Rhubarb Crumble with Strawberries

An easy recipe for Rhubarb Crumble with step-by-step photos. Delicious served warm with a scoop of ice-cream, or even cold the next day at breakfast!

Rhubarb Crumble with Strawberries

I think a fruit crumble would have to be my favourite dessert of all time. When I am not making a classic Apple Crumble, I am probably making my favourite Rhubarb Crumble, especially when forced rhubarb (the bright pink variety) is in season.

I love the tartness of rhubarb, but I love its vivid pink colour even more. And when paired with strawberries and raspberries, they are a match made in heaven.

Forced Rhubarb

When forced rhubarb is in season in February and March in the northern hemisphere, my kitchen is often witness to countless jars of Rhubarb Compote, a few servings of Rhubarb Custard Cake, as well as an assortment of other baked goodies (like my Rhubarb and Vanilla Friands).

As forced rhubarb has such a short season, I sometimes even try to stash a few stalks away in the freezer to use throughout the year.

Of course, the more common variety of rhubarb is also delicious and tastes exactly the same. However, you won’t get the same vivid red-pink colour as you would with forced rhubarb.

Rhubarb Crumble

I first made Rhubarb Crumble using simply a homemade Rhubarb Compote and topped it with my favourite crumble.

But then I read that rhubarb paired really well with strawberries, and I was very thankful for that tip; I haven’t looked back since.

Then one day, I added some leftover raspberries from breakfast that morning, and I suddenly happened upon the perfect trio of rhubarb, strawberries and raspberries.

How to Serve Rhubarb Crumble

Whilst this Rhubarb Crumble is wonderful served piping hot from the oven, I seem to love it even more the next day, cold at breakfast.

In my home, a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on the side is non-negotiable.

How to Make Rhubarb Crumble

For a printable recipe, please scroll down.

bowls of raspberries, strawberries and chopped rhubarb
rhubarb and strawberry filling in baking dish
rhubarb and strawberry filling with bowl of crumble topping
rhubarb and strawberry crumble before baking
prepared rhubarb and strawberry crumble about to go in the oven

More Rhubarb Recipes

For more rhubarb recipes, you might also like:

Rhubarb Compote

Rhubarb Custard Cake

Rhubarb and Vanilla Friands

Print

Rhubarb Crumble with Strawberries

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5 from 5 reviews

  • Author: Thanh | Eat, Little Bird
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: Serves 4 to 6
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: Australian

An easy recipe for Rhubarb Crumble with step-by-step photos. Delicious served warm with a scoop of ice-cream, or even cold the next day at breakfast!

Ingredients

For the rhubarb filling

For the crumble topping

Instructions

To make the rhubarb filling

  1. Cook the rhubarb in a saucepan over medium-high heat with the sugar. The rhubarb will start to break down and release its own liquid.
  2. Cook the rhubarb until it has softened and broken down, stirring frequently.
  3. Taste the cooked rhubarb to see if you want to add more sugar.
  4. Stir through the cornflour (cornstarch) to thicken the rhubarb mixture.
  5. Take the saucepan off the heat.
  6. Stir through the strawberries. The strawberries will start to soften from the heat of the cooked rhubarb.
  7. Pour the cooked fruit into a large pie dish, about 23 cm or 9 inches wide.
  8. Sprinkle over the raspberries.
  9. Set the pie dish aside to cool slightly.

To make the crumble topping

  1. Place the flour, salt and butter into a the bowl of a stand mixer with a flat-paddle attachment.
  2. Beat on low speed until the butter starts to form large clumps with the flour, and the mixture resembles wet sand.
  3. Alternatively, you can do this by hand by using your fingertips or a pastry blender to rub the butter into the flour, until you have a mixture which resembles wet sand.
  4. Use a fork to stir through the sugars.
  5. The crumble topping is ready to be used as is. However, if you like to have more crunchy bits in your crumble, you can use your fingertips to squeeze bits of the mixture together to form little clumps.

To assemble

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F (without fan).
  2. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the rhubarb filling.
  3. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the crumble is golden and the rhubarb filling is bubbling.

Kitchen Notes

QUANTITY OF FRUIT
Please use the recipe for the rhubarb filling as a guide. You can add more or less of each fruit, depending on what you have. Sometimes I use less rhubarb, sometimes I use more strawberries, and sometimes I even leave out the raspberries.

MAKE AHEAD TIPS
*You can make both the rhubarb filling and crumble topping ahead of time.
* The rhubarb filling can be made up to several days in advance and kept covered in the fridge until you are ready to bake.
* The crumble topping can be made in advance and kept in the freezer in zip-lock freezer bags. There is no need to defrost the crumble – simply use straight from frozen.
* It is best to assemble the dish just before baking. If you cover the rhubarb filling with the crumble topping too far in advance, the crumble will absorb a lot of the liquid from the fruit, which will make the overall dish too dry.

