Rhubarb crisp is an easy, beloved summer recipe. A buttery, crumbly topping belies a sweet, sticky rhubarb filling with just enough pucker to keep you going back for spoonful after spoonful.
Table of Contents
- You’ll Love This Easy Rhubarb Crisp
- Here’s What You Need for this Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe
- How To Make Rhubarb Crisp
- Make it a Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
- Why I Thicken with Flour vs Cornstarch
- How to Store Rhubarb Crisp
- Pro Tips for the Best Rhubarb Crisp
- Rhubarb Crisp FAQs
- More Delicious Rhubarb Recipes
- Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe
You’ll Love This Easy Rhubarb Crisp
I love rhubarb crisp first and foremost because it takes far less effort than pie, with similarly delicious results.
My preferred fruit crisp topping is similar to a streusel. Here’s why I love it:
- Rich flavor: The butter and brown sugar caramelize under the oven’s heat to create a rich and butterscotchy topping that yields to the fork like bites of tender shortbread.
- No oats: (which can add a powdery texture).
- So easy! I work softened butter into a mixture of brown sugar and flour until it is evenly distributed.
Here’s What You Need for this Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe
Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need for each part of the recipe:
Ingredients
For Rhubarb Filling
- Fresh Rhubarb: Make sure to discard every part of the leaves (which are not edible). You can swap in frozen rhubarb, but let it thaw first so that it cooks down properly in the oven.
- Granulated sugar: If you’d like a tart rhubarb crisp, you can reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup.
- All-purpose flour: Thickens the juices released by the rhubarb during baking.
For Streusel Topping
- All-purpose flour: You may use gluten-free flour if you like.
- Brown sugar: Gives the topping a sweet, butterscotch-like flavor.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Butter
How To Make Rhubarb Crisp
- Chop rhubarb into small pieces.
- Toss with sugar and flour right in the baking dish.
- Mix flour and brown sugar with softened butter to make a crumble topping.
- Sprinkle topping over rhubarb and bake until bubbly. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
Make it a Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Feel free to swap up to half of the rhubarb for strawberries in the filling, scaling the sugar down a bit to compensate for the berries’ extra sweetness.
Taste it before you stir in the flour and decide how much sugar you want.
Why I Thicken with Flour vs Cornstarch
I use flour instead of cornstarch in this rhubarb crisp for a couple of reasons.
- Flour provides a lighter thickening for the filling, maintaining a bit more of the fruit’s texture and natural juices.
- It blends seamlessly without the risk of clumping. Cornstarch might give a clearer, glossier finish, but it can sometimes create a slightly gelatinous texture.
- It’s one less ingredient needed! Keeps the recipe simple to use the same starch in the filling and the topping.
How to Store Rhubarb Crisp
Rhubarb crisp is fine left covered on the counter for 24 hours. Refrigerate up to 2 days. It’ll be fine for up to 5 days but the topping won’t be as, well, crisp.
Serve leftovers with cold milk for breakfast (perhaps a quirk of my childhood, but very delicious.
Or just rewarm in the microwave and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Pro Tips for the Best Rhubarb Crisp
- Although a bit messy, I find it easiest to mix the topping with my bare hands. Don’t pretend it’s not satisfying to squash bits of butter into sandy brown sugar. You’ll know the topping is ready to go when there is no dry flour left and you can pinch bits of the topping together to form large clumps.
- The rhubarb crisp is done when the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling thickly around the edges.
Rhubarb Crisp FAQs
Just skimming through? Here are some quick answers to the commonly-asked questions.
To cut rhubarb for a crisp, chop the stalks into 1/4 inch pieces. This size allows for quick cooking while maintaining a good texture in your crisp.
Rhubarb doesn’t need to be cooked before baking in a crisp. It softens as it bakes in the oven, absorbing flavors and thickening naturally with the other ingredients.
To prepare rhubarb to eat, cut off the leaves, wash the stalks, trim the ends, and chop as needed for your recipe. Cooking it with a bit of sugar helps reduce its tartness.
You should not peel rhubarb; the skin is edible and softens during cooking. Peeling it would also remove some of the color and nutrients.
More Delicious Rhubarb Recipes
- Healthy Rhubarb Muffins with Greek Yogurt
- Rhubarb Cookies
- Rhubarb Hand Pies
- Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
- Strawberry Rhubarb Cake
- Rhubarb Bars with delicious Rhubarb Curd
- Raspberry Rhubarb Muffins
Next Reading: 23+ Easy Rhubarb Recipes You’ll Make Every Year
Easy Rhubarb Crisp
Ingredients
For Filling:
- 2 lbs rhubarb stalks (yielding 6 cups chopped)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
For topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup softened butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Make the filling:
- Line a 9×12" baking dish with parchment paper. Chop the rhubarb in 1/4" pieces and add to baking dish along with sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Use your hand to toss everything together.
Make the topping:
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, sugar and salt. Use your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until mixture resembles wet sand and no dry flour remains.
- Crumble the topping evenly over the rhubarb. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until filling is bubbling and topping is golden.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
