Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (2024)

1 hour hr

| 23 Comments |

5 from 58 votes

Jump to Recipe | Updated: | by Nora

Undoubtedly one of the best rhubarb recipes: This easy Rhubarb Crisp is quick to pull together and tastes amazing with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (1)

I have always preferred fruity desserts over anything else – and I’m definitely all about the crumbles, crisps and cobblers! My neighbour has a huge rhubarb plant in her garden and lets me take as much of it as I like. So our springs are usually filled with all things rhubarb, and first and foremost with this easy rhubarb crisp.

It’s incredibly simple to pull together, very forgiving if you’re baking challenged, precision challenged or baking with the kids at home ? plus this recipe has no eggs and uses mostly pantry staples, perfect for a simple treat.

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (2)

Ingredient notes

  • Rhubarb: You can use frozen rhubarb in place of the fresh. Measure while frozen, then thaw completely! I recommend carefully draining the thawed rhubarb, but do not squeeze it. Be very careful when tossing with the other ingredients. If the thawed rhubarb feels very wet, add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch.
  • Oats: I always use quick oats because I like the texture in a crisp better vs old fashioned oats. If you only have old fashioned oats, the crisp topping will have a coarser texture and won’t come together as nicely. You can pulse old fashioned oats in a food processor 2-3 times to chop them up a little.
  • Butter: Make sure your butter is fridge-cold when using it in this recipe for best results. If you need to use margarine in place of the butter, please only use stick margarine and not a buttery spread. The crumble topping will not work with a spread.
  • Cornstarch: I prefer cornstarch in the filling over flour, because it mixes better with the juices. If you only have flour on hand, feel free to use it in the filling, but make sure it sticks to the rhubarb and doesn’t all drop to the bottom of the dish – else you will have a thick coating of flour on the bottom of your crisp.

How to make a Rhubarb Crisp

Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (3)

1 To make the rhubarb filling, combine the sliced rhubarb with cornstarch, sugar and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.

2 Transfer the filling to a buttered ~2 quart casserole dish. Smooth out the top as well as you can.

3 To make the crumble topping, combine flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold, diced butter.

4 Using clean hands, cut in the butter until crumbs form. You need to work the butter into the dry ingredients well, otherwise the topping will be sandy.

5 Evenly scatter the crumb topping over the rhubarb, then bake until golden and bubbly. Let sit on the counter for 10 minutes, then serve with vanilla ice cream!

Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (4)

Recipe tips

  • Make sure to thoroughly cut the butter into the dry ingredients for the topping. The final texture should resemble a thicker, crumbly oatmeal cookie dough. Otherwise, the topping will be sandy/taste of plain flour.
  • Depending on the water content of your rhubarb, you may need to add more cornstarch to the filling. If you have very overgrown garden rhubarb, I recommend adding an extra tablespoon of cornstarch.
  • Do not skip the 10 minute rest before serving, even if it’s tempting to dig right in. This will help the rhubarb filling to thicken as it slightly cools.
  • Do not cut back on the sugar in this recipe. Rhubarb is tart and really does need the sweetness.
Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (5)

Storage tips

Leftovers keep on the counter for 1-2 days. Once the crisp has cooled, cover it with plastic wrap and store in a dry place on the counter out of direct sunlight. Eat within 1-2 days.

You can reheat individual portions in burst in the microwave.

Watch the recipe video

PSIf you try this recipe, please leavea review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along onPinterest,FacebookorInstagram.

Printable recipe

Printable Recipe Card

Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (6)

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Easy Rhubarb Crisp

Try this easy rhuabrb crisp recipe if you need a simple and quick dessert for spring. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate treat – and it's perfect for Easter, too!

Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings

made it? tap the stars to add your rating!

5 from 58 votes

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Recipe details

Prep 15 minutes mins

Cook 35 minutes mins

Total 1 hour hr

Servings 6 servings

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

Rhubarb Filling

  • 2 pounds sliced rhubarb fresh or frozen; see notes for frozen
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Crumble Topping

  • 1 cup oats
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 stick cold butter cubed (1 stick = 8 tablespoons or ½ cup)

Instructions

  • Prep: Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly butter a ~2 quart casserole dish.

  • Make rhubarb filling: Combine all ingredients for the rhubarb filling in a large bowl. Evenly spread in the prepared casserole dish.

  • Make topping: Combine oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter until crumbs form.

  • Finish and bake: Evenly scatter the crumb topping over the rhubarb filling. Bake in the hot oven for around 35 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Allow to sit on the counter for 10 minutes before serving.

