredient Swaps
If you’re hoping to swap any of the above ingredients for something less refined, here are some ideas below.
Coconut Sugar – Switch the brown sugar for coconut sugar to use a 100% plant-based sugar that’s not as sweet, but still delish!
Coconut Oil –Hoping to make this recipe vegan? We suggest swapping out the butter for coconut oil and even reducing the amount to only 1/3 cup. This will cut fat and take out any dairy in this recipe.
Oat Flour – keep this recipe 100% gluten-free and use ground oat flour instead of white whole wheat. You can also try an all-purpose gluten-free flour. We suggest subbing 1:1.
Rolled Oats: don’t have rolled oats? Feel free to use quick-cooking. We do NOT suggest swapping for steel-cut.
Can I use frozen cherries?
Frozen cherries will work just fine for this recipe. We do, however, recommend thawing them first.
Can I use a different berry instead of cherries?
You can use 4 cups of any kind of berry. Here are some ideas:
- blueberries
- strawberries
- raspberries
Do you have to refrigerate cherry crisp?
After baking your cherry crisp, we do suggest refrigerating. The reason why is because it will last longer in the fridge!
Storage
Transfer cherry crisp into an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3-5 days.
More of our Favorite…
Fruit Crisp Recipes
- Apple Crisp
- Triple Berry Crisp
- Blueberry Crisp
Fresh Cherry Crisp Recipe
This fresh cherry crisp recipe is a healthy and delicious dessert that's made with fresh cherries and a lightened up crumble topping.
Prep:20 minutes minutes
Cook:30 minutes minutes
Total:50 minutes minutes
Fat 13
Carbs 43
Protein 4
Yield: 8
Print Rate
Ingredients
Cherry Filling
- 4 cups pitted Bing cherries halved
- 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup orange juice option to sub water
Crisp Topping
- 1.5 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour any kind of flour will work!
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar option to use coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened (option to use coconut oil or half and half)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375ºF and spray a cake pan (or any casserole dish) with nonstick cooking spray. We used a casserole dish.
In a medium-sized bowl, toss cherries with 2 tablespoons of flour and orange juice. Transfer the fruit into the greased casserole dish and set it aside.
Next, in a separatebowl, mix together all of the crumble ingredients. Use a fork (or your hands) to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms little crumbles. Evenly spread crumble topping over the cherries in the casserole dish.
Bake at 375ºF for 30 minutes or until the filling begins to bubble and the crumble topping begins to brown.
Nutrition facts
Calories: 293kcal Carbohydrates: 43g Protein: 4g Fat: 13g Fiber: 6g Sugar: 22g
Author: Lee Funke
Similar recipes:
Triple Berry Crisp
Healthy Blueberry Waffle Recipe
Easy Apple Crisp
Easy Apple Crisp
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About Lee Funke
Lee is the founder of Fit Foodie Finds and based in Minneapolis, MN. She started this website in 2010 as a way to share her love for real food and wellness. The internet has changed so much since then and so has Fit Foodie Finds. Today we're a female-run recipe website publishing hundreds of tried and true recipes developed and tested by our team.
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Anna
Posted on 7/31/2023
This was delish and so easy. Does not taste like a lightened up version at all! Served with ice cream at dinner and mixed with yogurt in the am – will be keeping this one to make again for sure.
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Paula
Posted on 7/13/2022
Recipe Rating :
This was delicious and so easy. I’m making it a second time tonight.
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Kathleen
Posted on 6/25/2022
Recipe Rating :
Delicious and simple recipe! I used 1-to-1 gluten free flour substitute and it turned out great. No orange juice on hand so used water, and coconut oil instead of butter. Plenty sweet and tasty this way! Our cherry tree fruited for the first time this year since owning our home. I was so excited to pick the cherries and make this!
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Lisa
Posted on 9/20/2020
Recipe Rating :
Delicious 😋
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Sharon G Leslie
Posted on 8/23/2020
Recipe Rating :
Decadant and delicious! The fresh cherrie took some time to pit but were worth it.
