This rhubarb crisp recipe is our favorite way to use fresh rhubarb, and definitely the easiest spring and summer dessert. Fresh rhubarb, rough-chopped and sweetened with sugar and lemon, topped with a simple, buttery oat crisp topping (that comes together fast in the food processor). Bake it to perfection, and voila! The best rhubarb crisp ever is served. Serve it warm from the oven, with lots of vanilla ice cream and you’ll be in heaven. Hungry for more rhubarb desserts? Try our delicious Rhubarb Cobbler next!
Rhubarb Crisp Ingredients
Rhubarb - Look for younger, redder, thinner stalks of rhubarb. They are typically more tender and sweet.
Lemon - Adds more brightness to this dish.
Sugar - Granulated white sugar to balance the tartness in the rhubarb
Butter - We call for salted butter here, but if you only have unsalted on hand, you can always add a pinch of salt to taste.
Brown sugar - Helps to make the oat crisp top nice and crunchy and sweet.
All-purpose flour - Helps to to beef up the oat topping.
Cinnamon - Ground cinnamon helps to add a nice warm spice. Pairs perfectly with the oats and the rhubarb filling.
Nutmeg - Just a touch for flavor.
Salt - We call for ½ teaspoon sea salt, but you can sub in kosher if that's all you have.
Rolled oats - We like rolled oats the best, but feel free to use quick oats in a pinch. We wouldn't recommend using steel cut oats for this recipe.
How To Make Rhubarb Crisp
Rinse and chop your rhubarb stalks. You don’t have to be too fussy about it, but don’t leave the rhubarb pieces too big, or they’ll be a bit stringy. A good sharp knife is key!
Dust the chopped rhubarb with sugar in the baking dish you’ll bake the rhubarb crisp in. Add fresh lemon juice and zest (don’t forget to zest the lemon with your microplane before you juice it) and fresh mint, if you’re using it.
Make the oat crisp topping. Put the cold butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a food processor. Pulse it once, add the oats and pulse it a few more times until it looks like a crumbly crisp topping. You can always make this a day ahead of time. Just store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container and let it sit out for 1 hour before ready to add to the crisp.
Sprinkle the oat topping over the rhubarb evenly.
Bake for 40 minutes.
Serve warm alongside ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
How To Store Rhubarb Crisp + Tips
Can you freeze rhubarb crisp? We prefer to enjoy homemade rhubarb crisp fresh. But you can freeze it if you want to. Bust bake it first, let it cool and wrap it tightly to freeze it. You can freeze it for at least 3 months.
- Does rhubarb crisp need to be refrigerated? Yes, we store any leftover rhubarb crisp covered in the fridge. It reheats beautifully or you can just eat it straight out of the pan. We also think cold leftover rhubarb crisp makes a really great breakfast (ice cream optional, but recommended).
More Summer Fruit & Rhubarb Recipes
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