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Easy Rhubarb Crisp with Ultra-Buttery Crunchy Oat Topping

A close-up slice of rhubarb crisp showing the bright pink filling and thick, crunchy oat topping.
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Welcome to my kitchen! This is the easy rhubarb crisp recipe you need for a classic, sweet-tart comfort food dessert. It features a jammy rhubarb filling and a buttery oat topping that bakes up perfectly crunchy every time. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 cups fresh rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (adjust to your rhubarb tartness)
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • For the Buttery Oat Topping:
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
  2. Prepare the filling: In a large bowl, toss the chopped rhubarb with the granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, and vanilla extract until the rhubarb is evenly coated. Spread this mixture into the prepared baking dish.
  3. Prepare the buttery oat topping: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 cups flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
  4. Cut in the cold butter: Add the cold, cubed butter to the dry topping mixture. Use your fingers, a pastry blender, or two knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. This creates the best crunchy texture.
  5. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the rhubarb filling in the baking dish. Do not press it down.
  6. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the rhubarb filling is bubbling thickly around the edges.
  7. Let the crisp cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving. This allows the filling to set slightly.
  8. Serve warm, ideally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for that classic rhubarb crisp vanilla ice cream pairing.

Notes

  • If you are using frozen rhubarb, do not thaw it first. Toss it directly with the sugar and flour mixture, and you may need to add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.
  • For a gluten-free rhubarb crisp option, substitute the all-purpose flour in the topping with a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend.
  • This recipe makes a large batch, perfect for gatherings, but you can easily halve the ingredients to fit an 8×8 inch pan.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://carlacooking.com/rhubarb-crisp-easy-buttery-oat-topping/