My friend Stephanie makes the best strawberry rhubarb pie. Stephanie is a pie girl, a true baker. She has her flaky pie dough technique down pat and gladly bakes pies for all occasions. You might walk into your friend’s kitchen to find her grinning eagerly as a pie bubbles away in the oven. Maybe you are lucky enough to have a master pie maker in your life, too.
Late last spring, Stephanie brought a strawberry rhubarb pie to my friend’s wedding reception potluck. I hardly had room for dessert, but that didn’t stop me from forking bite after bite of bright pink filling and shatteringly flaky pie into my mouth in between sips of wine from a red Solo cup. I was tempted to steal another slice for myself, but the pie was gone before I had the chance.
I tell you about Stephanie and her pie to tell you that I am not Stephanie and I do not bake pies. I can’t pull off ladylike dresses like she can, I don’t have a law degree like she does, and I do not have her patience for chilling pie dough. I’m a crisp girl. Crisps are easy. Crisps are for people like me, people who scramble to meet deadlines, who wouldn’t dream of getting out of bed for an early morning workout and avoid ironing clothes at all costs. We want our sweets and we want them now, so we make crisps.
Fortunately there is plenty of room for pie girls and crisp girls in this world. The more pies and crisps the better, I’d say, especially when strawberry and rhubarb are in season. Tart rhubarb balances sweet, jammy strawberry flavor for an irresistible final product. This simple crisp recipe requires some chopping, some hand mixing and foolproof baking. I hope you’ll make it quick, before rhubarb season is over.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
A simple crisp bursting with sweet, juicy strawberries and tart rhubarb. Made with honey, oats and yogurt, this crisp is more healthy than most. That said, please serve it with vanilla ice cream for dessert (or yogurt for breakfast)!
Ingredients
Strawberry-Rhubarb Filling:
- 1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced into small bite-sized pieces
- 1 pound rhubarb (about 4 stalks), cut into ¼ by ½-inch pieces (slice larger stalks in half lengthwise before slicing them into ¼-inch wide pieces)
- ⅓ to ½ cup honey*
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch or 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
- ¾ cup old-fashioned oats
- ¾ cup white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour or flour of choice
- ⅓ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons plain yogurt (Greek or regular)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a 9 by 9-inch baking dish, mix together the strawberries, rhubarb, honey, arrowroot or corn starch and vanilla extract.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar and salt. Mix in the Greek yogurt and melted butter. Stir until all of the flour is incorporated and the mixture is moistened throughout.
- Dollop spoonfuls of the oat mixture over the strawberry-rhubarb filling and use your fingers to break up the mixture until it is evenly distributed (no need to pack it down). Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling around the edges and the top is turning lightly golden. Let the crisp rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream, I insist.
Notes
*Sweetness level note: The sweetness level of this crisp will depend on your fruit. Since rhubarb gets sweeter during the baking process, you can’t really adjust for your desired sweetness before baking. My first crisp was just right with ⅓ cup honey and my second crisp was more tart. If you know you want your crisp to be on the sweet side, go with ½ cup honey. If your baked crisp is sour, keep in mind that serving with ice cream will temper the tartness. Add a drizzle of honey to the finished product if necessary. It will probably taste sweeter the next day.
Make it gluten free: Use 1 cup certified gluten-free oats and ½ cup almond meal instead of the oat and flour mixture specified above.
Wait, what’s arrowroot starch? Arrowroot starch is a great thickener to use in place of corn starch, which is often genetically modified. It’s gluten free, too. Look for it in the baking section of well-stocked grocery stores.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Kathryn
I think I’m a crisp girl at heart too, I love how you can just throw it all together and you have something amazingly delicious. This looks so good.
Stefanie @ Sarcastic
Oh I am sooooo a crisp girl too! I also happen to have a pie expert friend that is named Stephanie… Maybe it is something about the name.
Jen
While crisps are simpler to put together for sure, I don’t love things too sweet, so the double pie crust helps tone down the sweetness for me. I’ll be trying the filling part of your recipe with a regular pie crust. I was looking for a recipe for rhubarb pie using honey instead of sugar. Thanks for posting!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Strawberry rhubarb is one of my favorite pies (my 86 year old grandmother is the piemaker of the family!). I’ll stick with crisps – I love that you used honey!
Katrina @ WVS
I am allll over this!! LOVE!
