Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
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Gorgeous red fruit bubbling away beneath a crunchy oat streusel topping — this strawberry rhubarb crisp is one of the easiest and best desserts I know.
Perfect for a spring or early summer, this strawberry rhubarb crisp is one of the easiest and best desserts I know. It’s wonderful served warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. But if you happen to have leftovers, they’re delicious with your morning coffee, too. Heads up: while fruit desserts like this one tend to be flexible, be sure to keep the ratio of rhubarb to strawberries the same. As tempting as it might be to add extra strawberries, doing so can lead to a too-juicy “fruit soup” situation, since strawberries release a ton of juice. For more seasonal fruit crisp variations, see my summer peach crisp and autumn apple crisp.
“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
If you’ve never cooked with rhubarb, now is the time to start! Technically, it’s a vegetable but you treat it like fruit. It’s very tart but when you add a little sugar and cook it down, it becomes deliciously sweet, like berries. To prepare it for this recipe, trim the leaves (they should not be eaten) and rough ends and wash the stalks, then cut them into 1/2-inch pieces.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Quarter the strawberries and combine them with the rhubarb, 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 baking dish (no need to butter it) and set aside while you prepare 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.
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.
Stir to combine.
Spoon the topping evenly over the fruit without packing it 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, then spoon into shallow bowls and serve with vanilla ice cream.
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Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Gorgeous red fruit bubbling away beneath a crunchy oat streusel topping — this strawberry rhubarb crisp is one of the easiest and best desserts I know.
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 1 pound rhubarb stalks, trimmed and sliced ½-inch thick
- ½ pound strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 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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This is our go-to dessert this time of year – so easy and delicious. We’d like to make it for company this weekend, but one of the guests is gluten-free. What type of flour do you think would be the best sub for all-purpose?
Glad you like it! I’d just use gluten-free flour. Hope your guests enjoy as well. 🙂
I am so glad I stumbled upon this recipe. It is the perfect combination of flavors. I served it to guests at a dinner party and everyone agreed it was the best crisp anyone of us had ever tried. I will definitely be making this again and again! Delicious!
I’ve made this as written and it was delicious!! Was wondering if it could be a pie filling also? Thanks
Glad you liked it! Unfortunately I don’t think it would work as a pie filling; it would be too liquidy and hard to slice — sorry!
This is one of the most simple, yet best things I’ve made in a while. Fantastic – the perfect summer dessert! I went ahead and added the whole cube of butter and actually pulsed my oats and nuts in the processor a few times with the other mixture. The texture of the topping came out fluffy, uniform and crispy. I will make all my crisps with this topping recipe from now on! Thank you!
Very good recipe. Personally I prefer a higher ratio of fruit to crisp. I feel like I would be happy to cut the crisp part by up to half.
Made this for a BBQ and it was fabulous! The top had the right amount of crispiness and the bottom the right amount of tartness without being too sweet. A definite keeper!
Hi, wondering if you could tell us how many cups of rhubarb and strawberries in your recipe. I I don’t work well in pounds!
Hi Sharon, You’ll need 4 cups of cut rhubarb and 2 cups of quartered strawberries. Hope you enjoy!
Is the 1 lb of rhubarb and 1/2 lb if strawberries before or after the leaves are removed, stalks cut, strawberries hulled etc? Just want my ratios to be correct 🙂
Hi Kim, that’s before they are trimmed and hulled. Hope you enjoy!
Can this be made in individual ramekins?
Sure, Kara, that should work. Enjoy!
A keeper! I had frozen some strawberries for smoothies. This was such a fast dessert and so yummy! I didn’t bother to defrost the strawberries, just added the rhubarb. It only took about 15 minutes to make. I lightly toasted the pecans to enhance their flavor. I love that it isn’t too sweet.
I didn’t know how long to bake it, so I looked at the comments and found the answer. Maybe add that to the recipe?
This will be my summer go-to dessert! Thank you for sharing it!
At what temperature do I set to bake … also, covered during baking or not covered?
Hi Verna, the crisp should be baked, uncovered, at 350°F/175°C. Hope you enjoy!
Could I double this recipe, if so can you double the strawberries ? I see in your notes that it
could make it too watery.
Hi Diane, yes, you can double this; I would just make two times the recipe (so using a total of 2 pounds of rhubarb and 1 pound of strawberries). If you do that, you’ll be fine. Enjoy!
So this answers my first question. My second question is Can it then be made into a deep dish pie (without doubling the topping, of course)? If so what other adjustments should I make? I like the flavor & texture without thickeners.
