Rhubarb Crisp is family favorite that takes just minutes to prep!

This crisp recipe is a perfect balance between sweet and tart with a saucy rhubarb filling and a buttery oat crisp topping.

plated Rhubarb Crisp with ice cream

Rhubarb Crisp Is A Favorite Because…

  • It’s super easy to make!
  • This rhubarb crisp is the perfect balance between sweet and tart.
  • It can be prepared ahead of time (up to 3 days) and baked before serving.
  • Rhubarb crisp reheats well for dessert (or breakfast) throughout the week.
Rhubarb Crisp ingredients with labels

How to Prepare Rhubarb for Crisp

You can use frozen or fresh rhubarb for this recipe. If using frozen rhubarb, add 1 tablespoon of extra flour to the filling and do not thaw it first.

  • When picking rhubarb, pull the stalk from the plant close to the root. Cut off the leaves and discard them.
  • You do not have to peel rhubarb; however, if the stalk is quite thick, you can peel the tougher exterior if you’d like. I personally don’t usually bother peeling it.

You can eat the green stalk however the leaves are poisonous to eat so discard them (for humans and animals alike).

Rhubarb Crisp being prepared in a white baking dish

How to Make Rhubarb Crisp

  1. Chop the rhubarb and toss it with a bit of flour, sugar, and cinnamon (recipe below).
  2. Prepare the oat topping.
  3. Sprinkle the topping over fruit layer and bake until golden brown.

Short on Rhubarb?

If you don’t have enough rhubarb, you can add chopped apples or sliced strawberries (see notes).

Rhubarb Crisp prepared golden and brown in a baking dish

Storage and Freezing

As with other desserts like pie, this rhubarb crisp is fine to sit at room temperature overnight after baking. If storing for several days, refrigerate any leftovers.

Rhubarb Favorites

Did you make this Rhubarb Crisp? Leave us a rating and a comment below!

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Rhubarb Crisp served on a white plate with ice cream on top
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Rhubarb Crisp

Tangy rhubarb gets a delicious upgrade with a buttery oat topping baked to golden perfection.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 8 servings
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Ingredients  

  • 6 cups rhubarb
  • cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Crumb Topping

  • ¾ cup rolled oats
  • ¾ cup brown sugar packed
  • cup all-purpose flour
  • cup unsalted butter
  • cup coconut flakes or chopped nuts, optional
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • Rinse the rhubarb to remove dirt or debris and discard the leaves. Cut into ½-inch pieces. If the stalks are very thin, cut them into ¾-inch pieces.
  • In a medium bowl, combine rhubarb, white sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon. Toss well to coat and transfer to the baking dish.
  • In a medium bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, ⅓ cup flour, butter, and cinnamon with a fork or pastry cutter until it is well mixed and it begins to stick together. Sprinkle the topping over the rhubarb mixture.
  • Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the rhubarb filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown.
  • Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or cream.

Notes

To make strawberry rhubarb crisp: Use 3 cups strawberries and 3 cups rhubarb. Increase flour in the filling to ⅓ cup.
Additional spices like ground ginger can be added to the fruit filling.
Flour in the filling can be replaced with 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch.
This dessert can be prepared and refrigerated for 3 days before baking. 
I often bake this recipe in the afternoon and leave it at room temperature to cool. Place it in the oven for about 15 minutes before serving to warm.
4.98 from 480 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 317 | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 316mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 350IU | Vitamin C: 7.3mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 1.1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
slice of Rhubarb Crisp with writing
Rhubarb Crisp with ice cream and a title
sweet and tart Rhubarb Crisp with writing
baked Rhubarb Crisp in the dish and a slice on a plate with ice cream with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. Holly, I want to make this in a 9×13 pan. Would I double the ingredients? How would the cook time change? Thank you

    1. You can double the ingredients in a 9×13 pan. You’ll want to cook it for 40 to 50 minutes or until the rhubarb is softened and it’s bubbling. If the topping begins to brown too much, lightly tent it with foil.

  2. I made this for a couple friends coming over. One of them said they didn’t even like Rab and they absolutely loved this recipe. I couldn’t find the exact recipe but today you sent this recipe to me because I liked it. Thank you so much.5 stars

  3. Super easy recipe to prepare! Crisp is currently in the oven… Will leave a further review in about 30 mins.

    (40 mins later) The rhubarb crisp turned out perfectly done and it tasted amazing! Next time, I will try using corn starch to see what the difference is like.5 stars

  4. What are the directions for freezing and reheating the crisp? I would like to give it as part of my church’s “casserole brigade.” My apologies if I missed the directions.

    1. I would recommend you let it thaw for a few hours or overnight before popping in the oven. If thawed, the cooking time should remain the same.

  5. I made this with rhubarb harvested fresh from our garden this summer (2023). I am pretty sure I added extra cinnamon and maybe used cornstarch in stead of the flour with the fruit. It was so delicious. I just wished I had saved the recipe because it took two days of looking online to find it again. Thankfully I froze extra sticks of washed rhubarb, as my tastebuds are craving some Rhubarb Crisp (gluten free of course) . I also found your Rhubarb Juice recipe which I typed out and translated into Polish (with the help of the internet) for an elderly friend of mine, Mary, 86. She said the juice was so delicious! It warmed my heart to hear how she went on and on about the juice. Maybe next summer I will make some too. Much thanks. PS: I have now typed the Rhubarb Crisp recipe for myself with the link to your website so I can find my way back here another time.5 stars

      1. Hi Ruth, we just add the frozen rhubarb directly. If you feel yours is very watery you can always add a little extra flour to help it thicken.

  6. Husband gave rave review on this crisp, stating I need to put it on my favourites list. I usually try to follow a recipe as written in my first try. This time I ran into some confusion on my part. I previously froze 8 cups of rhubarb in bags. I defrosted two bags before I read this recipe that says not to defrost. The defrosted bags yielded 4 cups each – so do i add one of the bags which now measures 4 cups but started out as 8 cups? I ended up draining the two bags of defrosted rhubarb, combining and making 1.5 x the recipe but with 8 cups of defrosted rhubarb. I suspect this equals much more rhubarb than called for but I was winging it, hoping for the best. I added coconut, walnuts and a pinch of salt to the topping and use margarine as the fat. I was generous with the cinnamon in both the fruit and the topping. Cooked in disposable 8×6 pans and got three full crisps that I give a 5 star score. I know I can make this keto by exchanging the sugars, fats to keto approved ingredients – next time! Thanks for the easy and delicious recipe.5 stars

    1. That all sounds delicious, Judith. Since we recommend adding the rhubarb straight from frozen I would use your pre measured amounts or measure it frozen next time. But I am glad you enjoyed it. Especially since you have so much!

  7. This recipe turned out perfectly. I only had 4 cups of rhubarb so used 1/2 cup of sugar. The only thing I added was a bit of grated lemon and it was delicious.5 stars

  8. Love your recipe for rhubarb and apples crisps . I like a little more cinnamon so added 1/2 tsp to both topping and filling. But great mix for toppings.