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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Great, easy very delicious recipe. Just made my third dish in a month. I’ve been using my pastry cutter because I didn’t feel like dealing with the Cuisinart and that works just fine.
Quick, easy and delicious. A perfect early summer dessert while the rhubarb and strawberries are in season. My guests loved it, and so did I.
Hi there,
Can’t wait to make this. How far in advance could I make this before serving it? I would like to make it the day before.
Many thanks for the recipe!
Hi Ginger, you can definitely make this a day in advance of serving it. Just be sure to reheat it so it can crisp up again.
Excellent flavour and easy to make.
Hello Jenn, Your strawberry and rhubarb crisp sounds scrummy!!! Please could you give me the all recipe in pounds and ounces . Is cornstarch the same as cornflour? thankyou 🙂
Hi Wendy, Did you mean you wanted metric conversions for the ingredients? If so, I’ve added them! To find them, scroll down to the recipe and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Also, cornstarch and cornflour are different (and can’t be used interchangeably). Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
hi jenn, thankyou so much for your help!! 🙂 this recipe is the best strawberry and rhubarb dessert we`ve ever tasted!!! I couldn’t find cornstarch anywhere in the supermarkets so I did use cornflour. Please do you know where I could get cornstarch from? many thanks wendy
Hi Wendy, so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! It looks like you’re in the UK and I’m not sure if it’s different than here in the U.S., but cornstarch is usually found in the bakery section of most grocery stores. Hope that helps!
FYI, I’m from Canada but live in Australia now. We don’t have cornstarch here either but I’ve found cornflour works exactly the same.
Jenn:
This looks like a great recipe but I need a few questions answered please:
1 pound of rhubard (16 ounces = 2 cups measuring cup). You indicated 4 cups? Please confirm.
1/2 pound of strawberries (8 ounces = 1 cup measuring cup). Please advise how many cups?
6 tablespoon unsalted butter – please advise how many ounces/cup?
Thank you!
Hi Bernadette, the pound of rhubarb is measured in weight, but when you slice it, the volume would fill approximately 4 (measuring) cups. The sliced strawberries would would be the equivalent of about 1-3/4 cups and 6 Tbsp. would be the equivalent of 3 ounces. Hope that helps!
Jenn: Thank you very much for the information regarding the various measurements!
Can I substitute pecans with walnuts?
Also, I decided to bake this partly tonight and then finish baking it tomorrow and serve it when guests are here. Can this be done?
Thanks again,
Bernadette Cochrane
Yes and yes 🙂
So since I don’t have a scale to measure 1 lb. From your answers it is 4 cups of cut rhubarb and 2 cups of quartered strawberries. Am I correct? When I make a pie it calls for 4 cups of diced rhubarb and 3 cups of sliced strawberries.
That’s correct, Sally. Please lmk how it turns out!
Am I missing something, what temp do I cook this at????
Hi Debbie, The crisp should be baked at 350°F. Enjoy!
This is by far the best strawberry rhubarb recipe I’ve ever made. No substitutions. The topping is more like a cookie than a crisp, which is fine with me. Thanks for sharing it!
Made exactly as given, weighed all ingred. Except for topping had to sub. 1/4 c. cornstarch for flour and used an add’l 1/4 c. oats in place of pecans. Have wheat & nut allergies in the family-yeah it sucks. Only used 1/2 the crisp topping. Cutting the fat grams. Next time will dbl the filling for the topping amt. and cut some of the sugar. Just too sweet for me. Loved the touch of vanilla.
Hello! Do you have any idea how many cups of rhubarb are in a pound?
Hi Erin, I think a pound would be the equivalent of about 4 cups.