The Ultimate Berry Crumble

The whole family enjoyed this! As usual, Chef John showed us in the video how to add some professional tweaks that make a big difference to the final product. Additionally, I never would have imagined that apple cider vinegar and cayenne pepper would have played a role in such a sweet berry dish. But it was overall Superb! Will definitely make this one often in berry season.

This is amazing! I don’t always take the time to watch recipe videos, but this one was helpful. I used all raspberries and forgot the cayenne, but kept everything else the same. So good!!

I can't tell you how many crisps, crumbles and cobblers I've made over my 40+ years in the kitchen - but believe me when I tell you this one is the ultimate. So good I've committed the crumble mixture to memory.

My husband and amateur food critic son loved this ultimate berry crumble. I made the recipe exactly as written and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. For those who expressed frustration with grating the butter, you must freeze the butter first and use a grater, not a micro plane zester, which has very tiny holes. I would not change a thing. The flavor of the crumble reminded me of shortbread. It was not bland at all. Yum!

Wow is this good stuff, I used frozen berries.

It was okay, the crust/base was bland. I would make it with brown sugar instead to add some depth of flavour and the caramel flavour would really enhance the berries.

This is a keeper! Thank you!

This is the first time I have actually watched a video for a recipe. (I guess I think I got it all figured out by now!) But I did watch Chef John's video showing him enjoying grating butter for the crumb topping. I have never grated butter before as it shows how to do in this clip. So being the bold explorer I decide to try this as he says it is so much easier than using my pastry blender. Well "News Flash" it is not easier and well nigh impossible to do. I used a Microplane ribbon grater with the attached plastic food holder for the butter. The frozen butter just would not easily grate. A little fell through but it was such a hard slog. This was not fun and it was not easy. I finally just used a knife and cut the butter in little pieces. Chef John seemed to have such a good time doing this. I just don't get it. Anyway I made the recipe the same except I just used blue and black berries and it was good but really not "ultimate".

I’ve made it twice. This time I skipped the bottom crust and put more crumbles on top. No raspberries. They get too mushy. I used a combination of fresh and frozen and used lots more. I filled the pie plate almost to the top with berries and then put a heavy layer of crumbles.

This really is...Ultimate! Absolutely fantastic. No changes except throwing in a few strawberries. Chef John, rocks!

I have made this twice and it is wonderful!!

Turned out perfect! Yum

Just found this recipe and gave it a try right away. It was a very tasty dessert that was really good while still warm. Packing the bottom of the baking pan was easier when it was put in the fridge, otherwise it kept sticking to my hands or the cup I used. Will definitely do this one again.

I've made this a few times. It really is the ultimate! I've made it with vatiations of all kinds of fruits: the berries, blueberries and peaches. I'd like to try peaches and cranberries next! Other than the fruit, I made no substitutions. Fantastic recipe! And I love grating the frozen butter. Genius!

Very good. I added cinnamon to the crumble and subbed half the sugar with brown sugar in the crumb mix.

I made this crumble after watching Chef John`s video. It turned out wonderful, My wife loved it, took some to a work ,to her friend, now we have another Chef John fan. What I found the most helpful was the way he shows you how the crumble should look and feel when its got the right amount of moisture.

Superb! My whole family ate this. My wife and I loved it.... will definitely make it again!

Excellent ??

Used both frozen and fresh berries.

My absolute favourite recipe ever! This crumble really lives up to its title. I’ve made it several times.. even with cold margarine on those days I have a craving but no butter on hand and it comes out just as good!

As always, Chef John has gone above and beyond to create a dessert that is an explosion of flavours to tantalise your taste-buds. I have never tried putting cayenne in a desert before, but it gave it wonderful zing to the fresh fruit! Made to the exact recipe using strawberries, blueberries and raspberries purchased fresh at our local farmers market. It would have been peaches but our 4 boys devoured them to fast! :) Thank you chef John, you are amazing.

I made no changes. I will make it again. Loved it!

This recipe is wonderful! I made it with fresh picked Gravenstein apples and added a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg to the fruit filling.

This was fantastic. I will add more rasPberries and blackberries next time. This is a great dessert to have any time.

Wonderful, Wonderful! If you love blueberries and want to please a crowd, this is by far the best berry dish I've had. I had the opportunity to make this twice within a week, once for company and the second time just for my husband and myself. The reason being, the small crowd of 6 completely cleaned the dish leaving No leftovers for the next day.

I made this for me and my husband for Valentine's Day. Loved it! It will be even better in the summer when I can get fresh local berries. I didn't put the cayenne in because I forgot to pick some up at the store. I'll be interested to see the difference next time. I was concerned because the crumble mixture was so dry, I thought it would fall apart, but it came together beautifully! I'm sure this will become a go-to dessert for many occasions!

