Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

Strawberry rhubarb crisp is a delicious dessert that combines two classic fruits to create a perfect balance of tartness and sweetness. This dessert consists of a layer of juicy rhubarb and strawberries topped with a crispy and buttery crumble made of oats, flour, sugar, and butter. It's an excellent dessert option for those looking for something fresh, flavorful, and comforting. You can serve this dish warm or room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped topping.

Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us her rendition of strawberry rhubarb crisp and says, "I love making desserts like this one because it's super easy to throw together and you can make it ahead of time and just warm it up when ready to serve. I don't cook with rhubarb very often but it's full of health benefits and this is a creative way to 'eat the rainbow' and get it in." There's nothing better than getting a healthy dose of fruit in a dessert, and this summery dessert recipe doubles-down on the fresh goodness.

To make this recipe, check the produce aisle for fresh rhubarb. Rhubarb is available in the spring but most stores carry it frozen so you can make this rhubarb crisp year-round. "If you are able to find fresh rhubarb it is important to note that the rhubarb greens are not edible," Hahn advises. "We'll just be using the stalks and because of this, most stores remove the greens before stocking the shelves." You'll also need some fresh strawberries, an orange or orange juice, and butter.

The rest of the items that we need you may have in your pantry, or you can find them in the dry goods aisle — arrowroot powder, maple syrup, rolled oats, almond flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, salt, and walnuts. "I always prefer using coconut sugar because it's less processed than brown sugar, but brown sugar will work, or date sugar is a good option also. Additionally, corn starch can be used instead of arrowroot powder," Hahn shares. She also notes that, to make this strawberry rhubarb crisp vegan, you can just use dairy-free butter, and you can easily omit the nuts if you want it to be nut free.

Start by preheating the oven to 375 F. We are using the arrowroot powder (or corn starch) as a way to thicken our fruit mixture, so mix that with the orange juice and maple syrup. Place the strawberries and rhubarb into a large bowl, then add the orange juice mixture, stir, and pour it into a 9x12-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. This will thicken up as it bakes it the oven.

The "crisp" part of our dessert is simple to make. Just add the rolled oats, almond flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cubed butter to a large food processor. Pulse several times until the mixture is crumbly. Transfer this to a large bowl and add the chopped walnuts, then spread the oat topping on top of the fruit mixture.

Pop the baking dish into the oven and cook for 40 minutes. After baking, "The fruit mixture will have thickened by now and it will be bubbly underneath the golden-brown oat topping," Hahn shares. Pull the baking dish out of the oven and let it cool for about 30 minutes before serving. Serve the crisp warm or at room temperature and top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired. Leftovers will keep well for up to 5 days if kept in a sealed container in the fridge.