Every spring, I wait for the stalks of rhubarb to spring forth from the ground. Rhubarb is a fairy hardy plant, but whether it will survive our cold Manitoba winters is another thing.
But, once those green leaves start to emerge from the ground and uncurl, and the red stalks start to appear, it is time to start thinking about all the wonderful things you will be able to cook with this tart fruit.
You can’t have fresh picked rhubarb and not make a crisp. I think that is a rule, but I’m not sure. This classic gluten free Rhubarb Crisp is as good as the crisps my Grandma and Mom used to make. I’ve been making it for years already, and we all love it.
The addition of nuts in the topping really adds a great flavour. As the crisp is baking, and the rhubarb is softening, the nuts are getting toasted. If you’re looking for a nut-free crisp though, you can easily omit them.
The topping can be used with other fresh fruits to make a variety of fruit crisps. Blueberry-peach is one of my favourites – just remember that if you are using a sweet fruit, you can cut back on the sugar and cornstarch.
Looking for more ways to use rhubarb? How about:
- No Churn Rhubarb Ice Cream
- Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Squares
- Gluten Free Rhubarb Scones
- Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Hand Pies
- Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Crumb Topping
- Gluten Free Rhubarb Muffins
Gluten Free Rhubarb Crisp recipe:
Gluten Free Rhubarb Crisp
Ingredients
Rhubarb Filling:
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground cinnamon
- 4 cups (1 L) rhubarb, cut into 1/2" (1 cm) pieces
Crisp Topping:
- 1 cup (100 g) certified gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 cm) ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (125 g) chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, or slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup (55 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Rhubarb Filling:
- In a mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Add the chopped rhubarb, and stir to coat.
- Pour into rhubarb mixture into an 8x8-inch (20x20 cm) baking pan, pouring any remaining sugar over the top.
Crisp Topping:
- You can use the same mixing bowl to stir together the gluten free oats, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Add the butter cubes, and using your fingers, break the butter into smaller pieces, about pea-sized. Stir in the chopped nuts and sprinkle the topping evenly over top of the rhubarb filling.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until nice and bubbly. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes before serving to allow the filling to thicken while it cools. We like to serve ours still warm, with a scoop of gluten free vanilla ice cream.
Notes
This classic Gluten Free Rhubarb Crisp can be baked in an 8x8-inch baking pan, or you can bake it in ramekins for individual servings.
If you bake it in ramekins, be sure to place them on a baking sheet in case they bubble over while baking. The baking time can also be decreased by 5-10 minutes.
To make this dish nut-free, I would substitute the nuts with chopped sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
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This recipe and images were updated June 2016.
Susan says
That recipe sounds yummy and your picture is great…I can almost taste it..
Judy says
I made it! It was delicious!
Gaile says
This was delicious!!
betty r says
Jeanine..a rhubarb crisp is a must in spring when you have freshly picked rhubarb. I usually add nuts to my crisps..they do add something special. Mmm and then served hot with ice cream…ahh!
Linda says
Oh yummy. My kids have been asking for another strawberry rhubarb pie, but I might have to make this instead.
Dragon says
Mmmm, I think I would love this crisp. 🙂
withoutadornment says
I just made this crisp with a some blueberries, slightly more than half of the white sugar and almond flour instead of sliced almonds and it was delicious! Thank you for the recipe! 🙂
Anonymous says
This recipe looks easy enough for me to make. I wonder if a person could add strawberries to this recipe. If so, do you have any idea what ratio of rhubarb to strawberries a person would use? It won't hurt my feelings if you just say you don't know, as I don't expect you to change your recipe to suit me.
Jeanine - The Baking Beauties says
@Anonymous, you could EASILY change this up and replace some of the rhubarb with strawberries. It would be really, really good too. I'd do 2 cups of rhubarb, 2 cups of strawberries. I'd also cut the sugar back to 3/4 cup, since the strawberries are sweeter than the rhubarb. You can do it!! 🙂
Anonymous says
would frozen rhubarb work the same??