It was a bit dry, but everyone enjoyed it with ice cream.

This was delicious! I followed the recipe exactly, but used 1 c strawberries, 1c blueberries, and 1c raspberries. It turned out a little too "juicy" for my liking (I like mine more on the "crumble" side", so next time I will probably use more cornstarch to thicken. I am making it again this weekend! Definitely one of my favorite desserts of all time.

The crumble was good, but I think it would be better with more fruit. Followed the recipe exactly; the crumble is too thick and the fruit filling is too skimpy. I'd try again just because the crumble part was good, but would add at least 1 1/2 cups more fruit, possibly even double the filling.

My company loved this! I sprinkled sliced almonds on the top before baking and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream...will certainly make and serve again!

This was delicious! I did not change a thing...I used fresh lemon and a sharp fork to get the lemon zest off the lemon... I definetely recommend doing this! This was the best berry crumble I have ever made! The dough was delicious!

After my 4th try looking for the perfect crumble for my summer fruit this season, I hit the jackpot with this one. It tastes like a vanilla cookie topping, delicately crisp, no raw sogginess below the top layer, and was very satisfying to squeeze the crumble together. I resisted adding extra moisture and stuck to the quantity in the recipe. Perfect! I have to admit, I was doubtful but this is Chef John after all. A few modifications - I used fresh peaches, macerated in lemon, sugar & cornstarch for a couple hours and skipped the bottom layer so it was just topping. Yum. Going back for seconds now.

So good! So easy and tasted delish!!! Made 1.5 servings of the berry part for extra goodness.

Ultimate is right! This is tasty beyond imagine. I’ve made it straight blackberries. Delicious I must say. And just now put in a batch of blueberry and blackberries. Can’t imagine anything but wonder coming out of my oven in about 30 minutes. The recipe says to cool for 20 minutes. I never wait that long!

Had to give recipe to two friends after I made it - delicious.

Second time making this. I followed the recipe 100%. This is delicious exactly as it is written

Cheries, blueberries and a mango. yum.

I made this and it is indeed absolutely amazing. The extra crumble on the bottom makes all the difference

Sorry Chef John, the Ultimate Berry Crumble, in our opinion, is not worth wasting the ingredients. I did follow the listed ingredients and instructions to a letter. We anxiously waited for the berries to cool so we could enjoy. We have enjoyed everything else of yours and this was a surprise. I have to be honest.

OMG, that CRUMBLE! used what fruit i had on hand. (apple, orange zest and juice, blueberries and cranberries). The filling does not matter! Follow the instructions exactly and what you get is a crisp crumbly masterpiece, full of tiny pockets of caramelized sugar and butter. the taste is warm but clean and the subtle, tactile changes between the edge and the middle are so so satisfying bite after bite! Five stars for real, John!!

Tasty but not overly sweet. Went great with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Would definitely make again.. I used all frozen blueberries that had been in the freezer for a while while I was cleaning out and cooking up all of the food in my house during the government mandated quarantine.

next time I would use more fruit

Ultimate is right. The both tender and crisp shortbread crust and topping make this dessert A+.

so yummy. I swapped 1/2 cup of brown sugar for the white sugar in the crumble and it was delicious.

I absolutely loved it. Have made it several times now.

So good! Highly recommend!

Very good, especially with ice cream. I melted the butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter, rather than grating frozen butter and using a fork....much, much easier! Used brown sugar in the crumble, and added some cinnamon and a bit of grated nutmeg.

Outstanding! Made exactly as described and my husband and I both love it! The subtle impacts of the vanilla, vinegar, lemon and lemon zest are so divine! Appreciated Johns tips at the bottom of the recipe, and will experiment with a variety of fillings. THANK YOU JOHN for another KEEPER!

Made gluten free substituting almond flour and cassava flour for wheat. Unbelievably delicious. This is now a weekend standard.

I had three cups of strawberries and one cup of blueberries leftover from making another recipe so decided to give this a try. I followed the recipe except melted the butter instead of cutting it into the dry ingredients. Much easier. I never made a crumble with a bottom layer but it turned out great. I kept going back for one more spoonful until it was all gone. Great recipe!

My frozen butter did not grate like Chef John's...but that was because of the grater I used. No big deal...it looked perfectly imperfect and tasted wonderful! Great tips on scrunching the topping.

I've made this three times now and it's always the hit of the party. Served with homemade whipped cream is divine or a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. It's a wow kind of dessert. Everyone wants seconds.

Fantastic! Recommend using 4tsp of cornstarch when using frozen fruit and grating the frozen butter as per recommendations. No other changes needed!

