Healthy Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (Gluten free)

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This healthy Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp is the perfect spring and summer dessert! Bake strawberries and rhubarb to create a sweet and tart filling, and top with a perfectly crispy oat gluten-free topping that will have everyone reaching for more of this great recipe!

Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp in a pie dish on a light wood background.

I am excited to share this Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp recipe with you! I think you'll love the combination of flavors. It's perfect for a springtime treat, like this Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Who doesn't love a fruit crisp fresh out of the oven? The wholesome crisp topping is made with oats, almond flour, coconut flour, turbinado sugar, cinnamon, and vegan butter.

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What Is a Crisp?
What Is Turbinado Sugar?
Ingredients
Substitutions & Variations
How to Make This Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
How to Serve This Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
How to Store This Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Recipe FAQs
More Vegan Dessert Recipes
Recipe
Comments

I love how the sweetness of the juicy fresh strawberries complements the tart rhubarb, like in these Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins and Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars. This simple gluten-free strawberry rhubarb crisp is delicious as is or with dairy-free ice cream or with whipped coconut cream on top!

If you love strawberries as much as I do, enjoy sliced strawberries with these Vegan Buckwheat Banana Waffles. You can also try this fun and refreshing Strawberry Elderflower Gin Fizz or Strawberry Lemon Gin Granita.

What Is a Crisp?

Perhaps you are wondering the difference between a cobbler, a crisp, and a crumble? Crisps typically have oats in the streusel topping; crumbles do not. Cobblers, like this Vegan Cherry Cobbler and Vegan Blueberry Cobbler, are fruit desserts with a sweetened biscuit topping that resembles cobblestones once baked.

What Is Turbinado Sugar?

Turbinado sugar is raw sugar that looks a lot like brown sugar. However, the crystals are less processed, resulting in larger, coarser, crunchier granules and a higher molasses content. It comes from the first pressing of sugar cane. The resulting cane juice is boiled once, causing the sugars to crystallize.

The crystals are then whirled in a centrifuge to remove excess moisture, and voilà, turbinado sugar is created. Because of the large and coarse grains, turbinado makes a lovely finishing sugar, meaning it's usually sprinkled on top of desserts for a special gourmet touch. I use it as an ingredient in my Vegan Southwest Skillet Cornbread.

I like turbinado sugar in this recipe because it contributes to the crunchiness of the crisp topping, and it works nicely with the fruit filling.

Family loved it ❤️❤️❤️ I substituted tapioca flour for arrowroot and ground pecans for coconut flour. My husband says he's going to make it for Mother's Day and we are planning to plant rhubarb in our garden.

- Ellen

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this delicious Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp:

Organic turbinado cane sugar - since the granules are larger, they contribute to the crunchiness of this vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp. You can substitute with coconut sugar, date sugar, or organic cane sugar (to ensure it's vegan). Increase the amount of sugar to ¾ cup if using 4 cups rhubarb and 2 cups strawberries, or to your taste.
Arrowroot powder for thickening the fruit mixture.
Rhubarb - I love tart, fresh rhubarb. Choose firm, unblemished stalks.
Organic Strawberries - Sweet strawberries are the best.
Fresh lemon juice - don't use concentrate; it's not the same.
Vanilla extract - this is a classic for flavor.
Gluten-free rolled oats - oats are a must for a crisp!
Vegan butter, chilled and cubed. I use Earth Balance Soy-free buttery sticks.

A full list of ingredients with exact amounts can be found on the recipe card below.

Substitutions & Variations

Almond flour or coconut flour - Replace with gluten-free oat flour. Make oat flour by pulverizing it in a blender. Or try ground pecans! If you're not gluten-free, you can replace the flours with whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour.
Arrowroot powder - Use organic cornstarch or tapioca flour instead. I have not tried xantham gum - I don't recommend using more than one teaspoon of xanthan gum. You can try using additional oat flour or gluten-free flour as well.
Gluten-free - To ensure this recipe is gluten-free, use gluten-free rolled oats and gluten-free flour.
Lemon zest/lemon juice - Use orange zest/orange juice - this is particularly good with a rhubarb fruit filling. Do not use the "lemon juice" that comes from a plastic lemon shaped container.
Strawberries - Try this recipe with blackberries, raspberries, mixed berries, and peaches; it's easily adaptable. You can make this crisp with all rhubarb if you like, I highly recommend it!
Rhubarb - Replace with peaches, plums, mixed berries, raspberries, or blackberries. Or use 100% strawberries in your crisp!
Turbinado sugar - You can use coconut sugar, organic cane sugar, organic brown sugar, or date sugar. I've had success with organic cane sugar with the fruit and light brown sugar in the topping.
Vegan butter - Use coconut oil instead.
Vanilla extract - Use almond extract.

How to Make This Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Let's begin: Preheat the oven to 375°F and butter a deep-dish 9-inch pie dish, a 9-inch cast-iron pan, or an 8x8-inch square dish. If you prefer individual portion sizes, lightly grease eight individual ramekins.

Wash the fruit in a colander, drain it, gently dry it, and cut into ½-inch pieces.

Large bowl with chopped strawberry and rhubarb.

Step 1: In a large bowl, combine strawberries, rhubarb, arrowroot powder, lemon zest, lemon juice, turbinado sugar, and vanilla extract. Let sit for 20 minutes.

Crisp topping mixed with cold butter cubes in large bowl on white wood surface.

Step 2: In a medium bowl, combine rolled oats. almond flour, coconut flour, turbinado sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add vegan butter and rub it into the dry mixture between your fingers. Keep doing this until the mixture is like wet sand.

Overhead view of strawberries and rhubarb mixture in pie plate.

Step 3: Place the fruit mixture in the buttered baking dish.

Crisp topping placed on fruit filling in white pie plate.

Step 4: Sprinkle the crumb topping mixture on top of the fruit in the baking dish.

overhead of vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp

Step 5: Bake until the top is golden brown and the fruit bubbles at the edges of the baking dish. Watch the crisp to ensure it doesn't overbrown.

Overhead view of Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Gluten Free on a wire rack on a white wood surface.

Step 6: Let this vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp cool for 20 minutes before serving.

How to Serve This Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Serve this easy vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp with non-dairy vanilla ice cream or vegan Cocowhip.
Top it with fresh berries and whipped coconut cream.

Overhead view of baked vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp

How to Store This Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.
To enjoy this vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp for breakfast, leave it on the counter for 30 to 60 minutes first to get it to room temperature.
For a warm crisp for breakfast, reheat it in the oven at 350°F in a small baking dish for 20 minutes.

Recipe FAQs

What if I don't have rhubarb or strawberries?

You can make this strawberry rhubarb crisp with blueberries, blackberries, peaches, raspberries, or plums. As long as you have 6 cups of fruit, you can't go wrong!

What if I don't have strawberries or oats?

Then you can make a rhubarb crisp if you have 6 cups of rhubarb! You will likely need two to four tablespoons more sugar to balance the rhubarb's tartness.

Can I make this vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp ahead of time?

You can make the crisp topping ahead of time and freeze it for up to 3 months. I recommend baking the crisp right before you plan to eat it.

Can I make this vegan strawberry rhubarb crisp with frozen fruit?

Yes, you can make this crisp with frozen fruit; there is no need to thaw it first. Bake for 10 minutes longer.

You don't want to miss out on this seasonal treat. Try this vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp recipe, and let us know what you think. So go ahead, preheat your oven, and start baking!

More Vegan Dessert Recipes

If you try this recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you!