OVEN TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer’s handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly.

CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 331
  • Sugar: 21.4g
  • Sodium: 105mg
  • Fat: 14.9g
  • Carbohydrates: 47.2g
  • Fiber: 4.3g
  • Protein: 3.9g
  • Cholesterol: 35.8mg

Did you make this recipe?

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Update

This recipe was first published on 30 May 2012. It has been updated with new photos and more comprehensive recipe notes.

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41 comments

  1. This is so pretty! I love how you used strawberries and raspberries in this. Delicious!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 30 May 2012

      Rhubarb and strawberries seem to be a classic combination, but I had some leftover raspberries one day and added them to one of many versions of this crumble and just loved the sweetness and colour they add.

      Reply
  2. Saffron 30 May 2012

    so pretty it looks!! Perfect summer dessert for me and for everyone who is reading this post.. Photographs are lovely as always, !!

    Reply
  3. Sam-I-am 30 May 2012

    SOLD!!!!!! Gorgeous, loved the step by step element and LOVED the photo of the three fruits cooked and beautifully married together! OK, will make this too Than! 🙂

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 30 May 2012

      Glad you enjoyed this post, Sam 🙂 It’s a really lovely crumble and I hope you will like it!

      Reply
  4. Lisa 30 May 2012

    Oh Thanh, we have so much of rhubarbs in the garden right now! I wish you could come and use some of it in your baking.
    Nice towel by the way!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 30 May 2012

      Hi Lisa! Lovely to see you here 🙂 You are so lucky to grow rhubarb in your garden. I have been buying rhubarb nearly every week! And you grow strawberries, too, if I remember? Hopefully you will give this recipe a try. You can add more rhubarb if you like – even twice as much – if you like more fruit in your crumble.

      And many thanks for the lovely teatowel! I have been waiting for the perfect dish to show it off 🙂

      Kiss and cuddles to M & L, xxx

      Reply
  5. ATasteOfMadness 31 May 2012

    What a perfect dessert!
    I love the combination of ingredients! They just started selling rhubarb around where I live, I’ve GOT to make this!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 31 May 2012

      This crumble is a great way to use rhubarb, making for a lovely spring/summer dessert 🙂 Please let me know if you try it!

      Reply
  6. Paula 31 May 2012

    Oh!!! Nice crumble!! I love them sooo much!!
    Apples for winter, strawberries for spring… Or even some raspberries and cherries!! And vanilla ice cream!! Yam!!

    And I love too much rhubarb, but, you know? Here in Spain you CAN’T find rhubarb anywhere. I hate it, cos I need it!!!

    Some weeks ago we were in Paris, and I was going to bring back home some rhubarb. Well, every day seen it at market, and last day, there wasn’t any!! I couldn’t come home with my rhubarb.
    So it’s really hard to see things like this, 😛
    And, it’s funny, but one of the first things I wanted to make was your Bee sting, that my boyf and me are sure we’d enjoy.
    we’ll have to wait…

    And, again, lovely photos!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 31 May 2012

      Oh shame that you couldn’t bring back some rhubarb to Spain! I would have been really disappointed, too! That’s interesting that you can’t find rhubarb in Spain. I wonder if that is because it is not commonly used in Spanish cooking?

      Hopefully you will come across some rhubarb soon so you can try this dish or the Rhubarb Custard Tea Cake, or any dish really – I just love rhubarb!

      And you have piqued my interest with cherries … they are in abundance at the markets at the moment and I haven’t thought to turn them into a crumble yet … I might give that a try soon 🙂

      Reply
  7. thelittleloaf 31 May 2012

    There are few things more comforting than a homemade crumble. I love how you’ve brightened this up with summer berries and sharp rhubarb – how delicious.

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 31 May 2012

      As much as I love apple crumble, I do love a brighter version for spring/summer. I also seem to be addicted to rhubarb and am making the most of its season 🙂

      Reply
  8. Liz Headon 31 May 2012

    Oh, how glorious – I love strawberries cooked with rhubarb, but have never had the “with raspberry” combination. By the way, have you tried strawberries and gooseberries as a combination for hot puddings and pies ? I can heartily recommend it.

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 31 May 2012

      The addition of raspberries was a last minute thing on one occasion when I had a small handful leftover in the fridge. The next time I made the crumble, I left out the raspberries and felt that I missed the sweetness that they added. So I have since always added raspberries to my rhubarb and strawberry crumble and just love the combination 🙂

      And no, I have not tried strawberries and gooseberries together. It sounds delicious!! Must try this asap! Thanks for tip 🙂

      Reply
  9. Jennifer (Delicieux) 1 June 2012

    What a beautiful crumble Thanh! I love the mixture of berries and rhubarb. It’s perfect crumble weather here in Australia right now, and a bowl of this would go down a treat.

