Strawberry Rhubarb Apple Crisp Recipe

This strawberry rhubarb apple crisp recipe is perfect when you are trying to avoid added, processed sugars!

It’s funny. I’ve been eating clean and doing it without refined sugar for long enough now, that I don’t even remember what it’s really like to crave the stuff. In fact, I’m pretty sure that if I were to take a bite of a normal cake these days, it would be too sickeningly sweet for me. Is that weird? Maybe, but I’ll take it!

A slice of this Clean Eating Strawberry Rhubarb Apple Crisp sits on a completely white background. The crisp on top is a beautiful golden color while the rhubarb layer below is a beautiful, bright pink.

So if you are trying to do without refined or processed sugar, this is sure to become a family favorite. the taste is sweet n’ sour deliciousness with a crumble topping. You can’t beat this easy dessert!

What Is A Crisp?

The standard definition of a crisp is as follows:

“a dessert of fruit baked with a crunchy topping of brown sugar, butter, and flour.”

Google

This crisp recipe definitely has the crunchy toppings, but we’ll be making it without the brown sugar, butter or flour. And yes, it’s still absolutely delicious!

When Should You Not Eat Rhubarb?

Only consume rhubarb that is in season and sold in stores, unless you are very well aquainted with growing it yourself. Once temperatures drop enough at the end of the growing season, oxalic acid from the leaves of a rhubarb plant move into the stalks and it is quite toxic to humans. That being said, anything available to purchase in the store is going to be perfectly safe.

Dietary Focus

This dish is already naturally plant-based. So both vegans, vegetarians and those that are dairy-free will enjoy this dessert.

This is not, nor can it be made, low-carb. Sorry folks. I wish I could work that magic!

As long as you purchase individual, gluten-free ingredients, such as gluten-free oats, then this is gluten-free as well!

And of course, there is no added sugar of any kind. It’s all sweetened with fruit!

Recipe Variations

If you want to add some additional flavors to this sweet and tart rhubarb dish, here are the fruits and other ingredients that pair particularly well with rhubarb. Feel free to add them!

  • Apricots
  • Blueberries
  • Blackberries
  • Raspberries
  • Oranges orange juice or orange zest
  • Lemons, lemon juice or lemon zest
  • Grapefruit, grapefruit juice or grapefruit zest
  • Limes, lime juice or lime zest
  • Peaches
  • Nectarines
  • Plums
  • Ginger
  • Black pepper
  • Pecans

Why Is My Rhubarb Crisp Soggy?

If your crisp is still warm, the juices from the fruits will naturally have more runny liquid present. Chilling the crisp in the fridge should take care of this.

If for some reason it doesn’t, feel free to adjust the amount of starch used. The more you use, the more the fruit will “gel”.

Can You Make Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp With Frozen Fruit?

You can! If you prefer to keep your strawberries frozen, you can easily use them here. However, because frozen fruit has more water in it, you’ll want to up the starch content. Instead of 1 tablespoon, use 2 to 3 tablespoons, depending on how watery things get.

How To Serve This Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

While most folks would serve a crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, we are trying to reduce processed sugar intake here. So instead, here are some other ideas.

  • Whipped cream or coconut whipped cream sweetened with stevia.
  • With plain Greek yogurt.
  • Over oatmeal.
  • Over plain porridge.
  • Just by itself!

About The Ingredients

Rhubarb stalks – chopped or sliced.

Fresh sweet strawberries

An apple – whatever kind is sweet and in season.

Apple juice concentrate – I just picked up a “tube” in the freezer section at Whole Foods. Most stores carry it and it will always come frozen in the freezer section. Look for one that is 100% juice (no sugar added).

Ground cinnamon – Just the spice with no sugar mixed in.

Tapioca starch – You can also use cornstarch or arrowroot powder.

Quick-cook oats – Normally, these aren’t used in clean eating. However, they give the finished dessert a much better texture than traditional oats. The choice is yours.

Walnuts – or any nuts you’d like to use. Raw nuts are best.

Quinoa – uncooked

Medjool dates – seeds removed.

