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This strawberry rhubarb crisp is sweet tart and nostalgic, with a golden crumbly topping of oats and cinnamon. It’s perfection!

Strawberry rhubarb crisp

Growing up, my family had a massive rhubarb plant, a monstrous weed with thick leaves and stalks. Every year my mom would harvest the pink-green stalks and make a rhubarb crisp. The neon pink filling was intensely sweet tart, reminding me of a Jolly Rancher. Boy, was it heavenly! Here’s our spin on that family recipe: a strawberry rhubarb crisp made with just enough sweetness and a crumbly cinnamon-scented oat topping. It’s cozy, homey, and so so good.

How to make a strawberry rhubarb crisp

Why to make this strawberry rhubarb crisp

This strawberry rhubarb crisp is really, really delicious, with just the right tangy flavor from the rhubarb and buttery crumble topping. It tastes like the best nostalgic dessert for summer evenings on the patio, topped with vanilla ice cream or fluffy whipped cream. There are also several ingredients you can modify to make it work for different diets. Here are the features of this tasty summer dessert:

  • It’s perfectly sweetened. Some strawberry rhubarb crisp recipes call for boat-loads of sugar. This one uses just enough to get the right sweet tart flavor.
  • Orange zest adds a zing. This is the secret ingredient: trust us! It brings out the best citrusy flavor.
  • The buttery crumbles have the best texture. Oats, flour, brown sugar and butter make the best crumbly texture that’s not too crispy.
Spring produce

Gluten free and vegan variations

This strawberry rhubarb crisp has a few different options when it comes to the crumble ingredients. Here’s some more info on the outcome for these dietary options:

  • Use all purpose flour, or almond flour for gluten-free. All purpose flour makes a classic crisp. Or, you can use almond flour for a crunchy gluten-free topping.
  • Use butter or coconut oil for vegan. This recipe also has an option of using butter for a standard crisp, or coconut oil to turn it into a vegan dessert. Use refined coconut oil, which has a subtler flavor than unrefined.
Strawberry rhubarb crisp

How to store leftovers

Most of all, we hope this strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe will bring back nostalgic memories if you grew up eating rhubarb too! There’s something magical about this weed-like plant. And eating it in a crumble is one of the best sweet treats. Now, if you make it and have leftovers…how do you store them? Does crisp need to be refrigerated?

  • Room temperature: store for 1 day! You can leave your strawberry rhubarb crisp on the counter for up to 1 day (cover it at night). This way, the crumbly topping will stay crisp.
  • Refrigerated: Day 2-3. After 1 day at room temperature, refrigerate any leftovers. They’ll stay good for about 3 days.
Healthy strawberry rhubarb crisp

Mix it up! Variations on strawberry rhubarb crisp

This recipe results in a straightforward strawberry rhubarb crisp, with a sweet tart flavor and a crunchy crumble. If you’re looking for ways to customize it even further, try one of our flavor adders! Here are some ideas of flavors that add complexity:

  • Citrus: Add ¼ teaspoon orange zest or ½ teaspoon lemon zest to the filling
  • Fresh ginger: Add 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger root to the filling
  • Cardamom: Add ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom to the crumble

Or, try it with other berries! Go to Classic Blackberry Crisp or Mixed Berry Crisp.

More rhubarb recipes

Let us know in the comments: we’d love to know! In the meantime, here are some of our favorite rhubarb recipes:

Healthy strawberry rhubarb crisp

This strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, use coconut oil instead of butter.

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Strawberry rhubarb crisp

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

Description

This strawberry rhubarb crisp is sweet tart and nostalgic, with a golden crumbly topping of oats and cinnamon. It’s perfection!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups chopped rhubarb (1 pound)
  • 3 cups sliced strawberries (1 pound)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon orange zest
  • ¾ cup Old Fashioned oats
  • ¾ cup all purpose flour or almond flour (for gluten-free)
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 tablespoons cold salted butter (or coconut oil or vegan butter for vegan)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Make the filling: Chop the rhubarb into 1/2-inch pieces. Slice the strawberries. In a medium bowl, mix the strawberries and rhubarb with the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and orange zest (optional).
  3. Make the topping: In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and then use your hands to mix it into the oats until fully distributed and a crumbly dough forms. It may take a while so be patient; you can also use a fork or pastry cutter if you prefer. (If using coconut oil, it can be room temperature; use the same method to add it.)
  4. Pour the filling into a 9 x 9 inch baking dish or 7 x 11 baking dish. Pour the crumble on top and smooth it into an even layer with your fingers.
  5. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is evenly lightly browned and the filling is bubbly (this will vary based on your oven and berries: it may be shorter or longer so keep an eye on it). Cool for 30 minutes to 1 hour, then serve. You can leave out your strawberry rhubarb crisp on the counter for up to 1 day (covered, at night) so the topping can stay crisp. After 1 day, refrigerate any leftovers.
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Strawberry rhubarb crisp, Strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe

Looking for easy desserts?

Outside of this healthy strawberry rhubarb crisp, here are a few more easy desserts we love:

Last updated: March 2021

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you’ll want to make again and again.

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8 Comments

  1. The description mentions the crisp being sweetened with maple syrup, but I don’t see maple syrup as an ingredient.

    1. Thank you! This recipe was modified to use sugar instead due to some reader reader feedback that it wasn’t crisp enough. We’ve removed reference to maple syrup now — thank you!