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This strawberry rhubarb crisp is sweet tart and nostalgic, with a golden crumbly topping of oats and cinnamon. It’s perfection!

Growing up, my family had a massive rhubarb plant, a monstrous weed with thick leaves and stalks. Every year my mom would harvest the pink-green stalks and make a rhubarb crisp. The neon pink filling was intensely sweet tart, reminding me of a Jolly Rancher. Boy, was it heavenly! Here’s our spin on that family recipe: a strawberry rhubarb crisp made with just enough sweetness and a crumbly cinnamon-scented oat topping. It’s cozy, homey, and so so good.

Why to make this strawberry rhubarb crisp

This strawberry rhubarb crisp is really, really delicious, with just the right tangy flavor from the rhubarb and buttery crumble topping. It tastes like the best nostalgic dessert for summer evenings on the patio, topped with vanilla ice cream or fluffy whipped cream. There are also several ingredients you can modify to make it work for different diets. Here are the features of this tasty summer dessert:

It’s perfectly sweetened. Some strawberry rhubarb crisp recipes call for boat-loads of sugar. This one uses just enough to get the right sweet tart flavor.
Orange zest adds a zing. This is the secret ingredient: trust us! It brings out the best citrusy flavor.
The buttery crumbles have the best texture. Oats, flour, brown sugar and butter make the best crumbly texture that’s not too crispy.

Gluten free and vegan variations

This strawberry rhubarb crisp has a few different options when it comes to the crumble ingredients. Here’s some more info on the outcome for these dietary options:

Use all purpose flour, or almond flour for gluten-free. All purpose flour makes a classic crisp. Or, you can use almond flour for a crunchy gluten-free topping.
Use butter or coconut oil for vegan. This recipe also has an option of using butter for a standard crisp, or coconut oil to turn it into a vegan dessert. Use refined coconut oil, which has a subtler flavor than unrefined.

How to store leftovers

Most of all, we hope this strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe will bring back nostalgic memories if you grew up eating rhubarb too! There’s something magical about this weed-like plant. And eating it in a crumble is one of the best sweet treats. Now, if you make it and have leftovers…how do you store them? Does crisp need to be refrigerated?

Room temperature: store for 1 day! You can leave your strawberry rhubarb crisp on the counter for up to 1 day (cover it at night). This way, the crumbly topping will stay crisp.
Refrigerated: Day 2-3. After 1 day at room temperature, refrigerate any leftovers. They’ll stay good for about 3 days.

Mix it up! Variations on strawberry rhubarb crisp

This recipe results in a straightforward strawberry rhubarb crisp, with a sweet tart flavor and a crunchy crumble. If you’re looking for ways to customize it even further, try one of our flavor adders! Here are some ideas of flavors that add complexity:

Citrus: Add ¼ teaspoon orange zest or ½ teaspoon lemon zest to the filling
Fresh ginger: Add 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger root to the filling
Cardamom: Add ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom to the crumble

Or, try it with other berries! Go to Classic Blackberry Crisp or Mixed Berry Crisp.

More rhubarb recipes

Let us know in the comments: we’d love to know! In the meantime, here are some of our favorite rhubarb recipes:

Try Classic Rhubarb Crisp
Go for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Opt for a classic Rhubarb Pie or Rhubarb Bars
Go for Rhubarb Muffins or Rhubarb Streusel Bread
Opt for Rhubarb Sauce

Classic Rhubarb Crisp

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Rhubarb Muffins with Streusel

Rhubarb Bread

This strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, use coconut oil instead of butter.