Have you tried a fruit crunch? There’s an extra layer of topping that makes this Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch just a little more special than a fruit crisp.
Fresh fruits tossed together with citrus and cinnamon sugar, then baked in between layers of brown sugar and oat crust, this is my favorite way to bake fruit desserts.
Rhubarb Crunch
Almost firm enough to cut into bars and yet just fruity enough to still resemble a crisp, a crunch is simply a fruit crisp with both a top and bottom crust layer.
Don’t be intimidated by the crust layers or the topping, no cutting in cold butter is required. Melted butter is poured into the topping and it forms perfect crumbs to top this dessert. This recipe gets bonus points for being naturally gluten-free too.
(Watch the video to see just how easy it is to make this Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch!)
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
I tried rhubarb for the first time at a friend’s house several years ago. (Thanks, Rachael!) I absolutely loved the rhubarb and strawberry crisp combination that she served for dessert.
Remembering Rachael’s delicious dessert, I decided to adapt my favorite fruit crunch recipe to include some fresh rhubarb that I found at my local market this past weekend.
Tangy, sweet, and just a tiny bit tart from the rhubarb. I love this dessert so much; I have now added rhubarb to my garden list for next spring.
If you already love Strawberry Rhubarb Crisps, you’re going to flip for this “crunch” variation.
Instead of simply pouring the fruit into the bottom of the pan and topping it with the oat streusel, you’ll press half of the streusel into the bottom of the pan, pour the fruit over it, and then sprinkle with the remaining streusel.
The extra layer of streusel in the crunch proves irresistible to anyone who loves that crisp topping as much as they enjoy the warm sweet fruit!
I like to serve both fruit crisps and fruit crunches warm from the oven, scooped into bowls with our favorite homemade ice cream for an unforgettable dessert, but it’s also amazing sliced into bars the next day for breakfast. (Or for lunch, or let’s be honest, I’d happily eat this for dinner as well.)
Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch
- Preheat the oven to 400°F degrees. Place the fruit in a mixing bowl. Add the white sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cornstarch. Stir to coat and add the orange juice. Stir again and set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and then add the melted butter. Stir to combine. Press half of this mixture into a buttered 9×13 pan. Pour the fruit over the bottom crust and then sprinkle the rest of the dry mixture on top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the crust turns golden brown. Scoop into bowls warm from the oven or let cool completely and slice into servings.
Strawberry Rhubarb Recipes
Want a few more rhubarb dessert ideas? Rhubarb Crumb Bars with their layers of cake, fruit, and then crumb topping are a light summer treat that you’re going to love having on hand.
These simple Rhubarb Bars with their shortbread crust topped with a tangy-sweet rhubarb layer are crazy popular too and they’ve become a seasonal favorite with everyone who tries them.
The Strawberry Rhubarb Pie recipe is a classic that you’ll want to save for strawberry season. Rhubarb Cream Cheese Muffins are a breakfast and snacking favorite with kids and adults.
Tart and sweet Roasted Rhubarb Ice Cream is the flavor combo my taste buds crave. I love anything with a sweet contrast.
Do you have a favorite rhubarb recipe? I’d love to hear about it if you do.
If you have an abundance of strawberries in the house, I highly recommend you try this Summer Berry Brulee. It is an unforgettable treat.
Check out all of the great berry recipes that we love, along with this awesome tip for how to hull strawberries with just a plastic straw.
Have you tried an herb sugar? I made this Sweet Basil Sugar with Fresh Strawberries a few years ago and it’s almost too good to be true. It’s a perfectly light and sweet treat that is pure summertime heaven.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch
Ingredients
Fruit Filling Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped strawberries
- 2 cups thinly sliced and chopped fresh rhubarb frozen can be substituted if fresh is not available
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup orange juice
Crust Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour *
- 1½ cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F degrees. Place the fruit in a mixing bowl. Add the white sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cornstarch. Stir to coat and add the orange juice. Stir again and set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and then add the melted butter. Stir to combine. Press half of this mixture into a buttered 9×13 pan. Pour the fruit over the bottom crust and then sprinkle the rest of the dry mixture on top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the crust turns golden brown. Serve warm from the oven or let cool completely and slice into servings. Enjoy!
