This delicious strawberry rhubarb crumble is the perfect dessert for Spring! Rhubarb and strawberries have long been best buddies and with good reason. The tart flavor of rhubarb and the sweetness of strawberries are the perfect combination of flavors. Add in a little orange or lemon to round out the flavor profile and you have an amazing and simple dessert recipe.
A crunchy crumble topping, made without oats, covers a jammy fruit filling that comes together in just minutes. Just like my gluten free apple crumble, this recipe is both gluten free and vegan so everyone can enjoy a scoop or two! Just add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you're ready to dig in.
If you're looking for more ways to enjoy fresh strawberries, I recommend my gluten free strawberry cobbler or my delicious strawberry crumble pie.
What is the difference between a crisp, a crumble and a cobbler?
When it comes to fruit desserts, you might think the monikers are interchangeable. When in fact a crisp, a crumble and a cobbler are three different things.
- A crisp is a fruit filling topped with a streusel topping that includes oats. The topping is usually crispy and not super thick.
- A crumble is also fruit filling topped with a streusel topping. But the topping is thicker and does not include oats.
- A cobbler is also a fruit filling, but topped with a biscuit like topping.
Ingredient Notes
This easy rhubarb desserts uses simple ingredients but it's packed with flavor. I always buy fresh rhubarb from the local farmers market because it is usually the most fresh. You can often find rhubarb in the grocery store produce section during the Spring.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend - I use Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free flour for this recipe, but any gluten free flour blend will work fine. I only recommend you avoid singular flours, like almond flour or coconut flour, since they won't produce the best results.
- Vegan Butter - I used Country Crock plant butter for this recipe, but any stick type vegan butter will work fine. If you're not dairy free or vegan, use unsalted butter in the same measure.
- Fresh Strawberries - I always make this dessert in the midst of strawberry season to get the juiciest, ripest berries because they have the best flavor. I don't recommend using frozen berries because they will release excess liquid when baked, making the filling runny.
- Fresh Rhubarb - Remove the leaves from your rhubarb stems, wash them well and slice them into ½" thick pieces. It isn't necessary to remove the stringy outer skin. The rhubarb will cook down and become quite soft during the baking time.
- Orange Juice & Orange Zest - There's a bit of a debate at my house about whether this crumble is better with orange juice or lemon juice. So I will go ahead and say you can use either. Orange juice will give you a sweeter fruit filling and lemon juice will make the filling more tart.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Not Gluten Free - While I haven't tested it, I suspect this recipe would also work fine with all purpose flour.
- Not Dairy Free - Use unsalted butter in place of the vegan butter.
- No Cornstarch - You can replace cornstarch with tapioca starch in the same measure.
- Citrus Swap - Swap orange juice & orange zest for lemon juice & lemon zest for a more tart fruit filling.
- Make a Crumble with Oats - You can swap this topping recipe for my oat crumble topping. It works great for pies and other fruit desserts.
- Make a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie - This recipe works great for a pie filling with a crumble topping. Simply bake it in a 9-inch deep dish pie shell.
How to Make a Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble
You're going to love how easy it is to make this tasty gluten free dessert. Even a beginner can master a fruit crumble with ease.
I used a 2-quart baking dish for this recipe, but a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate or a 9-inch square baking pan will also work.
STEP 1: Combine the gluten free flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk them together to mix well.
STEP 2: Pour the melted butter into the dry ingredients and mix together with a spatula. The mixture should be chunky and thick.
STEP 3: Place the crumble topping in the refrigerator while you prepare the fruit filling.
STEP 4: Combine the sliced strawberries, sliced rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch, salt, vanilla extract, orange juice, and orange zest in a large bowl. Stir it together until the fruit is coated with the sugar mixture.
NOTE: You can also mix it directly in the baking dish to save yourself from washing a bowl.
STEP 5: Transfer the fruit mixture to a 2-quart baking dish.
STEP 6: Sprinkle the crumble topping over the fruit filling, leaving some large clumps. Now you're ready to bake!
Expert Tip
Make sure to bake the crumble until the filling is bubbling up around the edges of the topping. It's important to set the cornstarch, which will make the filling jammy instead of soupy. If your crumble begins to brown too much, simply lay a piece of aluminum foil over the top for the remainder of the bake time.
Storage
Once the crumble has cooled down, you can cover the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate the leftovers for 2-3 days. I recommend reheating individual servings in the microwave before eating.
More gluten free desserts to try:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
Equipment
- 2-quart Baking Dish
Ingredients
For the gluten free crumble topping
- 1 ¼ Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend I use Bob's Red Mill
- ¾ Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ Cup Vegan Butter melted
For the fruit filling
- 2 Cups Rhubarb about 4 large stems cut into ½" pieces
- 3 ¾ Cups Strawberries de-stemmed and sliced
- ¾ Cup Sugar
- ¼ Cup Cornstarch or tapioca starch
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla
- ½ teaspoon Orange Zest or lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon Orange Juice or lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F (191 °C) degrees.
Prepare the gluten free crumble topping
- Combine the gluten free flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small mixing bowl. Stir well to mix.1 ¼ Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend, ¾ Cup Light Brown Sugar, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Pour the melted butter into the dry ingredients and stir together to combine. The dry ingredients should be incorporated but the mixture should still be lumpy.½ Cup Vegan Butter
- Place the bowl in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
Prepare the strawberry rhubarb filling
- Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, salt, vanilla, orange zest, and orange juice in a large mixing bowl (or directly in the baking dish). Stir it together until the fruit is well coated with the dry ingredients.2 Cups Rhubarb, 3 ¾ Cups Strawberries, ¾ Cup Sugar, ¼ Cup Cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon Salt, 2 teaspoon Vanilla, ½ teaspoon Orange Zest, 1 Tablespoon Orange Juice
- Spread the filling into your 2-quart baking dish. It's okay if the dish is filled to the top or even mounded up a little. The filling will settle after baking.
- Sprinkle the crumble topping over the filling.
- Place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch and spills. Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes. The filling should be bubbling and the topping should be golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
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