Rhubarb Crisp
on Jun 04, 2014, Updated Aug 22, 2024
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This Easy Rhubarb Crisp recipe is made with no other fruit and topped with an oatmeal topping. Baked to perfection, this is one of my favorite rhubarb recipes! It’s perfect with ice cream on top.
Rhubarb Crisp is not too sweet yet hits the spot on a warm evening when you want something crunchy and a little fruity with some vanilla bean ice cream.
I love that this recipe uses no other fruit but rhubarb, and that really helps to highlight all that rhubarb goodness. You are going to love this recipe. (And if that isn’t quite what you’re in the mood for, maybe you’ll love my Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp or Apple Crumble.)
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The contrast between the crispy topping and soft fruit is perfection.
- Rhubarb is so unique and delicious – this crisp really highlights it.
- The prep doesn’t take long at all. It’s a great dessert to throw in the oven while you clean up from dinner then snuggle up on the couch with while you relax!
Recipe Ingredients
For the fruit part:
- Chopped rhubarb: Of course, this is the star of the show! You can use any type you have available to you (red or green) and frozen rhubarb works great too.
- White Sugar
- Cornstarch
And for the topping, you’ll need:
- Brown sugar
- White sugar
- Flour: Flour holds everything together and thickens the topping like a crunchy crust.
- Oats: The oats add a nice textured element.
- Pecans: Pecans are optional, or you can use another favorite nut like walnuts.
- Vanilla
- Melted butter
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Rhubarb Crisp
Step #1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 8×8-inch baking dish or 4-6 individual ramekins with cooking spray.
Step #3. Place rhubarb mixture in your baking dish. Place the crisp topping on top of the rhubarb in the dish. Cook for 18 to 24 minutes until golden brown.
Step #2. Combine chopped rhubarb, sugar, and cornstarch, and stir to combine. Combine the sugars, flour, oats, and pecans in another bowl; stir with fork to combine. Add vanilla and melted butter; stir until no dry powder is left.
Step #4. Let the crisp cool for 5 minutes before serving hot. Top with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
Recipe FAQs
It’s one of my favorite easy go-to perennials on our farm, and I look forward to it every spring. It grows in stalks and it’s tart, like a tart cherry (which is so good in baking). And fun fact, it’s super high in vitamin C. We like to eat it raw like celery with a bit of salt on it when we aren’t turning it into our favorite rhubarb desserts.
Fun fact… rhubarb leaves are poisonous. While it would take ingesting roughly 10 pounds of leaves to kill an average-size adult, small amounts will make you sick. Be sure to keep livestock and chickens out of your rhubarb patch, too — it’s not good for them either. Have no fear; the stalks are just fine.
Sure! Use a 9×13 pan instead of an 8×8 but it may need a few more minutes to cook if the layers are thicker.
Tips for the Best Rhubarb Crisp
- Melt the butter: My trick to making the best crisp on the block is to melt the butter and then stir it into the oat mixture. This means that you’ll never have any dry pockets of oats and flour and it bakes up extra crispy.
- Use any kind of rhubarb: Rhubarb comes in lots of varieties. You’ll generally see red rhubarb, but it also comes in green. All of them taste pretty similar, so just use what you can find.
- Search for rhubarb in spring: New to the rhubarb scene? Look for it at the farmers marker in mid to late spring. It’s normally one of the first bits of produce you’ll find.
- Bake in individual ramekins or an 8×8 baking dish: I love serving rhubarb crisp in individual ramekins with a scoop of ice cream on top, but you can also make this recipe in an 8×8 baking dish. Do what you have! Individual is just fun, though, right?
- Leave out pecans or sub another nut: Not a fan of pecans? Leave them out or sub another nut. I think they are SO good in this crisp.
Serving Suggestions
This is a delicious dessert on its own, or to take it up a notch, pair with fresh whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream!
How to Store a Crisp
Rhubarb crisp is best served the day it’s made. If you want to store any leftovers, let it cool completely, cover tightly with an airtight lid or plastic wrap, and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes.
More Dessert Recipes to Consider
Dessert Recipes
Rhubarb Crumb Bars
Cookies
Maple Sugar Cookies
Pies, Crisps & Tarts
Healthy Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Pies, Crisps & Tarts
Homemade Coconut Cream Pie
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Rhubarb Crisp Recipe (Without Any Other Fruit)
Ingredients
For the Fruit:
- 2 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For the Crisp Topping:
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup salted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray an 8×8-inch square baking dish or individual ramekins (4 to 6 of them, depending on how big of a serving you want in each) with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the chopped rhubarb, sugar, and cornstarch, and stir to combine.
- In a second medium bowl, combine the sugars, flour, oats, and pecans. Stir with a fork to combine.
- Add the vanilla and melted butter, and stir until no dry powder is left.
- Stir the rhubarb and sugar again and then place it in your baking dish, or divide it evenly among the ramekins. Place the crisp topping on top of the rhubarb in the dish. If you used ramekins, place them on a baking sheet and then transfer them to the hot oven, or put the baking dish straight into the oven. Cook for 18 to 24 minutes, until the crisp is lightly browned and the rhubarb is bubbling around the edges.
- Let the crisp cool for 5 minutes before serving hot with ice cream or fresh whipped cream.
Notes
- This crisp is best enjoyed the same day. Reheat it in a 350 F oven for 10 minutes.
- You can use red or green rhubarb for this recipe.
- Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of freshly whipped cream.
- To store, let it cool completely then cover and store in the refrigerator.
Everyone in my family was impressed by this recipe. It is the best “crumble” we have tasted.
Thank you Melissa for sharing this gift of yummy goodness. (we did add a dash of cinnamon & ginger to the topping)
I’m delighted to find this recipe for a smaller dessert. I was craving a rhubarb pie but only had 2 cups of fruit ready and did not want to add strawberries. This came together quickly, and we enjoyed it within 5 minutes from the oven, as indicated. It was really crispy and delicious, and we don’t like cinnamon, so the vanilla was appreciated. Will be my go-to early spring dessert when there is only a little rhubarb ready!
I just made it last week, forever one of my favorites! Thanks for leaving a review!
I made this with gluten-free flour. It is still in the oven. I added a bit of cinnamon because if it is true the cinnamon helps balance blood sugars than that is a bonus. No pecans in my house right now so did half and and of sliced almonds and walnut pieces. Just doing the dishes now.
I’m excited to make this! I will have to use frozen rhubarb…hoping it turns out just as yummy! Do I defrost the rhubarb first? Do you have any other suggestions for making this with frozen rhubarb? Thanks so much!!
I thaw mine enough so that I can stir it (so it’s not one giant frozen clump) but it’s still icy, you can do thawed or a little icy, if it’s icy, just let it cook 10 minutes longer or so.