HH @ EatGreatBEGreat
I’ve never had strawberry/rhubarb pie. I really need to give it a try! The crisp sounds amazing and easy to put together!
Joanne
I can’t get enough of both pies and crisps at this time of year…as much fruity dessert as possible, I say! And I would gladly dive headfirst into this bowl!
Also – a potluck wedding reception?! I love it!
Kate
The more fruity dessert, the better! My friend’s potluck wedding reception was awesome. We hung out on her father-in-law’s yard and played croquet.
Kiran
Crisps always makes me so happy! It’s such an easy and satisfying dessert to put together. Love the combo of strawberries and rhubarb :)
Abby@TheFrostedVegan
I’m an everything girl, so I would take this crisp or the pie version any day! : )
Chris
I have tried (on too many occasions) to make a pie crust like my mom. After realizing that I’ll never replicate her crust, I moved on to crumbles and crisps. I just bought a big container of fresh strawberries. Do you think frozen rhubarb will work? I have some of last years bounty in the freezer now.
Kate
Yes, I do think frozen rhubarb would work! I just googled it and it sounds like you’ll want to measure it frozen, then defrost it and drain before using. Hope you’ll give it a try.
Rosie
Ooh, this looks so yummy! I love how simple, but totally delicious it sounds!
Angela
Oh my gosh… I’m not even a dessert kind of girl, but I don’t think I could pass this up! Your photos are making me drool!! As for the sips of wine from the red cup.. now THAT is classy! ;) (and I’d do the same!)
jacquie
a crisp girl here also. though have to say i’m partial to rhubarb on it own in crisp – makes me smile just to think about it. hope the rhubarb gets here soon…
Kate
I’ve never tried an all rhubarb crisp, but I’m sure I would love it! Hope your rhubarb arrives soon.
Tieghan
So pretty and so delicious! Strawberries are my favorite thing about summer! I can not wait to make this!
Eileen
Hooray! It’s both strawberry and rhubarb season simultaneously! This crisp looks fantastic. :)
Dan from PlatterTalk
Imagine, Kate and Stephanie meeting in the middle – so to speak. The middle of a delicious pie crust filled with strawberry rhubarb crisp. Stranger things have happened! Hmm…. I like Stephanie am a pie maker, I’m starting to taste some new inspiration. Thanks for the great post!
Chiara
In italy rhubarb is not so common and easy to find. I tried it during my period in London, and I loved it. This dessert looks delicious!
Gemma @andgeesaid
Yum! This looks so amazing! :)
Makenzie Ann
This looks amaaaaaaaaaaaazing
Nicole
Beautiful! I love all fruit desserts and crisps have the advantage of the dreamy topping and a whole lot of bubbly filling. I’m just realizing that I’ve never made anything with the classic combo of rhubarb and strawberry and that’s just wrong. I’ll have to make this and fix that.
Kate
Please do, Nicole! Strawberry rhubarb is totally my favorite pie/crisp filling.
Christy@SweetandSavo
Wow, strawberry must be the buzz word this week! I’ve seen so many great recipes with my favorite berry. Appreciate the suggestion to eat with vanilla ice cream- is there any other way?
P.S. Your photos are beautiful!
Kankana
A friend who bakes perfect pie and bakes happily anytime, aren’t you a lucky girl,Kate :) I love baking pie too but crisp, yes, that’s what I like more. Quick and easy, that my style of cooking too!
Kate
Thanks, Kankana. I am lucky to have Stephanie in my life! If only she lived a little closer.
Marcie@flavorthemome
This is one of my favorite flavor combinations ever. I wish I handsome now!
Maria Tadic
I love strawberry and rhubarb anything! I love that the crispy topping isn’t loaded with butter. This is a great healthier alternative.
Cookbook Create
Yum- what delightful photos. Using yogurt in the crisp is so creative. Does it change the texture?
★★★★★
Kate
Good question! No, I don’t think it changes the texture much at all (the crisp topping still gets nice and crisp, but not at all crunchy). It also reduces the amount of fat.
lindsey
what a beautiful dish. i love this time of year when fruit is fresh and seasonal. it makes it all the more tastier to bake with. i just made a rhubarb compote, i would have added strawberries but my local farmer’s market won’t have them until later in the month. again, lovely post!
