Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp – A Couple Cooks

June 11, 2025

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This nostalgic strawberry rhubarb crisp delivers the perfect balance of tangy fruit and buttery oat topping! It’s the ultimate summer dessert that tastes like childhood memories. (Gluten-free and vegan options included.)

Growing up, my family had a backyard rhubarb plant—massive leaves shading pink-green stalks. Every year, would harvest the pink-green stalks and make a rhubarb crisp. That first bite was pure magic—intensely sweet-tart (like a Jolly Rancher!) bubbling under golden crumbles.

This recipe is my love letter to those memories, refined through years of testing. I’ve discovered the perfect strawberry-to-rhubarb ratio and a secret ingredient that makes everything pop. The result tastes like the best parts of a strawberry lemonade transformed into a warm, comforting dessert.

Keys to the perfect strawberry rhubarb crisp

This strawberry rhubarb crisp is very delicious, with just the right tangy flavor from the rhubarb and buttery crumble topping. It’s such a fun nostalgic dessert for summer evenings on the patio, topped with vanilla ice cream or fluffy whipped cream. There are also several ingredients you can modify to make it work for different diets. Here are the keys to what makes this summer dessert special:

It’s perfectly sweetened. Some strawberry rhubarb crisp recipes call for loads of sugar. This one uses just enough to get the right sweet tart flavor.
Orange zest adds a zing. This is the secret ingredient: trust us! It brings out the best citrusy flavor.
The buttery crumbles have the best texture. Oats, flour, brown sugar and butter make the best crumbly texture that’s not too crispy.

Baking tips for crisp success

The right dish matters

A 9×9 or 7×11 inch dish gives the ideal fruit-to-topping ratio: typically I like a 7 x 11 dish, but a round 9″ pie plate also works (which you’ll see in the photos). You can use ceramic, glass, or metal.

The cooling conundrum

I know it’s torture, but make sure to let this crisp cool 30 minutes minimum—but preferably 1 hour. The filling needs time to set, and serving it slightly warm (not hot) lets you taste all the flavors better.

Customization for every diet

This strawberry rhubarb crisp works very well as a gluten free dessert or vegan / dairy free dessert, because the crumble topping tastes very similar with these simple swaps:

Use almond flour for gluten-free. Using almond flour is a simple swap that makes a crunchy gluten-free topping.
Use vegan butter or coconut oil for vegan. I prefer vegan butter for the best flavor, but you can also use refined coconut oil to turn it into a vegan dessert.

Flavor variations to try

This recipe results in a straightforward strawberry rhubarb crisp, with a sweet tart flavor and a crunchy crumble. If you’re looking for ways to customize it even further, try these flavor boosters:

Citrus: Add ¼ teaspoon orange zest (my personal favorite!) or ½ teaspoon lemon zest
Fresh ginger: Add 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger root for a spicy flair
Cardamom: Add ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom to the crumble
Berries: Use blackberries or mixed berries instead of strawberries (or try our blackberry crisp or mixed berry crisp). I once had a pie with mixed berries and rhubarb that was fantastic!

Storing leftovers

Here are a few tips for storing a fruit crisp:

Room temperature: store for 1 day. You can leave your strawberry rhubarb crisp on the counter for up to 1 day (cover it at night). This way, the crumbly topping will stay crisp.
Refrigerated: Day 2-3. After 1 day at room temperature, refrigerate any leftovers. They’ll stay good for about 3 days.

The bottom line: We hope this strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe will bring back nostalgic memories if you grew up eating rhubarb too! There’s something magical about this weed-like plant. And eating it in a crumble is one of the best sweet treats.

Dietary notes

This strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe is vegetarian. For gluten-free, use almond flour. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, use coconut oil instead of butter.

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