Oil – Any light flavored oil will work here.

How To Make This Healthy Strawberry Rhubarb Apple Crisp

Place all the filling ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer.

Continue to simmer for approximately 1 hour. The starch should be completely dissolved and you should have a somewhat thick (almost like stew), stringy substance when done. Stir frequently.

While the rhubarb cooks, place all the topping ingredients into a food processor and blend until well combined. It should stick together just slightly, but you should still be able to “sprinkle” it over the filling.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour the rhubarb into a lasagna dish or other baking pan. Mine was 9×13. This should be a thin layer.

Sprinkle with the topping so the entire thing is evenly covered. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. The topping should have a nice, golden appearance. Check frequently after the first 20 minutes to ensure nothing gets burned.

Allow to cool completely so that the bottom of the pan can be held in your had. In other words, not hot at all. Place the entire dish in the freezer and freeze for about 2 hours. The idea here is to CHILL it, not freeze it. Once it’s frozen, it’s very hard to cut. So if you accidentally freeze it, just let it sit out on the counter until it’s soft again.

Slice into 15 pieces and serve.

Storage: Keep in the fridge for up to 6 days.

Should Strawberry Rhubarb Apple Crisp Be Refrigerated?

Definitely! And if packed well, this will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can I Freeze A Rhubarb Crisp?

You can! This freezes quite well, actually. Simply place it in an airtight container that is also freezer-safe, and store it in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Recipe Supplies

For this recipe, you’ll need a medium to large sauce pan, a food processor and a baking dish. Bonus if it has a lid! To reach any of these product on Amazon, simply click the image. (affiliate links)

Image of sauce pan sold on Amazon. (affiliate link)
Image of food processor sold on Amazon. (affiliate link)
Image of casserole dish with lid sold on Amazon. (affiliate link)

More Healthy Dessert Recipes

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Copyright Information For The Gracious Pantry
Clean Eating Strawberry Rhubarb Apple Crisp Recipe

Strawberry Rhubarb Apple Crisp

Need a no-sugar-added dessert? This one is positively delish!
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 15 servings
Calories: 82kcal

Ingredients

FILLING INGREDIENTS

  • 4 cups rhubarb (chopped or sliced)
  • 1 cup fresh strawberries
  • 1 large apple (whatever kind is sweet and in season)
  • ¾ cup apple juice concentrate (I just picked up a tube in the freezer section at Whole Foods)
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp. tapioca starch (cornstarch works too)

TOPPING INGREDIENTS

  • ½ cup quick-cook oats
  • ½ cup walnuts (or any nuts you’d like to use)
  • ½ cup quinoa (uncooked)
  • 3 large dates (seeds removed)
  • 1 tsp. olive oil

Instructions

  • Place all the filling ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer.
  • Continue to simmer for approximately 1 hour. The starch should be completely dissolved and you should have a somewhat thick (almost like stew), stringy substance when done. Stir frequently.
  • While the rhubarb cooks, place all the topping ingredients into a food processor and blend until well combined. It should stick together just slightly, but you should still be able to “sprinkle” it over the filling.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Pour the rhubarb into a lasagna dish or other baking pan. Mine was 9×13. This should be a thin layer.
  • Sprinkle with the topping so the entire thing is evenly covered. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. The topping should have a nice, golden appearance. Check frequently after the first 20 minutes to ensure nothing gets burned.
  • Allow to cool completely so that the bottom of the pan can be held in your had. In other words, not hot at all. Place the entire dish in the freezer and freeze for about 2 hours. The idea here is to CHILL it, not freeze it. Once it’s frozen, it’s very hard to cut. So if you accidentally freeze it, just let it sit out on the counter until it’s soft again.
  • Slice into 15 pieces and serve.
  • Storage: Keep in the fridge for up to 6 days.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 82kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 190mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 75IU | Vitamin C: 9.1mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg

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35 Comments

  1. Dani from Down Under says:

    Hi Tiffany…I’ve been an admirer for a loooong time. Thanks for helping me on my road to yumminess without sugar and butter! I love you!

