This classic vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp is a super simple and summery dessert. It’s easy to make and features the delicious sweet-tart flavour of rhubarb and strawberries. It’s a crowd-pleasing treat that’s perfect for a picnic or potluck!
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What is a crisp?
A crisp is a fruit or berry dessert that’s baked in a deep dish and has a crispy, streusel-like topping.
The difference between a crisp and a crumble is that the crisp’s topping typically includes oats or nuts to make it crispy while the crumble’s topping does not.
The beauty of crisps and crumbles is that they taste just as good as a fruit pie but without all the fiddly work of making a flaky pie crust.
Crisps and crumbles are easy and quick to make, and have an endless combination of possible fillings. You can make a crisp year round using whichever fruits are in season. You can also use frozen fruit or berries.
What is rhubarb and what does it taste like?
My husband had never tried rhubarb before he met me cuz he comes from some other country where rhubarb isn’t grown. I used to eat it raw with sugar as a child, which is something of an acquired taste.
Rhubarb is very sour and has a crunchy texture. It looks like celery but is more dense and less juicy.
Rhubarb can be red, pink or green but red rhubarb is not sweeter than green rhubarb. It all tastes the same and the color does not determine the ripeness or flavour.
When buying rhubarb, choose stalks that are firm and free from bruises. Rhubarb will stay fresher longer with the leaves attached so also look for stalks with fresh, un-wilted leaves and don’t cut them off until you’re ready to use it. (But the leaves are poisonous so don’t eat them).
Although rhubarb is actually a vegetable and despite its sour taste, rhubarb is most commonly treated as a fruit and used in sweet dishes and desserts.
With the addition of sugar and in combination with sweeter fruits, desserts featuring rhubarb have a delicious sweet and sour flavour.
Common uses for rhubarb are crisps, crumbles and cobblers, pies, compotes, jams, chutney, sauces, muffins, or in cocktails.
Fruits that pair well with rhubarb are strawberries, apples, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, dates, pears, cherries, plums, peaches and cranberries.
Other ingredients that bring out the flavour of rhubarb are ginger, almond, cardamom, lemon, vanilla, cinnamon, mint, lavender, orange and creamy things like custard and ice cream.
Ingredients for Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
For this easy vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp you’ll need some basic pantry ingredients and a couple of seasonal fruits.
Rhubarb: Any color of rhubarb is fine. The rhubarb I used today was mostly green and the crisp still came out a nice red color from the strawberries.
Strawberries: I used fresh, ripe strawberries for this recipe. You can use frozen strawberries but it’s probably a good idea to thaw them and drain off the excess water to prevent your crisp from being too watery.
Lemon: A bit of lemon zest helps to amplify the summery flavors of the rhubarb and strawberry.
Cornstarch: Fresh strawberries release a lot of juice so cornstarch is used to thicken the fruit filling. You can also use arrowroot or tapioca starch.
Flour: The crisp topping is made from a base of all-purpose flour. I don’t use gluten-free flour but there are many gluten-free crisp and crumble recipes online you can use to adapt this recipe for a gluten-free diet.
Oats: You can use rolled oats or quick oats in this topping. Rolled oats will be a bit crispier.
Sugar: Both brown sugar and white granulated sugar are called for in this recipe. Specifically, I used dark brown sugar for the flavour but light brown sugar will work as well.
Almonds: I added sliced almonds for some extra crunch in the crisp and almond is also a wonderful compliment to rhubarb.
Cinnamon: I use cinnamon just in the topping because it goes so well with oats.
Butter: Vegan butter works fine in this recipe to hold the crumble topping together. I use Violife but any vegan butter that’s solid at room temperature will work.
Salt: A touch of salt to bring all the flavours together.
How to make vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp
Vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp is super easy to make with just a couple of steps before popping it in the oven to crips up!
Prep: Start by washing a trimming your strawberries and rhubarb. Remove the strawberry stems and cut the strawberries into quarters. Rhubarb tends to be a bit dirty so scrub it well, trim off any dirty ends and chop it into half inch pieces. Finally, roughly chop the almonds.
Filling: In a large bowl combine the chopped strawberries, rhubarb, granulated sugar, lemon zest and cornstarch. Mix it well and set aside while you prepare the topping.
Topping: In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, almonds, white and brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Stir well then add the chopped cold butter.
I use my hands but you could also use a pastry cutter or fork to smush the butter in to the flour mixture. Keep working it until you have pea-sized crumbles.
Bake: Transfer the fruit filling to a 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pan or an 8 inch (20 cm) square pan.
My cake pan is springform so I previously lined it with parchment paper to prevent the juices from leaking out. Skip this step if your pan is not springform.
