Step 2: Mix the topping
In a small bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, butter, flour and cinnamon until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit.
Step 3: Bake and serve
Bake the crisp until it’s bubbly and the fruit is tender, about 45 minutes. Serve it warm, with ice cream if desired.
Recipe Variations
Keep it simple: If you love the tartness of rhubarb, you can make this recipe for rhubarb crisp from 5 cups of sliced stalks without adding any extra sugar.
Introduce different fruits: The dessert is so simple that you can make a crisp with any fruit. Replace the apples or strawberries with blueberries or raspberries—just make sure to use fresh fruit or thawed and drained frozen fruit.
Switch to honey: Substituting honey for sugar affects the texture of some baked goods, but not crisps. Mix just 2/3 cup of honey into the fruit for the same sweetness, or cut back to even less depending on your taste. Honey would make the topping too sticky to sprinkle, so stick with brown sugar there.
Add nuts: To give the topping even more crunch, replace half of the oats with chopped nuts. Walnuts are more affordable than pecans, which have a richer flavor. Hazelnuts should be peeled before they’re chopped.
How to Store Rhubarb Crisp
Let rhubarb crisp with oatmeal cool completely, and then transfer it to a container with an airtight lid, trying to keep the topping on the surface of the dessert. The crisp can be stored at room temperature for two days or in the refrigerator for up to five days. The topping will lose some of its crunchiness the longer it sits. Leftover crisp can be served at room temperature, or it can be returned to the ovenproof skillet and reheated in a low-temperature oven.
Can you freeze rhubarb crisp?
Fruit crisps, especially the top layer, get soggy when frozen, but fresh rhubarb freezes easily, allowing you to make quick crisps all year. To freeze rhubarb, slice it first. Thawed rhubarb works best so the filling doesn’t become too juicy.
Rhubarb Crisp Tips
How do you cut rhubarb for rhubarb crisp?
Cut rhubarb across the stalk so that you break the stringy strands that run up its length. The thinner the rhubarb slices, the more they’ll cook down in a crisp, so cut 1-inch pieces if you like chunks in your crisps and smaller slices if you want a smoother filling.
Why is the rhubarb crisp soggy?
To keep the topping from sinking and becoming soggy, thoroughly coat the flour and oats with butter. If bits still seem dry, mix in another tablespoon of melted butter before you sprinkle the topping on the fruit. The beauty of this rhubarb crisp recipe is the crunchy topping layered over the soft base. For the crunchiest topping, let the crisp toast under the broiler for just a minute or two after it finishes baking, watching carefully so that the sugary surface doesn’t burn.
How do you serve rhubarb crisp?
With vanilla ice cream, of course! Just scoop the crisp from the skillet into individual bowls and pile on the ice cream (crisp with ice cream can get a bit messy when served on plates). Rhubarb crisp with oatmeal is also delicious with a scoop of frozen lemon yogurt or fridge-cold Greek yogurt. This dessert is a delicious follow-up to some of these super-quick spring dinner ideas, which you can make and eat while the crisp is baking.
Watch How to Make Rhubarb Crisp
Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups sliced fresh rhubarb or frozen rhubarb, thawed
2 cups sliced peeled apples or sliced strawberries
1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Vanilla ice cream, optional
Directions
1
In a large bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add rhubarb and apples or strawberries; toss to coat. Spoon into an 8-in. cast-iron skillet or other ovenproof skillet.
2
In a small bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, butter, flour and cinnamon until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over fruit. Bake at 350° until crisp is bubbly and fruit is tender, about 45 minutes. Serve warm, with ice cream if desired.
Nutrition Facts
1 cup: 320 calories, 12g fat (7g saturated fat), 31mg cholesterol, 124mg sodium, 52g carbohydrate (36g sugars, 3g fiber), 3g protein.
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