Rhubarb Crisp

By Mark Bittman

Rhubarb Crisp
Craig Lee for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(5,038)
Comments
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When you think of rhubarb you probably think of strawberry-rhubarb pie, a quintessential spring dessert, especially if it’s made by someone who makes good pies. I usually manage around one pie crust annually, so I need alternatives. Thus, when the spring’s first rhubarb shows up, I adjust the execution and produce a crisp. If rhubarb is young and fresh, you can trim it in seconds. If it has fibrous outer strings, peel them off as you would those of celery. Toss the rhubarb with orange or lemon juice and zest, and only a little sugar. (You can also substitute strawberries for some of the rhubarb if you want the classic combination.) Blend the ingredients for the crisp topping in a food processor, crumble the topping over the rhubarb mixture, and bake — it is nearly effortless and as good or better than a pie.

Featured in: Rhubarb Crisp That Stands Up to Pie

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings
  • 6tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for greasing pan
  • 2½ to 3pounds rhubarb, trimmed, tough strings removed, and cut into 1½-inch pieces (about 5 to 6 cups)
  • ¼cup white sugar
  • 1tablespoon orange or lemon juice
  • 1teaspoon orange or lemon zest
  • ¾cup brown sugar
  • ½cup all-purpose flour
  • ½teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste
  • Pinch salt
  • ½cup rolled oats
  • ½cup pecans
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

276 calories; 14 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 22 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 30 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking or gratin dish with a little butter. Toss rhubarb with white sugar, orange or lemon juice and zest, and spread in baking dish.

  2. Step 2

    Put the 6 tablespoons butter in a food processor along with brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt, and pulse for about 20 or 30 seconds, until it looks like small peas and just begins to clump together. Add oats and pecans and pulse just a few times to combine.

  3. Step 3

    Crumble the topping over rhubarb and bake until golden and beginning to brown, 45 to 50 minutes.

Ratings

5 out of 5
5,038 user ratings
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Comments

Marilyn Kruse

I'm an old Iowa farm girl (rhubarb desserts are classics there) and have been eating/cooking with rhubarb for years. This is basically a good recipe, certainly easier than making a pie crust. Suggestions: 1. Double the white sugar. It is too tart. 2. Double the cinnamon, and add a little nutmeg. 3. Melt the butter so you don't have to mess around with a food processor. 4. Dut the baking time by about 8 to 10 minutes. 5. And yes, serve with vanilla ice cream.

John Golden

If you use melted butter instead of cutting it in to flour mixture, it's incredibly crisp/crunchy

Mary Sojourner

Thank you for honoring rhubarb on its own merits. Rhubarb is not helped by strawberry - it is a tedious combination.

Katie N

Ended up using half candied pecans and half normal pecans in the topping. It was the perfect added little bit of sweetness!

Brinna B

Definitely have to double the sugar as it was still very tart even when I did. I like rhubarb so it works for me. Also should have used the cup measurement rather than by weight. The rhubarb was almost overflowing my 8x8 pan. I was surprised there was no flour or cornstarch added to the filling as there was an excessive amount of liquid when I cut into it. Loved the crisp part when I melted the butter and increased the cinnamon with a dash of nutmeg. It was good, but it doesn’t seem like it’s a 5 star recipe when you have to tweak it so much. If I would have made it with only 1/4 a cup of sugar, I feel like I would have wasted my rhubarb due to it being way too tart. I’m a MN girl living in TX where we have to buy rhubarb in the store (if you are lucky enough to find it) or bring a huge bag of it back on the airplane when you travel back from MN. So it would have been VERY disappointing to have wasted 2.5 pounds of rhubarb on a dessert that wasn’t as good as I was hoping. I’m thankful for the reviews that suggested so many edits, as I typically make recipes the way they are written first time.

Michael S

I accidentally reduced the butter to 4 tbsp and it was fine. Better even.

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