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Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

Today’s vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp makes a delightful and healthy dessert full of vibrant summertime flavors. This easy vegan fruit crumble recipe calls for simple plant based ingredients, and comes together in only an hour or less. Make it gluten free by using certified gluten free oats and oat flour.

Easy strawberry rhubarb crisp - vegan recipe

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I’ve never eaten anything made with rhubarb when I was growing up in the ex-USSR. I actually had to google the Russian word for rhubarb because I had no idea what it was.

Later, when I moved to the US, I became intrigued by the long, red stalks of rhubarb I saw in grocery stores. “What’s up with this red celery?!” 🙂 But it took years before I tried to cook anything with it.

I believe the first thing with rhubarb I’ve ever tried was an amazing strawberry-rhubarb pie from a small farm in Long Island not far from the place where my husband grew up.

For the longest time I didn’t have much luck with baking my own pies. I have yet to master the perfect pie crust from scratch. That’s why I never even attempted to recreate that delicious pie from New York.

I’ve had much better luck with fruit crisps though (or crumbles if you prefer).

So many years after I’d discovered rhubarb, I decided to see what happens when you bypass the struggle of making the pie crust and use a generous topping of perfectly crispy, golden oat crumbles on top of the strawberry-rhubarb filling.

This is how today’s vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe was born. I was actually impressed with how easy it turned out to be – it takes an hour or less to make from start to finish!

The crunchy oat-based topping isn’t gluten-free by default because I use all-purpose flour. If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, use certified gluten-free rolled oats, and make your own gluten-free oat flour by grinding them in your coffee grinder until pulverized.

Vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp made with simple plant based ingredients

What is rhubarb?

Rhubarb is considered a vegetable, but it’s most often treated like fruit. Its vibrantly tangy flavor might be a bit too strong by itself. But when it’s cooked with sweeter types of fruit like apples, pears, strawberries, etc., it serves very well to accentuate their sweet flavors.

Contrary to popular opinion, rhubarb stalks can be eaten raw as long as you don’t eat them too much or too often.

The large leaves of the rhubarb plant, however, should be avoided: they contain oxalic acid that can be poisonous if eaten in large quantities. Thankfully, there’s almost no oxalic acid in the stalks.

Spring and early to mid-summer is the best time to harvest and eat rhubarb. In late summer the fiber in the stalks becomes tougher, so it’s not as appetizing to eat.

Related reading: 25 vegan Mother’s Day brunch recipes.

Vegan strawberry rhubarb crumble - ready in 1 hour!

How LOng Do I Bake a strawberry rhubarb crisp?

Cooking times for vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp will depend on whether the strawberries and rhubarb you’re using are all fresh, all frozen, or include a combination of fresh and frozen.

When I made this recipe for the first time, I didn’t have any fresh strawberries on hand, so I used frozen organic strawberries and fresh rhubarb.

Most strawberry rhubarb crumble recipes I found were written for all-fresh fruit, so I wanted to see if my crisp needed to be cooked differently because I was using frozen strawberries.

Surprisingly, I couldn’t find any tips for that online, so I decided to wing it.

I made sure that the strawberry and rhubarb pieces were about the same size when I chopped them. I didn’t defrost my strawberries, but I made the fruit filling first to let it sit at room temperature a bit while I preheated the oven and made the crumb topping.

When my casserole was assembled, I baked it for exactly 38 minutes at 375° F. That was just enough time for the filling to become gooey and bubbly, and for the topping to take on a beautiful golden color.

Since then I’ve made this recipe with both fresh strawberries and fresh rhubarb, and my strawberry-rhubarb crisp only took about 28 minutes to bake.

I’ve seen frozen rhubarb in my grocery store’s frozen food section, so now I’m thinking about making this recipe with both frozen strawberries and rhubarb. If and when I do, I’ll update this post to let you know how long it took.

Let’s recap:

Baking times for vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp:

Fresh strawberries + fresh rhubarb = 28-30 min

Frozen strawberries + fresh rhubarb = 38-40 min

Frozen strawberries + frozen rhubarb = 45-47 min

Watch me make this vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp in this video on my YouTube channel:

HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY RHUBARB CRISP

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.

Make the fruit filling: combine cut strawberries and rhubarb pieces in a large bowl (step 1 in the image below).

