Healthy Rhubarb Crisp

This healthy rhubarb crisp has a fresh and juicy rhubarb filling and a crunchy oat streusel topping. It’s super easy to make and the perfect dessert for spring!

A crisp is a flavorful dessert made of any type of fruit and baked with a crunchy, rather crispy oat streusel topping. It’s one of my favorite desserts.

After testing my fruit crisp recipe for quite a while, I finally perfected it, trying to make it as yummy and healthy as possible. It is naturally egg-free, can be dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free, and requires just a few basic ingredients.

Since rhubarb is in season right now and perfect for a crisp, I thought I‘d share the recipe with you.

How to Make the Best Healthy Rhubarb Crisp

This rhubarb crisp and fruit crisps in general are super simple to make! You will actually be surprised by how quickly it comes together. It’s the perfect easy recipe if you are short on time and need a comforting dessert.

To make the filling, you’ll toss the rhubarb with the sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl until completely coated, before spreading evenly in an 8-inch square pan. In order to have even less effort, you can skip the bowl and toss the ingredients for the filling directly in the pan, which is what I usually do. As for the streusel part, you’ll combine the oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl and then work in the butter until small crumbles form.

Fruit Crisp Variations

I make fruit crisps all the time. The fruit options for fruit crisps are endless, apple crisp is a classic, but rhubarb is such a great choice when in season. You often see rhubarb paired with strawberries and it’s without a doubt a delicious combination. But trust me, rhubarb is good on it’s own, too.

Speaking of fruit options and combinations, one of my favorite fruit crisp recipe is peach crisp in summer. Blueberries, strawberries, and generally berries are great. I’ve even tried blackberry and rhubarb, which turned out to be a delicious combination. You can use just about any fruit and have fun experimenting with different variations depending on the season. It is very likely that you will see more fruit crisp recipes on my site in the future.

Recipe Serving Suggestions

The best way to enjoy a fruit crisp is to top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! You can also try other ice cream flavors with it. The ice cream provides extra sweetness and harmonizes particularly well with the tartness of the rhubarb. Not to mention the fact that the warm fruit crisp paired with cold ice cream is an irresistible combination. But feel free to serve your crisp either warm or cold.

Healthy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

Actually, if I’m wanting to make it a really healthy treat, I like to eat it without ice cream and use unrefined sugar, oat flour, white or regular whole wheat flour, as well as the minimum amount of butter for the streusel topping that I successfully tested for this recipe, as stated in the recipe notes section below. Fruit crisp actually tastes amazing just on it’s own.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by giving it a star rating and leaving a comment below. Or snap a photo and tag @teatimeontheporch on Instagram so I can see it! I’d love to see your healthy rhubarb crisp!

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Healthy Rhubarb Crisp

By Christina

Yields: 4 – 9 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

This healthy rhubarb crisp has a fresh and juicy rhubarb filling and a crunchy oat streusel topping. It’s super easy to make and the perfect dessert for spring!

Ingredients

For the Filling

• 1 pound (454 g) fresh rhubarb, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 tablespoon (12.5 g) raw cane sugar, coconut sugar, or sweetener of choice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Topping

• 1 1/4 cups (100 g) rolled oats
• 1/3 cup (42 g) all-purpose flour, spelt flour, white or regular whole wheat flour, or oat flour for gluten-free
• 2 tablespoons (25 g) raw cane sugar, or coconut sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5 tablespoons (71 g) unsalted butter, slightly softened (see notes below)

Instructions

• Set an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
• To prepare the filling, toss the rhubarb with the sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl until completely coated. Spread evenly in an 8-in square pan.
• To prepare the topping, add the oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon to a small bowl. Use your hands or two forks to work in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling.
• Bake for 50 minutes, until the rhubarb is tender and the topping is golden brown.
• Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Storage Instructions: Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for at least 4 days. Store either in the pan and covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container.

Dairy-Free + Vegan Option: To make the crisp dairy-free and vegan, use vegan butter.

If you want to cut down on fat, you can use a little less butter. I have successfully tested this recipe with 1/4 cup (57 g) of unsalted butter. It will yield slightly less streusel and the baking time may reduce a bit.

Did You Make This Recipe?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please leave a comment below. Or snap a photo and tag @teatimeontheporch on Instagram so I can see it!