We love this vegan and gluten free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp for a delicious and easy spring or summer dessert! It has a tart, sweet, jammy filling and a buttery oat topping that the whole family will love. Don't forget to serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: No special equipment needed to make this strawberry rhubarb crisp. Just two mixing bowls and a pie tin! It's perfect for any skill level and ready in just under an hour.
- Perfect spring dessert: This crisp is a great option for Easter, Mother's Day and so many other spring entertaining occasions! It's always one of the first things we make every spring as soon as we can get our hands on some rhubarb.
- Gluten free and vegan: We use ingredients like coconut oil and gluten free flour to keep this strawberry rhubarb crisp allergy friendly. The best part? Nobody would ever know! It's still super flavorful, sweet, buttery and delicious.
Ingredients
Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make this strawberry rhubarb crisp:
Ingredient Notes
- Rhubarb: Be sure to slice the rhubarb thinly – you don't want any huge pieces in the filling.
- Strawberries: Quarter the strawberries so they are small enough for the filling. If you're using very large strawberries, you may want to dice them even smaller.
- Raspberries: Technically optional, but I love the tartness they add to this crisp. Feel free to substitute with an extra cup each of strawberries and rhubarb if preferred.
- Brown sugar: You can also substitute 1:1 with coconut sugar.
- Maple syrup: You can also substitute 1:1 with agave syrup.
- Lemon juice. This adds the perfect amount of tart, bright flavor. Always use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor!
- Cornstarch: This helps thicken the filling and prevents it from becoming runny. You can also use arrowroot starch.
- Oats: Be sure to use old fashioned whole rolled oats, not quick cooking oats. While oats are naturally gluten free, be sure to purchase certified gluten free oats if you have Celiac disease or a severe allergy.
- Flour: We used gluten free all purpose flour, but if you don't have any issues with gluten, regular all purpose flour works perfectly.
- Pecans: You can also use walnuts or another nut of choice. To keep this recipe nut free, sub in sunflower seeds.
- Coconut oil: You can also sub with regular or vegan melted butter.
Step-by-step Instructions
PREP: Preheat oven to 350˚F / 180˚C.
(1) Add all topping ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir well until combined.
(2) Add all of the filling ingredients to a separate large bowl and stir until fruit is well coated.
(3) Transfer the filling to a pie tin or cast iron skillet. Cover filling with crisp topping in an even layer.
(4) Bake for 40-45 minutes, until topping is golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven and let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.
Variations
- Make it with just strawberries + rhubarb, or just raspberries + rhubarb. While we wouldn't suggest just using rhubarb in this crisp (it needs extra sweetness from the berries), either berry makes for an excellent pairing.
- Apple rhubarb crisp: Replace the strawberries and raspberries with diced, peeled apple. Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples are the best options for a crisp.
- Peach rhubarb crisp: Use 3-4 cups of diced, ripe peaches and 3 cups of rhubarb in the filling.
- Blueberry rhubarb crisp: Use 3-4 cups of blueberries and 3 cups of rhubarb in the filling.
- Cherry rhubarb crisp: Use 3-4 cups of pitted, halved sweet cherries and 3 cups of rhubarb in the filling.
- Substitute lemon juice zest with orange juice + zest.
For more crisp recipes, try our classic apple crisp, and our easy berry crisp topped with granola!
Expert Tips and FAQs
- Best served fresh: This vegan and gluten free strawberry rhubarb crisp is best served just after it comes out of the oven. If you wait too long, the crisp topping will start to get soggy.
- Toppings: the best topping is plain old vanilla ice cream. (Try our no churn vegan recipe – it's easy and so delicious!) For a slightly lighter version (hello, breakfast crisp), serve with some vanilla yogurt. This crisp is also great with whipped cream and/or a drizzle of homemade vegan caramel sauce.
- Make ahead: Mix together all of the ingredients for both the filling and crust, place in pan, then cover tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to bake. It will last un-baked for several hours, but don't go for too much longer, or the fruit will break down too much.