I think it would probably work in a deep dish pie pan because the fruit will cook down while in the oven, but it will definitely be tight. Also, if you don’t double (or make 1.5 times the topping), it could be pretty tart (as you won’t have as much of the topping to offset the tart filling). The bake time will also be a bit longer, so keep a close eye on it.
Hi! Can you use frozen rhubarb in this recipe?
Sure, just defrost it first and drain any excess liquid. Hope you enjoy!
I can’t wait to try this recipe – but can you give the measurements for the strawberries and rhubarb in cups?? I’m not sure how to measure out 1/2 pound or 1 pound, respectively. And I don’t want to add too many strawberries like you said! Help?! Thanks in advance!! 🙂
Hi Sj, You’ll need 4 cups of cut rhubarb and 2 cups of quartered strawberries. Hope you enjoy!
Can i use frozen rhubarb?
Yep 🙂
This is the easiest best dessert ever.followed recipe was absolutely delicious. Family devoured it; not real sweet which I like making my 3rd one can’t wait into done .Definitely a keeper.
First time making strawberry rhubarb crisp, I got some rhubarb from my organic farmers box, as well as the sweetest ripest local berries, and it was so ridiculously good!! Hubby and 3 little boys devoured whole pan in a day. I only had two rhubarb stalks, so about 3/4 lb, and made the mistake of adding all topping ingredients to food processor including oats and pecans, but turned out just perfect. I used my Sophie Conran medium oval casserole dish- perfect filling to crumb ratio!
Thank you for this! Turned out great and followed the recipe to a tee. I think I would add 1/4 cup more sugar to the fruit next time.
Wow, made 2 batches yesterday and 3 today. Today I thought I’d add a few blueberries as I didnt have strawberries. Fast easy and delicious.
I would like to make this tomorrow for dessert. I have fresh strawberries but frozen rhubarb. Can I use frozen rhubarb? If yes, should I defrost it first?
Thanks!
Hi Kelly, Yes, using frozen rhubarb is fine — just defrost it first and drain any excess liquid.Hope you enjoy!
Jenn, your strawberry-rhubarb crisp was a huge hit!! (But then, all of your recipes are.). I followed the recipe as-written, and it was absolutely perfect. Served it with some homemade strawberry ice cream. Delish!!
This was the most delicious strawberry rhubarb crisp (or dessert for that matter) that I’ve ever had. I have made it twice now. The first time I didn’t have enough rhubarb so against the author’s advice, I added more strawberries. Having done so, I omitted the cornstarch and used 3 TBLS of tapioca to soak up the juice.
The next time I made it, I used a bigger pan which I didn’t like as much. It made the dessert a little thin. It was still delicious though. I think an 8×8 is a good size for this dessert.
This recipe sounds wonderful, but there’s no instructions on how much flour to use or any of the ingredients that are needed. Could you please share the amounts please.
Hi Sharon, It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
I made this for a friend and he said it was GREAT!
Can not stop making this. Everyone loves it and keeps asking for more. Huge bonus is it’s so EASY to make. Thanks for a great recipe.
Loved this recipe! Just made it tonight and partner and I devoured most of it in one go. I did not measure the fruit, I just used up what I had as it was about to turn; but it filled the dish nicely so was probably close to accurate. I had no brown sugar so just used all white and it still turned out amazing! This one’s a keeper for sure.
I have made this recipe many times, always with positive results! I alter slightly to make it gluten free (using GF flour and GF rolled oats) and dairy free (using margarine instead of butter). I also cut down on the sugar as we like a tart crisp. In fact I just made it tonight for dessert after making your beef stew with carrots and potatoes for dinner! Both are go-to favourites in my house! Thanks for these (now) family traditions!
how many cups is 1 pound of rhubarb? How many cups is 1/2 pound strawberries?
Hi Jan, When you slice the rhubarb, the volume should fill approximately 4 (measuring) cups. The sliced strawberries would be the equivalent of about 1-3/4 cups. Hope that helps and you enjoy!
This was by far and away, the best crisp I’ve ever had. However, I did add more strawberries (I just HAD to). To compensate, I added 3 TBLS of Tapioca and omitted the corn starch.
Hi Jenn,
Is it possible to substitute steel cut oats instead of rolled oats? Will it affect the taste/texture? And would you suggest altering the bake time? Thanks so much, hope you and your family have a wonderful Fourth of July!
Happy 4th to you! I wouldn’t recommend steel cut oats here — sorry!
Too sweet. W
Hi!
Would I be able to substitute walnuts for pecans?
Sure!
