A Springtime Favorite: Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
June harvest brings strawberries and rhubarb, a tried-and-true dessert combo. Once I see the first batch of fresh rhubarb I have to make this Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. The combination of flavors is mind-blowing. Sweet, tart, nutty, buttery, and (if you top with ice cream) creamy all at the same time.
This dessert dish is easy but also quite impressive. Make this for a gathering and your guests will ask you how you made such a seasonally delicious dessert!
Diving right into it, I’ll review a little about the ingredients, how to make this crisp, and any additional add-ins or possible variations of this recipe. All followed by my Sharper Nutrition Fix about the beautiful springtime vegetable Rhubarb.
Ingredients: Fruit
Fresh Strawberries: Immediately upon returning from the farmer’s market I washed my strawberries in a 4:1 water: vinegar bath. This helps to remove bacteria and mold spores, while also washing away any grime and grit.
You can use this vinegar bath method with other berries whether store-bought, from the farmer’s market, or the pick-your-own variety.
Fresh Rhubarb: Rhubarb is a vegetable I am still learning about. Having not cooked with it much while growing up, I am excited to finally adventure around with its flavors in my 30s. More info on rhubarb is below.
*If you notice strings coming off the sides after chopping up the rhubarb, don’t worry – that’s normal. Just remove them from the fruit mixture.
I use fresh fruit in this recipe but frozen strawberries and frozen rhubarb could also be used for this Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.
Ingredients: Crisp Topping
Butter: The butter makes this recipe. If you are thinking of omitting this, don’t. If needed, you can replace the butter with chilled coconut oil, or margarine.
Old Fashioned Oats: This ingredient (along with the nuts) adds texture to the crisp topping. I also enjoy the nutritional benefits the rolled oats add to this dessert. As a whole grain, oats are loaded with fiber and protein.
All-Purpose Flour: The flour provides a nice bready, crispy layer over top of the fruit.
Sugar: The ¼ cup of sugar in this topping enhances the flavors of the fruit while marrying it with the crumble topping. Note, I add zero sugar to the fruit base in this recipe. I like to use light brown sugar but you could use granulated sugar or date sugar.
Salt: Salt is another flavor enhancer. A little goes a long way in this recipe. I prefer kosher salt for this recipe.
Nuts: Last but not least, nuts. My favorite part about this recipe. I used Pecans because I love their crunchy nutty flavor alongside the melt-in-your-mouth fruit base and buttery oat topping. Use whatever nut varietal you prefer. Walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts would also pair excellently with this dessert.
Step-By-Step Instructions
I love making crisp recipes from scratch because all you need is a bowl, a baking dish, a knife, and a cutting board.
You could also use some measuring spoons and a rubber spatula but I often “eyeball” ingredients in a crisp recipe, and mix the topping with my hands.
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and butter the bottom of your baking dish.
2. Lay the cut-up strawberries and rhubarb along the bottom of the dish. Set aside.
3. Make Crisp topping by adding all the crisp ingredients to a medium bowl and mixing. For less clean-up, I just use my hands to mix the butter oat mixture. However, the option to use a food processor pulsing 5-10 times for a finer crisp topping.
4. Cover the fruit with the crisp topping and bake at 375 degrees F for 35-40min.
5. Let the cooked crisp rest on the counter for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Add-ins and variations
There are tons of ways this recipe can be altered. Below are a couple of variations that would work well.
Citrus Juice/Zest: Previously, I followed an NYT Rhubarb Crisp recipe that incorporated either orange juice/zest into the rhubarb. The orange was a wonderful addition. To keep my recipe simple, I omitted any extra zesting or juicing. The strawberries are pretty flavorful on their own and I didn’t want their flavor obscured by another fruit.
Cut the crumble topping in half: My crisp recipe has a large amount of crisp topping. This is the way I like it – crunchy meets fruity. Additionally, it works amazingly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream over top – I recommend some high-fat ice cream such as Tillamook vanilla or homemade. If you are thinking of keeping this a bit lighter, perhaps cut the crumble topping in half.
Sharper Nutrition Fix: Rhubarb
Ever tried Rhubarb? No? It’s not too late!
This veggie is often seen in spring-time dessert recipes because of its yummy tart flavor.
Once cooked, the tartness mellows, and just like freshly squeezed lemons in a lemonade, it pairs oh-so-well with sugar. Moreover, Rhubarb can be enjoyed in many non-dessert dishes. Try um’ pickled, sautéed, or in a salsa!
Rhubarb and Health
In traditional Chinese medicine, Rhubarb has been used for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties.
Rhubarb has shown notable clinical applications as well. These include effective treatments for Constipation, Severe acute pancreatitis, Sepsis, and Chronic Renal Failure.
No matter how you slice it, Rhubarb is impressive and yummy.
More Recipes
Strawberry Smoothie Bowl [Vegan and High Protein]
Healthy Berry Bliss Tropical Smoothie Copycat Recipe
The Best Raspberry White Chocolate Blondies
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Equipment
- 1 Baking Pan 9x13
- 1 Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup rhubarb 1 inch pieces
- 1.5 cup strawberries quartered or sliced
- 1/2 cup butter one stick
- 1 cup oats
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar or other sugar
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup pecans
- vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
Fruit base
- Preheath the oven to 375 degrees.
- Pour the strawberry and rhubarb in the bottom of your baking dish.
Crumble topping
- Add all crumble ingrediets into your mixing bowl.
- Mix until combeined.
- pour crumble topping over the fruit ensuring butter and nuts are spread pretty evenly.
Bake
- Bake 375 degrees F for 35-40min.
- Let crumble cool on the counter for 10min before serving. Top with vanilla or butter pecan ice cream as desired.
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Sarah Harper. I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who loves to cook, eat, and talk about food! Here at The Addy Bean, you'll discover an array of flexitarian recipes. My mission is to inspire and encourage others to eat and explore the world of plant-based foods!
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