Learn How to Make The Best Rhubarb Crisp without Oats

Whether you have an allergy, or you just think oatmeal is for breakfast, sometimes you want a rhubarb crisp without oats in it! Well, here you go!

It’s spring and that means it’s rhubarb season! I went out to my garden this morning and it was fairly bursting with fresh rhubarb stalks. I just HAD to pick some and make all my favorite spring desserts. So today, an easy rhubarb crisp recipe!

I love rhubarb because it’s tart like raspberries. I think sometimes desserts can be too sweet, so I love to have that little tart pucker factor that pairs perfectly with the sweet for the most perfect balance in a delicious dessert! The tartness of the rhubarb with a buttery, sweet topping is a perfect spring dessert in my estimation!

Rhubarb Season and How to Find the Best Rhubarb

I live in Northeast Ohio, so our old-fashioned rhubarb season is in full swing once the end of April hits, and goes through about June. It’s a sweet season to make all your favorite rhubarb recipes. While you can get rhubarb at other times of the year from the grocery store, I always believe that eating in season from your garden or the farmers market tastes best!

If you don’t grow rhubarb, it’s so easy to find at the store, or farmer’s market. Oftentimes many people have friends who are bursting at the seams with rhubarb. As soon as you pick it, the rhubarb plant regrows for you to pick it all over again a week later! It’s sort of like the zucchini of spring.

How to Make Rhubarb Crisp Without Oats

I normally make a standard rhubarb crisp, but I wanted to develop a rhubarb crisp without oats for those with sensitivities, or for those who just don’t like oats. This version uses a crisp topping that is basically like what you would find on a dutch apple pie. No crunchy oat or quick oats in sight! It’s a delicious way to make a crumble topping when you’re out of oats or just can’t have them.

It’s super easy to put together, so it’s a great easy dessert to make when you don’t have a lot of time to be in the kitchen. You can even prep it in advance – directions are in the FAQs.

Preparing the Rhubarb Filling for Rhubarb Crisp Without Oats:

The first thing I do when making any of my rhubarb desserts is pick a ton of tart rhubarb! You won’t need as much as I have here. For this recipe, I used 3 pounds, or about 9 heaping cups diced – the best rhubarb is tender and fresh. I probably have at least twice that in my sink in this picture.

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If you’re picking your fresh, tangy rhubarb, pull firmly on the lower part of the stalk to remove it from the ground. Alternately, you can cut the stem at the bottom with a sharp knife.

Don’t take too much of the plant! Make sure to leave at least 1/3 of the overall plant remaining. If you harvest all of it, the plant won’t have any leaves left, so there’s no way to photosynthesize and grow.

Rhubarb leaves are poisonous, so remove and discard immediately. Wash it well and trim off the ends. As it gets closer to the end of the season, sometimes there can be imperfections in the stalks. I just cut those out with my knife and use everything else.

Then dice it into roughly 1/2″ chunks. Put the rhubarb in a 12″ cast iron skillet and toss it with all purpose flour and brown sugar. I linked the one I use and it is amazing!

Making the Crisp Topping for Rhubarb Crisp Without Oats:

Mix the brown sugar, all purpose flour, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl (or medium bowl if cutting the recipe in half). Add the room temperature butter and work it with your hands, a pastry blender, or a food processor until it is incorporated and you have coarse crumbs. This crumbly topping will bake up to a gorgeous golden brown.

When you top the rhubarb, you’ll want to squeeze the topping ingredients a bit to make bigger clusters for the top.

Baking the Rhubarb Crisp Without Oats:

I bake the rhubarb crisp without oats in a preheated oven set to 350 degrees for about 50 min to an hour. You’ll want to leave it in the oven until the sides are bubbling and the top is beautifully golden brown. If you take it out too soon, it will have a floury taste that isn’t too yummy. You may also place the skillet on a baking sheet to catch any drips.

Allowing the Rhubarb Crisp Without Oats to set up:

Let it cool for about 15 min. to allow the juices on the fruit mixture can firm up a little bit. If you serve it immediately, the whole thing will be runny, so be patient! Or you can do what I did and immediately take a bite! Whoops!

Serving Suggestions:

Dig in! This crisp is heavenly on its own, but topping it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of ice cream, or even a little whipped cream with vanilla beans turns it into the perfect dessert. My absolute favorite ice cream for this is from Costco. It’s their super premium vanilla ice cream. It only has about 6 ingredients and it is the best custardy ice cream I’ve ever had!

