Rhubarb Crisp

This rhubarb crisp recipe features tart, jammy rhubarb topped with a buttery oat crumble. It's SO easy and delicious—the perfect spring dessert!

Rhubarb crisp

Step aside, strawberry rhubarb pie! This rhubarb crisp recipe is my favorite spring dessert.

I love it because it’s so easy (HUGE bonus points for not requiring pie crust), but it’s still completely delicious. A layer of fresh rhubarb bakes to jammy, sweet-tart perfection, and a brown sugar and oat crumble crisps up beautifully on top. I’m personally incapable of eating it without a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but hey, you do you.

I’ve been making this rhubarb crisp recipe for years now. In fact, I first planned to share it two years ago, right around the time our son was born. If you’re a parent, I’m sure you’re not surprised that our whole blog schedule kinda went out the window for a few weeks then, long enough for rhubarb season to come and go. But I’m so glad that this rhubarb crisp recipe is finally getting its moment now, fittingly on Mother’s Day. It’s such a wonderful spring treat, and I can’t wait for you to try it. Please, enjoy!

Rhubarb crisp recipe ingredients

Rhubarb Crisp Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this rhubarb crisp recipe:

  • Rhubarb, of course! Two pounds of fresh or frozen rhubarb stalks will do the trick. If you’re using frozen rhubarb, no need to thaw it before baking.
  • Cane sugar – For sweetening the tart rhubarb.
  • Cornstarch – It makes the rhubarb juices thick and glossy.
  • Orange juice and zest – They add citrusy fragrance and freshness to the tangy filling.
  • Almond flour and walnuts – They add nutty crunch to the crumble topping.
  • Brown sugar – It sweetens the topping. Light and dark both work great!
  • Whole rolled oats – They become crisp and golden brown in the oven, giving the topping amazing texture and toasty flavor.
  • Cinnamon – For warm, cozy depth of flavor.
  • Coconut oil – Butter works too! It adds rich flavor to the topping and helps it get nice and crisp.
  • And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Rhubarb stalks on a kitchen towel

How to Make Rhubarb Crisp

This rhubarb crisp recipe couldn’t be simpler to make! Here’s how it goes:

First, prepare the rhubarb. If yours has leaves attached, trim them off and discard them. You’ll just need the stalks for this recipe.

Wash them well. Then, peel off any tough, stringy outer skin. Cut the rhubarb into 1/2-inch pieces.

Hand sprinkling topping over filling in baking dish

Next, make the rhubarb filling. Toss the chopped rhubarb with the cane sugar, cornstarch, and orange juice and zest.

Then, make the crumble topping. In a medium bowl, mix together the almond flour, brown sugar, oats, walnuts, cinnamon, and salt. Add the coconut oil (make sure it’s firm!), and use your hands to work it into the oat mixture until it crumbles. If the mixture feels dry, add water, 1/4 teaspoon at a time, until it starts to hold together when pinched.

Assemble the rhubarb crisp. Transfer the rhubarb mixture to a greased 8×8-inch baking dish, and spread it in an even layer. Sprinkle the oat crumble on top.

And bake! Bake in a 400°F oven until the crisp topping is golden brown and the rhubarb is soft, 15 to 25 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream.

Rhubarb crisp in baking dish next to two servings in bowls with ice cream

How to Store Rhubarb Crisp

If your family is anything like ours, you won’t have much (ok, any) rhubarb crisp left after the first night. But if you do happen to have leftovers, you can store them, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days or for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Tip: Leftover rhubarb crisp with a scoop of Greek yogurt makes a mean breakfast. 🙂

Rhubarb crisp recipe

More Favorite Spring Desserts

If you love this rhubarb crisp recipe, try one of these fresh spring desserts next:

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Rhubarb Crisp

rate this recipe:
4.93 from 13 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves 6
Rhubarb's season is fleeting, lasting just from April through June. Make the most of it with this rhubarb crisp recipe! It's a delicious spring dessert, featuring a layer of jammy, sweet-tart rhubarb with a buttery oat crumble on top.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds rhubarb, trimmed, tough strings removed, and cut into ½-inch pieces
  • ¼ cup cane sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Topping

  • ½ cup almond flour
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup whole rolled oats
  • ½ cup crushed walnuts
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ cup firm coconut oil

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.
  • In a large bowl, toss the rhubarb with the sugar, cornstarch, and orange juice and zest. Spread evenly in the prepared baking dish.
  • Make the topping: In a medium bowl, mix together the almond flour, brown sugar, oats, walnuts, cinnamon, and salt. Use your hands to work in the coconut oil until the mixture crumbles. If it is too dry, add water, ¼ teaspoon at a time, until the mixture starts to hold together when pinched.
  • Sprinkle the topping evenly over the rhubarb and bake for 15 to 25 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the rhubarb is soft.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

14 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Julia
    06.19.2023

    Delicious! My first time cooking with rhubarb. I used olive oil instead of coconut oil and it turned out great.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.21.2023

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  2. Sallie
    05.29.2023

    Sounds awesome. What can I use in place of coconut oil?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.30.2023

      Hi Sallie, unsalted butter would be my second choice.

  3. Julia
    05.23.2023

    Hello! Do you think you could sub half the rhubarb for strawberries to turn this into a strawberry rhubarb crisp? Looking forward to making it this weekend!

    Julia

  4. Julia
    05.23.2023

    This looks delicious! Do you think you could sub half the rhubarb for strawberries to make a strawberry rhubarb crisp? Looking forward to making this MDW!

    Julia

  5. Jeanine Donofrio
    05.22.2023

    Hi Linda, thank you for the request.

  6. Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
    05.19.2023

    Hi Linda, thanks for your feedback! It’s great to know that metric measurements would be useful for you. Unfortunately, we can’t automatically convert exiting recipes with our software, but we’ll keep it in mind for the future!

  7. Danielle M
    05.16.2023

    4 stars
    Tastes good and was easy, but 400 degrees burnt the top of my cobbler after just ten minutes. I quickly took it out of the oven and of course the crisp wasn’t done. We ate it anyway. Next time I would bake it at 350.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      05.19.2023

      Hi Danielle, so sorry that happened with your crisp! We’ve always found 400 to be the right temp, but ovens can vary a lot. You could bake at a lower temp or cover the crisp with foil for part of the baking time to prevent too much browning in the future.

  8. Louis
    05.16.2023

    5 stars
    Hey,

    I have been following your blog since 1 year I wanted to say that I am big fan of your recipes.

    I always share your recipes on social madie and receive positive feedback.

    Thanks for sharing.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      05.19.2023

      Hi Louis, thanks so much for your comment! It’s great to hear that you love the recipes. Thank you for sharing them!

  9. Sabrina from newkitchenlife.com
    05.15.2023

    a great reminder of how much I like rhubarb, have always had as a pie, can’t remember having let alone making it as a crisp so this will be fun for the weekend, thank you!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      05.19.2023

      Hi Sabrina, hope you enjoy!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.