Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

I’m here for the summer recipes today with this Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp and it’s a good one! There’s just something about warm fruit with cold ice cream on top that speak to me even though I’m not a big fruit dessert person, and this is the perfect iteration of that.

The other lovely thing about fruit crisps is that they come together really easily; this is one of the simplest forms of baking and it’s the perfect treat. Let me show you how to make it!

How to Make a Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

We’re using fresh strawberries and rhubarb for this recipe of course, but you can easily swap in the same amounts of other berries or fruit here without any other adjustments to the recipe. The ingredients are simple; strawberries, rhubarb, brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla. Everything else goes into a simple crumble topping.

Starting off with the filling, you want to make sure all your fruit is chopped up in roughly the same sized pieces and toss them into a large bowl. Then add in the brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla extract and give everything a good stir so the fruit is well coated and the mixture should form almost a paste that coats the fruit. Spread this into your baking dish.

For the crumble topping you want to mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl with a fork. For the crumble, that includes granulated and brown sugars, cornstarch, salt, flour, and old fashioned oats. Then pour in the melted butter and use a fork to work the butter throughout the whole mixture.

It should come together to form soft crumbles that are dry but hold together when you press the mixture. Simply crumble the topping all over the strawberry rhubarb mixture to cover the whole thing. The fruit will bubble up around it as it bakes!

It should come out of the oven bubbly and golden brown all over the top. This is, of course, best served warm and with ice cream or whipped cream on top- the perfect summer dessert!

Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Here are my tips to help along the way:

• Do I have to use rhubarb? No, you can swap in the same amount of any mix of berries or stone fruit that you prefer here- I love the classic combo of strawberry rhubarb though!
• Why does the filling have cornstarch? This helps thicken the mixture as it bakes and the fruit releases lots of juice so you end up with a glossy, thick, filling just like a pie!
• Make sure you chop your fruit into fairly similar sized pieces so that it cooks at about the same rate and softens evenly.
• This is the perfect way to use less-than-perfect fruit. You can absolutely use berries that are starting to go soft here- they are going to bake up until they are juicy and soft anyways so it makes a beautiful crisp either way!
• What if my crumble isn’t coming together? It should take a little bit of working with a fork to pull it together it completely and the mixture should look dry but will hold together when pressed. Optionally, you can add in a little more butter to pull it together if you need- try about 1 tablespoon at a time.
• How do I know when it’s finished baking? The top of the crumble should be deeply golden brown all over and the fruit should be bubbling and thick.
• Do I have to serve this with ice cream? Certainly not (though I recommend it)- you can absolutely top this crisp with whipped cream, a drizzle of cold heavy cream, or even just a dusting of powdered sugar!
• I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level and I find that my recipes work well for people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level.

Enjoy!

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Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Servings 10 servings

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 4 stalks of rhubarb chopped into 1 inch pieces 11 oz chopped
• 1 lb fresh strawberries chopped into 1 inch pieces 16 oz chopped
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 tbs. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the crisp:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 tbs. cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup butter

Instructions

For the filling:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan, an 8×8 square baking pan, or a similar sized casserole dish.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the chopped fruit, brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla extract until everything is well combined and evenly coated. Spread the fruit mixture into your prepared baking dish and set it aside while you make the topping.

For the crisp:

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, flour, and oats until well combined. In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. While the butter is still warm, use a fork to mix the melted butter into the dry mixture until well combined and a soft crumb forms. This mixture will be fairly dry, but should hold together when pressed in your hands.
2. Crumble the topping all over the top of your prepared filling. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and thick and the topping is golden brown all over. Enjoy warm with ice cream.

Nicole Hampton

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!