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!
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 recipe at the bottom for quantities.
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
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!
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.
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
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Easy Rhubarb Crisp
Recipe details
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.
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.
More recipe information
First published on 03/25/2020. Updated on 03/23/2021.
Joy says
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!
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 🙂
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 🙂
Nora says
I’m so glad, Jamie! And yes, allowing it to cool is definitely not easy 😉
Carol says
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!!!!
Nora says
I’m so glad to hear this, Carol!
Marlene Wilkins says
Getting ready for the day when we gather the rhubarb. This looks good Nora. Thank you.
Nora says
I hope you’ll enjoy the pie, Marlene!
TM says
The topping is crispy and buttery and it’s full of fresh rhubarb flavour! Simple and delicious!
Andiebird says
Made this for pudding tonight. Turned out a treat. Absolutely delicious. Thank you.
Cheryl says
One of the Best Crumbles ever