Name: Fresh Cherry Crisp with Oat Topping
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats; ½ cup unsalted butter (cubed); ½ cup all-purpose flour; ½ cup light brown sugar; ¼ cup granulated sugar; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 32 ounces fresh sweet cherries (weighed before pitting, about 5 cups pitted); ½ cup granulated sugar; 3 tablespoons cornstarch; 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Skip to Recipe Rate this Recipe

Add us as a trusted Google source

Cherry crisp is one of my favorite ways to use a big batch of sweet cherries. The filling bakes up thick and juicy under a buttery oat topping with plenty of crisp, golden brown crumbles.

Baked fruit crisp in a white baking dish.

This easy cherry crisp works with fresh or frozen cherries, so you can make it during cherry season or any other time of year. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for a simple summer dessert.

Fresh or Frozen Cherries Both Work

Fresh sweet cherries give the filling a bright cherry flavor and a slightly firmer texture. Start with about 2 pounds of whole cherries. Once the stems and pits are removed, you’ll have about 1 ½ pounds of fruit for the filling.

A cherry pitter makes the job much faster, especially when you’re working with a full bowl of cherries.

You can also make this cherry crisp with frozen cherries. Thaw them completely, drain away any extra liquid, and pat them dry before adding the sugar and cornstarch. That extra step helps keep the filling from turning watery.

Oat topped cherry crisp on a stack of plates.

How to Keep Cherry Crisp from Getting Watery

Cherries release quite a bit of juice as they bake. Three tablespoons of cornstarch thicken those juices up without making the filling stiff or gummy.

Make sure the filling is bubbling toward the center of the baking dish before you take the crisp out of the oven. Bubbles only around the outside may mean the center needs a little more time.

Let the cherry crisp rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. The filling will continue to thicken as it cools, so spooning it out right away can leave more juice on the plate.

It’s also best to assemble the crisp shortly before baking. If you need to work ahead, prepare the filling and oat topping separately, refrigerate them, and put everything together when you’re ready to bake.

A top-down view of the cherry crisp in white bowls with whipped cream on top.

How to Make Cherry Crisp

Toss the pitted cherries with granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Spread the filling in a greased 2 ½-quart baking dish.

In a separate bowl, work the cubed butter into the oats, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and cinnamon. The mixture should look like damp sand with no large dry patches.

John sometimes makes the topping in a food processor instead. Pulse the ingredients just until the mixture starts to clump together. This creates a more doughy topping that bakes into a crunchy, cohesive layer with the same buttery crumble flavor.

An aerial view of the crisp topping in the food processor after it has been mixed.

Sprinkle the oat topping evenly over the cherries. Bake until the topping is golden brown and the cherry filling is bubbling toward the center.

Let the crisp cool for 15 minutes before serving. It will still be warm, but the filling will have time to set.

Oat topping sprinkled over cherry filling.

Storage and Reheating

Let the leftovers cool completely, then cover the baking dish or transfer the crisp to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

For the crispiest topping, reheat it in a 250°F oven until warmed through. The microwave works for individual servings, but it will soften the oat topping.

Cherry crisp can also be frozen before or after baking.

To freeze it before baking, assemble the crisp in a freezer-safe dish. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then bake as directed.

To freeze it after baking, cool the crisp completely before wrapping and freezing it. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

What to Serve with Cherry Crisp

A scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream is my first choice for warm cherry crisp. The cold ice cream melts into the cherry filling and all those buttery oat crumbles.

Homemade whipped cream also works well, or you can add a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce.

For another fruit dessert with the same buttery oat topping, try my easy apple crisp. Blueberry crisp is another good option when cherries aren’t in season.