This healthy cranberry crisp is topped with a simple oat and honey crumble. With only 5-ingredients, this low sugar, gluten-free dessert is a seasonal favourite. Serve it with some plain yogurt or coconut vegan yogurt for a nutritious and delicious dessert!
This healthy cranberry crisp is a fall-time favourite. Low-bush cranberries are a local Indigenous food, favoured by the coastal First Nation people on Vancouver Island. Low-bush cranberries can be used in any recipe in place of regular store-bought cranberries. Both are tangy in taste and contain very little sugar compared to other berries such as strawberry and blueberry. I love making this 5-ingredient crisp with frozen cranberries from the years’ harvest – enjoy it as it is, or it also tastes great with some added orange zest or baked with apple.
Making this Cranberry Crisp
- Why I Made This Crisp
- Nutritional Benefits
- Ingredients
- Instructions
- Tips and Variations
- Serving This Crisp
- More Dessert Recipes
Why I Made This Crisp
Local Cranberries
Thank you to the community of Ahousaht for these low-bush cranberries. Ahousaht is a beautiful coastal First Nations community, found 45 minutes by boat from Tofino on Vancouver Island. I purchased these low-bush cranberries from a community member to create and share this healthy, diabetic-friendly dessert. Regular store-bought cranberries can be used in this recipe if you do not have contact with a harvester.
A 5-Ingredient Dessert
This dessert has been a favourite, not only because it is delicious but also because it is super easy and inexpensive! By using oats two ways (blended for oat flour and as regular traditional oats) and using honey in both the fruit layer (optional) and crisp topping, this dessert uses minimal ingredients, so no fussing around in the kitchen.
This Dessert Is Inexpensive
This cranberry crisp makes about 6 small serves – per serving the cost is estimated at $3, and that is if you purchase your cranberries like I did! For harvesters, this recipe will cost even less! Oats are inexpensive, no fancy almond flour or coconut flour here. Honey, which is used as the sweetener, is a cheaper alternative to maple syrup.
Nutritional Benefits
Vitamin C and Cranberries
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps to repair the body and keep our immune system strong. Cranberries are a great source of vitamin C – see my post What Are Antioxidants Good For, for more information.
A Diabetic-Friendly Dessert
Cranberries are naturally low in sugar, and this tangy berry won’t spike blood sugar levels as quickly as other berries. This crisp is sweetened with natural honey, which has a lower glycemic index than regular sugar, meaning it has a lesser effect on blood sugar levels.
Free of Refined Carbohydrates
This dessert is free of refined-flour. Refined flour rapidly breaks down into sugar, and the fast spike in blood sugar levels is hard on our body. Using oat flour in place of regular flour is a simple and cheap alternative. All you need to do is blend regular oats in a blender. If you don’t have a blender, you can purchase oat flour from most grocery stores.
Ingredients
This dessert is made with only 5-ingredients:
- Cranberries
- Honey
- Oats
- Coconut Oil
- Shredded Coconut
Optional ingredients
- Cinnamon, ground
- Orange, zest and juice
- Apples
Instructions
Add 1 cup of oats, 1/4 cup oat flour, 1/4 cup shredded coconut, 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil and 1/4 cup of honey to a bowl. Option to add 1/2 tablespoon of ground cinnamon.
Mix the crisp topping ingredients until well combined.
Place all the cranberries on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Add the mixed crisp toppings to the cranberries. Mix the crisp toppings gently through the cranberries.
Bake the crisp for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.
Tips and Variations
Making A Gluten-Free Cranberry Crisp
This crisp is naturally gluten-free, though oats can become contaminated with gluten during the processing process. If you are serving it to someone with a severe gluten intolerance, or who has celiac disease, you want to make sure that the oats are certified gluten-free.
Making A Vegan Cranberry Crisp
This crisp can be made vegan by substituting maple syrup for the honey. You may need 1/2-1 tablespoon more of maple syrup in the topping, as maple syrup is not as sticky as honey. If your crisp mixture does not seem to be sticking together, start with an additional 1/2 tablespoon of maple syrup.
Making an Orange Cranberry Crisp
I love the combination of orange and cranberry. To make an orange cranberry crisp, add the zest of one orange to the cranberry mix. I suggest adding the 1 tablespoon of honey as well as this will help the zest stick to the cranberries. Add about 2 tablespoons of the juice of the orange (or 1/2 an orange, juiced) to the crisp ingredients. Proceed with the recipe below.
Making An Apple Cranberry Crisp
Apple comes into season at the same time as cranberries, so naturally, they make a great pair. To make an apple cranberry crisp, use 3 medium apples, chopped. Add these to the baking tray (with the optional cinnamon and honey) and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Now add 2 cups of cranberries, and the crisp toppings as per the recipe and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
Serving This Crisp
Here are a few of my favourite sides to go with this delicious crisp:
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream
- Coconut Vegan yogurt
- Vanilla yogurt
More Dessert Recipes
A few of my favourite dessert recipes! All dessert recipes are fuss-free, healthy and delicious!
- Raw Chocolate Date Bar
- Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Raw Chocolate Brownies with Caramel Icing
- Easy Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Seedy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Save This Crisp Recipe For Later
Healthy Oat & Honey Cranberry Crisp
Ingredients
- 4 cups cranberries
- 1 tbsp honey optional
For The Topping
- 1 cup oats
- 1/4 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup of oats, blended)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Rinse the cranberries and lay on a single layer on a baking sheet. Option to add honey to balance out the tartness of the cranberries.
- To make the crisp topping - first, if you are making the oat flour at home add 1/3 cup of whole oats to a small blender and blend until a fine flour is formed. If you are purchasing oat flour you can skip this step.
- Melt the butter or coconut oil on the stovetop. Add this to the 1 cup of oats, 1/4 cup of oat flour, coconut flakes (if using) and honey and mix until well combined.
- Add the crisp topping to the baking tray with the cranberries and fold n gently with the berries. Bake for 30 minutes or until it is golden on top. Let cool slightly before serving.
- Serve with some plain yogurt or some vegan coconut iceceam.
Notes
MAKING A GLUTEN-FREE CRANBERRY CRISP
Make sure that the oats are certified gluten-free.MAKING A VEGAN CRANBERRY CRISP
Substitute in maple syrup for honey. Use 1/2-1 tablespoon more of maple syrup in the topping, as maple syrup is not as sticky as honey.MAKING AN ORANGE CRANBERRY CRISP
To make an orange cranberry crisp, add the zest of one orange to the cranberry mix. I suggest adding the 1 tablespoon of honey as well as this will help the zest stick to the cranberries. Add about 2 tablespoons of the juice of the orange (or 1/2 an orange, juiced) to the crisp ingredients.MAKING AN APPLE CRANBERRY CRISP
To make an apple cranberry crisp, use 3 medium apples, chopped. Add these to the baking tray (with the optional cinnamon and honey) and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Now add 2 cups of cranberries, and the crisp toppings as per the recipe and bake for an additional 30 minutes.Nutrition
Rachel Dickens, The Conscious Dietitian, is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. She graduated with her Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2010 from Griffith University. She strives to provide evidence-based nutrition information with a focus on plant-based nutrition and share some of her favourite seasonal recipes and sustainable eating tips.
Hi Rachel,
if using frozen cranberries should I defrost them first?
Hi Maura,
Just run them under warm water to remove some of the ice that may have formed around the cranberries and slightly warm them. I hope you loved the crisp!