This strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe is for everyone, satisfying dietary needs by being gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free while letting those delicious spring fruits shine. All the desired classic flavors are here; in fact, I've heard it called the best strawberry rhubarb crisp around!
Strawberry rhubarb crisp has been my favorite (non-chocolate) dessert for as long as I can remember. My parents didn't have a garden patch per se, but they had an apple and plum tree, grew tomatoes in pots, and every year rhubarb came up next to the lawn in the backyard. I couldn't wait for it to be picked and made into a crisp. Sometimes strawberries were added, other times just the rhubarb. My mom always used the same recipe, which came from a family friend, who got it from her mother-in-law.
Recently, I found rhubarb at the farmers market and asked my mom for the recipe. With my plant-based lifestyle, I found I wasn't as comfortable as I used to be making it with the traditional two cups of white sugar and ¾ cup of butter (1 ½ sticks!), and decided to revise that beloved recipe. Was I certain it would turn out? No. I felt my lifelong love of Mom's delicious, classic rhubarb crisp had made me somewhat of a crisp aficionado, and I knew it would be challenging to make a revised one taste good by comparison. It did take some trial and error, but my taste testers assure me that it's been done.
Ingredients
Just rhubarb, strawberries, applesauce, maple syrup, oat flour and rolled oats, almond or tiger nut flour, and vanilla. That's it!
Frozen or fresh strawberries may be used. Frozen may be your best bet for Mother's Day, since strawberries are often still white in the middle around that time. Simply thaw the berries enough so that you can slice them easily and you're good to go.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp for Mother's Day
I love that Mother's Day falls right around the time rhubarb and strawberries start appearing at the market. If you'd like to thank your Mom for all the wonderful things she's done for you, make this strawberry rhubarb crisp. A special Mother's Day doesn't have to be fancy, as long as Mom can feel the love. Does your Mom have dietary restrictions? Fortunately, this crisp is dairy-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free, gluten-free, oil-free, and peanut-free. You can even replace the almond flour with tiger nut flour, which aren't actually nuts. Don't worry, it's plenty sweet and tastes like the crisp you remember.
What's that you say? Mom loves strawberry rhubarb crisp, but it has too much butter and sugar? Well, I'm so excited to share this particular recipe with you. If Mom can eat fruit, almonds, oats, and maple syrup, she's good to go. The ingredients are typical for making breakfast, so why not have dessert for breakfast or brunch? Sounds special to me! You can assure Mom that this crisp is a-ok. There's not even any added salt! The brightness of the rhubarb is enough, salt is not missed in this recipe.
Mom Can Have Her Crisp and Eat it, Too
Here are some things I love about this recipe for Mother's Day:
Mom not only gets dessert for breakfast, it's one that will leave her feeling good - about the choice you made to help her avoid processed foods, white sugar, and heavy oils/butter and how her body feels after eating it.
The ingredients are pretty basic and fairly easy to find. If you can't find almond flour, you can make it by putting almonds in a food processor or blender. If you can't find medjool dates, you can try other types.
It's quick and easy to make. Small kids can help mix and pour the ingredients, layer the fruit into the baking dish, and taste test the results. (Just make sure they save a piece for Mom!) This tends to be less labor-intensive than pancakes. There's no standing over a hot stove. Once you layer everything into the dish, you stick it in the oven and then can go on to pick a few flowers or draw Mom a card or make her some coffee.It's pretty. The green/red rhubarb with red strawberries and topping looks divine.
I wish I could capture the wonderful aroma as the crisp is baking. So ah-mazing. Hours after I bake this, anyone arriving perks up at the lovely scent. Mmmm...
While revamped, it still is reminiscent of the crisp I loved throughout my childhood, and Mom feels the same way.
More rhubarb recipes
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Recipe
Equipment
- oven
Ingredients
- 3 cups rhubarb sliced
- 2 ½ cups chopped sweet strawberries
- 1 cup applesauce unsweetened
- ¼ cup maple syrup If berries aren't very ripe, use up to ½ cup instead
- 3 tablespoons oat flour or almond flour
For the topping:
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats gluten-free if needed
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- If using frozen strawberries, thaw in advance. Slice them into bite-sized pieces and the rhubarb into about ¼-inch pieces, placing them in a large bowl. Stir in the applesauce, maple syrup, and flour. Pour evenly into a 9x13 baking dish. (You may line the dish with parchment, but I prefer not to, it can get messy either way!)
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Rinse the bowl and place all the topping ingredients into it, stirring them together until evenly mixed. With damp hands (to prevent sticking), spread the topping evenly over the strawberry mixture, a little at a time.
- Bakes for 40 minutes. If it's not golden brown quite yet, go ahead and add 5 more minutes at a time until it is golden.
- Serve as is or with fresh berries, mint, lemon balm, dairy-free whipped cream or ice cream - whatever you like!