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This mini blueberry crumble is made with juicy blueberries baked underneath a buttery, golden crumble topping. It bakes right in a loaf pan and makes just 2–4 servings, so you can enjoy a warm homemade fruit crumble without ending up with a huge pan of leftovers.

small batch blueberry crumble in a loaf pan with a spoon in it

I love a good fruit dessert in the summer, but sometimes a traditional 9×13-inch pan is just too much. I wanted a smaller blueberry crumble that still had plenty of juicy fruit and, most importantly, plenty of that buttery topping.

For the filling, I kept things really simple with blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and a little cornstarch. The cornstarch is important because blueberries release quite a bit of juice as they bake, and it helps turn all those juices into a thick, spoonable filling instead of leaving you with a watery cobbler.

For the topping, I went with a sugar cookie style topping similar to my small batch cherry cobbler instead of a biscuit topping (like my small batch peach cobbler). I went with melted butter instead of softened butter, which makes this especially easy to throw together. There’s no pastry cutter or mixer needed. Just stir everything together until crumbly, scatter it over the blueberries, and bake.

a serving of blueberry crumble in a ramekin topped with ice cream

Ingredients Needed

For the Blueberry Filling

Blueberries: Fresh blueberries work great here. If using frozen blueberries, don’t thaw them first.
Granulated sugar
Cornstarch: This thickens the juices released by the blueberries as they bake.
Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice works best and helps balance the sweetness of the berries.

For the Crumble Topping

Granulated sugar
All-purpose flour: For best results, weigh your flour or spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off.
Baking powder
Salt
Vanilla extract
Unsalted butter: Melt the butter before adding it to the dry ingredients. Salted butter can also be used; simply omit the added salt.

small batch blueberry crumble ingredients

How to Make A Mini Blueberry Crumble

1. Prepare the pan.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter.

A loaf pan is perfect for this recipe because it gives you a nice layer of blueberries while still leaving enough surface area for plenty of crumble topping.

2. Make the blueberry filling.

In the loaf pan, stir together the blueberries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch until the berries are evenly coated.

Make sure there aren’t any pockets of dry cornstarch left behind. You want it evenly distributed so it can thicken the blueberry juices throughout the cobbler as it bakes.

blueberry filling ingredients stirred together in a loaf pan

3. Make the crumble topping.

In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.

Pour in the melted butter and vanilla extract and stir until the mixture comes together into a thick, crumbly dough.

Don’t worry about making perfectly even crumbs. A mixture of smaller and larger pieces gives the cobbler topping a more interesting texture.

melted butter stirred into crumble mixture

4. Add the topping.

Use your fingers to break the topping into small pieces and scatter them evenly over the blueberries.

You don’t need to completely cover the fruit. In fact, leaving a few gaps is a good thing because it gives the blueberry filling room to bubble up through the topping as it bakes.

5. Bake until golden and bubbling.

Bake on the center rack for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the blueberry filling is visibly bubbling around the edges.

That bubbling is important. Don’t judge doneness based only on the color of the topping. The filling needs to get hot enough for the cornstarch to properly thicken the blueberry juices.

crumble sprinkled on top of blueberries and baked

6. Let the cobbler cool slightly.

Remove the cobbler from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack. Let it cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

The filling will be extremely hot when it first comes out of the oven and will continue to thicken slightly as it cools.

Serve the blueberry cobbler warm on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Recipe Tips

Make sure the filling is bubbling before removing the dish from the oven. The bubbling tells you the fruit mixture has gotten hot enough for the cornstarch to do its job. If you remove it too early, the filling may be runny.
Don’t thaw frozen blueberries first. If you’re using frozen berries, add them straight from the freezer. Thawing them first can release extra liquid before the crumble even goes into the oven.
Don’t completely cover the blueberries with topping. Leave some small gaps between the pieces of crumble so the blueberry filling has room to bubble through as it bakes.
Let the crumble rest before serving. The blueberry filling will thicken as it cools, so give it at least 5 minutes before spooning it out of the pan.

How to Store

Store leftover blueberry crumble tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

To reheat, warm an individual serving in the microwave or place the loaf pan in a 350°F oven until warmed through. Reheating in the oven will help the topping regain some of its texture.

To freeze baked blueberry crumble, let it cool completely, then wrap the loaf pan tightly or transfer individual portions to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Label the container with the recipe name and date before freezing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat at 350°F until warmed through.

Mini Blueberry Crumble