1
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Terry
Posted on 7/24/2020
Recipe Rating :
We liked this recipe. We were short on cherries and so just substituted some blueberries and used a smaller pan and cut the ingredients for the crumble in half. We used fresh orange juice and also granola instead of the oats for the top which was a great solution when you are out of oats! A great comfort dessert that is quick, easy and very good!
Reply
Lee Funke
Posted on 7/26/2020
Reply to Terry
Oh I love the blueberry add-in!
Reply
Joanna
Posted on 6/25/2020
Recipe Rating :
This deserves 10 stars! So delicious! I love cherries and love that this is a lightened up version. I wanted to hide it from everyone and eat it by myself lol but I shared it and it was a hit! Served with Greek yogurt (all I had) but next time I’m serving with light whip topping!
Reply
Lee Funke
Posted on 6/26/2020
Reply to Joanna
Thank you thank you!! Glad you loved it!
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Marge McCloskey
Posted on 6/24/2020
After I make this, can I freeze it? Should I freeze before or after baking and if before baking, should I put the topping on or wait until I bake it. Thanks
Reply
Lee Funke
Posted on 6/25/2020
Reply to Marge McCloskey
Hi Marge! I would suggest preparing the cherry crisp and freeing before baking. Put everything together and freeze it in the container. Remove as much air as possible! Before baking, let it thaw completely and then follow the instructions as is!
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Linda
Posted on 6/21/2020
Recipe Rating :
I added almond extract to the wet mix and topped with some sliced almonds before Baking. Delish
Reply
Lee Funke
Posted on 6/22/2020
Reply to Linda
LOVEEEE the almond extract idea.
Reply
Joanna
Posted on 6/12/2020
Could I use tart cherries with this recipe??
Reply
Mel
Posted on 6/23/2021
Reply to Joanna
same question…I have a bunch of pie “sour” cherries…will those work or do I need to add sugar?
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Lee Funke
Posted on 6/23/2021
Reply to Mel
Hi! I’ve actually never had a sour cherry. Do you normally eat them plain or add sugar?
Reply
Kim
Posted on 7/9/2021
Reply to Lee Funke
I would try adding 1/2c sugar. Thinking of when I make rhubarb crisp, or cherry pie. Making a sour cherry pie right now : )
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Suzy Q
Posted on 4/29/2020
Recipe Rating :
Just made this word-for word with frozen/ microwaved cherries– completely delicious! Would recommend!
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Mary E
Posted on 4/16/2019
Recipe Rating :
Made this but changed it a bit! Used the basic recipe for the crumble (subbing coconut sugar for brown sugar, since it’s low on the glycemic index) I didn’t have cherries on hand so I used 3 cups of frozen blueberries (didn’t want to use up 4 cups, but should have) and since the the thawing process would generate water/juice, I just used 1/4C of lemon juice. It was DELICIOUS. If I had it to do again, though, would definitely use the full 4 cups of blueberries, or would make half the amount of crumble top. GREAT recipe. I can’t decide if I want to try it with next with cherries or if I might want to try a combo of apples and raisins! (for sort of an apple crisp). Also think it would be really good with fresh peaches! The basic, fairly healthy crumble recipe can be used with a variety of fruits. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
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Linley Hanson
Posted on 4/17/2019
Reply to Mary E
Your substitutions sound delish! Thank you for sharing!
1
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Olivia
Posted on 8/1/2018
Recipe Rating :
I made this recipe and it turned out delicious!!! Made a little extra crumble cause that’s the best part. Always a crowd pleaser and such a classic recipe.
Reply
Posted on 7/26/2018
Yum! Do you think frozen cherries would work?
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Adriana
Posted on 7/24/2018
I am soo making this! Can I use honey or maple syrup instead of sugar?
Reply
Linley Hanson
Posted on 7/25/2018
Reply to Adriana
Yes, you can use honey or maple! The consistency of the crumble may change, so you may need to add in some more oats. Let us know how it turns out!
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