I followed the recipe exactly. It turned out great. Perfect combination of sweet, tart and nutty.
I am a guy that gets a little tired of store bought deserts. This recipe is one of the best I have ever followed. The directions were so clear and easy to follow with an outcome that is to die for. I have now added you to my favourite list and to be sure I will be trying more of your recipes.
I doubled the recipe for a crowd and it was excellent as are all of her recipes.
Amazing!!! So delicious, the perfect blend of sweet and tart. The nuts in the topping are an excellent addition! It comes together pretty easily and is a huge crowd-pleaser. Would 100% recommend!
So delicious, the best strawberry rhubarb I’ve ever had
If freezing, do you recommend baking prior to freezing? Or freeze the crisp unbaked?
Hi Janine, I’d bake it before freezing. Hope you enjoy!
I made it last night. Delicious!! My daughter said it was even better for breakfast this morning 🙂
This turned out super good. I did modify a bit to make a lean towards Keto. Partial almond flour and erthritol sugar (about 1/3 of total). Yum.
Made recipe exactly as written and it was the best strawberry rhubarb crisp ever! Not too sweet, or too tart….and the consistency was just right! Thanks for a great recipe.
Love love love this recipe – super easy and delicious! Perfect for summer picnics and potlucks. Question for you, Jenn – if I’m looking to make this gluten free, could I just swap the all-purpose flour for a gluten free flour (e.g. Bob’s Red Mill GF 1-to-1 baking flour)? Thanks!!
Definitely (and glad you like it)!
Delicious!! Best Strawberry Rhubarb dessert ever made.
This is my husbands new favorite dessert. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and tart. No modifications necessary.
Perfect!!! I’ve eaten this for dessert with ice cream and for breakfast with vanilla siggis yogurt! Delightful
This was a great recipe. For the filling, I doubled the rhubarb and strawberries and increased the cornstarch to 4 T. For the topping I reduced the flour to 1/2 cup plus added 1/2 cup ground almonds, increased the salt to almost 1/2 tsp., and, increased rolled oats to 1 cup. Added 1 stick or 8 T butter. Everything else remained the same including the sugar. All was placed in a (coconut oil) greased glass 9 x 13 pan. My family loved this recipe, not to sweet and not to tart. A definite keeper. Thank you!
I must have misunderstood because you said leave ratio of fruit the same, but the recipe calls for twice as much rhubarb.
Hi, I’m not sure I understand your question. Did you make a larger quantity, for example, double it? If so, what I mean by that is that you would double all the ingredients and use 2 pounds of rhubarb and 1 pound of strawberries (and double all the other ingredients). Please LMK if I can help in any other way.
I wondered the same thing: I thought I needed to keep the fruit 1:1 ratio or you’ll have fruit soup, but then the recipe says 2:1 rhubarb:strawberries (1 lb rhubarb:1/2 lb strawberries?
Sheila
Hi Sheila, I’m sorry if what I wrote was confusing. What I meant was that the ratios should remain the same as the original recipe (in that you’ll use twice the amount of rhubarb versus the amount of strawberries. Hope that clarifies!
Once upon a Chef is my go to cooking site for everything and there is nothing I don’t love or anyone I cook it for (vegetarian household) and I could leave a 5 star review for so many recipes, but I chose this one, because nobody in our house would eat cooked strawberries and rhubarbs were frowned upon, but grow in our backyard and now, my teenagers beg me to make this crisp, it’s everyone’s breakfast and dinner and my co-workers ask me for the recipe, all the time since I brought it to School and it’s just perfect, in every way.
Excellent!
I made this exactly as the recipe reads. There was way too much topping. We could hardly taste the strawberry/rhubarb for the overwhelming sweetness of all of the sugars and other ingredients in the topping.
This recipe is great! I followed it exactly and it turned out perfectly!! Thanks so much!!
I really want to make this recipe in 8 ramekins for our Supper Club this weekend. Have you ever done that? Not sure about the baking time or if I need to modify the recipe at all.
Hi Cindy, that would work. I’d start checking them at 25 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the fruit is bubbling around the edges and the topping is golden brown. Hope everyone enjoys!
I have made this couple of times now and everyone at home loves it. I even used the same recipe with quince and it turned out really well. Thank you
Absolutely wonderful. After I had everything ready to go except for adding the oats for the topping, I discovered I was out of oats. Boo. I substituted plain panko crumbs, and it worked perfectly! Next time I’m using oats, though. Thanks for your consistently outstanding recipes.
Good to know about the quince! Did that replace your strawberries? Or require extra bake time? We love this recipe too, it is in our favorites list!