Make a super simple, easy recipe for delicious gluten-free strawberry rhubarb crisp just like Grandma used to make. Get the best of both worlds with sweet and tart flavors, paired with a buttery brown sugar oats topping.
Often called the “pie plant,” rhubarb is an old-fashioned spring vegetable we use more like a fruit. It's very cold-hardy, often the first to show its head out in the garden during the late winter/early spring; in most climates, you can harvest it from April through June.
Although most rhubarb stems are purely red, some are green. Don't worry, they all taste exactly the same. The high levels of oxalic acid are largely responsible for its notoriously tart flavor, which is why it's best cooked.
My grandparents grew a lot of rhubarb. In fact, when we moved into my grandma's old farm house shortly after marrying, I struggled to remove a massive rhubarb plant from our back flower bed. Year after year, I would dig that plant out, root and all; and year after year, it would always be back, stronger than ever and overtaking anything I planted. There was no killing it!
Since we harvest rhubarb so early in the spring, rhubarb strawberry crisp (gluten-free or not) is a classic spring or Easter dessert. It's almost as important as this fresh strawberry pie, or even this no bake cherry delight.
If you're like me, you'll appreciate how quick and easy this dish really comes together. In fact, it really doesn't take more than 15 minutes to whip up this yummy treat. That's my kind of recipe!
Why Make This Recipe
- It's quick and easy. Here on the farm, spring is one of the busiest times of the year, so anything easy is much appreciated!
- It's easy to make this strawberry rhubarb crisp gluten-free with down-to-earth ingredients, and you can make it dairy-free as well.
- This recipe marries the sweetness of strawberries with the tart flavor of rhubarb for the best of both worlds.
- It has the ultimate buttery, crispy crumble topping, the perfect complement to that sweet, tart flavor that lingers underneath it all.
- This recipe makes one of the best old-fashioned spring sweet treats; it's the perfect last-minute dessert for Easter dinner that everyone will thank you for.
Ingredient Notes
Let's talk about a few of the ingredients…
- Rhubarb – Although it can often be hard to find, I highly recommend fresh rhubarb for this recipe. Big-box grocery stores sometimes carry fresh rhubarb in the vegetable section when in season, in the spring, but your best bet is either finding a local health food store or farmer's market. You could also check with your neighbors to see if they have any rhubarb plants hanging around. Many people plant rhubarb as an ornamental plant for its stunning, contrasted red stems and green leaves. If all else fails, just get your own rhubarb plant! They're easy to grow and care for, and once they're established, they'll produce a boat load of delicious rhubarb stems spring after spring. You can also use frozen rhubarb, just as long as you let it thaw before using.
- Strawberries – Again, I highly recommend fresh strawberries, especially for their flavor. That being said, you can use frozen strawberries if needed; just be sure to let them thaw before using in the recipe; otherwise, they'll add too much moisture.
- Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour – With the right gluten-free flour, I've yet to find somebody that can tell the difference; that said, I prefer Authentic Foods Classical Blend gluten-free flour. Time and time again, it has always given me the best results and gluten-free baked goods that taste no different than the original.
- Brown Sugar – Light brown sugar is best. The darker the brown sugar, the more molasses it contains. Dark brown sugar would overpower this recipe.
- Gluten-Free Quick-Cooking Oats – It's best to use quick-cooking oats because they're rolled thinner and slightly steamed for a quicker cooking time, which is perfect for this recipe. Just be sure to check the labels when buying oats of any kind. While you wouldn't think of oats as containing wheat, many oats are processed in the same factory as wheat, and cross-contamination can be a real problem for those that are gluten-intolerant, like myself. It should always say “gluten-free” somewhere on the label.
- Nuts – I use pecans or walnuts. You can use fresh or frozen. Just be sure to chop them up before using in the recipe.
How to Make Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Before you begin, pre-heat your oven to 350ºF and prepare a 13×9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
To make the recipe, just follow these steps…
- In a large mixing bowl, add rhubarb and strawberries, stirring to combine.
- Add the sugar, flour, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, stirring to combine.
