Of all the fruit crisp possibilities in the world, Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp is the best flavor there is. I love desserts that aren’t overly sweet, and this dessert is perfect. The sweet buttery crumble topping is balanced by the tart rhubarb and strawberries.
To heighten the flavors of the fruit, I’ve added a hint of cardamom and fresh lemon zest in the fruit filling as well as the crisp topping. This is one of my favorite fruit desserts, and I can’t wait for you to try it!
Making the perfect strawberry rhubarb crisp
To make a really really good strawberry rhubarb crisp, you need to get a few things right.
Use fresh seasonal fruit. You can make a good fruit crisp with frozen fruit, for sure. But when you use fresh fruit that’s been picked at the perfect ripeness, it’s next level. This is one of those desserts that I make immediately when the spring farmers markets start up again.
Balance the sweetness. The crisp topping is sweet enough. I like to use a minimal amount of sugar in my fruit filling – just enough to help bring out the natural sweetness of the fruit itself. Then, I balance it further by adding salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
Add depth. The lemon zest and ground cardamom in this recipe aren’t dominating flavors. They’re working to enhance and complement the natural flavors of the rhubarb and strawberries. I LOVE the combination of rhubarb and cardamom. I find this spice isn’t as overpowering as cinnamon, and it has a lightly citrusy taste that’s perfect for this fruit combination.
Serving suggestions
Fruit crisp begs to be topped with some sort of creamy component. Vanilla ice cream, homemade whipped cream, or creme fraiche are all great options for this strawberry rhubarb crisp.
My ultimate top favorite choice though? Fir tip whipped cream! Strawberry, rhubarb, and fir tip season all come at once, and their flavors work so well together. All you need is two ingredients: fir tip sugar and heavy cream. Whisk them together until you get soft peaks and you have a super fun, bright-but-creamy topping to serve with your crisp.
Strawberry rhubarb crisp is delicious served warm from the oven, with melting whipped cream or ice cream on top. It’s also so, so good served cold. I actually almost prefer it super cold, straight outta the fridge.
Keep fruit crisp covered in the refrigerator. It will keep for three to four days.
Variations & substitutions
Recipe size: This recipe makes crisp for an 8×8 inch (or equivalent) pan. You could certainly double it and use a 13×9 inch pan if you’re looking to feed a crowd!
Fruit filling: I made this crisp with equal parts strawberries and rhubarb. You could opt to go all rhubarb, all strawberries, or change the ratio (just keep the overall amount the same). It’s totally up to you. Just note that if you don’t include any strawberries, you may want to add a little bit more sugar since rhubarb is less sweet than berries. You could also use raspberries instead of strawberries.
Additional flavors: Swap the lemon zest & juice for orange. Swap the cardamom for cinnamon. Swap the sugar out for lilac sugar, dandelion sugar, or fir tip sugar! Customize this dessert to your liking.
More strawberry & rhubarb desserts:
- Strawberry Rhubarb Brown Butter Cake
- Strawberry Rhubarb Galettes
- Rhubarb Galette with Buckwheat Crust
- Strawberry Swirl Bundt Cake
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Equipment
- 2 quart baking dish (or 8×8 inch pan)
Ingredients
Strawberry Rhubarb Filling
- 1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1 pound rhubarb, diced small
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- zest of ½ a lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Crisp Topping
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup old fashioned oats
- ½ cup unsalted butter, diced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- zest of ½ a lemon
Fir Tip Whipped Cream (optional)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons fir tip sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
For the filling:
- Hull & slice strawberries. Chop rhubarb into small dice. Add fruit to a large bowl.
- Toss fruit with brown sugar, flour, cardamom, salt, and lemon zest and juice. Let fruit marinate while you make the topping.
For the topping:
- Add flour, brown sugar, oats, butter, salt, cardamom, and lemon zest to a bowl. Mix together with your fingers until thoroughly blended and butter is broken down into pea-sized crumbs.
- Spoon fruit filling and any accumulated juices into a 2-quart capacity/8×8 inch baking pan. Sprinkle topping evenly over top.
- Bake until fruit is bubbling and topping is golden brown, about 40-50 minutes.
- Remove from oven, place on cooling rack, and let cool to room temperature before serving.
For optional fir tip whipped cream:
- Whisk together cream and fir tip sugar until soft peaks form.
- Scoop crisp, hot or cold, into serving bowls. Top with fir tip whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or any other desired topping.
Did you try this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment below!