How to make vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp: step by step instructions

Add the rest of the fruit filling ingredients and mix to get all fruit pieces covered (step 2). Set aside while you’re making the topping.

Make the crumb topping: combine all-purpose (or oat) flour, rolled oats (use gluten-free flour and oats if needed), almond meal, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl (step 3).

Add melted coconut oil and vanilla, and mix well to cover the dry ingredients. The mixture will look crumbly (step 4).

Assemble the strawberry rhubarb crisp: spread the fruit filling evenly on the bottom of the prepared casserole dish (step 5), then top with the crumb topping (step 6).

Bake for 28-30 minutes if using fresh strawberries and fresh rhubarb; 38-40 minutes if using frozen strawberries and fresh rhubarb.

This berry crisp is done when the filling is bubbly around the edges and the topping turns a golden color (step 7).

Let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving (step 8). Top with some vegan vanilla ice cream if you’d like. Enjoy!

How to make vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp easy

How to store vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp

Vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp can be stored on the countertop for 1-2 days, or in the fridge for 4-5 days. In either case, cover it with plastic wrap or a silicone lid if you have one.

This fruit crisp can be eaten hot, warm or cold. I like it warm, so if I store it in the fridge, I microwave a piece for 20-30 seconds before eating. Warming it up (or eating shortly after it’s cooked) works wonders if you’re serving it with a scoop of vegan ice cream on top ?

More sweet treats from the blog:

Tropical Banana-Orange Vegan Granola (naturally sweetened)
Healthy Vegan Double Chocolate Muffins (oil-free!)
Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Aquafaba
Vegan Irish Soda Bread with Aquafaba
3-Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Treats

Yield: 8 servings

Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Vegan strawberry rhubarb crumble - ready in 1 hour!

This lovely vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp is a perfect springtime or summertime treat. Deliciously sweet and tangy filling is topped with scrumptious oat and almond meal-based crumble. Ready in an hour or less! Make this strawberry rhubarb crisp gluten free by using certified gluten free rolled oats and oat flour instead of regular all-purpose.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

Fruit Filling:

  • 3 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen, cut in quarters (see note*)
  • 3 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
  • 3/4 cup raw sugar
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Pinch salt

Crumb Topping:

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (see note* for gluten free option)
  • 3/4 cup almond meal
  • 2 cup rolled oats (see note** for gluten free option)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar (see note***)
  • 3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Pinch salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
  2. To make the fruit filling, combine cut strawberries and rhubarb pieces in a large bowl. Add the rest of the fruit filling ingredients and mix to get all fruit pieces covered. Set aside while you're making the topping.
  3. To make the crumb topping, combine all-purpose (or oat) flour, almond meal, rolled oats, brown and coconut sugar (if using), and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Add melted coconut oil and vanilla, and mix well to cover the dry ingredients. The mixture will look crumbly.
  4. To assemble the strawberry rhubarb crisp, spread the fruit filling evenly on the bottom of the prepared casserole dish, then top with the crumb topping. If using fresh strawberries: bake for 28-30 minutes; if using frozen - 38-40 minutes. This berry crisp is done when the filling is bubbly around the edges and the topping gets a golden color.
  5. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Top with some vegan vanilla ice cream if you'd like. Enjoy!


Notes

* I used frozen strawberries to make the strawberry rhubarb crisp in these pictures. If you use fresh strawberries, give it 28-30 minutes to cook; if you use frozen - 38-40 minutes.

** To make this vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp gluten-free, use 1/2 cup of oat flour instead of all-purpose, and certified gluten-free rolled oats. To make oat flour at home, grind rolled oats in a coffee grinder until pulverized. Start with 1/2 cup of oats and use a bit more if needed to get 1/2 cup oat flour.

*** Optional: this berry crisp comes really decadent if you use a mixture of brown and coconut sugars in the topping. If you can't find coconut sugar, use additional 3/4 cups of brown sugar.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1/10th of the casserole

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 382Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 34mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 4gSugar: 31gProtein: 4g

Please note that the provided nutritional information data is approximate.

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author avatar
Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats
Alina Zavatsky is a vegan of 11+ years, a passionate blogger, a YouTuber, and a mom. She helps new vegans and their families navigate a vegan diet and lifestyle in a sustainable and enjoyable way. This fall, she will be releasing a new vegan meal planning app designed to make following a vegan diet a breeze for everyone.

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