- You can also make and freeze the crisp topping for up to 6 months and use whenever you need it. You can even make a mini version for one or two in small ramekins!
- Storage: store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If reheating an individual portion, reheat in microwave. If reheating the entire crisp in the baking dish, heat in the oven for 10-15 minutes until warmed through.
- Pair with: This Berry Bourbon Lemonade Cocktail or this Berry Basil Moscow Mule!
Crisps and crumbles are two similar desserts, but the streusel ingredients vary slightly. Crisps usually have an oat-based streusel topping. Crumbles, on the other hand, have a softer, oat-free streusel topping.
Make sure to dry off your berries after washing. If they have too much moisture, the filling may end up too watery. Additionally, a small amount of cornstarch goes a long way. It helps soak up any extra moisture and keeps the filling moist, but contained. Don't skip it!
Rhubarb stalks vary in color, some being an intense pink/red, and others with more green. Color does not determine ripeness when it comes to rhubarb, so be sure to use it all in this crisp!
More Super Fresh Summer Recipes to Try
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Print📖 Recipe
Vegan and Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 6-8 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
We love this vegan and gluten free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp for a delicious and easy spring or summer dessert! It has a tart, sweet, jammy filling and a buttery oat topping that the whole family will love. Don't forget to serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Ingredients
Topping:
- 1 ½ cup old fashioned whole rolled oats
- ⅔ cup chopped pecans
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup gluten free all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered
- 2 cups fresh raspberries
- 2 cups rhubarb, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F/180˚C.
- Add all topping ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir well until combined.
- Add all of the filling ingredients to a separate large bowl and stir until fruit is well coated.
- Transfer the filling to a pie tin or cast iron skillet. Cover filling with crisp topping in an even layer.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, until topping is golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven and let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Rhubarb and strawberries: Be sure to slice into small pieces so the filling cooks evenly.
Flour: Feel free to use regular all purpose flour if you're not gluten free.
Pecans: You can substitute with walnuts or another nut of choice. To make this recipe nut free, use sunflower seeds or hemp seeds.
Brown sugar: You can substitute with coconut sugar if preferred.
Make ahead: Mix together all of the ingredients for both the filling and crust, place in pan, then cover tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to bake. It will last un-baked for several hours, but don't go for too much longer, or the fruit will break down too much. You can also make and freeze the crumble topping for up to 6 months and use whenever you need it.
Storage: store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If reheating an individual portion, reheat in microwave. If reheating the entire crisp in the baking dish, heat in the oven for 10-15 minutes until warmed through.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 354
- Sugar: 30.2 g
- Sodium: 87.4 mg
- Fat: 13.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 53.8 g
- Fiber: 6.3 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
KERRI says
Very easy to make, and so good!
Vicki says
Hi Lexi, can this be made with all frozen fruit chopped up? I have left over rhubarb from last summer still in the freezer and frozen whole strawberries and raspberries just waiting to be used for something...
Thanks much!! Happy Easter!!
Lexi says
Hi Vicki, absolutely! This would be the perfect use for those leftover fruits! It may just need to cook longer or defrost a bit before baking.
Vicki says
Awesome thanks Lexi!!
Ashley says
Can I use almond or peanut butter in place of sunflower? Trying to use what I have on hand 🙂
Lexi says
Hi Ashley, absolutely! Any nut butter will work. We just used sunflower because my brother has a nut allergy. I'll add in a note - thanks for asking! Hope you enjoy 🙂
Ashley Harris says
Thanks for a quick reply!
I ended up ordering some groceries to be sure to have enough arrowroot powder but they left it out! I don’t have any cornstarch either. Do you think Bob’s egg replacer would work? It’s potato starch, tapioca flour, baking soda, and psyllium husk flour. Sorry for all of the questions.
Lexi says
No problem at all! That should work but I would probably use less (maybe 1 tbsp). You could also leave it out altogether, it will just be a bit messier to eat. Alternatively you could use a tablespoon or two of chia seeds to thicken it up and absorb some liquid (if you have any)