Jeanine - The Baking Beauties says
@Anonymous Definitely!
Anonymous says
sounds like a yummy recipe and I can hardly wait to try it. haven't we come such a long way?
Anonymous says
I just discovered your site and this recipe from a link through Elana's Pantry. I've been GF and soy free for the past five months, and am always looking for healthy ways to satisfy my sweet tooth. I made a version of this yesterday and it was delicious! However, I made quite a few changes as I'm trying cut back on sugar, and avoid using non organic corn.
Here are my substitutions:
4 cups chopped rhubarb, and 1lb chopped strawberries tossed with 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (not sure that was enough to taste or just competed with sweetness factor)
1/3 c maple sugar (more if you want it sweeter)
3 tbsp arrowroot powder
Topping
1c gf oats
1/3 cup almonds
1/3 cup pecans
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup organic sugar
Sprinkled on top of fruit mix, and dotted butter over top – about 1/4 c
Cooked for 35-40 mins and served with vanilla coconut milk ice cream for my 2.5 yr old daughter who has a cow's milk sensitivity.
Flavors married so much after a day, and everything tasted sweeter. Only question, how do you get the oat topping to brown on top? Mine sort of looked like raw oats :(. Thanks so much for the recipe!
rlbrown67 says
I just discovered your blog looking for a gluten free rhubarb crisp. It turned out delicious! 🙂 My 10 year old daughter and I have been gluten free for 3 months and it's wonderful to find great recipes to try. I love your videos. I will be stopping by often with a family of 7 to feed.
Jeanine - The Baking Beauties says
Anon, I'm not sure why yours wouldn't have browned, I've never had that problem, sorry! Might have something to do with the substitutions? Did you bake it covered, or open? I bake mine without a cover on.
rlbrown67, that's wonderful! Hope you find more recipes here for your family. 🙂
Jeannie says
I tried this recipe this spring, LOVED IT! and now I’m wanting to use it as a GF Apple Crisp recipe. Think it will work the same? Same ingredients, baking temp/time?
Jeanine says
Hi Jeannie, I think it would work perfectly! If you have sweet apples, you could probably lower the amount of sugar a bit, but if you have nice tart apples, I would leave it the same. Enjoy!
Jeannie says
Awesome, thank you for replying so quickly! In the process of baking it as we speak…I’ll let you know how it goes 🙂
Laura Chutny says
My first attempt at Gluten Free ‘baking’… and was able to make this with ingredients on hand. Only slightly modified – mom’s rhubarb, some frozen mixed berries, and I didn’t even measure the sugar… 🙂 Then the topping – I used the oats, butter, cinnamon and brown sugar, then instead of almonds (ice) I used finely chopped pecans that I had leftover in the freezer. Again, measuring didn’t really happen, but I rubbed the butter into the dry ingredients, baked it up and voila – nice and sweet/tart crumble. YUM! (Now if I only had some whipping cream, it would be the perfect dessert). Thanks for the recipe!
Laura Chutny says
ice -= ick! (silly autocorrect)
Jeanine says
Perfect! A crisp is really just that, this, that, throw it together & bake. We love our crisp still warm topped with vanilla ice cream. Mmm… You can use this topping with any fruits, so be creative. (other fruits may not need as much sugar as rhubarb though). (and I was wondering what almond (ice) was. 😉 )
Maria says
This was very tasty, but a bit too sweet. I made it as written, but the cornstarch didn’t do anything to thicken the liquid from the rhubarb, and the whole thing was very runny. I served it in bowls with spoons, and it tasted great with a bit of whipped cream on top. I’ll cut back on the sugars next time, too. The sliced almonds are a great touch!
Kathryn says
I used your crisp topping recipe for apple crisp for Xmas dessert this year. The only change I made was to double it and sub walnuts for half the almonds. THE BEST crisp topping I have found EVER. 🙂 Thanks again for all your great proven recipes. Even though I’m a recipe tweaker by nature ( it’s a compulsion I swear!!) I almost always come back to your original directions!
