Rhubarb crisp is a simple, old-fashioned dessert. This crisp recipe is a perfect balance between sweet and tart with a saucy rhubarb filling and a buttery oat crisp topping.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: The perfect mix of sweet and tart rhubarb with a warm, buttery oat topping.
- Skill Level: Beginner-friendly and very forgiving.
- Time-Saving Tip: Prep it ahead and refrigerate up to 3 days before baking.
- Serving Suggestions: Don’t forget the ice cream and a dollop of whipped cream.
Ingredient Notes
- Rhubarb: 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.
- Topping: Flour helps thicken the juices so the filling stays saucy instead of watery. Old-fashioned oats give the best crisp texture. Quick oats can work, but the topping will be softer.
- Variations: Try a strawberry rhubarb crisp by replacing half the rhubarb with strawberries and adding a little extra thickener. For a warm twist, add a pinch of ground ginger to the filling. For a coconut-free version, you can simply leave it out with no other changes needed.
How to Prepare Rhubarb for Crisp
- 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).
How to Make Rhubarb Crisp
- Prep the rhubarb and toss it with sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
- Spread it into the baking dish.
- Mix the oat topping until crumbly and sprinkle it over the fruit.
- Bake (full recipe below).
Leftovers Worth Keeping
Cover leftovers and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat single servings in the microwave, or warm larger portions in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
To make ahead, assemble the crisp and refrigerate it for up to 3 days before baking.
Freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven before serving.
More Sweet-Tart Fruit Desserts
Did you enjoy this Rhubarb Crisp Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Ingredients
- 6 cups rhubarb
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Crumb Topping
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cold unsalted butter
- ⅓ 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, 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
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
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This sounds like the type of dessert that fills the kitchen with a wonderful aroma—warm, fruity, and buttery. I can easily envision it being a favorite at family gatherings or summer parties!
I did add a little ground ginger and vanilla extract to the fruit part of it, as well as the cornstarch method instead of flour in fruit mixture. and the only other thing I’d do differently is use the whole stick of butter in the crisp next time ! so good tho
Can you use frozen rhubarb?
Deborah, as mentioned in the write-up, we just add in the frozen rhubarb directly. You may need to cook a little longer for frozen rhubarb.
It’s Stampede time in my home town of Calgary. I made this rhubarb crisp to have as dessert with a Stampede meal of pulled pork, grilled chicken, beans and salad (well the salad isn’t very Stampede-like but I’m still “mom” and they need their greens!). The slight tartness of the crisp was a nice balance to the rest of the meal.
This recipe came out wonderful. I used the rhubarb and Strawberries suggestion as I needed more fruit. I increased the flour as they suggested. I brought this to a pot luck and it disappeared so quickly. I should have made two.
this is the best, most well-balanced rhubarb crisp recipe I have tried – and also one of the easiest! It has everything a rhubarb crisp needs to make it good and nothing that it doesn’t. It’s easy to halve or to double. it’s delicious. It’s perfection.
Often, highly rated recipes online are a disappointment, but not this one. thank you so much!
A perfect, easy rhubarb crisp!!
Holly, I want to make this in a 9×13 pan. Would I double the ingredients? How would the cook time change? Thank you
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.
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.
What size pan do you use for the rhubarb crisp?
We bake it in a 9×9 or 2-quart baking dish.
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.
Delicious and so easy.
I used 5 cups rhubarb and 1 cup of strawberries. DELICIOUS!
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.
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.
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.
So happy you are enjoying this recipe so much, Joanne!
Do i need to add more flour if using frozen rhubarb? Thanks
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
This was a very big hit with my family. Recipe was super easy.