A fiber rich breakfast that tastes like dessert, this berry breakfast crisp is the perfect make ahead recipe for busy mornings. Pair it with some Greek yogurt for protein to fuel your morning.
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Breakfast at a Glance
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Planning Ahead: This takes about 1 hour start to finish (mainly hands off) so you can make it all ahead of time to simply reheat in the morning
- Morning Effort: If you make it ahead, you simply need to reheat (less than 1 minute in the microwave) and top with yogurt
- Protein: 12g per serving (I like to serve it with Greek yogurt to up the protein)
- Fiber: 12g per serving
Nessy's Note
While I love savory breakfasts (like pesto egg toast), I also believe there's room for something that tastes like dessert sometimes.
To be honest, I've always been more of a fruity dessert person (which is why I love a breakfast banana split!). And fruit crisp might be my all time favorite dessert so naturally, I had to turn it into breakfast.
At its core, this breakfast berry crisp isn't all that different from a yogurt and granola parfait with berries. But serving it warm with jammy baked fruit and a crisp topping just makes it feel so much more exciting!
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Frozen Berries- I like to use a frozen mixed berry blend (I always have them in the fridge to make recipes such as berry cheesecake overnight oats). There is no need to thaw ahead of time.
- Substitution: You can use a single type of berry and you can also use fresh berries instead of frozen.
- Chia Seeds- These absorb the juices from the berries as they cook and help the filling to thicken up as well as add fiber to the breakfast.
- Substitution: You could use ground flax but I find that the chia works better. If you don't mind a juicier, less set filling, you could leave them out.
- Rolled Oats- I used large flake rolled oats as I generally prefer the texture (and use them in banana cream oatmeal too) but quick oats can be used.
- Ground Flaxseed- This helps to thicken the topping and adds additional fiber and plant points.
- Substitution: Oat flour or almond flour could be used instead.
- Hemp Seeds- I like to add these for a little protein boost.
- Substitution: You can leave them out if preferred.
- Coconut Flakes- These add an extra dimension of texture and flavor. I used unsweetened.
- Substitution: This can be omitted.
- Cinnamon- Adds such cozy flavor and I firmly believe it is an essential ingredient in a crisp recipe (but if you aren't a fan, you can omit it).
- Almond Butter- This acts as the main binder for the crumble topping.
- Substitution: Any nut butter will work. I also love peanut butter in this as it kind of has a PB+J vibe then (and if you like that flavor, be sure to try these PB+J oatmeal cups).
- Maple Syrup- This sweetens the crumble topping and works with the nut butter to help bind it.
- Substitution: Honey or another liquid sweetener of choice would work.
- Egg White- I took a note from all of my homemade granola recipes where I use this to help it bind and make it crunchy.
- Substitution: You can leave this out but the crumble topping may be a bit crumblier.
- Salt- Just a pinch to balance out the flavors.
My Notes for the Best Breakfast Berry Crisp
- Use frozen berries. Frozen berries are not only convenient (you don't even need to thaw them) but they release more liquid as it bakes for a jammier filling. That said, this will work with fresh berries if that's what you have.
- Include egg white in the topping. Adding egg white to the topping helps it to bind and makes for a crispier crumble texture.
- Make it ahead. This can be baked ahead of time and stored in the fridge or frozen. Simply reheat portions in the microwave when you are ready to eat.
- Add protein. On it's own, this recipe doesn't contain a lot of protein but it is excellent served with some Greek yogurt.
More Make Ahead Breakfast Recipes...
If you give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know what you thought in the comments below!
Breakfast Berry Crisp
A fiber rich breakfast that tastes like dessert, this berry breakfast crisp is the perfect make ahead recipe for busy mornings. Pair it with some Greek yogurt for protein to fuel your morning.
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Servings
Ingredients
- 4 cups mixed berries (I used a frozen blend of raspberries, strawberries and blueberries)
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
Topping
- 1 and ⅓ cups large flake rolled oats
- 2 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 2 tablespoon hemp seeds
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey), plus additional to taste
- 1 large egg white (about 2 tbsp)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F and prepare a 7x11 inch or similar size baking dish.
- In the baking dish, combine the chia seeds, berries and salt.4 cups mixed berries, 2 tbsp chia seeds, ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients from the filling. Add the almond butter, maple syrup and egg white until well combined.1 and ⅓ cups large flake rolled oats, 2 tbsp ground flaxseed, 2 tbsp hemp seeds, 2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ cup almond butter, 2 tbsp maple syrup, ⅛ tsp fine sea salt, 1 large egg white
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the berries and bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is lightly golden and crisp the the filling is bubbly.
- Enjoy! I like to serve it with Greek yogurt which ups the protein and kind of reminds me of having dessert crisp with ice cream.
Notes
Make Ahead and Storage: This is great prepped in advance! Bake the crisp fully and allow it to cool and then portion into individual servings and store in airtight containers. It can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
To Reheat: Microwave a portion in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 403mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 101IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 149mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition Note: Nutritional information is estimated using an online calculator and accuracy is not guaranteed. Remember food is more than numbers and this info is intended as a support.
Tried this recipe?Please comment and tell me what you thought!
Marie says
This was absolutely delicious and when I had it topped with yogurt, kept me full for hours!
Abbey says
This was SO yummy! I had it warmed up and topped with vanilla bean greek yogurt and it felt like eating dessert for breakfast, but actually filled me up. We have nut allergies in our house so I skipped the almond butter and it still worked. The topping was a little crumbly but I didn't mind! I'll definitely make this again!
Janessa says
I'm so glad you liked this recipe, Abbey!
Kim says
I'm looking forward to making this--sounds delicious and healthy! Just wanted to check on the nutrition info. I see there are 4 servings per dish. Is the nutrition info listed per serving or is this the total amount for the whole dish?
Janessa says
The nutrition is estimated per serving (1/4) of the recipe. Hope you like it!
Blair says
Ok I lovveeeeddd this!! It’s so simple to throw together with no surprising ingredients, yet it tastes surprisingly amazing. I’m not sure what the secret is but I will be making it again!
Janessa says
I'm so glad you liked this recipe! Thank you for your kind review, Blair!
Nicole says
Is there a sub we could use for almond butter if we have nut and cashew allergies and don’t like sunbutter? 🙈 just checking. 4/5 of my family could eat it as written but trying to find a sub for my allergy kid. Looks delicious!
Janessa says
Hmm, I haven't tested it without any nut/seed butter but one reader commented that they had allergies and just omitted it. Alternatively, you could try replacing it with about 2 tablespoons of apple sauce to help with binding. I haven't tested this but expect it would work okay based on other recipes where I have swapped in applesauce. Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!
Holly says
Can you use old fashioned oats or do they have to be rolled?
Janessa says
Old fashioned oats and rolled oats are the same thing- just called different things in different places 🙂
Gretchen says
Loved this recipe. I'm taking it to a brunch this week. Love that I get a balanced breakfast when I add yogurt.
Janessa says
I'm so happy to hear you liked this recipe, Gretchen! Thank you for your kind review!
Courtney says
MAKE IT! 10/10. Such an easy, quick recipe that's also kid friendly to EAT and MAKE! Sometimes I make minor adjustments depending on what I have on hand- chia seeds over hemp, PB/PB powder over almond butter, wild blueberries, etc. You can't go wrong with this recipe!
Janessa says
I'm so happy you like this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave this kind review, Courtney!