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Notes

Ingredient notes

  • Rhubarb: You can use frozen rhubarb in place of the fresh. Measure while frozen, then thaw completely! I recommend carefully draining the thawed rhubarb, but do not squeeze it. Be very careful when tossing with the other ingredients. If the thawed rhubarb feels very wet, add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch.
  • Oats: I always use quick oats because I like the texture in a crisp better vs old fashioned oats. If you only have old fashioned oats, the crisp topping will have a coarser texture and won’t come together as nicely. You can pulse old fashioned oats in a food processor 2-3 times to chop them up a little.
  • Butter: Make sure your butter is fridge-cold when using it in this recipe for best results. If you need to use margarine in place of the butter, please only use stick margarine and not a buttery spread. The crumble topping will not work with a spread.
  • Cornstarch: I prefer cornstarch in the filling over flour, because it mixes better with the juices. If you only have flour on hand, feel free to use it in the filling, but make sure it sticks to the rhubarb and doesn’t all drop to the bottom of the dish – else you will have a thick coating of flour on the bottom of your crisp.

Recipe tips

  • Make sure to thoroughly cut the butter into the dry ingredients for the topping. The final texture should resemble a thicker, crumbly oatmeal cookie dough. Otherwise, the topping will be sandy/taste of plain flour.
  • Depending on the water content of your rhubarb, you may need to add more cornstarch to the filling. If you have very overgrown garden rhubarb, I recommend adding an extra tablespoon of cornstarch.
  • Do not skip the 10 minute rest before serving, even if it’s tempting to dig right in. This will help the rhubarb filling to thicken as it slightly cools.
  • Do not cut back on the sugar in this recipe. Rhubarb is tart and really does need the sweetness.
  • Store leftover crisp covered on the counter for 1-2 days.

Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British, Traditional

First published on 03/25/2020. Updated on 03/23/2021.

More rhubarb recipes

  • Rhubarb Coffee Cake
  • Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Almonds

More fruit crisps and cobblers

  • Easy Blueberry Cobbler
  • Crockpot Peach Cobbler
  • Strawberry Cobbler with Buttermilk Biscuits
  • Quick Apple Crisp

Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (13)
About Nora
When I got married to my professional chef husband, I realized I had to step up my game in the kitchen. Now I share my favorite foolproof family recipes here on Savory Nothings: Chef-approved, kid-vetted and easy enough for everyday home cooks like you and me! Learn more.

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Comments

  1. Jean Muehlmeier says

    Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (16)
    I cooked the rhubarb first & let it cool to room temperature You have to stir to avoid it burning. I wonder if you could make a graham cracker crust somehiw?

    Reply

    • Nora says

      You mean to go on top? I think it might work out. I would probably do 1.5-1.75 cups graham cracker crumbs in place of the oats, maybe skip the cinnamon. Keep in mind, this is just me guessing, I haven’t actually tried it.

      Reply

  2. Pat H says

    Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (17)
    Really tasty made as directed. Used all fresh rhubarb added a 1/2 tbsp more of cornstarch to rhubarb.Was just right served with fresh cream.

    Reply

    • Nora says

      I’m glad you liked the recipe, Pat!

      Reply

  3. Douglas Bemlott says

    Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (18)
    one of the best and easiest to make. Android delicious it is!😋

    Reply

  4. Linda Z says

    Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (19)
    Love this recipe!
    Made it exactly as instructed and it is delicious!
    Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

    Reply

    • Nora says

      Thank YOU for making it, Linda! I always feel honored when my recipes can bring joy to other peoples’ lives.

      Reply

  5. Neesa says

    Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (20)
    Just made this recipe yesterday!
    We added 2 granny smith apples and increased the quantity of the dough by a half. Also used half the amount of sugar in both filling and the dough. It turned out deliciously savoury-sweet!
    Super simple and very satisfying!

    Reply

    • Nora says

      I’m so glad, Neesa!

      Reply

  6. Ashley says

    I made this today, with fresh rhubarb picked from the garden today too. I couldn’t find my kitchen scale to weigh the rhubarb, but I used 4 cups of thinner chopped stalks. It is so good!

    Reply

    • Nora says

      I’m so glad, Ashley!

      Reply

  7. Joy says

    Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (21)
    This was great! When I was little my parents grew and cooked rhubarb. I never realized you could make a crumble without cooking it first. This recipe is delicious! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Nora says

      I’m so glad, Joy! My grandmother always grew rhubarb as well, to this day she keeps a huge plant in her garden. She doesn’t even like rhubarb, ha! – but she knew her children and grandchildren love it, so it stays 🙂

      Reply

  8. Jamie says

    Great recipe! Added a green apple b/c I didn’t have quite enough rhubarb. Everyone loved it! Even managed to let it cool for 10 min, painful as it was 🙂

    Reply

    • Nora says

      I’m so glad, Jamie! And yes, allowing it to cool is definitely not easy ?

      Reply

  9. Carol says

    Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (22)
    This recipe was easy to follow. The hints were very helpful and it turned out delicious. We are both diabetic so we used Splenda not sugar with the cornstarch and brown sugar in the topping. Excellent!!!!

    Reply

    • Nora says

      I’m so glad to hear this, Carol!

      Reply

  10. Marlene Wilkins says

    Getting ready for the day when we gather the rhubarb. This looks good Nora. Thank you.

    Reply

    • Nora says

      I hope you’ll enjoy the pie, Marlene!

