If you're looking for a dessert that's both sweet and tangy, look no further than this sweet tart rhubarb crumble recipe. Fresh orange zest and orange juice add a citrusy sweetness to the tart rhubarb. The crumble is baked until the top is golden brown and the rhubarb is hot and bubbly.
I love the sour, mouth-puckering tartness of rhubarb. I only discovered it a few years ago and now I wait anxiously for it to appear in the stores and farmer’s market so I can start baking with it as soon as possible. Some of my favorites include rhubarb compote, rhubarb crumb cake, and rhubarb ice cream (based on a recipe from a local ice cream shop).
This rhubarb crumble is a great way to use up fresh rhubarb and it taste amazing - from the sweet golden crumble topping to the juicy tangy rhubarb filling you’ll savor every bite. With simple ingredients and straightforward steps, this easy crumble recipe will have you serving up a mouthwatering dessert in no time.
What Does Rhubarb Taste Like
Raw rhubarb is quite sour but still kind of delicious, if you like really sour foods. If you’ve never had it before I recommend trying a little slice before you starting baking with it so you can truly understand the flavor and see if you like it.
Rhubarb is a seasonal fruit that is only available for a few months each year, so it is important to take advantage of it when it is in season.
Rhubarb Crumble Ingredients
- Fresh Rhubarb: Fresh rhubarb the best option for this recipe. Look for stalks that have a deep red color, are no more than 1/2-inch wide, and have a light shine to them. The thicker the stalks the tougher the rhubarb will be. Red stalks have a stronger, sweeter more robust flavor than green stalks, which is why I recommend looking for the red stalks for this recipe. Don't use rhubarb that has shriveled up or turned brown.
- Tapioca Flour: The tapioca flour thickens the rhubarb filling and keeps it from being too watery. I like using it because it produces a clear gel filling and reliably thickens my crumble and pie fillings. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill Tapioca Flour. If you can’t find tapioca flour you can use cornstarch. See the recipe notes for the substitution amounts.
- Ground Ginger: Ginger pairs really well with rhubarb. It adds slight spice kick, which I love.
How to Make Rhubarb Crumble
You’re going to love this amazing rhubarb crumble. It’s tart, tangy, and sweet all at the same time.
I tested the recipe multiple times and found that using a single layer of rhubarb in the baking dish will produce the best crumble with the right proportion of fruit filling and sweet crumble topping. Not to mention that yummy rhubarb syrup in the bottom of the pan.
Step 1: Place the flour, brown sugar, salt, ground ginger, and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl and whisk together. Use your fingers to break up any brown sugar clumps.
Step 2: Add the butter and use either a pastry cutter or your hands to smush the butter into the flour mixture.
Step 3: Place the rhubarb in large mixing bowl. Add the orange zest, orange juice and use a spatula to toss the rhubarb with the lemon juice and vanilla extract.
Step 4: Sprinkle the tapioca and sugar mixture over the rhubarb and fold the dry ingredients into the rhubarb until there are no white bits left.
Step 5: Spoon the rhubarb filling mixture into the baking dish, then add the crumble mixture on top.
Step 6: Bake the crumble until the edges are bubbly, popping with big and small bubbles. The bake time will vary so your visual cues are the bubbly filling and the light browning of the crumble
Step 7: Remove the crumble from the oven, place it on a wire rack and let it cool for about 30 minutes before digging it, but if you’re like me you may taste it while it’s still hot and bubbly just to make sure it’s okay.
What Is The Difference Between a Crumble and a Crisp
I see recipes for fruit crisps and crumbles all the time and have often ask, what is the difference. Growing up, my family called it a crisp, as in apple crisp, etc., but we never put oats in it. So I did a little research.
Well, crumbles and crisps are very similar. Both start out with fruit topped with a mixture of flour, sugar, and butter. But here is the main difference: while both have a topping of flour, sugar, and butter, crisps, traditionally have whole oats added to the topping (which "crisped" when they baked) while crumbles only used flour. And this is why this recipe is called a rhubarb crumble.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- For the crumble use a food scale to weigh the flour and butter for best results. If you use too much flour, the crumble will be dry and not hold it’s shape.