Notes
- To make this recipe gluten-free: Substitute 1 ⅓ cups brown rice flour and 2/3 cup tapioca starch for the all-purpose flour in this recipe.
Nutrition
{originally posted 6/15/12 – recipe notes and photos updated 4/6/22}
Jason says
Ice Cream in Strawberry flavors best flavors.Strawberry fruits adjust many dishes like some make ice cream, chat, powder, slash, crunch etc.The crunch of strawberry is a very delicious sweet dish.
Joanne Matthees says
Here is a recipe that might be what you need.
Strawberry, rhubarb crunch.
Debbie Keel says
I remember my Grandma going out to e garden to get fresh rhubarb and strawberries and make a pie, how I miss her so.
Laura Young says
I made this today. It is wonderful!
Suzanne says
Hi Mary
This recipe looks amazing. I can’t wait to try it. I do have a question…can I substitute a jar of blackberry or cherry pie filling for the rhubarb/strawberry mixture – do I need to change anything? I have a pie filling with Door County WI cherries and I think that would also be delicious here. i just wasn’t sure if I needed to adjust anything. Thank you in advance!
Eve says
Made this recipe and it is delicious ..it’s now in my favourite recipe stash.
Anna says
i made this desert . it was amazing , very tasty . did not last long , i had this with yogurt. it was also very good less calories than ice cream. WE are lactose free , me and my son , so had to have lactose free yogurt. I am making that again using rhubarb from my garden , fresh. substituting lemon juice for orange juice.
I have to put parchment paper in the glass baking dish to make it better for serving and clean up of the pan. Thank you for sharing this recipe with me and my family.
Barb says
My sister-in-law made this last week. It was so good I could not get enough of it. I have had a lot of strawberry rhubarb crisp but this one is by far the best . I think it has to do with the crust on the bottom it just adds an extra crunch.
Jerri says
Just made this tonite..Sooooo good! This will be in my dessert rotation for sure! I substituted gluten free all purpose flour. It turned out perfect!!!
Janet says
I just made this and it is absolutely delicious! A friend gave me some rhubarb and I already had the rest of the ingredients on hand. Fantastic!
Karen Reddy says
Yum! Going to make this this weekend. Thanks for the recipe
Carol says
Wow, what a delicious sounding recipe. I bet it would be great with apples and raspberries, too, my other favourite fruit combination. I’ll have to try it both ways. In any case, it’s easier than our!
Felicia says
Could this recipe be made ahead of time and put in the freezer and then baked at a later date?
Mary says
I don’t recall whether I’ve frozen this exact recipe, but I’ve frozen many crisps and cobblers without any issues at all. Happy baking!
Tom Ricotta says
This was my first time baking with Rhubarb. It came out perfect! I had a piece while it was hot Yum! Then refrigerate it overnight and cubed it up. That was awesome as well. It was a major hit.
Karen Harris Tully says
This is delicious! I’ve never done much with rhubarb, but this great.
I actually used a gf flour blend, and halved the crust crumb recipe to make it in a 8×8 pan with the full amount of fruit. It was awesome. Will make again ❤
I’m an author of YA Sci-fi and I’d love to post this on my website, with full credit and links, as my main character Sunny’s favorite summer dessert. It looks below like this is ok, but if not, please let me know. Cheers!
Mary says
You’re welcome to link to the recipe from your site, Karen. I’m so glad you like it!
Ron Brummett says
My wife said, we only need to make a 9×9 pan. So, being the “engineer” I wanted to be, I calculated the square inches of 9X13 and 9X9. I then determined that this is about a 33% decrease in ingredients. However, I had cut 2 cups of our rhubarb; she had purchased 4 cups of strawberries. NO way was I going to cut the rhubarb, So, I kept the fruit the same, cut the crunchy by 33%. WOW! Simply, WOW!! Our guests loved it. My wife wants another one this week. Our rhubarb is withering from the heat here in CO. 🙂