Katy @ Katy'sKitchen
I’m totally a crisp girl too. Pies terrify me. The less time and ingredients, the faster I can get to the eating part! I can’t wait to make a rhubarb dessert, this one is right up my alley.
Cookin Canuck
There are two master pie makers in my life – my mother-in-law and my husband’s cousin. How I wish we lived in the same state as them so we could benefit from their pie-baking prowess. Or maybe I just need to bite the bullet and work on the whole scary crust thing. For now, I’m more than happy to make beautiful crisps like this one.
Maria
One of my favorite desserts!
Jodye
I always manage to forget about rhubarb. I’ve never made the requisite strawberry rhubarb pie, though I’m not such a fan of the crust anyway. This crisp looks so much more my speed, and it is so beautiful!
Kate
I got so excited when I saw rhubarb at the store this year since I couldn’t find any anywhere last year! Hope you’ll hunt some down and make this crisp soon, Jodye.
Emily
This looked amazing!! I love the combinatoin of rhubab and strawberry! This makes a great dessert for me!!
★★★★★
ami@naivecookcooks
My fav!!
Laura
I am generally a crisps kinda lady as well. Mostly because the inclusion of oats slides that dessert over to breakfast territory almost TOO easily. Also, friends who bake amazing pie = so awesome. This looks so great, Kathryne.
Rebekka
Ahhhh! I had something similar to this for dessert last night at Prune in NYC. Incredible. This looks just like it, but BIGGER! Thank you for the recipe!!!
Marissa Pinch&Swirl
I’m so excited – we have strawberries and rhubarb in our CSA share this week. As a crisp girl myself, I can’t wait to try this. :)
Ria
This time of year I’m always looking for more ways to get the rhubarb in my garden onto on my plate. Preferably with a topping like this! Thanks for the inspiration, Kate. :)
Christina
This looks so good. I love strawberries and have actually never had strawberry rhubarb. I need to make this.
Kate
Oh, strawberry rhubarb is my favorite combination! Hope you’ll give it a try while rhubarb is in season, Christina. If you appreciate sweet-tart flavor, I think you’ll love it.
Margarita
Hey Kathryne, I made this for a potluck last night and it was a hit! I love how the rhubarb and strawberries shine through because there’s not too much sweetness added in. I also love that the crisp isn’t too heavily laden with butter! This is a really lovely crisp and so pretty coming out of the oven too, especially when the filling is still gurgling at the sides!
Kate
Thanks, Margarita! Have I mentioned how much I love that you make my recipes? I do! I saw some strawberry rhubarb crisp recipes that called for orange juice/zest or lemon but I think simple strawberry and rhubarb is hard to beat.
Life Grows
Nice recipe Kathryne, I love strawberry and rhubarb. The flavours compliment each other nicely.
★★★★★
Cate @ ChezCateyLou
This looks so pretty! I love how much crumble topping there is – the fruit is great, but we all know the topping is the best part :)
Kirsten
I made this recipe last night and it was SO delicious! I’m going to make it again tomorrow since I ate it all last night and today.
Kate
Thank you, Kirsten! I’m so glad you made it and enjoyed it. I think I will have to make another one before the rhubarb goes out of season!
Maria
I just made this tonight and it is amazing! I halved the recipe since it’s just the two of us here. I never would have thought to add yogurt to the crisp- what a great idea!
Kate
Thanks, Maria! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. I’ve been going through strawberry-rhubarb crisp withdrawals ever since I polished off the last bite!
Michael
A recipe posted in a blog has never made me feel more like I am making excellent choices in life.
I also have not mastered the art of making a good pie crust, but I think there is intrinsic value in it. As Garrisson Keillor has said, it makes you a better person. I doubt there are too many war criminals or death row inmates who know how to make a good pie crust.
Sarah
Thank you so much for another inspiring recipe. I made this for dessert tonight and it was a huge success! I used coconut oil instead of butter and that worked really well; I otherwise followed the recipe exactly. I served it with a side of Ben & Jerry’s Maple Tree Hugger ice cream – OMG… Thanks again for this recipe and your blog in general!
Kate
Thank you, Sarah! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes. That ice cream sounds incredible, I’ll have to hunt some down!