Sprinkle the crumble topping over top of the filling. Don’t press the topping down so that it remains light and allows some of the steam from the cooking fruit to escape.
Bake the crisp in a 350 f / 175 c oven for 45 - 55 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling up around the edges.
It’s important that the filling is bubbling to ensure that it is hot enough for the cornstarch to thicken it.
Cool: Although tempting, allow the strawberry rhubarb crisp to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. When you first take it out of the oven, the filling will seem very runny. Cornstarch thickens as it cools so it’s important to give your crisp enough time to thicken up.
Variations and substitutions
Spices: I’ve just used lemon zest in the filling but other popular additions that go well with rhubarb are cardamom, ginger and orange.
Nuts: Experiment with other chopped nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts or pecans in place of the almonds. You could also take the extra step of toasting the almonds beforehand to bring out their flavour even more.
Fruit: Rhubarb is unique so I don’t know of any alternative without this recipe becoming a different kind of fruit crisp but you can absolutely substitute the strawberries for another berry.
Oats: If you only have quick oats you can use those. It just won’t be as crispy as using rolled oats.
FAQs
Yes, you can substitute a gluten-free flour blend and almond flour.
Yes, you can make is vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp with frozen fruit. Personally, I would thaw the fruit first to drain off the excess water so that the filling won’t be too soggy and the flavours watered down. However, there are some other recipes on the internet that just throw the frozen fruit into the pan. I haven’t tried it so I can say how good that would be.
Short answer: I don’t know. Sugar, as well as the cornstarch, helps to thicken the filling. If you replace it with a sugar alternative, the filling might be a bit runnier. Especially if you add a liquid sweetener like agave or maple syrup. It’ll still be delicious, though!
There are endless variations of fruits that you can make into a crisp or crumble. Rhubarb has quite a distinctive flavour, though, so I wouldn’t substitute it unless you want to make a totally different kind of crisp. Strawberries can be substitutes for any other berry.
Crisp recipes can be a bit challenging to write since the amount of juice given off by the fruit depends on how ripe it is. Strawberries have a lot of juice and can result in a runny crisp if it is not baked for long enough or there isn’t enough thickener added. Ensure that the fruit filling is bubbling up around the topping so that it is hot enough to activate the cornstarch. Don’t replace the cornstarch with flour or an alternative starch unless you are sure of the conversion ratio. Finally, cornstarch thickens as it cools to be sure to allow the crisp ample time to cool before serving.
Storage and freezing
Leftover baked vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp can be refrigerated for 3 - 4 days. Allow the crisp to cool then transfer it to an airtight container or tightly wrap the baking dish with plastic wrap or foil before placing it in the refrigerator.
It’s not recommended to freeze unbaked berry crisps as the berries will give off a lot of water and make the topping soggy. However, you can freeze a baked crisp for up to 3 months. Be sure to tightly wrap it to avoid freezer burn.
Crisp topping is freezer-friendly. Just mix up the topping and pop it into a freezer bag. Whenever your craving a crisp, chop up your fresh fruit and make your filling. Cover with your frozen topping and bake.
Fruit crisp can be served cold, room temperature or warm. Reheat refrigerated crisp in a moderate oven to preserve the crispy topping, or in the microwave (although it may lose a bit of its crispiness).
How to serve vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp
This vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp can be served as-is or with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream or try a vegan creme anglaise. It’s a classic!
Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Ingredients
For the filling
- 3 cups (435 grams) quartered strawberries
- 3 cups (375 grams) chopped rhubarb (½ inch pieces)
- ½ cup (135 grams) white sugar
- the zest of 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
For the crisp topping
- 1 cup (120 grams) AP flour
- ⅔ cup (70 grams) rolled or quick oats
- ⅓ cup (40 gram) sliced almonds roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup (75 grams) white sugar
- ⅓ packed cup (70 grams) dark brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 8 tablespoons (½ cup / 113 grams) cold vegan butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 f / 175 C. I use a springform pan so I lined it with parchment paper. If not using a springform pan, skip this step. Pan measurements are 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pan or an 8 inch (20 cm) square pan.
- Place the chopped strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, lemon zest and cornstarch in a large bowl. Mix well and set aside while you prepare the crisp topping.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, almonds, white and brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Chop the cold butter into cubes and add it to the bowl.
- Using your hands, fork or a pastry cutter, smash the butter into the dry ingredients until you get a pea-sized crumbles.
- Transfer the fruit filling to your baking pan. Sprinkle the crisp topping over the filling. Don’t press it down to ensure that the topping remains light and crisp and steam can escape.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the topping in golden brown and the filling is bubbling up around the edges.
- Allow the crisp to cool for at least 30 minutes to give the filling time to thicken up.
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