Whether you call it a rhubarb crisp or a rhubarb crumble, add berries to this tart fruit, top with ice cream and you have a perfect combination. For a fantastic and easy dessert this Spring or Summer, try a blueberry rhubarb crisp with a pecan streusel topping.
Mix up the berry combination to find the one you like best.
I was so disappointed when I learned that rhubarb couldn’t grow in North Carolina, this makes it harder to make a blueberry rhubarb crisp. Rhubarb requires a cold climate and it just can’t survive the Southern summers. I have great memories of using rhubarb while cooking with my grandmother who lived in Idaho where it was plentiful in her backyard. So I was delighted to find some fresh at our farmers market.
Can you grow rhubarb in a warm climate
The stalls at our farmers market have to have food grown in North Carolina. I’m not sure I agree with this as we’re only a hour or less from the Virginia border but they don’t allow produce except from North Carolina. In any event, I knew that this had to be from somewhere close by. I asked the local farmer and he said of course we can grow rhubarb here.
However, when I went back the next week, he was out and said that was all he had this year. So it does grow here but as an annual and it doesn’t have a very long growing season. In colder regions it has a growing season of April through June. I can find it at the grocery sometimes and it freezes great if you’re like me and can’t find it fresh for very long. If you have a good supply we love to make jam, upside down cake and rhubarb bread pudding.
What you’ll need
- Rhubarb – fresh or frozen. I have a hard time finding frozen in our grocery.
- Blueberries – you can use fresh or frozen or use raspberries or blackberries.
- Strawberries– these need to be fresh, frozen strawberries are too juicy for this rhubarb crisp recipe. If you don’t have fresh strawberries, than use other berries in their place.
- Turbinado or Demerara sugar – this is a coarse sugar that I like for the rhubarb.
- Pecans– these are optional but add a nice crunch to the top.
- Pantry staples – flour, cornstarch, brown sugar and butter.
So with fresh local rhubarb in hand and lots of yummy strawberries, I set out to make a strawberry rhubarb crisp. However, I found some tasty blueberries and threw those in also. When using rhubarb you need to add other fruit to compliment the tart flavor. Strawberries seem to be the fruit of choice but I really like adding blueberries to the mix. All you have to do is cut up the fruit, and add some sugar and something to thicken it a bit.
If blueberries aren’t in season yet, you can use frozen blueberries. You don’t even need to thaw them. If you have tons of blueberries, try showcasing them in a cobbler.
Then add your favorite topping. It’s about the easiest type of dessert you can make. Taylor and I decided we would experiment with toppings. She used my favorite topping with pecans for half of it and I used a more traditional oatmeal topping for the remaining crisp.
The pecan topping won hands down. I think it’s because the strawberries make this very juicy and the pecan topping was more solid and helped absorb the juice. We loved the fruit mixture and the pecan streusel was just an added bonus.
A blueberry rhubarb crisp will stay fresh on the counter for a day, after that store it in the refrigerator.
Step by step directions
Step 1: Cut up the rhubarb and add 8 cups of fresh berries. If you have frozen blueberries or blackberries, you can use them, but not frozen strawberries. Add sugar, flour and cornstarch. Place it in a baking dish or individual ramekins.
Step 2: Combine melted butter with brown sugar, flour and pecans and spread it over the top and bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly. Let it cool a few minutes before serving.
For dessert, I’ll always choose one made with fresh fruit. Save your pies and cakes for the winter when there’s no fresh fruit around.
FAQ’s and tips
Yes, just spoon in the fruit and top with streusel. You will be able to short the cooking time by about 5 minutes.
No, frozen strawberries will have to much liquid for rhubarb crisps. You can use a mixture of frozen blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.
Yes, you can make this a rhubarb blueberry crisp with just blueberries and rhubarb.
Rhubarb can be green or red, so the color doesn’t determine how ripe it is. Look for crisp stalks.
It varies depending on what region of the country you are in. Here in NC they are ripe in the Spring, for other States, check here.
Most crisps and cobblers are going to be runny, by adding a thickener like flour or cornstarch you can reduce how juicy it is. You an also let it cool before serving and the juices will thicken as it cools.
More fruit desserts you might like:
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Rhubarb Berry Crisp
Ingredients
- FRUIT
- 6 cups strawberries cut in half
- 2 cups blueberries
- 2 cups rhubarb chopped into ½ inch pieces
- 1 cup turbinado sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- CRISP
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter melted
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 cup pecans coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Fruit: Mix together fruit in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients and mix with fruit. Pour into a large 9 X 13 baking dish.
- Pecan Streusel Topping: Combine all ingredients and crumble over the fruit.
- Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and slightly brown. Let cool for a few minutes and serve warm.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- Use fresh not frozen strawberries.
- You can make any combination of berries you like including blackberries and raspberries.
- You can make thin in individual ramekins, but you will need to shorten the baking time by about 5 minutes.
- Place a baking sheet under the baking dish when cooking to catch any spill overs.
Nutrition
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Super easy made it in 1/2 pint canning jars so I could freeze a few.
What a great idea!