Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp

Celebrate the classic spring flavours of tart rhubarb and sweet ripe strawberries in this simple yet sensational Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp. This post shows how easy it is to bake up a basic fruit crisp recipe the whole family will love. 

The best way to use up all that rhubarb is to pair it with strawberries for the perfect ‘sweet and sour’ flavour combination. The classic flavour combination is delicious in everything from streusel topped muffins to ruby red homemade jam.

Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp is one of the very first desserts I learned how to make. So, believe me when I say if ten year old me can do it, so can you! BTW, kids love the tactical feeling of mashing the butter into oats and other topping ingredients.

Fruit crisps are some of the most accessible desserts you can make at home. All you need is fresh (or frozen) fruit, some basic pantry staples and a little bit of butter. In fact, even though this is a Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp recipe, it also works as a basic crisp recipe for almost any kind of fruit you have on hand.

The sweet tart combination of fresh rhubarb and fresh strawberries is my favourite crisp flavour. However, I have made this dessert using stone fruit like peaches, plums, cherries, and nectarines in any combination. Any kind or combination of berries is also delicious as is apple crisp.

Best of all, this old-fashioned dessert bakes up in under 40 minutes baking time. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

What is a Fruit Crisp?

A fruit crisp is only one kind of old-fashioned fruit desserts with toppings. Other similar desserts include crumbles, cobblers, grunts, slumps, buckles, betties, pan dowdies, shortcakes, and crunches.

The most important characteristic that separates fruit crisp from all the others is that it contains oats in the topping mixture. However, there are many who use the terms ‘fruit crisp’ and ‘fruit crumble’ interchangeably.

Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp Ingredients

This is one of those incredibly handy dessert recipes that you can whip up with very little notice. If you have baking ingredients in your pantry and frozen fruit in the freezer, you can enjoy these spring flavours all year long.

• Strawberries
• Rhubarb
• Sugar
• Flour
• Brown Sugar
• Rolled Oats
• Ground Cinnamon
• Butter
• Nuts

As previously mentioned, you can use almost any kind of fresh or frozen fruit mixture. Do not thaw the fruit before you mix it with the sugar and flour. Note that you may need a touch more flour as frozen fruit will release more moisture.

Light brown sugar brings a lovely rich caramel flavour to the buttery oat topping but you can use dark brown sugar or granulated as well. Feel free to use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe.

Whole oats, also known as rolled oats or old-fashioned oats will lend a nice textural crunch to the topping but you can use quick cooking in a pinch. If you do, be sure to add chopped nuts to replace this important texture component.

Nuts are an optional ingredient in this recipe. However, they do add extra crunch and flavour. Use any or a combination of walnuts, almonds, or pecans.

What is Rhubarb?

Rhubarb is a herbaceous perennial with large edible stalks ending in large inedible leaves. Although it is technically classified as a vegetable, the sour stalks are most often used like a fruit in sweet recipes. The stalks can be eaten raw but are most often cooked with sugar.

Although the origin of culinary rhubarb is unknown, it is widely grown throughout Europe and any region with an annual cold period of 7-9 weeks. Rhubarb can be grown in a greenhouse and even ‘forced’ to grow long sweet stalks under darkness.

Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid, nephrotoxin (amongst others) which, when consumed in large quantities, can lead to kidney stones and in rare cases, liver failure and death.

How to Make Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp

To begin, preheat oven to 375 F. Next, combine oats, all purpose flour, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt ONLY if using unsalted butter.

Using a pastry cutter, two forks, or your hands, cut butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Work in the chopped nuts (if using) and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the chopped strawberries and rhubarb together. Stir one cup granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons flour (more if using frozen rhubarb or strawberries) into the fruit mixture until the fruit is coated.

Place the fruit mixture in an 8 x 8 inch baking dish then scatter the oat topping evenly over the fruit. Bake fruit crisp in a 375 F oven for 30- 35 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is tender and bubbly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Fruit crisp will last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator, though the topping will lose much of its crunchy texture.

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill and I am the sole recipe developer, photographer, and writer at Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

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