Classic Recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Classic strawberry rhubarb crisp is a quick and easy way to enjoy two favourite spring fruits. This strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe is full of tangy and sweet fruit flavour. Learn to easily adapt this timeless recipe for a delicious vegan or gluten free version without losing any delicious fruit flavour.
Also read: Rhubarb Puffed Oven Pancake, Rhubarb Overnight Oats, Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce, Berry Cobbler
Using Fresh or Frozen Fruit to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
A nice long bake time and the informal crumbly oat topping make this recipe work with either fresh or frozen fruit. Tart rhubarb stalks with sweet strawberries straight from the garden in spring make this dish a perfect quick and easy celebration of the first harvests of the season.
If you have rhubarb or strawberries in the freezer, you can make this burst of spring flavour any time of year. I like to rinse and pat dry my frozen fruit to ensure I don’t add any extra moisture (ice crystals) into my crisp mixture. Even if you end up with that little extra bit of moisture from your thawing fruits, it will cook off or evaporate with a few extra minutes in the oven.
How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Vegan
Make this classic strawberry rhubarb crisp a favourite with your vegan loved ones. Simply replace the butter with canola oil. We’ve tested this recipe both with butter, non-dairy margarine and canola oil – whichever you choose, you’ll still get a delicious crisp everyone will enjoy. In fact, several years ago, I developed this vegan crisp recipe for Manitoba Canola Growers.
How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Gluten Free
The gluten in this classic recipe comes from the 1/2 cup flour added in the topping. For those who can eat gluten without any issue, the flour helps hold the topping together, add fibre and a bit of texture.
To make the recipe gluten-free, replace the flour with an equal amount of oat or almond flour (or your favourite gluten free flour). If you don’t have an alternative flour on hand you can replace with additional oats or simply leave it out.
As for the key ingredient, oats? Double check your oats to ensure they’re certified gluten free. While oats are naturally gluten free they’re often processed in facilities that also process wheat and therefore cross contamination is possible.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp for Two
This recipe is very forgiving, so making a crisp for two is as easy as splitting the recipe in half. Simply cut the recipe in half and bake in a smaller dish.
Alternatively, you can serve this crisp in individual bowls. No serving, no extra dishes! Simply divide the filling into 4-6 ramekins or oven-safe bowls before baking. Bake only as many as you’d like and freeze (see below) the rest for another time.
Pro Tip: When baking in individual sized baking dishes, reduce your baking time. To bake 4 or 6 ramekins, bake at the same temperature for 20-25 minutes. You’ll know your crisps are ready when the filling is bubbling evenly around all the edges and the center appears toasty and slightly brown.
What’s the Difference Between a Crisp, Crumble and Cobbler?
All three are delicious ways to enjoy a delicious fruit filling. Here’s how they differ:
- A crisp has a crumbly oat topping on top of a filling.
- A crumble has a flour based crumble or “streusel” on top of a filling.
- A cobbler has a sweet biscuit topping on top of a filling.
Crumble Recipe
It’s easy to turn a crisp into a crumble! Just take out the oats and make streusel or flour crumbs for the top. Use the same recipe for the fruit bottom. Try this for the crumble or streusel.
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
How to Serve Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
How you serve strawberry rhubarb crisp really depends on your taste and if your crisp is hot or cold. When serving it hot from the oven, it is classically delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you manage to hang on to leftovers (good luck!) and are serving the crisp cold – it works beautifully with fresh whipped cream. You certainly can serve whipped cream on a hot crisp, but be prepared for gooey, melting cream.
Serve your vegan version with a non-dairy or dairy-free ice cream. Sorbets which are naturally non-dairy are another delicious option if you want to double up on the fruit-punch of this delicious spring fruit dessert.
Recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Ingredients
Filling
- 3 cups diced rhubarb
- 2 cups sliced strawberries
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Topping
- 1 cup large flake oats
- 2/3 cup flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup butter, cubed (cold)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Combine rhubarb, strawberries and vanilla in bottom of 8×8 inch (20×20 cm) baking dish.
- In small bowl mix sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Stir in to fruit. Set aside.
- In medium bowl, mix dry topping ingredients.
- Use a pastry blender or fingers cut butter into the dry topping ingredients until well distributed and crumbly.
- Sprinkle topping over fruit and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. The filling should be bubbling and the top should start to turn golden brown.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Can I freeze Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp?
Yes, you can! While you could freeze baked crisp, I recommend freezing it before you bake it – the crisp on top will be much better.
To freeze the unbaked crisp, simply cover the prepared crisp in two layers or plastic wrap or one layer plastic right on top of the crisp and one layer or foil around that.
Freeze until ready to bake. To bake from frozen, thaw for 24 hours in fridge then bake as directed in recipe. Enjoy as always.
More Strawberry Rhubarb Recipes to Enjoy
Learn More About Rhubarb:
Classic, Vegan, Gluten Free? Let me know your favourite crisp version, please take a photo, post it on Instagram and tag #getgettys so I can see it and like it!
