WILD SASKATOON BERRY CRUMBLE

Happy Monday, everyone! How was your weekend? If you’ve been following along with my Insta Stories lately you likely caught a glimpse of what my weekend looked like, including my very first saskatoon picking adventure! An old friend of mine invited us to forage their family farm near Carseland, Alberta where the saskatoons are flourishing — it’s the best crop they’ve ever had. I spent Saturday evening strolling through saskatoon tree lined paths with my Mom and little sister — bucket in one berry stained hand and camera in the other (now that’s my kind of girls night!). It was a gorgeous evening and we came away with overflowing buckets, happy hearts and about 8 pounds of berries!

Enjoy the bounty of our beautiful Canadian prairies with my Wild Saskatoon Berry Crumble — a simple, 9 ingredient recipe with a wholesome, plant based spin. It’s free of dairy, gluten and refined sugar — and bursting with decadent berry flavour! Freshly picked saskatoons are bathed in bright lemon juice then naturally sweetened with rich, caramel laden coconut sugar and sprinkled with a hearty topping including quick oats, homemade oat flour, more coconut sugar, Himalayan pink salt, cinnamon, chopped almonds and coconut oil. This vibrant, crowd pleasing dessert that accommodates food allergies and sensitivities without compromising those classic crumble characteristics we all know and love (I promise, no one will know it’s a ‘free from’ dessert!). It’s a no fuss summer dessert that’s ideal for entertaining and can be on your table in 45 minutes!

WILD SASKATOON BERRY CRUMBLE

You may have a hard time believing this — but until Saturday I’d never even tasted a saskatoon! If who’ve followed along with my FOOD section for any length of time, you’ll know how passionate I am about local, plant based food and honestly I have no idea why I’ve never gone saskatoon picking until this summer. The instant I popped a saskatoon straight from the branch into my mouth, I knew I wanted to try them in a crumble! I’ve had an old crumble recipe kicking around for years, but it’s not something I’ve revisited since going dairy and gluten free. So this weekend I tested my old crumble recipe with new, clean, wholesome ingredients and was shocked at how well it came out! I spent the weekend at my childhood home in rural Alberta with my family (a.k.a. the best recipe testers ever) and they were all in agreement that the recipe didn’t need any tweaking. Yesterday I made another batch of Wild Saskatoon Berry Crumble to photograph (that I may or may not be eating for breakfast right now) — and here we are!

If you’ve never tried a saskatoon berry, you’re probably wondering what they taste like. Although they resemble blueberries, they actually taste a quite different. Saskatoons have a deeper, richer, nuttier flavour that’s somehow wilder — but in the best way possible! It’s very distinct and difficult to describe, but if you live in Alberta or Saskachewan, I highly recommend getting out to sample saskatoons for yourself this season while the crops are at their peak. With the intense heat we’ve been experiencing this summer, this year’s crop will likely fade before weeks end — there’s no time like the present! Since saskatoon season is so short, I was eager to publish this recipe for those looking for a great ‘free from’ crumble.

Upon doing a bit of research, I discovered that saskatoons are actually related to the apple family. They’re also little nutritional powerhouses packed full of  fiber, protein, antioxidants, manganese, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, copper and carotene. Saskatoons are high in natural sugar but also rich in vitamin C — making them ideal for baking. They hold their shape when baked but continue to ripen after they’re picked — so you’ll want to enjoy them fresh for up to about 4 days, then freeze the rest of your harvest. You can make my Wild Saskatoon Berry Crumble with fresh or frozen saskatoons to enjoy these summer treats year round!

I haven’t tried actually freezing the crumble (although don’t foresee it being an issue), but I can confirm it’s delicious cold, straight from the container for breakfast! This recipe serves 6 – 8 and is best enjoyed warm with a scoop of vanilla bean coconut ice cream. It also pairs well with dry, berry driven rosé! If you don’t have access to saskatoons, feel free to substitute them for any berries you have on hand — however, you may have to tweak the amount of coconut sugar to accommodate.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6 – 8

Filling

• 4 cups saskatoon berries
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 2 tsp corn starch

Topping

• 3/4 cup quick oats
• 1/2 cup oat flour (make your own by following the directions below!)
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
• 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Process your saskatoon berries by sorting and washing them.

