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Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp is the perfect summer dessert. It’s quick & easy to prepare, and has a lightly sweet and tart flavor that everyone will love!
This rhubarb crisp is naturally gluten-free when you use certified gluten-free oat products, and since it’s made with coconut sugar, it’s also lower-glycemic, when compared to a crisp made with white sugar. (So it shouldn’t spike your blood sugar as much!) Using coconut oil keeps it dairy-free, making this recipe vegan friendly, too.
What’s the Difference Between a Crisp and a Crumble?
Crisp and Crumble desserts both have fruit on the bottom and a buttery pastry-like topping. If the topping contains oats, you call it a crisp, and if it doesn’t contain oats, you call it a crumble.
The oats get toasted as the Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp bakes in the oven, giving it more of a “crispy” topping than if you were to use only flour.
Tip: If you need a crisp recipe that doesn’t use oats, be sure to try my Healthy Apple Crisp, Blueberry Crisp, or Peach Crisp.
Similar to crisps and crumbles, cobbler is typically made with a biscuit topping, and it’s dropped onto the fruit so that it bubbles up around the topping as it cooks– creating a look that is reminiscent of a “cobbled” road.
Do you Have to Peel Rhubarb?
No, you don’t have to peel rhubarb! Sometimes it can be stringy, which you can peel off as you chop, but if you use a sharp knife, it should cut right through the rhubarb, peel and all.
To make this rhubarb crisp, you’ll cut the rhubarb into 1/2-inch pieces. If the rhubarb stems are very wide, sometimes I’ll cut the stems in half lengthwise first, so they are more manageable to work with.
Is Green Rhubarb Okay to Eat?
There’s no need to be alarmed if your rhubarb is green. Surprisingly, there isn’t much of a flavor difference between red and green rhubarb. (Though, red rhubarb does make for a very pretty look in this crisp.)
If your rhubarb is red at the bottom and green towards the top, I find that the flavor can be slightly more tart, but the combination of sweet and tart flavors in this crisp is pretty perfect!
Be sure that you don’t eat any rhubarb leaves, as they may be poisonous.
How to Make It
This Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp couldn’t be easier to make. Just add the strawberries and rhubarb to the bottom of a baking dish, and toss them with sugar, arrowroot start (which helps absorb their juices), and vanilla.
Top the fruit with a simple topping of oats, oat flour, sugar, and coconut oil, to help it all stick together. If you don’t need a dairy-free crisp, you can use melted butter instead of the oil.
Then it bakes in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the fruit is very tender and the topping is golden. You’ll want to let it cool slightly before serving, then I like to top it with ice cream for a summery treat.
Does Rhubarb Crisp have to be refrigerated?
Since this recipe is made with fresh fruit, you’ll want to keep any leftovers covered and refrigerated for later. Moist desserts like this one (with the fruit on the bottom) will be prone to spoil if you leave them out on the counter too long, so I recommend keeping it chilled if you’re not going to serve it within 2 hours.
You can always reheat it again if you need to!
Ingredients
Fruit Filling:
- 1 pound rhubarb , cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 pound strawberries , hulled and quartered
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or other granulated sugar)
- 1 heaping tablespoon arrowroot starch (corn or tapioca starch work, too)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crisp Topping:
- 3/4 cup oat flour (certified gluten-free, if needed)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (quick or old-fashioned)
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In an 8-inch square baking dish, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, coconut sugar, arrowroot, and vanilla. Toss well to coat.
- In a separate bowl, combine the oat flour, coconut sugar, oats, oil, and salt. Stir well to combine, until the mixture looks evenly crumbly. Sprinkle it evenly over the fruit.
- Bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes, so that the fruit is tender and the top is golden. Let the crisp cool for 15 minutes, then serve warm with ice cream on top, if desired.
- Leftover crisp can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is for 1 of 6 portions. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, and not a guarantee.
If you try this strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know how you like it! And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from your experience.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite summer dessert? My other favorites include banana ice cream and No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars!
I am trying to go gluten free and got myself a bag of Bob’s Red Mill one to one flour when I spotted it on sale. Now I’m just waiting for my rhubarb to grow big enough to try this flour in a crisp.I am in Canada so everything is a bit later here. Have you or anyone tried the 1 to 1 in baking?
We went to crisp heaven!!! i made this yesterday, we loved, it was so delish! i used some honey too because i have too much! i added an apple, because i accidentally put too much honey. i made a simple vanilla ice cream with the machine you have recommended. where has that been all my life!!! so easy and fun!!! love all your recipes!!! PERFECT!!!
This is sooooo good! I love how it’s not too sweet, as I don’t eat a whole lot of sugar these days. The tart rhubarb flavor is really nice, and I served it with your homemade coconut whipped cream on top. Thanks for the recipe!
This looks so good!I was on a baking roll when quaratine started but then I hit a lull. All the recipes I had were just boring ha! This recipe may get me out of my funk!