- It’s important to wait until you see the rhubarb juices bubbling around the edge of the pans before you pull it from the oven. That’s how you will know it’s done.
- Let the crumble sit for 30 minutes before serving. It will still be warm, but it will have time to finish setting up and the rhubarb syrup will be a little thicker.
If you make this recipe please leave a rating and a comment below.
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Rhubarb Crumble with Brown Sugar Streusel
Ingredients
Brown Sugar Streusel
- 1 cup (125 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (67 grams) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter, cold plus extra to butter the baking pan
Rhubarb Filling
- 5 cups (500 grams) fresh rhubarb about 5-6 stalks depending on size
- Orange zest from one medium orange
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1-1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar plus extra to adjust the level of sweetness
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons (40 grams) Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly butter the baking dish. For this recipe I used a 10-inch round ceramic baking dish.
Make the Crumble Topping
- Cut the cold butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place it back in the refrigerator so it stays cold while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Place the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a medium size bowl. Whisk until well combined. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and toss the butter into the flour mixture with your hands until all the butter is well coated.
- Use the pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture, until the butter is pea sized. You can also you use your hands if you don’t have a pastry blender. To mix it with your hands take each piece of butter and smash it flat between your index finger and thumb. Continue to do this until the butter is pea sized.
- Place the crumble in the refrigerator to keep it cold until ready to use. The crumble can be made up to one week in advance.
Make the Rhubarb Filling
- Whisk together the tapioca, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- Wash the rhubarb and dry them with a paper towel. Cut the stalks into 1/2-inch pieces.
- Place the rhubarb in a bowl. Zest the orange directly onto the rhubarb. Juice the orange and add 2 tablespoons of orange juice to the rhubarb. Use a silicone spatula to toss the ingredients together. Sprinkle the tapioca-sugar mixture over the rhubarb and fold the dry ingredients into the rhubarb until there are no white flecks left. Let the rhubarb mixture sit for 5 minutes and then taste them. If the rhubarb is too tart add 2 more tablespoons of sugar and taste again.
- Let the rhubarb sit for another 5 minutes to let the sugar and tapioca finish dissolving. Spoon the rhubarb filling into the prepared baking dish and use the back of the spoon to make an even layer. Spread the crumble over the fruit by taking a small handful of the crumble, squeezing it together then breaking it into small chunks over the rhubarb filling. Leave the edges of the filling exposed so you can see the rhubarb juices bubbling up as they crumble bakes.
Bake the Rhubarb Crumble
- Bake the rhubarb crumble for 25-30 minutes until you see the rhubarb juices bubbling up all the way around the baking dish and some of the crumble has started to brown on top.
- Remove the crumble from the oven, set it on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes to allow the juices to set up. It will still be warm.
- Serve it plain, or with vanilla ice cream with some of the juices from the pan spooned over the top.
Storage
- The crumble can be stored at room temperature for 1 day unless it is very warm in your house (over 75 degrees F). In that case I recommend storing it in the refrigerator at the end of day covered with plastic wrap. The crumble is good in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Wade says
Fantastic
Eric says
Starting to make this. Ground ginger is mentioned in intro but not in recipe. Also in notes it says strawberries can be cut and refrigerated ahead. Where are the strawberries in recipe?
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Eric
I have corrected the typos in the recipe. Thank your letting me know about them. I corrected the recipe to add the ginger to the ingredient list and removed the references to strawberries. There are no strawberries in the recipe.
Nina S says
Once again I just had a question before I make the recipe since I'm interested in cooking with rhubarb but don't have quite enough here to measure 5 cups; was wondering if, being a tad creative here, I could substitute a cup of chopped Granny Smith apple to make it up? (Well ONE LARGE Grannysmith...) I do feel that rhubarb and apple are a great pairing taste-wise, almost as good as rhubarb & strawberry! I understand that they would definitely upset the sweet-tart balance, and probs the texture of the original recipe (so maybe add a LITTLE more sugar too?)and also know they would cook down quicker as well. But overall, what do you think of the idea? Would it require too much recipe adjusting or not?