After seeing all of you fall in love with my peach crisp and strawberry crisp over the years, I knew it was time to add this beauty to the lineup.
This incredible, fresh cherry crisp has a perfectly sweet almond oatmeal crumble and hints of almond extract and amaretto to really make that cherry flavor sing. There are plenty of ways to make this crisp your own (yes, it can be made gluten-free and vegan!), and I always suggest serving it with scoops of your favorite vanilla ice cream.
Gather up all of the sweet or tart cherries you can find (even frozen) and bake up the crisp of your dreams to share with family and friends this summer.
Everything you’ll need to make this fresh cherry crisp
This gorgeous cherry crisp uses simple ingredients, plus a few delicious flavor boosters, to give it the perfect sweet and tart flavor. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Flour: feel free to use regular all-purpose flour or oat flour in the crumble topping!
- Sweetener: we’re sweetening the crumble topping with light brown sugar, and the cherry filling with a little pure maple syrup.
- Sliced almonds: these are optional, but I LOVE adding sliced almonds to the crumble topping for a little crunch and to bring out the cherry flavor.
- Rolled oats: you’ll also need old-fashioned rolled oats in the topping to get those nice clumps.
- Butter: feel free to use regular salted butter or vegan butter in the crumble topping to help it come together.
- Cherries: the star of the show! I like to use tart cherries, but use whatever you have available.
- Cornstarch: a little cornstarch or arrowroot starch helps to thicken up the cherry filling.
- Flavor boosters: we’re adding vanilla extract and almond extract to the filling, plus a little amaretto (if you’d like) for an even bigger flavor boost.
Keep the crisp gluten-free
To make a gluten-free cherry crisp, use gluten-free oat flour and gluten-free rolled oats in the crumble topping. Easy!
Can I use frozen cherries?
Absolutely! Feel free to use fresh or frozen cherries — you’ll make the recipe the same way with either one.
What is amaretto?
Amaretto is a sweet Italian liqueur that has an almond flavor. I like to add a splash to the filling in this cherry crisp because almonds and cherries really bring out each other’s flavors. It’s optional, but SO GOOD.
Try a chocolate-cherry combo
I mean, who doesn’t love chocolate and cherries together?! Melt 2 tablespoons of dark chocolate chips with 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil, then drizzle the melted chocolate all over the crisp for an extra special treat.
Beautiful cherry crisp in 4 simple steps
- Prep your pan. Grease a 10-inch oven safe skillet or 9×9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Make the topping. Mix the flour, sugar, oats, and almonds (if using) together in a medium bowl, then pour in the melted butter and mix until large clumps form (I like to use my hands). Cover and chill in the fridge.
- Make the filling. Mix the cherries straight in your greased baking dish with the rest of the filling ingredients until they’re nice and coated. A great way to save on dishes!
- Top, bake & serve. Sprinkle the crisp topping on top of the filling, and bake it up until golden brown and bubbly. Serve with vanilla ice cream and dig in!
Make-ahead cherry crisp
You can easily prep this cherry crisp ahead of time if you’re serving guests the following day. Prepare the whole crisp as directed, but before baking it, cover it with aluminum foil, and place it in the refrigerator. Bake the cherry crisp as directed whenever you’re ready to serve it.
How to store & freeze homemade cherry crisp
- In the fridge: store any leftover cherry crisp in an airtight container in the fridge. Simply warm it up a bit in the microwave or enjoy cold straight from the fridge.
- In the freezer: assemble the crisp, but do not bake it. Cover it well with aluminum foil and transfer it to the freezer for up to 3 months. Bake the frozen cherry crisp at 350 degrees for about an hour or until it’s golden and bubbly.
Tools you’ll need
Get all of my fav kitchen tools here!
More crisps, bars & fresh fruit desserts
- Strawberry Crisp with Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Crumble
- Mixed Berry Cobbler with Lemon-Pistachio Biscuits
- Cherry Pie Bars with Oatmeal Crumble (vegan + gluten-free)
- Gluten Free Peach Crisp with Salted Coconut Milk Caramel
- Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Cake with Lemon Frosting
Get all of my fresh fruit dessert recipes here!
I hope you love this fresh cherry crisp recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Fresh Cherry Crisp with Almond Oatmeal Crumble
Ingredients
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour (or oat flour)
- ½ cup (107g) packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (28g) sliced almonds (optional)
- ⅓ cup (32g) rolled oats, gluten free if desired
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted (or sub vegan butter)
- Wet ingredients:
- 2 pounds fresh or frozen cherries (I like tart cherries but any will work!), pitted
- ¼ cup (39g) pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (or arrowroot starch)
- 1 tablespoon amaretto (optional, but recommended)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch oven safe skillet or a 9x9 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Make the topping: in a medium bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, almonds (if using) and rolled oats. Add in the melted butter and stir together with a fork until it begins to form into crumbles and resembles clumpy wet sand. You may need to use your hands/fingers to form into nice big clumps. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 5 minutes or until ready to use.
- Prepare the filling: Place cherries in the prepared pan and then add in maple syrup, cornstarch, amaretto (if using), vanilla and almond extract. Stir until it’s well incorporated and coats all of the cherries. I find that it’s easier to do this directly in the pan you are going to use to avoid additional dishes, but you are more than welcome to mix the ingredients in a bowl and then add to the pan.
- Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly all over the cherries. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the topping is nice and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving, then scoop into bowls and top with some vanilla ice cream! Or just enjoy it straight out of the pan! Serves 9.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on August 4th, 2024, republished on July 10th, 2025, and republished on May 28th, 2026.
Too much starch. I tasted it in the dish. The next day it turned into a hard filling.
sorry to hear that! I didn’t have this issue especially with only 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 pounds of cherries!
I would love to have the email for the contributer of this recipe!
Hi! I wrote this recipe 🙂 Let me know if I can answer any questions about it!
Do you think I could substitute loquats & cranberries for the cherries? Thinking this might be a good combination to use at Xmas dinner. Thanks!
Hmm I’ve actually never had a loquat before! My only hesitation would be if those two fruits together aren’t as sweet as cherries — then the crisp might get very tart.
Hi – I love your recipes and always have great results. For this recipe I used sweet cherries and they did not break down and there was a lot of liquid. The same thing happened when I made cherry pie. What am I doing wrong? Thank you!
Hi! So strange! I might suggest double-checking your oven temp, because cherries should definitely break down when baked for almost an hour.
I love a good crumble but OMG this one is on another level!!! I’m obsessed with its perfection! So delish and will be making again!
The best!! Glad you loved it!
I think you mixed up the flour and oatmeal measurements did not look like what you showed.
So strange! I use this topping for all of my crisps and crumbles. What did the crumble look like for you?
If using frozen cherries, do they need to be thawed before assembling and baking?
Nope!
This crumble always comes out great. The ratio of ingredients turns out a perfect topping. I used Cherry Heering in place of Amaretto because that’s what I had on hand. Works nicely as well.
Love that! It’s our new fav dessert, too 🙂
Do you defrost the frozen cherries? I am guessing yes.
No need!
This is crazy good!!! Used frozen cherries which worked perfectly, as you said! Had it warm out of the oven and I bet it will also be incredible straight out of the fridge for a cool treat, too!
Thanks so much!!!
Love that!!
Recreated this cherry crisp and 🤩😍😋🥰! Thank you for sharing your yummy recipes! 💜
So glad you loved it!