Skillet Blueberry Crisp

Last camping season - or was it the camping season before? - I started making my Campfire Apple Crisp the way I currently do, and it has become a bit of a camping “tradition” for us.

You know, as much as tradition can be a thing, after only a season or two!

Tradition is the word my husband used when I asked what he’d say about this easy blueberry crisp. He followed that up with:

“I love everything about the campfire blueberry crisp. I love just sitting around the fire cooking it. It’s not only delicious, it’s just a fun process - I look forward to it!”

Who could blame him? A buttery oat topping, toasted up over a hot fire... then used to top the filling of simmering, juicy blueberries... maybe a scoop of ice cream on top, when we have it.

It’s the perfect summer dessert!

Living in Ontario - and preferring to camp in Northern Ontario - we have access to both farmed blueberries, grown locally... as well as wild blueberries, all over the place.

We like to keep some frozen blueberries on hand when camping, but the BEST way to make this is using the wild blueberries we buy from carts set up the side of the road, as we move between parks.

This fresh blueberry crisp is one of a few fruit desserts we make in this way - I’ll be posting a few more in the next season or two!

This technique requires no oven, and no specialized equipment - just a skillet with a cover!

Last season, we timed ourselves to make a batch of it at Mew Lake Campground, in Algonquin Provincial Park.

While we bought our own blueberries in - foraging is not permitted in Provincial Parks - we couldn’t resist the chance to photograph the recipe in the BIG blueberry patch there.

We enjoyed it after supper, then went right back to the patch to look for Black Bears!

Anyway, let’s look at what you’ll need for making this easy dessert - bears optional!

Ingredients

This recipe uses really basic ingredients - unless you’re looking for gluten-free ingredients specifically - you shouldn’t have any trouble finding what you need in even small grocery stores.

As always, I have a few notes for you:

Blueberries

You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries, but your choice will impact how you cook them, to some degree.

The main difference is that fresh blueberries don’t break down quite as easily as frozen berries.

So, if using fresh fruit, you’ll add ¼ cup of water to help them start boiling down. If using frozen fruit, you won’t use any water with it.

You can cook them from frozen or thaw them first... just be sure to use the juices as well, if thawing them first.

Either way, aim for about 4-5 cups of blueberries.

Granola of Choice

One time in my teens, I was craving apple crisp but didn’t have any oats on hand. I used granola... and that’s all I’ve used, since!

I love the flavour and texture that granola brings to any kind of fruit crisp recipe - or similar desserts.

I recommend using a fairly basic granola - a honey granola, maybe a little bit of maple... but not a lot of extra spices and such.

You can always add a dash of cinnamon or whatever to a basic granola, but having a complex granola to start takes away some room for customizing it.

If you need a gluten free blueberry crisp, be sure to use a gluten free granola.

Oat Flour

I used to use all purpose flour when making apple crisp, but eventually switched over to using oat flour.

It worked so nicely with the old fashioned oats I used to use - before switching to granola! - and it just tastes better than wheat flour. Now I use it for pretty much every crumble topping I make.

If you don’t have oat flour, you can easily make some - just whirl some rolled oats or quick oats through a food processor until it’s powdered. Measure the finished flour.

If you need gluten-free flour - like I do - just use certified gluten-free oats.

Chopped Nuts

This is optional, but sometimes I like to add some nuts to the crumble mixture - especially if the granola doesn’t have any / many.

Walnuts and pecans are my usual go-tos for any crumble mixture. That said, I also like sliced or slivered almonds, when pairing with blueberries.

Granulated Sugar

I use granulated white sugar for both the blueberry crisp topping and the fruit filling.

Not only is it a neutral flavour, it also doesn’t have the same clumping issues, when it comes to making the dry mix ahead of time. (That’s optional, though.

That said, light brown sugar works really well in the crisp mixture, especially if you’re NOT making it ahead of time.

I would still recommend granulated for the blueberry filling though - I find brown sugar competes with the blueberry flavour more than I’d like it to.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Ground Cinnamon (Optional)
Unsalted Butter
Salt

... I don’t have anything else to add, for these last few ingredients. Super basic!

How to Make Campfire Blueberry Crisp

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. Here is the visual walk through, with additional information about making the mixes.

Homemade Granola Topping Mixes

This is an optional step, but a great time - and space! - saver on the road.

For each mix you make, you’ll need one medium Ziplock freezer baggie, and one snack size baggie.

Measure the granola, sugar, oat flour, and chopped nuts - if using - into the medium baggie.

Measure the sugar, cinnamon (if using), and salt - as listed in the blueberry filling - into the smaller baggie.

Press the excess air out of the smaller baggie, seal. Place the smaller baggie into the medium baggie, press out excess air, and seal.

Label with the name - Blueberry Crisp - and as much of the directions as you want.

Store in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to use it.

Granola Topping

Get a medium fire going - you can cook this over a campfire, hot coals, or on a grill.

In a large bowl, combine granola, sugar, oat flour, and nuts, if you’re using them. (Or dump out one baggie of dry ingredients mix, if you’ve premade this step!)

Add melted butter, stir until well incorporated - everything should be wet, but crumbly. You want coarse crumbs - break up any larger clumps that might form.

Blueberry Filling

Add the berries, sugar, butter, and cinnamon - if using - and salt to the pan. Stir to combine the ingredients.

Cook the blueberry mixture over the hot coals - gently stirring every so often - until the juices have boiled down to a thick sauce, and the filling is the texture you want.

Serve hot, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or mound of whipped cream, if desired.

Leftovers

Once cooled to room temperature, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or so. For best results, don't cover it til after it's cooled to room temperature!

Leftover blueberry crisp is best served reheated.

More Camping Dessert Recipes

Looking for some sweet treats to cook over a campfire or grill? Here's a few of my favourites!

50+ S'Mores Recipes
Apple Fritter Bread Pudding
Apple Fritter French Toast
Baked Apples, Campfire Style!
Banana Boats
Campfire Cones
Campfire Haystack Cookies
Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
Easy Campfire Brownies
Easy Skillet Bananas Foster
How to Make Maple Taffy
No Bake Cornflake Cookies
No-Bake S'Mores Bars
Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
Skillet Apple Crisp
Skillet Berry Crumble
S'mores Board

... But wait, there's more! Be sure to check out our other Camping Recipes, including Camping Desserts, Camping Snacks, Make-Ahead Camping Mix Recipes, and a ton of delicious Camping Main Dish Recipes.

Also, we had SO much fun designing gourmet jerky recipes for our camping trips, we started a whole new blog for them! Check out Dried & Tasty for all kinds of fun recipes to make in your food dehydrator!