My dad urged me to try it at his house and I fell in love. I about choked when I saw the price for two half gallons, but it’s so rich that I don’t feel like we eat as much as we would with a serving of other ice cream. Maybe it’s the egg yolks in it that make it so rich and filling!

Do I need a 12″ skillet?

Nope! I love how it looks in a skillet, but you can just as easily use a 9×13″ baking dish. The surface area is almost exactly the same as the large skillet, so it would be perfect.

As a side note, I would not recommend using a smaller skillet. This has quite a bit of rhubarb in it, so if you pile it up by putting it into a smaller skillet, it may not cook all the way through.

How Do I Make the Rhubarb Crisp Without Oats Less Tart?

I like to use 100% rhubarb because I have so much of it on hand, so it makes it practically free! However, it does make for a tart dessert. I probably would not eat this without ice cream for that very reason. However, lots of people love the combination of flavors when you mix rhubarb and strawberries together.A strawberry rhubarb crumble is really is delicious!

If you want to make a strawberry rhubarb crisp, just use 5 cups of diced rhubarb and 4 cups of large chunked strawberries for a sweet fruit balance. You’ll want them to be the same size as the rhubarb. The strawberries add a delicious sweetness and a beautiful red color to this crisp!

You can also play with the ration of rhubarb to strawberries, or add other fresh fruits that are sweeter and less tart. That will cut down on the tartness of the rhubarb mixture.

Lastly, you adjust the amount of sugar in the rhubarb filling. Instead of tossing the rhubarb with 1/2c of brown sugar, you can easily up that to 2/3c or 3/4c if you like a sweeter dessert.

Can I put other things in the topping?

Absolutely! If you want to back down on the flour by 1/2c, you can replace that with nuts (like pecans or walnuts) or coconut. Either of those would be a great addition to the dish! I would even put up to 1 cup in even though you’ve only removed 1/2c of dry ingredients. I think it would still maintain the right consistency of the topping. If you try that, let me know! I’d love to hear how it goes.

Make ahead tips:

Make ahead two ways:

1. Bake the rhubarb crisp ahead of time, cover with plastic wrap, and reheat in the oven before serving.

2. Make the crumble topping and store the unbaked crumble topping in a freezer bag. Chop the rhubarb and store it separately. Combine the brown sugar and all purpose flour for mixing with the rhubarb and just keep that in a baggie.

When you’re ready to bake it, toss the diced rhubarb with the sugar/flour mixture and place it in the 12″ skillet. Then top it with the crumb topping from the freezer and toss it in the oven. So easy!

Can I use frozen rhubarb?

Sure! You can just put the frozen rhubarb directly into the dish without thawing it. Toss it with the all purpose flour and brown sugar and then top with the crumble topping. Because it’s frozen, you may need to bake it a little bit longer.

Variations on This Easy Recipe:

• Make this a gluten-free rhubarb crisp by substituting gluten-free flour blend for the all purpose flour.
• To make a thicker fruit filling, add a little tapioca starch or extra tablespoon of cornstarch to the fruit filling.
• For a brighter flavor, add a splash of lemon juice or a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
• Try single size portions baked in individual ramekins for Mother’s Day or dinner parties! You may need to give it a short time in the oven, rather than 50-60 minutes.
• You can substitute white sugar (granulated sugar) for the brown sugar in the fruit filling if you need to. I do think the brown sugar helps the crisp topping create clumps on top so I might not recommend swapping the white sugar in there.
• You can also make this in a glass 9×13 pan. Just put the rhubarb mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish, top with the crumble topping and cook the same way!
• Make a half recipe and cook in a smaller cast iron pan or an 8×8 pan.
• Replace the all purpose flour with freshly milled flour or whole what flour for added nutrition.

One last note on storage tips:

Rhubarb is a very acidic ingredient, so while it can be baked in cast iron, for best results, it cannot be stored in the cast iron skillet. I did this once, and the iron from the pan leached into the rhubarb crisp and made it inedible. If you have leftovers, store them in a separate container in the refrigerator.

If you make this rhubarb crisp without oats, I’d love to hear what you think of it!

Printable recipe card below with all the simple steps laid out!