This dessert is incredibly easy to make. My guests actually thought I bought it at a bakery! Actually the dish I used should have given it, but then again my guests aren't the brightest light bulbs in the chandelier. Anyway, make this, you'll be the hit of the party

Followed the recipe and it was perfect. I was using frozen berries so I added extra cornstarch, worked out well. The crumb topping was the best, will make this again!

I made this with just mulberries, & in a metal loaf pan that fit inside my toaster oven, since I didn't want to heat up the house with the oven. I followed the recipe, except for the pecans I added to the topping. It was delightful! I think the next time I'll try using 1/2 brown sugar & 1/2 white sugar just to see the difference. The bottom crust was a little mushy in the center, but the pan was deep so that was my bad.

I made this twice. The first time exactly like the recipe with the cornstarch. It was delicious but a bit thick. The next time I made it I left out the corn starch and added one cup more blueberries. It turned out perfect. I will make this again as my husband will make sure of this.

Followed the recipe exactly after watching the video -- and it was indeed delicious!! Made sure to have a scoop of vanilla ice cream to go with it!! Wouldn't change a thing!!

just delicious!easy !

This is the BEST thing I've ever made. Delicious, easy, and pretty too! I doubled the blueberries and didn't add raspberries because I didn't have any. I used frozen fruit.

I'm a new cook and really appreciate chef John's Relaxing voice and he makes cooking enjoyable and stress free. The dish was amazing

This needs much more filling than the recipe calls for. As the recipe is now it’s just two layers of crust with a very small layer of blueberries.

This was delicious! I loved the texture. I didn't have a pastry cutter - I used a food processor and slowly pulsed the butter in. I didn't have the Chinese allspice (sounds interesting) so I used cinnamon/nutmeg. Thank you Chef John

Easy and tasty! I added an extra 1/2 cup of blueberries. Next time will try subbing another berry for blackberries to avoid seeds. Appreciated the technique demonstrations in the video.

This is an excellent dessert to share with guests. We grow blackberries which makes it that much better. Chef John gives great tips - watch the video.

I love the idea of adding cayenne to this. It offered a slight spice to the back of the pallet that your guest won't even notice until it's half gone. Will make again!

This really is Fantastic! I made it as directed and it's totally a keeper! I will be making this often.

Seriously wonderful! Not too sweet - just delicious. I would recommend serving it with ice cream or whipped cream.

My family loved it!

very delicious and easy. I did not change anything except I added approximately a half a cup of finely chopped walnuts and that made the crumble a little crunchier which I like

This recipe has become legendary among family and friends. Everyone loves it! Even worth grating the butter in a hot summer kitchen.

Lovely crunchy flavour with a semi sweet filling. Its a beautiful dessert and will do well at any gathering. Also very easy and fun to make.

I followed the directions and got an excellent dessert.

Chef John, My late Aunt made apricot squares which were "to die for". So, in honesty, I made the amount of flour mixture into the amount she used then followed your directions subbing tapioca powder for cornstarch. Currently, these are in the oven; I shall amend the review upon completion (p.s. also added lavender extract with the vanilla extract as lavender lemon and blueberries are wonderful together). By the way, the only difference between your recipe for topping: Aunt Ruth used one egg and milk instead of apple cider vinegar.)

This is crazy GOOD. I will never use another cobbler recipe. Easy and fast to make. I didn't have enough fresh berries so I added a few frozen, thawed, drained berries. Still came out excellent. Thank you, Chef John.

I used this crumble topping on a blueberry and it is absolutely delicious!

We really liked this. But I don't eat eggs so used chia seeds as a replacement. This worked but too much water and as a result lost the 'crumble' - it was more like pastry. Next time I will used less water. The video was perfect and I highly recommend anyone to see it before making this desert.

Absolutely love this! I am hooked and love it, love it, love it! Thank you for sharing this "to die for: crumb delight! Soooo ymmmy!! Yvette Vargas

Amazing!!!! I get so many compliments. I Have swapped out the berries and it’s still great. Thank you!

Delicious!! My family loved it. I added clove to bring in the fall, and it was yummy.

My 10 yo daughter and I have never baked berry crumble and this was simple enough to make together. It was everything a berry crumble should be…bursting with sweet berry goodness with crisp-tender cookie crumbles to top it off! We had it with French vanilla ice cream. My daughter loved it so much, she had a second helping!

Our entire family loved this dessert. As suggested in other reviews, we used 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup white sugar. Since we used frozen fruit, we added additional cornstarch. So tasty. Typically, when making crumble, we use oatmeal…since trying this recipe, we have changed our minds. So flavourful!