A delicious and easy Garden Fresh Rhubarb Crisp with the added sweetness of cherries and an oatmeal crisp topping. Top with vanilla ice cream for the perfect balance of sweet and tart in a summer dessert!
Rhubarb is a polarizing ingredient-- either you love it, or you don't love it.
On it's own, rhubarb is very tart, however this tartness is absolutely amazing when paired with something sweet.
I’m delighted whenever I receive a notice from Spring Hill Farm, our community supported agriculture farm, announcing they are harvesting rhubarb. Coming home with arm loads of rhubarb after a Saturday morning vegetable pick up brings me so much joy. I believe it’s the anticipation of baking and eating this early summer family favorite dessert.
Typically, 1 pound of rhubarb will yield about 3-4 cups of chopped pieces. You need only 2-3 cups to make this crisp for two. Fortunately, rhubarb is easy to preserve, so I chop and freeze and have it on hand for many more crisps!
This Rhubarb crisp is thrown together quickly using either fresh or frozen rhubarb. If you are looking for something to finish off the perfect summer weekend with a recipe on which you will get many compliments, you’ve found it!
Note: This crisp is best left uncovered and out of the refrigerator. For this reason, this Cherry Rhubarb Crisp should be eaten quickly. Trust me, this really won’t be a problem…
Reasons To Love This Recipe
- Sweetness from cherries and deliciously tart flavor from summer fresh rhubarb.
- Crisps have the advantage of being much less fussy than pies. Just mix up the filling and topping in separate bowls, and pour one on top of the other, then bake.
- This recipe includes extra detail for using frozen rhubarb for your convenience, ensuring your rhubarb and cherry crisp ends up just the right consistency.
Garden Fresh Rhubarb and Cherry Crisp…The Ingredients
There are two parts to this recipe: the fruit filling itself and the oat crumble topping.
- Cherry Pie Filling: This recipe calls for cherry pie filling. This helps preserve the crisp consistency while providing sweet to balance the rhubarb’s tartness.
- Rhubarb: A half a pound of rhubarb to yield just over 2 cups of fresh or frozen rhubarb is used here. Cut it into half-inch slices. See below for how to use frozen Rhubarb in this recipe.
- Cornstarch, Sugar and Water: This is your thickening agent.
- Almond Extract and Cinnamon: Sprinkle the fruit with almond extract and cinnamon to give the cherry pie filling a homemade taste.
- Oats: A classic in fruit crisp topping. Old-fashioned oats are preferred as they offer a heartier texture to resist becoming mushy the way processed quick oats do.
- Brown sugar: Brings moisture and sweetness to the topping.
- Butter: Chilled (right from the fridge) butter is cut into the crisp topping to help form perfectly toasted golden brown oat crisp clusters.
Making the Crisp for Two?
I like to use an 8-inch cast iron skillet. For individual servings, you could use two 5-inch ramekins. Whichever way you choose to serve, be sure to top with ice cream - Yum!
• The first step is to make a thick syrup for the fruit. In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the cornstarch and sugar. Add slowly the cold the water. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbly. Stir in the cherry pie filling, and sprinkle with and almond extract. Set aside to cool.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar and salt. Cut in margarine until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Cutting in butter means incorporating cold butter into the dry ingredients so that the butter stays in little clumps throughout the mixture.
• Press ½ of this oat mixture into the bottom of your baking dish. Spread the rhubarb over the crust, sprinkle with cinnamon then spread the cherry mixture over the rhubarb. Add nuts, to the remaining topping, if using. Now, top the crisp with the remaining oat mixture. Spreading evenly to cover the fruit filling.
• Bake at 350º F for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is crisp and golden. Serve warm, topped with ice cream
How To Store And Freeze Rhubarb
Personally I love love LOVE fresh rhubarb! But it's so easy to freeze so stock up when it’s in season to enjoy all year round.
Rhubarb is delicate and prone to water loss. You can store it in the fridge upright in water where it will keep for about a week. But for longer storage, freezing is best. To freeze: cut rhubarb into 1-in. pieces and lay out on a baking sheet. Place sheet in freezer. Once frozen, store rhubarb in 2-cup portions in freezer bags. This way the pieces won’t be stuck together making it easier to measure out what you need.
How To Thaw Frozen Rhubarb
For this recipe, frozen rhubarb can be thawed and used in place of fresh. Thaw in a sieve over a bowl to catch excess liquid. Blot the defrosted pieces to remove excess moisture before adding to the recipe. You may also wish to bump up the cornstarch to two tablespoons (or more, if needed) to counteract excess moisture from the frozen fruit.