Kirsten Holmson
Just stumbled upon your site today. Fantastic! I’ll be visiting regularly…
Kari
This was delicious – thank you! I’ve never made anything from your blog before. I will definitely be making this again! I used vanilla yogurt instead of plain because that is what I had on hand & it was great. I prepped all of the ingredients the night before (cut the fruit and combined the dry ingredients for the topping) because I was hosting a dinner party and didn’t want to miss out on time with my friends. Next time I think I’ll make 1 1/2 times the topping amount because we loved that part so much (of course!). Thanks for the recipe!
Kate
Thanks, Kari! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. More topping sounds like a good idea to me!
Kim
I made this tonight and it turned out great. Not too sweet, so the fruit really shines. I used a combination of rhubarb, blueberries and apples and severed it with plain yogurt sweetened with maple syrup. We’ll be having the leftovers for breakfast ;o)
Kate
Thanks, Kim! Blueberries and apples sound like a lovely combination.
Patricia
This looks easy and yummy. I will be making this today!
Kate
Hope you loved the crisp, Patricia!
Jessica
This was my first time making rhubarb crisp and it was delicious! I used 1/3 cup honey and it was definately sweet enough for me – and seemed even sweeter a day later. I’m looking forward to trying some of your other recipes – glad to have found your blog!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks, Jessica! I’m glad you found my blog, too. I noticed that my crisp tasted sweeter the next day, too. Funny how that works!
Garrett
This looks delicious! I just moved to Switzerland, and they have all this rhubarb stuff all over the place. I was determined to do something with it. You’re recipe has now become that “something”. Thanks!
Kate
Thanks, Garrett! I didn’t know that rhubarb is common in Sweden. I can’t get enough of it!
Marisa
Made this as a Father’s Day treat for my husband, and it was delicious! Thank you —
★★★★★
Kate
I’m so glad to hear it, Marisa! Thank you for commenting.
Emalee
I hate to destroy this perfectly lovely sounding recipe and I’d love to make as is, but a run to the store isn’t in the stars. could I sub something for the yoghurt? coconut oil perhaps?
Kristen
I subbed sour cream and it worked great
★★★★★
Laura
I just made this for a BBQ last night – it was a hit! Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe. I will definitely be making it again.
Kate
Thank you for commenting, Laura! So glad the crisp went over well at your BBQ. It’s one of my very favorite desserts.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Ally! Glad to know it turns out well in gluten-free form.
Ana
This crisp is awesome! I sub with GF flour and it works:)
Kate
Hooray! Glad to hear it, Ana.
Kathryn Grace
Today is baking day, and I’m going to try this recipe this morning instead of the strawberry rhubarb pie I had planned to make. In fact, this is the Recipe of the Day on a Facebook page I curate called Cooking with Whole Grains & Whole Foods. Can’t wait to taste it!
Kathryn Grace
Just came back to let you know my nearly three-year-old granddaughter and I had a blast making this together, and it is every bit as good as it looks in the photographs.
Totally scrumptious. Even my sweetheart, who looks forward to strawberry-rhubarb pie like football fans look forward to the Super Bowl, loved it.
Kate
Delighted to hear it! Thanks, Kathryn!
Jennifer SW
This was amazing! I used oat flour instead and it had a great crispy top.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks, Jennifer! Glad to hear it!
Patti
I am a diabetic & have made this recipe twice using Splenda brown sugar, no honey & sugar free rhubarb preserves. It is delicious!!
Mary A
This is an amazing recipe. I followed it exactly and it is delicious. Second batch i decreased honey in berries to 1/4 cup. I added 1/2 cup blueberries. Then in the crumb top, I used increased the oats to 1 cup, used 1/3 cup honey instead of brown sugar and substituted melted coconut oil for the butter. It is equally delicious and a tad healthier. Thank for sharing this.
★★★★★
Jenny
instead of butter in this recipe, could you use coconut oil? If you were to do that, how much would you add?
Kate
Yes, that should work well. I’d use the same amount as butter.
Katie
I made this recipe using strawberries and rhubarb and it’s fantastic!!! Raspberries are in season now so I’d love to make a raspberry crisp with this recipe! How would I change it to make that? Or can I just substitute the strawberries and rhubarb for raspberries?
★★★★★
Maureen
I LOVE this crisp recipe!!! I use it as a base and replace the fruit along with the seasons. Sadly my oven is broken right now and I need to make a crisp. Any suggestions on if and how I might be able to make this in my slow cooker?
