Rhubarb Crisp is an easy and tasty recipe that is perfect to use up plentiful garden rhubarb in the spring and early summer.
Do you grow rhubarb? I have been trying to grow growing it in my backyard for the past 3 years. Until this spring, it has been unsuccessful. I started with two plants in a weedy garden bed at the side of my backyard, but for whatever reason, they never thrived. Maybe it was the weeds, or a lack of sunlight, or the muddy, poor draining soil they were in.
Finally, last year I moved the one plant that survived to a sunnier/less weedy and muddy spot, and it has been doing well ever since. At the same time, I bought a new plant and planted it in the front yard. Neither one of them are like the gigantic patches I had at my old house, but at least there was enough to harvest to make a batch of Old Fashioned Rhubarb Crisp.
How to Make Rhubarb Crisp
This recipe comes from my grandma, in the form of a photocopy of a barely legible handwritten recipe, written in her handwriting. Both her and my mom have been making it for years, and as soon as I had my own rhubarb to cook with, I started making my own version. I made three main changes to my grandma's original recipe.
- I increased the filling to crust ratio by doubling the filing recipe, but keeping the crust recipe the same. This leads to a more fruit filled crisp that's less dry and crumbly.
- I made the recipe gluten free by removing the all purpose flour that my Grandma used to hold the crust together and replacing it with ground oats.
- I replaced the sour cream in my Grandma's filling recipe with Greek yogurt. This helps cut down on fat and adds protein.
Rhubarb Crisp Ingredients:
- Rolled Oats
- Cinnamon
- Brown sugar
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Cornstarch
- Large egg
- Greek yogurt
- Vanilla extract
- Rhubarb
The recipe ends up being tart, with just the right amount of sweetness. The Greek yogurt adds just a little bit of creaminess to the filling, and the crust is oat-y and crumbly with just a hint of spicy cinnamon.
Even though this is meant to be a dessert, I love to have the leftovers for breakfast with an extra scoop of Greek yogurt for a perfect summery treat.
Want more Rhubarb recipes?
Rhubarb Crisp Nutrition Notes:
This recipe for rhubarb crisp is gluten free, to those who follow a gluten free diet but can tolerate oats. If you are making this for someone on a gluten free diet, make sure to use "pure" oats that have not been cross-contaminated with any sources of gluten. This recipe can be made vegan if you substitute vegan (dairy free) margarine and dairy free yogurt (like coconut or soy yogurt).
Old Fashioned Rhubarb Crisp
Ingredients
Crumb crust and topping
- 1 cup rolled oats divided
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut into half inch pieces
Rhubarb Filling
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups rhubarb cut into ½" pieces
Instructions
- Move oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 325°F.
- Grind ⅓ cup of the rolled oats into a flour-like powder using a food processor or spice grinder. Transfer to a medium bowl.
- Add the remaining ⅔ cup rolled oats, ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) ground cinnamon, ¼ cup (55 g) brown sugar, and ⅛ teaspoon (1 g) salt to the bowl with the ground oats. Stir until combined. Add 4 Tablespoons (60 g) unsalted butter and cut in with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the butter is distributed and the oat mixture forms clumps. Press ⅓ to ½ of the mixture into a 9x9" baking dish or similar-sized casserole dish. Reserve the remaining topping.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 3 Tablespoons (45 g) cornstarch, and ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1 large egg, ½ cup (120 ml) plain Greek yogurt, and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract. Whisk in the sugar mixture until mixed. Fold in 3 cups (365 g) rhubarb cut into ½" pieces. Carefully pour the rhubarb mixture over the crumb crust into the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining topping evenly over the top of the filling. Bake until the filling is set and the topping is golden brown, about 55-65 minutes. Cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream or vanilla yogurt if desired.
Nutrition
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