3. Start preparing the filling by adding 4 cups of saskatoon berries to a 9″ square baking dish along with 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice. Stir to combine.

4. Combine coconut sugar with cornstarch and stir into the saskatoon berries. Spread evenly to form a uniform layer.

5. Make your own oat flour by adding some quick oats to a high powered blender and processing until they form a flour.

6. Chop almonds roughly.

7. Prepare the topping by combining all ingredients in a mixing bowl.

8. Melt coconut oil in a microwave safe dish. Drizzle into the Topping mixture, stiring to combine.

9. Sprinkle topping onto the saskatoon berries, forming an even layer.

10. Pop the Wild Saskatoon Berry Crumble into the oven the bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.

11. Remove from the oven to cool slightly for 15 minutes before serving.

5 from 4 votes

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WILD SASKATOON BERRY CRUMBLE

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

35 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

My Wild Saskatoon Berry Crumble is a simple, 9 ingredient recipe with a wholesome, plant based spin. It's free of dairy, gluten and refined sugar -- and bursting with decadent berry flavour! Freshly picked saskatoons are bathed in bright lemon juice then naturally sweetened with rich, caramel laden coconut sugar and sprinkled with a hearty topping including quick oats, homemade oat flour, more coconut sugar, Himalayan pink salt, cinnamon, chopped almonds and coconut oil. This vibrant, crowd pleasing dessert that accommodates food allergies and sensitivities without compromising those classic crumble characteristics we all know and love (I promise, no one will know it's a 'free from' dessert!). It's a no fuss summer dessert that's ideal for entertaining and can be on your table in 45 minutes!

Servings: 8

Ingredients

Filling

• 4 cups saskatoon berries
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 2 tsp corn starch

Topping

• 3/4 cup quick oats
• 1/2 cup oat flour make your own by following the directions below!
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
• 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Process your saskatoon berries by sorting and washing them.
3. Start preparing the filling by adding 4 cups of saskatoon berries to a 9" square baking dish along with 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice. Stir to combine.
4. Combine coconut sugar with cornstarch and stir into the saskatoon berries. Spread evenly to form a uniform layer.
5. Make your own oat flour by adding some quick oats to a high powered blender and processing until they form a flour.
6. Chop almonds roughly.
7. Prepare the topping by combining all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
8. Melt coconut oil in a microwave safe dish. Drizzle into the Topping mixture, stiring to combine.
9. Sprinkle topping onto the saskatoon berries, forming an even layer.

10. Pop the Wild Saskatoon Berry Crumble into the oven the bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.

11. 11. Remove from the oven to cool slightly for 15 minutes before serving.

MORE PLANT BASED SASKATOON BERRY RECIPES

Gluten Free Saskatoon Citrus Banana Bread

Honeyed Saskatoon Cherry Gimlet

Summer Bounty Salad with Saskatoon Cider Vinaigrette

Saskatoon lovers, check out my 4 Healthy Saskatoon Berry Recipes + Where to Pick Saskatoons In Alberta post! 

Have you ever tried saskatoons? I have a feeling I’ll be picking them every summer from now on! I love that they’re so readily available — and practically in my backyard! As always, if you try my Wild Saskatoon Berry Crumble I’d love your feedback.

Leave me a comment, or tag me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. You can use the hashtag #justinecelinarecipes in your recreations so I can find them — it’s always so much fun seeing what you guys make! I also have a Pinterest board for my recipes if you’re looking for more plant based culinary inspiration. I hope you enjoyed coming along on the first of many saskatoon berry adventures here at JustineCelina!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored, and contains my genuine thoughts, ideas and recommendations. Thank you to the Zaleschuck family for letting us come forage the farm! JustineCelina uses affiliate and referral links, which allow me to receive a small commission when you make a purchase through one of my links. Thank you for supporting the brands and businesses that support JustineCelina!