      Reply

  11. TM says

    Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (23)
    The topping is crispy and buttery and it’s full of fresh rhubarb flavour! Simple and delicious!

    Reply

  12. Andiebird says

    Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (24)
    Made this for pudding tonight. Turned out a treat. Absolutely delicious. Thank you.

    Reply

    • Cheryl says

      One of the Best Crumbles ever

      Reply

Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe [+ Video] - Savory Nothings (2024)

FAQs

What is the healthiest way to eat rhubarb? ›

Other ways to enjoy the vegetable include:
  1. Baking it into a pie or crumble.
  2. Making rhubarb ice cream.
  3. Adding rhubarb to fresh juices or homemade kombucha.
  4. Blending it into a sauce for meat or poultry.
  5. Pureeing and dehydrating it to make rhubarb leather.
  6. Roasting rhubarb with a drizzle of honey and tossing it in a salad.
Sep 16, 2022

How do you enhance rhubarb Flavour? ›

Lavender. While lavender can make something taste like soap if you're too heavy-handed with it, be gentle and you'll be greatly rewarded. The floral notes of lavender mellow out the tart bite of rhubarb and turn whatever you're making into something quite delicate and lovely.

Why is my rhubarb crisp soggy? ›

Why is my rhubarb crumble soggy? There might be a couple of reasons: - The rhubarb will start to release its juices as soon as its mixed with the sugar so only mix your fruit right before baking. - There's to much moisture in your fruit.

Does rhubarb need to be cooked before baking? ›

Do You Need to Cook Rhubarb Before Baking? The short answer is no, you don't need to cook rhubarb before baking a rhubarb pie.

What are the side effects of eating too much rhubarb? ›

Side effects might include stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and cramps. Rhubarb leaves are possibly unsafe. Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid, which can cause stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting, seizures, and death. When applied to the skin: Rhubarb is possibly safe.

Does rhubarb lower blood pressure? ›

5. May help lower blood pressure. Rhubarb is a source of potassium, which helps to counter the damaging effects of eating too much salt. A study published in the European Heart Journal revealed that women who had the highest intakes of potassium were 13 per cent less likely to have a heart attack or a stroke.

What is the difference between rhubarb crisp and crumble? ›

So what's a crumble vs. a crisp? A crumble is just a crisp without oats in the streusel. It may feature nuts, but the streusel topping is usually a simple combination of butter, flour, and sugar that is more clumpy than that of a crisp.

How do you reduce the rhubarb tartness? ›

Solution: Soak the rhubarb in water to reduce the acid, simmer in orange juice and sugar (and don't stir too much) to retain texture and color, and layer with lightly whipped, sweetened cream for ideal flavor and texture and an attractive, unusual presentation.

How do you make rhubarb sweeter? ›

There is nothing in rhubarb that makes it turn sweet with cooking or baking, without the adding of sugar, in the form of sweeter fruits and berries, honey or other natural sugars or processed granulated sugar. It has to be added. Fresh or frozen rhubarb may be used."

Why do you pull rhubarb instead of cutting? ›

To pick rhubarb, hold the stalk firmly, pull and twist. Do not use a knife to cut the stalks from the plant. The knife can carry diseases from plant to plant, and the remaining stalk can be a point of entry for other pests.

What is the best thing to do with rhubarb? ›

Rhubarb is a truly special ingredient. With its vivid pink colour and distinctively tangy taste, it can be stewed, poached, roasted and puréed in a range of dishes as well as drinks. Use it in a comforting crumble, a classic syllabub, a fruity chutney or a zingy kebab sauce – the possibilities are endless.

Should you wash rhubarb once picked? ›

“When you are ready to use fresh rhubarb, rinse them for 20 seconds with water and dry on a clean cloth.” Remove and throw away leaves and trim the ends of the rhubarb.

Is it better to eat rhubarb raw or cooked? ›

Its stalks are deeper red and tinged with green, while its leaves are bright green. It has a more intense flavour and robust texture than the forced variety. Although it can be eaten raw, rhubarb tends to be too tart this way, and it's usually best when cooked with plenty of sugar.

How to eat rhubarb without adding sugar? ›

To keep it sugar free you could use a little stevia, for a low fructose option you could use either rice syrup or coconut nectar, or if you're a honey fan, a little raw honey would combine beautifully with the ginger and vanilla.

Does cooking rhubarb remove oxalic acid? ›

Cooking rhubarb petioles with water, trim or standard milk significantly (p < 0.05) reduced oxalate contents of the mixture by dilution (total oxalate mean raw 902.7 mg/100 g fresh weight, mean cooked 454.3 mg/100 g fresh weight).

How much rhubarb should you eat a day? ›

Enjoy Rhubarb in Moderation

Rhubarb stalks range in color from pale green to a deep purplish-red. An average serving of rhubarb, about 2/3 cup, contributes to healthy bowel movements due to its high fiber content, but it can also have a purgative or laxative effect in larger quantities.

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