How To Grow Rhubarb In A Home Garden
I found this great article from the University of Minnesota that provides facts about rhubarb and tips for growing rhubarb in a home garden.
Johan, a friend and master at growing and baking rhubarb is a member of the the Our Table 4 2 community. 
If you have a rhubarb question post it in the comment section at the bottom of the page. I will be sure to seek his counsel and nudge him to reply!
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Garden Fresh Rhubarb and Cherry Crisp
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Equipment
- 1 cast iron skillet Cooking For Two: Use a 8 inch cast iron skillet or 2 large (5 inch) ramekins to make the perfect amount!
Ingredients
The Fruit Filling
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons cornstarch
- 12 ounces canned cherry pie filling . Most pie filling comes in a large can around 21 ounces, I like to use about ¾ of a large can of pie filling when making this for two.
- ½ cup cold water
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups rhubarb I have found 1 pound of rhubarb will yield 3 to 4 cups. You can use fresh or frozen rhubarb for this recipe. You can purchase fresh rhubarb from the farmers market and even your neighborhood grocery store.
- ½ teaspoon or more of cinnamon
Oat Crisp Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup butter or margarine , cold
- ⅛ cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Instructions
The Fruit Filling
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Trim and cut rhubarb into ½-inch slices and set aside. See notes below if using frozen rhubarb.In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the cornstarch and sugar. Stir in the cold water. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbly. Pour in the cherry pie filling and almond extract. Stir to combine and set aside to cool.
Oat Crisp Topping
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Cutting in butter means incorporating cold butter into the dry ingredients so that the butter stays in little clumps throughout the mixture.
Assemble the Crisp
- Press ½ of this oat mixture into the bottom of your skillet or baking dish. Spread the rhubarb over the crust, sprinkle with cinnamon then spread the cherry mixture over the rhubarb. Add nuts, to the remaining topping, if using. Now, top the crisp with the remaining oat mixture. Spreading evenly to cover the fruit filling.
- Bake at 350º F for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is crisp and golden. Serve warm, topped with ice cream.
Notes
How to thaw and bake frozen rhubarb:
For this recipe, frozen rhubarb can be thawed and used in place of fresh. Thaw in a sieve over a bowl to catch excess liquid. Blot the defrosted pieces to remove excess moisture before adding to the recipe. You may also wish to bump up the cornstarch to two tablespoons (or more, if needed) to counteract excess moisture from the frozen fruit.How to brown the oat crisp topping?
Butter, which encourages both browning and crispness, is the magic ingredient in getting your topping just right, so follow the recipe instructions. But if you feel your topping is still too dry and crumbly, add a bit more melted butter, a tablespoon at a time.Your Notes, Tips and Tricks
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Mark Werley says
This is my favorite summer treat with its tart/sweet flavor and crispy texture from the oats. Give it a try.
Marian says
I had always been intrigued but intimidated by rhubarb. This totally demystified rhubarb for me. Great recipe and easy steps.. Thanks!!
Camie says
This looks SO good! It's really helpful to know how to use frozen rhubarb (without making a watery mess of your dessert). I've been told that narrow or smaller rhubarb stems taste sweeter than large ones. is this true? Johan's rhubarb looks really big.
Pam Werley says
Hi Camie, My understanding is that different varieties have varying levels of sourness and fibrousness.
Varieties also vary in color from almost pure green to almost pure red. Usually the skin is more or less red, while the flesh color varies from pale to darker green.
Color does not cause any specific flavors. The Sunrise Rhubarb, a redder variety stands out because it has beautiful pink stalks that are thicker than the average rhubarb stalk. It works well for pies, jellies, canning, and freezing, so it's a fantastic all-around choice for gardeners. Plant stature and vigor also vary among varieties. I am not sure what variety Johan is growing but it is a greener variety and on the large size for plant stature (the leaves look like elephant ears!) In general, greener varieties are more vigorous and have longer stalks than red varieties. Honestly, I never know what variety I am buying at the farmers market, but I tend to pick the red as they look so nice in a crisp or pie. Cub has rhubarb right now if you are interested in trying the recipe!
Sallie Ketcham says
Perfect timing! My garden rhubarb is ready for harvest.
Pam Werley says
Thanks for letting me harvest some of your rhubarb to make this for father's day weekend dessert!