Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
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Juicy red fruit bubbling under a crisp, golden topping—this strawberry rhubarb crisp is one of the easiest (and best) desserts I know.
This strawberry rhubarb crisp is one of my favorite easy desserts, especially in spring or early summer. It’s perfect warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a little sweetened whipped cream. And the leftovers are just as good the next morning with a cup of coffee.
Just a heads up: while fruit desserts like this are usually pretty flexible, it’s important to keep the ratio of rhubarb to strawberries the same. As tempting as it is to add extra strawberries, they release a lot of juice and can lead to a too-juicy “fruit soup” situation.
For more seasonal fruit crisp variations, don’t miss my summer peach crisp and autumn apple crisp—two longtime favorites around here.
“I served it to guests at a dinner party and everyone agreed it was the best crisp any one of us had ever tried.”
What You’ll Need To Make Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
- Rhubarb & strawberries – the classic sweet-tart combo. Rhubarb is technically a vegetable, but you treat it like fruit. It’s very tart, but once you add a little sugar and cook it down, it takes on a jammy, berry-like sweetness. To prep it for this recipe, trim off the leaves (they’re not edible) and rough ends, rinse the stalks, and cut them into ½-inch pieces.
- Granulated sugar & light brown sugar – for sweetening the fruit and giving the topping that warm, caramel-y depth
- Cornstarch – thickens the fruit juices so you don’t end up with a soupy filling
- Vanilla extract – adds subtle warmth and rounds out the fruit flavor
- Flour & oats – the foundation of the crisp topping; the flour gives it structure, and the oats add hearty texture
- Chopped pecans – for crunch and a toasty, nutty flavor
- Salt – balances the sweetness and makes everything taste better
- Unsalted butter – cut in cold to make a buttery, crumbly topping
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep the fruit filling. Quarter the strawberries and combine them with the rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla. Stir until the fruit is evenly coated with the sugar mixture. Transfer the fruit mixture to a 2-quart baking dish (no need to butter it) and set aside while you prepare the topping.
Step 2: Make the Topping. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt. Process until well combined, then add the chunks of cold butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with a few pea-sized clumps of butter within.
Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the oats and chopped pecans.
Step 3: Assemble and Bake. Spoon the topping evenly over the fruit without packing it down. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling around the edges and the topping is golden brown.
Step 4: Cool and Serve. Cool the crisp for about 20 minutes before serving, then spoon into shallow bowls and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
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Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
This strawberry rhubarb crisp is loaded with sweet-tart fruit and topped with a buttery oat pecan streusel.
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 1 pound rhubarb stalks, trimmed and sliced ½-inch thick (about 4 cups)
- ½ pound strawberries, hulled and quartered (about 2 cups)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Topping
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with a knife
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
- ¾ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- Lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
For the Filling
- In a large bowl, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla. Stir until the fruit is evenly coated with the sugar mixture, and the sugar mixture is no longer white.
- Transfer the fruit mixture to a 2-quart or 8-inch baking dish (no need to butter it) and set aside while you prepare the topping.
For the Topping
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt. Process until well combined, about 30 seconds. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with a few pea-sized clumps of butter within. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the oats and chopped pecans.
- Spoon the topping evenly over the fruit without packing down. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling around the edges and the topping is golden brown. Cool for 20 minutes before serving. Spoon into shallow bowls and serve with vanilla ice cream.
- Note: If your baking dish is shallow, place it on top of a foil-lined sheet pan to catch any spills that might bubble over the edges.
- Note: Don't be tempted to increase the strawberries in the recipe, or you'll end up with fruit soup (they release a lot of juice).
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The crisp can be frozen tightly covered for up to 3 months. Before serving, reheat it, uncovered, in a 300°F oven until heated through and crisp on top.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 332
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 49g
- Sugar: 32g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 4g
- Sodium: 81mg
- Cholesterol: 23mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Really, really great recipe! Easy to make and incredibly tasty. I added a few extra strawberries because I didn’t read ahead haha, but it didn’t get too soupy, it was perfect. I used coconut sugar because it didn’t have brown sugar and the topping was really tasty. Will definitely make this again – probably a few more times for rhubarb season.
This was excellent and has an awesome flavor. Made it exactly as written. Will definitely make again.! Thanks!
Can you make this the night before and just reheat the next day?
Hi Heidi, I’d make each component ahead, store them separately, and then bake before serving. Hope you enjoy!
This was fantastic! Should have paid closer attention to the note that said “don’t be tempted to add more strawberries or it will turn into a soupy mess!”. LOL! That was totally my fault. Otherwise, recipe is flawless. I will make again and follow the recipe as written. Thank you for a delicious Spring-time dessert recipe!
Very tasty. We had two helpings.
Fantastic delicious easy recipe! I make alot of fruit desserts, my friend and husband said this was the best one I’ve ever made. I loved it too. When I’m searching for a recipe I always look yours up.
Love your naan recipe too. Thanks!
Can I use frozen berries and rubbarb. And if so do I need to add just flour and sugar?
Hi Linda, Yes, using frozen strawberries and rhubarb is fine — just defrost them first and drain any excess liquid. You do not need to make any modifications to the recipe after defrosting and thawing the fruit. Hope you enjoy!
I love this recipe and have made it several times. It is simple and delicious and has become my favorite crisp to make. I love the flavorful blend of the strawberries and rhubarb, topped with crunchy oats and pecans. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us!
I have shared this crisp with my dad and he really liked it. It brought back sweet memories of the rhubarb crisp his mom made when he was young boy.
Very good! Love the crisp. Nothing is overly sweet like on some recipes. I always add nuts to my crisp so this was right up my recipe alley. 🙂 Thanks!
Recently made this and it was delicious! First time attempting to make a crisp and was pleasantly surprised.
Can I use the same topping mixture and technique and just swap out different fruits just as blackberries, raspberries, blueberries?
Also was curious why this recipe compared to some of the other crisps adds the oatmeal later in the recipe?
Thank you for introducing to me to such amazing crisp recipes!
Glad you liked it! You can try with different fruits; just keep in mind that all fruits have a different level of sweetness and exude more or less juice so you may need to play around with both the sugar and cornstarch amounts.
And it really doesn’t make a difference when the oatmeal is added for the topping. 🙂