Sandy says
Just made it….so absolutely YUMMY! Thanks
Jeanine Friesen says
Thanks,Sandy! Great to hear that. My rhubarb is SLOWLY growing, I can’t wait to make my first crisp of the season. 🙂
Penny Calhoun says
Thanks so much for your recipes. I have been looking for a topping to go on a crisp. We are on the verge of our fruit season in Chattanooga, Tn. I have Celiac Disease and I can tolerate no gluten. I made your stuffed mushrooms for Fathers Day and my son told me, “Mom, I want these every time we grill!”
Jeanine Friesen says
That’s awesome, Penny! Your son has great taste. 😉
Vikki says
I have made this twice this week for two gatherings. Has been a Great success!!
Thank you!
Jeanine Friesen says
Thanks, Vikki! This topping works great with any fruit, really. You just need to alter the amount of sugar in the filling, since nearly every fruit is sweeter than rhubarb. 😉
Denise says
Hi Jeaninie, A trick that my mom taught me to lower the amount of sugar needed for rhubarb, is to boil enough hot water to cover your rhubarb , let it stand for 1 min. and it will reduce enough of the tartness to cut the sugar by 1/2 the about the recipe is calling for.Good-luck and enjoy. Denise G
Allergic to strawberries says
Thanks. Finally a GF recipe for rhubarb crisp without strawberries! Thanks!
Joanne says
I have made this recipe twice, and it has been delicious each time! I’m taking it to my daughter’s house for Mother’s Day, and I’m sure it will be a hit — again!!
Jenni says
I made this last night and it turned out amazing. I replaced the white and brown sugar with coconut sugar, and used tapioca starch instead of cornstarch. I also used a yogurt butter. A little less guilt as we indulged on this delicious recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Kim Jeffery says
This did not set up for me at all. It came out like rhubarb soup, with a not buttery enough crumble top. Disappointed.
Toby says
It was amazing and so easy! I’ve never made or tasted anything better!
Cindy Calvert says
Made this tonight. I cut rhubarb from my garden and added frozen wild blueberries to make up the difference. I didn’t have any nuts (between houses at the moment), so I added a quarter cup of ground almonds to the crumble. It set up so well and was absolutely delicious. My friend asked for the recipe (I gave her the copy I printed). With the blueberries, it was quite sweet (not too sweet though) and I would cut back the sugar. But I will cut more rhubarb next time and make it just with that fruit. A keeper!!
Jeanine Friesen says
Wonderful! Rhubarb really does so well with other sweet fruit too, berries especially.
Sheila says
Loved this recipe and it was a hit at work also.
Do you think I could sub blackberries for the rhubarb?
Jeanine Friesen says
Absolutely, you’d just have to decrease the amount of sugar, since blackberries aren’t as tart as rhubarb.
nikki says
can you substitute arrowroot starch for the corn starch? and how much?
Jeanine Friesen says
Yes, you should be able to substitute the same amount of arrowroot starch for the cornstarch.
arelyn says
It just came out of the oven! Looks and smells perfect! Can’t wait for it to cool down so I can taste it.
Teri Taylor says
The recipe calls for 1/2 cup chopped nuts and says 125 grams, but I believe that is closer to 1 cup. Do you usually use 1/2 cup or 1 cup of nuts for one recipe? Thank you! I made this a year ago and loved it but I do not remember how many nuts I used.
Sumita says
I tried this with half apples and half rhubarb. It’s turned out beautifully! And this was my first time baking a crisp!!
But now I’m out of rhubarb. Is there some other fruit I could use? Or a different recipe? Thanks so much!
Jeanine Friesen says
So glad to hear you liked it, Sumita! My rhubarb is done too, but this recipe is great with apples, blueberries, peaches, etc, you just need to reduce the sugar some, because none of those fruits are as tart as rhubarb is. But that topping will work great on any fruit crisp.
Janice says
Best Rhubarb Crisp I’ve ever made!! Really appreciate the GF recipe!