A simple Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with a buttery brown sugar oat crumble and a balanced, juicy filling. It’s unfussy to make but still feels a little special.

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With spring comes warmer days and budding trees—but also the anticipation of that short, magical window when late rhubarb season overlaps with early strawberries. Tart, vibrant rhubarb and sweet, fragrant strawberries are a classic, but kind of unexpected pairing: one’s a fruit, the other technically a vegetable, but together they create something pretty incredible. Of course there is always the option to make a pie (and you should if you can), but a crisp is an unfussy, easier route to celebrate this seasonal match.

This Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, with it's sweet-tart fruit baked until jammy, topped with a buttery streusel comes together quickly, doesn't require much equipment. This version leans classic and is easy enough to pull together on a weeknight but still feels special enough to serve to guests.

A bowl of baked strawberry rhubarb crisp with two scoops of ice cream melting on to it.

New to Rhubarb?

Rhubarb is a very seasonal product (mostly available in May and early June), and if you’re new to it, you’re about to find out why it’s so beloved. It’s one of my favorite “non-fruit” fruits—technically a vegetable, but almost always treated like a fruit in baking. It’s a perennial plant that thrives in colder climates (I’m lucky enough to have a "bush" of it growing in my Boston backyard).

Rhubarb stalks can range in color from green to pink to deep ruby red and resemble celery, with long fibrous stalks and large, leafy green tops. The leaves are toxic to people and pets so should always be removed and discarded. The flavor is slightly floral and very tart which is why it’s so often paired with sweet fruits like strawberries.

When cooked, it breaks down into a soft, jammy texture, which makes it perfect for crisps, pies, and compotes. Because it’s so tart it needs a hefty amount of sugar to balance things out.

How to Make It

If you’ve never worked with rhubarb before, this crisp is a great recipe to start with. To prep it, trim off any dried-out bits from the bottom of the stalks and cut away the leafy green tops (they’re not edible). Wash the stalks well, then slice them just like you would celery—into ¼- to ½-inch pieces.

Strawberries can vary quite a bit in sweetness, so it’s a good idea to taste them before mixing the filling. If they’re especially sweet and you like a more balanced dessert, you can reduce the sugar in the filling by ¼ to ½ cup. This recipe was developed using mildly sweet strawberries. Once they’re washed and hulled, cut them in halves or quarters, depending on their size.

A crisp is kind of like a crustless pie topped with a layer of buttery streusel. Fortunately, that also makes it a very user-friendly, easy recipe. The strawberry rhubarb filling is thickened with cornstarch, which needs to be heated above 200ºF to fully "activate" and set the juices. You’ll know it’s ready when the streusel is golden brown and, more importantly, the filling is bubbling. Bubbling is a good visual cue, but if you want to be extra sure, you can also check the center of the crisp with instant-read thermometer as a more accurate way to see if it's done.

Here is a quick visual overview of the steps needed to make this recipe. If you are looking for the full recipe, keep scrolling!

Fruit for a strawberry rhubarb crisp being mixed up in a bowl.

Step 1: In a large bowl, mix together the fruit, sugars, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Let it macerate just until the sugar dissolves.

Oats, flour and sugar in a bowl with other ingredients to make a crumble topping.

Step 2: Stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and melted butter until fully combined.

A prepared, but unbaked, crumble topping.

Step 3: Let the crumble sit for 5 minutes (to allow the flour to hydrate and the butter to cool).

Macerating strawberries and rhubarb in a baking dish.

Step 4: Transfer the fruit filling and all the juices to a 9-inch square baking dish (or another similar baking dish).

An assembled but unbaked strawberry rhubarb crisp.

Step 5: Evenly sprinkle the crumble on top of the fruit filling.

A baked strawberry rhubarb crisp cooling on a rack.

Step 6: Bake until the crumble topping is golden and the middle of the filling is bubbling.

Serving + Storing

When the crisp is pulled from the oven and very hot, the strawberry rhubarb mixture will still be very liquidy. As it cools, it will thicken up. You'll want to dive right in, but let it rest for a little bit.

Serve it slightly warm or at room temperature as is, with whipped cream, or with a big scoop (or two) of vanilla or strawberry ice cream. Trust me, you won't be disappointed with this!

This crisp is best eaten on the day it is made, or within 24 hours. If there are leftovers, you can keep them covered at room temperature for up to 1 day. Reheat in the oven at 350ºF, if desired.

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Full Recipe

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

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A simple strawberry rhubarb crisp with a butter brown sugar crumble top and a balanced juicy filling. It’s easy to prep and delightful to enjoy as an unfussy, yet impressive dessert.

Author: Kelli Avila
Prep Time: 00:20
Cook Time: 00:50
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 8 Servings
Category: Dessert
Method: Bake

Ingredients

For Strawberry Rhubarb Filling:

4 cups (453 grams) quartered strawberries
3 cups (383 grams) ½-inch pieces chopped rhubarb
½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup (55 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
Pinch of coarse kosher salt
3 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch
2 tablespoons (30 grams) lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For Crisp Topping:

1-¼ cups (150 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (80 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cup (165 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch coarse kosher salt
12 tablespoons (155 grams) unsalted butter, melted

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and place an oven rack in the middle part of the oven.
Make the filling: In a large bowl, mix together the strawberries, rhubarb, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt until combined. Mix in the lemon juice and vanilla and let the mixture sit until the sugar has dissolved.
Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch square (or similar size) baking dish.
Make the topping: In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix together. Pour over the melted butter and mix until fully combined. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes (to allow the flour to hydrate and the butter to cool).
Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly onto the strawberry-rhubarb filling.
Bake in the preheated oven until the juices are bubbling throughout and the crisp topping is evenly browned, 50 to 55 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 15 minutes.
Serve it slightly warm or at room temperature as is, with whipped cream, or with ice cream.

Notes

Strawberries naturally vary in sweetness. Taste them before mixing the filling. If the berries are especially sweet and you like a more balanced dessert, the sugar can be reduced by up to ½ cup. The recipe as written is for mildly sweet strawberries.

Make sure to wash and dry your strawberries and rhubarb well before prepping them and measuring the amount of cut pieces that you need.

The strawberry rhubarb filling is thickened with cornstarch, which needs to be heated above 200ºF to fully set. You’ll know it’s ready when the filling is bubbling—a good visual cue—but for the most accuracy, you can check the center with an instant-read thermometer.

To make this gluten-free, substitute a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose flour.

Originally published in 2019, this crisp recipe has been regularly re-tested and periodically updated to ensure it continues to deliver great results for readers. The original version included orange juice, but this updated version swaps in lemon juice to let the strawberry rhubarb flavor shine a little brighter.

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