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 1 June 2012

      Thanks, Jennifer 🙂 For me, any weather is crumble weather, even when it is lovely and warm outside! But a crumble with red fruits like rhubarbs and berries does seem more summery and I try to reserve the humble apple crumble for when winter comes around again.

      Reply
  10. Chris 1 June 2012

    So true. Apple crumble is a favourite in our house. The kids even enjoy it now. We add some crushed white choc chips into the crumble for something different. Great photos as usual:)

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 1 June 2012

      How lovely to see you here, Chris! 🙂 I *love* the sound of adding white choc chips to the crumble! Ok, definitely trying that next time. Thanks for the idea!

      Reply
  11. Anita Menon 1 June 2012

    A beautiful crumble. I haven’t attempt crumbles yet since I am not sure how they would be received at home. Your enthusiasm and pretty pictures gives me the confidence to give it a go.

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 1 June 2012

      Ooh I do hope you will try to make a crumble one day – it’s one the simplest desserts you can make at home. I hope your family will enjoy it!

      Reply
  12. Caroline 15 June 2012

    You know, I am not a fan of cooked berries, strawberries in particular (unless it’s jam, not preserves). However your photos are fast making me consider baking this! It’s such a quick dessert too really. By the way, am completely loving the recipe and stage photo/recipe breakdowns…:-)

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 20 June 2012

      You know, I was hesitant about baking strawberries, especially since I once tried them in muffins (at a café) and didn’t really like the taste and texture. But as I mentioned above, it was after seeing an episode of Nigella’s Kitchen that I thought I should give them a try. Perhaps once married with some stewed rhubarb, the strawberries take on a totally different taste, but I definitely love them in this crumble 🙂

      Reply
  13. Irene 23 July 2012

    Ahhhh. My Mum gave me some rhubarb, and I had some frozen strawberries and just enough fresh raspberries. They are all sitting in the pie dish while I wait for my butter to cool down a bit. Can’t wait to taste!!! Thank you so much for your recipe. 🙂

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 23 July 2012

      Oh I hope it was delicious! I think frozen strawberries would work well in a baked dessert like this, but I would be curious to know. Rhubarb is no longer in season here and I think often of this crumble 🙂

      Reply
  14. Laura Gheorghe 5 July 2013

    How big is the pie plate you used?

    Reply
  15. charity 6 March 2014

    Amazing photography and delicious food, your site is gorgeous, i love it when i stumble upon great food blogs. This one is definitely going on my bookmark list. I cant wait to make this for my sister she loves berries and crumble topping.

    Reply
  16. Catherine 5 May 2015

    Do yourself a favour and add a little chopped fresh ginger to the rhubarb. Delish 🙂

    Reply
  17. Sue 14 July 2015

    Thank you I have just used your beautiful recipe with my home grown produce and the results are great.

    Thank you can’t wait for tea yummy x

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 16 July 2015

      Glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 And even better that you could use fruit which you have grown in your own garden!

      Reply
  18. Helen 4 December 2015

    Mmmm… looks delicious! Can the fruit be frozen?

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 5 December 2015

      Yes, you could certainly use frozen fruit in this recipe. It might take a bit longer to cook, though, and you might need a bit more cornflour to thicken the sauce if it is too watery from using the frozen fruit. I often use frozen raspberries in baking and used frozen rhubarb not long ago. Crumbles are very forgiving 🙂

      Reply
  19. Julia 12 April 2018

    mmm…this looks delicious! I can’t WAIT to try this! Thank you for this great recipe!






    Reply
  20. Alice 25 May 2021

    Gorgeous recipe! I made this with normal rhubarb and it tasted amazing. Can’t wait to try it with forced rhubarb when it is back in season.






    Reply
  21. Karen 14 April 2022

    Beautiful recipe! I’ve made it several times now and I think of it everytime I see rhubarb at the supermarket.






    Reply
  22. Katie Jane 12 May 2022

    I made this crumble with regular rhubarb and it tasted absolutely wonderful. How I wish I could have made it with forced rhubarb!






    Reply
  23. Caroline Cottingham 8 June 2022

    This is the best rhubarb mix I’ve ever tried. Sweet but sharp. I added vanilla bean paste at the end. The vanilla really rounds out the flavour. Thank you, this is now a favourite recipe.






    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 8 June 2022

      Hi Caroline,
      I’m so glad you like this recipe! I make this crumble very often. In fact, when rhubarb and strawberries are in season, I prepare a lot of it for the freezer, just so I can make this crumble, including in the middle of winter 🙂

      Reply