Fresh Cherry Crisp Recipe

Homemade Cherry Crisp made with fresh juicy cherries is the perfect summer dessert! This recipe has plenty of crunchy oat topping, which for some of us is the very best part.

Make sure you top with with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It is a perfect balance to the sweet filling and rich topping. Simply delicious!

What is the difference between cherry crumble and cherry crisp?

They are very similar, and often the terms are used interchangeably. Both start with a base of fresh or frozen cherries, canned cherries, or even cherry pie filling.

The biggest difference is that crisps have oats in the topping, but crumbles  typically just have a buttery sugar crumb topping. Both our out of the world scrumptious!

What kind of cherries should I use for cherry crisp?

Typically sweet cherries like bing and rainier are used for cherry crisp and cherry crumble. Bing cherries have a dark red/purple color, while Rainier cherries are lighter red and yellow.

Tart cherries are also wonderful for baking, but they can be hard to find. Since they aren’t as sweet, they make for a tart crisp, unless you increase the amount of sugar.

I used bing cherries for my crisp. Personally, I like the deeper color that they give to the crisp, and they are more readily available in my area.

Mine were a little under-ripe, so they were still tart. If your cherries are sweet, you may need to use less sugar. On the other hand, if you are using tart pie cherries, you may need to add more.

HOW TO MAKE CHERRY CRISP WITH FRESH CHERRIES

1. PREP– Soften butter to room temperature. Pit your cherries. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with non stick spray. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. TOPPING – Combine oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a small bowl. Blend together with a fork or your fingers until crumbly. Stir in the sliced almonds and set aside.
3. FILLING – In a large bowl, combine pitted cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and almond extract. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly across the bottom.
   
4. BAKE – Sprinkle oat topping over the cherries and bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until filling is thick and bubbly and topping is lightly browned.
   
5. SERVE – Let cool for 20 minutes, then serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

Should Cherry Crisp be refrigerated?

Fruit crisps will keep just fine for a day or two at room temperature, but to keep them longer than that, you should store them covered in the refrigerator. You don’t want to take chances with bacteria that grows at room temperature.

How long is fruit crisp good for in the refrigerator?

Theoretically, cherry crisp will keep for 4-5 day in the refrigerator. The topping does get softer, but it’s still tasty. It has never lasted that long at my house though. We always finish it off in one or two days. It’s just so darn good!

We like it best warm, so I like to reheat it in the microwave for a few seconds before topping it with ice cream.

Can you freeze cherry crisp?

Yes, you can freeze it.  First you need to allow the crisp to cool completely.  Cover it with a layer of aluminum foil, then a layer of plastic wrap. I recommend chilling it first, but that step is optional.

Once it’s cool, you can store it in the freezer for up to 2 months.  Allow the crisp to thaw completely in the refrigerator (about 8-10 hours). Remove the plastic wrap and bake with the foil on for 20-25 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for a few more minutes.

VARIATIONS:

• I don’t like my fruit filling super thick and gummy, I like it to be a bit juicy. But if you want a thicker filling, you can add another tablespoon of cornstarch to the cherries.
• You can absolutely adjust the sugar in this recipe to your liking. We like our crisps on the sweet side, but you can use less sugar if you want a more tart dessert.
• If you don’t care for almond flavoring, you can omit the almond extract.
• Feel free to use pecans or walnuts in place of the sliced almonds, or omit the nuts entirely.
• This crisp is also tasty with half cherries and half raspberries.
• Nutmeg can also be added to the crumble topping.
• If you are really in a hurry, or can’t find fresh or frozen cherries, you can substitute two cans of cherry pie filling. It won’t have the same fresh flavor, but it will still be an amazing dessert.  I do recommend adding the almond extract to the pie filling.

MORE TASTY CRISP RECIPES:

• Cranberry Apple Crisp
• Raspberry Rhubarb Crisp
• Double Crisp Apple Crisp
• Caramel Apple Crisp
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this fresh cherry crisp recipe is an epic summer dessert! When I have access to fresh cherries, I like to pit and freeze them so I can make it all year long.