Gluten free strawberry rhubarb crisp is the perfect dessert for all of your summer gatherings! Tart rhubarb mixes with sweet strawberries and a buttery crumble topping for a delicious dessert.
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Okay, I’m just going to put this out there – this strawberry rhubarb crisp may very well be my favorite dessert we’ve ever made. Yep, I like it even more than our s’mores bars and no-bake cheesecake bars! Berry crisps have long been one of my go-to last-minute gluten free desserts. They’re easy to make, take advantage of the abundance of in-season fruit, and are always a crowd-pleaser.
This strawberry rhubarb crisp takes it up a notch higher. I love all things tart, so the bit of sourness from the rhubarb mixed with the sweetness of in-season strawberries is a perfect balance that’s slightly different from your typical crisp. Add to that a buttery topping that is somewhere between a crisp and a cobbler (or maybe a crumble?), some vanilla ice cream, and you’ve got a combination that just screams summertime.
Recipe Ingredients
The ingredients for this yummy dessert are quite simple! Below, you’ll find everything you’ll need, along with any applicable notes/swaps. Find full ingredient amounts in the recipe card.
- Fresh or frozen rhubarb
- Fresh strawberries
- Lemon juice
- Coconut sugar – you can absolutely use brown sugar here if you don’t have coconut sugar
- Arrowroot starch
- All-purpose flour – we used King Arthur’s GF all-purpose flour, but you can any all-purpose flour you’d like (GF or regular)
- Sea salt
- Butter
- Pecans
How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Making this gluten free strawberry rhubarb crisp only requires a few simple steps:
- Chop up your rhubarb and strawberries.
- Add the fruit to a saucepan with the lemon and coconut sugar, and let it cook for about 10 minutes. This will allow the rhubarb to break down.
- While the fruit is cooking, it is time to make the topping! You’ll add the gluten free flour, sugar, salt, butter, and pecans to a bowl, and mix them all together until a crumbly mixture forms.
- After the fruit has cooked down, the mixture may look a little bit thin and soupy – but that’s ok! Just whisk some arrowroot starch with water, then stir it into the rhubarb mixture and bring it to a boil quickly until it thickens. If you feel it is still not thick enough – add more arrowroot.
- Finally, you’ll add the fruit mixture to an 8×8 pan, put the crumble mixture on top, and bake for 30 minutes! Then you’re ready to serve it up with some vanilla ice cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rhubarb looks kind of like pink celery, but tastes nothing like it! While it is technically a vegetable, it is commonly classified as a fruit because it is typically used in jams, jellies, and desserts like this one. Rhubarb is typically tart, similar to a green apple, but sweetens slightly when cooked. It is great in desserts, made into a syrup for cocktails and mocktails, or you can try pickling it for use in more savory dishes.
You can – we actually used frozen rhubarb for ours and it turned out great!
You can find rhubarb in the produce section of your grocery store. It is in season from April through June, and when picking your rhubarb you’ll want to look for thinner, pink stalks for the best flavor. If you can’t find rhubarb in the produce section, check the freezer section! Many stores carry pre-cut rhubarb there.
You can absolutely use gluten free flour for the topping! We used King Arthur’s GF all-purpose flour (we use it for everything!).
One of my other favorite things about this recipe is that it is very versatile! Rhubarb season runs through June, but you can easily replace it with any type of berry, or even peaches or plums. Whichever way you make it, we hope you love this strawberry rhubarb crisp!
More Favorite Dessert Recipes
The Best Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 pound fresh or frozen rhubarb chopped
- 1 pound fresh strawberries tops removed and sliced
- Juice of one lemon
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
For the Topping:
- 1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Add all filling ingredients, other than the arrowroot starch, to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Whisk the arrowroot starch with ¼ cup water then stir into the strawberry rhubarb mixture. Bring to a boil to thicken, then remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, coconut sugar, and sea salt.
- Add the butter to the flour mixture and combine either using your hands or a pastry cutter. Once a crumbly dough has formed, add in the pecans.
- Pour the strawberry rhubarb mixture into an 8×8 baking dish, then top with the flour mixture.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 350 F until top is slightly browned.
- Let cool, then serve as is, or with your ice cream or whipped topping of choice!
Recipe Notes
- For dairy-free: substitute ghee or coconut oil for the butter
Nutrition
This crisp had the perfect sweet/tart ratio! I used fresh rhubarb and strawberries. My filling came out a little runny but thickened up as it cooked, and it kind of took over a good portion of the crisp part. However, that didn’t detract from the taste, which was really wonderful. Topped it with some whipped cream.
We are so glad you loved this recipe, Laurie!
I made this exactly as written and it was a hit! My in laws favorite pie is a fruit of the forest from a local market, made with rhubarb. I’ve tried to incorporate rhubarb in a few recipes with no success. I made this for dessert at Sunday family dinner. Everyone enjoyed it, ages 3 – 75! I’ll definitely make it again and use this as a go to with different fruit combos through the year. Thank you!
Awesome, Meg! We’re so glad everyone loved this recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us!
The perfect summer dessert! Very simple to make, and came out absolutely delicious! I made it to take to a 4th of July gathering at the lake and it was a hit!
Awesome, Kaelin! We’re so glad everyone loved it!
This was tasty, but my attempt at this recipe didn’t look nearly as pretty as the photos on the website. Between using green rhubarb from my garden and the brown coconut sugar, my crisp had a brownish pink filling that was quite runny. The gluten-free topping also didn’t brown to a dark golden color as in the photo. Perhaps baking it in a glass pan, rather than metal, affected the color and consistency. Again, it tasted fine, but for all the work to pre-cook the filling, the presentation was rather disappointing. Next time I’ll try it without precooking the rhubarb and strawberries, and will try tapioca or something else as a thickener.
I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work out as you hoped, Mary!
I was so excited to make this for my GF sister and the whole family loved it! We used frozen rhubarb from her mother in law’s garden and fresh strawberries. Topped with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. Will def make again this summer!
Wahoooo! We’re so glad everyone loved it, Kelli!
This crisp turned out beautiful and yummy. It didn’t thicken enough and I would probably add a little honey to sweeten it just a little bit more.
We’re glad you liked it, Jennifer!
This is all delicious, especially the crunchy topping!
Wahoooo! So glad you loved it, Katie!
Get ready for a slew of comments as I have been only cooking from Fed & Fit recipes the last three weeks 🙂
I’ve made this, only with strawberries, two weeks in a row. It’s such a traditional dish that I missed being gluten free. I added some almond flour to add a little more grit to my Bob’s 1-1 gluten free flour and my gluten-eating husband has loved it too.
Thank you for another great one.
Haha, we love it!! And we’re so glad you guys have enjoyed this recipe. It’s such a perfect summertime treat!
Thoughts on whether this would do well being frozen and then served thawed?
I used ghee, but apparently it was too soft. The topping turned out like pie dough and ever got crisp:( Still tasted great! Very easy to make.