★★★★★
Lauren
This was such a great early summertime recipe. Just the right combinations of sweetness and tart! Delicious for breakfast with a little Greek yogurt.
Kate
I *love* this for breakfast.
Jean
Whoa. This didn’t work at all for me. The “crisp” was far from it — gluey and gooey, it soaked up liquid from the fruit and turned to lead. Seriously, I just peeled it off (and put it in the compost!) so I could save the strawberry rhubarb filling for another use. During prep, the topping mix was fine until the yoghurt was added, at which point it became sticky and clumpy. I followed recipe exactly, baked it for 55-60 minutes, so it wasn’t a lack of baking. Sorry, but can’t give it even one star.
Janine Helwig
Can you prep and bake this and store in freezer? If so,how do you recommend thawing/reheating to serve?
Kate
Hi Janine! I haven’t tried it, and i would be hesitant to freeze it as I don’t know if you will be able to maintain the crispy texture. If you try it, reheat in the oven at the same baking temp once thawed. You may need to adjust the time.
Beth
I made this tonight and it was awesome!! The one change I made was adding 1 cup chopped pecans to the crumble (because I love them). I like that this is a “healthy” version but still tastes so good, plus I got compliments on the fact it wasn’t too sweet. Thank you so much!!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review, Beth! I’m happy you loved it.
Rainey
This recipe is outstanding! I added a little extra brown sugar to the topping cause Kate’s recipes usually err on the side of healthy over sweet. It was delicious and probably would have been just fine without the extra sugar, especially paired with vanilla ice cream.
★★★★★
Jaime Barroso
Oh man. This is INSANELY delicious. Can’t stop eating it right from the oven. THANK YOU!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m excited you loved it, Jamie! Thanks for taking the time to review.
Charlotte
Made this as written (gluten free version) and it was wonderful! I’ve made the cherry version from your cookbook countless times; this was a nice way to change things up, especially now that it’s rhubarb season. Next time I’ll probably add even more fruit, since the 2lb of fresh fruit cooked down quite a bit. Thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you tried it and loved it, Charoltte!
Kim
This looks very good!!!
dilmeran
can I make the same recipe using frozen strawberries?
Kate
Hi! I find this works best with fresh. But, I believe you could try it! I suggest defrosting and draining some liquid first. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Bev
Absolutely delicious butI tweaked it by using Maple Syrup and Vanilla Paste. Just wonderful and shared the recipe with my friends
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Bev!
Anita
Fabulous recipe! I made this GF by using GF oats and a GF flour blend. I used a bit of lemon juice instead of vanilla. Everyone loved it.
★★★★★
Jala Pfaff
First time I’ve made something from your site, although everything looks good! I made this by the recipe, but the only flour I had around was Gluten-Free Flour Mix, and so the topping ended up kind of like soggy gluey cardboard. Not so good. Next time I’ll try a different flour, because other than that, it was amazingly good!
★★★★★
Kelsey
This was so good. I didn’t have much honey and I barely even needed it! The natural sweetness of the strawberries and rhubarb was perfect. I added it to some vanilla ice cream. Thank you for this!
★★★★★
Kat Bechtel-Hall
Just made this with fresh rhubarb my neighbor gave us. I used GF oats and GF flour blend. It is super easy and super delish!
Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
veranoenvermont
But will you share Stephanie’s recipe for her pie crust that shatters and filling and the filling, too, but especially the pie crust that shatters? We’ll still love you and continue to use your crisp-y, un-ironed, non-law degree-developed recipes! :) Thanks, Kate!
Susan
This was amazing! I did the gluten free version as I love almond flour and it was perfect with ice cream warm and still just as delicious without ice cream and cold the next day. I will make this again and again.
★★★★★
Kate
That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing, Susan.
Jenny
So easy, super delicious!! It honored my farmer’s market rhubarb and strawberries perfectly.
I made some modifications for diet restrictions/pantry restrictions, but the result was still stellar: replaced butter with a coconut/avocado oil, 1-for-1, and it worked well texture wise. I’m sure the butter would have been even tastier. I also did not have honey on hand, so i used about a tablespoon or two of brown sugar in the fruit mixture–perfectly sweet and tart that way as well!
Thanks again for ANOTHER amazing recipe
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Jenny! I’m delighted you enjoyed it.
Dana
I was not a fan of the topping – the yogurt made it turn out more soft cookie like instead of a crisp.
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one, Dana.