    Just to let you know this turned out a treat served luke warm (we’re in Oz so I didn’t want to cool this in the freezer and serve to the kids as they may have expected ice cream ~ not that there is any in our freezer or maybe it’s just me remembering my old crumble stomping days served with double cream and ice cream ;-P)

    So it was lovely to serve this warm (as we’re approaching our Winter). Great tasting crumble topping to my surprise as I have this weird taste bud thing going on with Quinoa but I liked it mixed up with the topping ingredients.

    You are a star!!!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Dani – Yay!!! That’s wonderful! I can imagine that as you go into winter, it would be good warm. Thanks for trying me recipe! 🙂

  2. Would prunes work instead of dates?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Michele – You could try it. I think it would depend on how soft they are. Dates are pretty soft and sticky. Prunes, usually not so much.

  3. I made this recipe this morning…. YUM! Thanks Tiffany! I had been dying for strawberry rhubarb something lately!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Tara – Fabulous!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Strawberry rhubarb is such a wonderful flavor! Perfect for summer and very refreshing!

  4. graciouspantry says:

    Emma – Fantastic! I’m happy it worked out. I remember not seeing concentrates in Germany, so this was a great sub. Good job! Enjoy!

  5. graciouspantry says:

    Jill – Wonderful! Glad it all worked out!

  6. graciouspantry says:

    Jill – Wonderful! Glad it all worked out!

  7. graciouspantry says:

    Cmuehl – Great suggestion!

  8. graciouspantry says:

    Cmuehl – Great suggestion!

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  11. I just wanted to tell you how happy I am that I found you. I look forward to your posts and recipes. I can’t wait to try the Strawberry Rhubarb.

  12. thank you! I love rhubarb crisp, but all the sugar in the sauce has kept me at bay. My rhubarb should be up soon and I can’t wait to try this!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Wendy – I hope you enjoy it!

  13. I made it and it was yummy! My topping was really powdery though, do I need more dates?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jenny – Powdery? Did you change anything at all in the recipe?

  14. No, did it just as it was.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jenny – Can you explain what you mean by “powdery”? Which part was powdery?

  15. the topping was really dry so when you scooped it out, a lot of the quinoa/oatmeal etc. rolled on the plate loosely. Does that make sense? It was dry.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jenny – OOOHHH!!! Okay, now I understand. How odd! Let me look a little closer at the recipe and see if I can figure it out.

    2. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jenny – Did you put add the oil?

  16. Yes. I am wondering if my dates were too dry. I may try another date next time

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jenny – Maybe try a little extra oil and also a tablespoon or so of honey to help hold things together. I just cannot imagine what is going on here. I believe I used medjool dates when I did it, if that helps. Let me know how it turns out the second time around.

  17. Thanks. I am going to avoid the honey though because I need to keep my sugar grams down. They dates were kept in the fridge and seemed not as moist as some. I got them at Costco in a round container. I will try more oil and more dates.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jenny – Okay, let me know!

  18. I was wondering what could be used instead of dates?? That’s the only ingredient that I don’t have..

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Libby – You can leave them out if you prefer. Enjoy!

  19. I’ve been trying to make the transition to real foods but I’ve been needing setting sweet. I’m sitting in front of my oven waiting for this to be done- my kitchen smells sooo good! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for posting!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Brittany – My pleasure! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

  20. Excellent idea. Just wondering about the quinoa – I presume it is the round uncooked not the flake?

    That what I put in will know soon.

    Fabulous web site keep it up.

    Carole from Ottawa – Canada’s capitol.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Carole – Yep! You got it right. I don’t think I’ve ever used the flakes. Hope you enjoy it!

  21. Sandra Mcclaskey says:

    Hi, not too familiar with dates so am wondering are dried dates what you use in this recipe? Doctor put me on the Mediterranean diet and am looking for desert ideas. Rhubarb is a favorite so looking forward to trying this out.

    1. Sandra – Yep! Dried dates. You have to pick the seeds out, but they are wonderful. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