- Once everything is combined, pour this berry mixture into a greased baking dish.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Then if you choose to add them, you can add in the nuts.
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl; add it into the flour and oats mixture.
- Then stir it into the flour mixture until everything is combined and crumbly.
- Crumble the mixture on top of the fruit.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the crisp is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.
- Cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream, homemade vanilla ice cream, or homemade strawberry ice cream if desired; better yet, enjoy it with a piping hot cup of tea or coffee.
That's it! You'll be amazed at how quick and easy this old-fashioned gluten-free strawberry rhubarb crumble comes together. Plus, gluten-free makes no difference– a gf strawberry rhubarb crisp tastes just the same as a regular rhubarb crisp!
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ's
No, you do not need to peel the rhubarb. I keep it simple and simply chop up the stems into 1/2″ pieces with a sharp knife. Sometimes I do run into a few strings that need peeled off, but that's about it. Just be sure to discard the leaves, as rhubarb leaves are highly poisonous!
It's perfectly normal for strawberry rhubarb gluten-free crisp to be runny fresh out of the oven. Provided that you used the amount of flour specified in the recipe, it should gel up a little bit as it cools.
Yes, you can make the filling up to 1 day ahead of time; any longer and the fruit will tend to discolor prematurely. Alternatively, you can also mix up and freeze the filling in an airtight container or freezer bag for 1-2 months before using. Just be sure to let it thaw before using. As for the topping, it's best to mix it up right before you actually bake the crisp.
After it's baked, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
As stated above, it's possible to freeze the rhubarb filling in an airtight container or freezer bag for 1-2 months ahead of time, so long as it's thawed before using. It's also possible to freeze the entire crisp after baking. Once it's cooled, you can freeze it in an airtight container for 1-2 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, and reheat it in the microwave for a couple minutes, or in the oven at 350ºF for right around 5-10 minutes.
To make a gluten-free dairy-free strawberry rhubarb crisp, just substitute non-dairy for any dairy containing ingredients. Instead of butter, you can substitute with a non-dairy butter, coconut oil, vegetable oil, shortening, or another acceptable dairy-free oil.
More Delicious Gluten-Free Recipes
Even if some of these are not gluten-free, you can easily switch up the ingredients to make them gluten-free.
- Strawberry cream cheese pie
- No bake strawberry delight
- Strawberry shortcake with biscuits
- Strawberry Cool Whip pie
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. And subscribe to my email list too!
Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Ingredients
- 1 pound rhubarb cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 pound strawberries quartered
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1/3 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar packed
- 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350º F, and grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the rhubarb and strawberries.
- Add the sugar, flour, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, stirring to combine.
- Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, and nuts (if using).
- Stir the melted butter into the flour mixture until everything is combined and crumbly.
- Crumble the mixture on top of the fruit.
- Bake at 350° F for 35-40 minutes, or 'til the crisp is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.
- Cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, and/or enjoy with a piping hot cup of tea or coffee.
Notes
No, you do not need to peel the rhubarb. I keep it simple and simply chop up the stems into 1/2″ pieces with a sharp knife. Sometimes I do run into a few strings that need peeled off, but that's about it. Just be sure to discard the leaves, as rhubarb leaves are highly poisonous! Why is my rhubarb crisp runny?
It's perfectly normal for strawberry rhubarb gluten-free crisp to be runny fresh out of the oven. Provided that you used the amount of flour specified in the recipe, it should gel up a little bit as it cools. How should I store rhubarb crisp?
After it's baked, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
This is soooooo good. You seemed to know a good crisp so I made your recipe now twice with my abundance of rhubarb. Made exactly as written first time… tad sweet for me. I just cut the sugar a little tonight ( less 1/2 cup brown sugar in topping and less a few tablespoons white sugar in filling….)and it was beyond perfect for me and my family. Will share and make this again and again. My kids ages 4-9…. All 4 of them asked for seconds and they had never had rhubarb. Thank you for sharing this. Oh and In case anyone reads this…. Gluten or gluten free this is the strawberry rhubarb crisp you want to make!
Thank You so much for the great review, Christina! I’m so glad you liked the recipe!