Rhubarb Crumble with Brown Sugar Streusel

If you're looking for a dessert that's both sweet and tangy, look no further than this Rhubarb Crumble recipe. Fresh orange zest and orange juice are added to complement the tart rhubarb and then the mixture is topped with a brown sugar streusel. The crumble is baked until the top is golden brown and the rhubarb is hot and bubbly. This delicious rhubarb dessert is the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors. The sweetened rhubarb guaranteed to satisfy your taste buds.

I love 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 and cooking with it. 

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.

If you love the combination of sweet brown sugar crumble and delectable sweet fruit then check out my recipes for Strawberry Crumble, Blueberry Crumble Pie, and Peach Crumble Pie.

What Does Rhubarb Taste Like

Raw rhubarb is quite sour, just as mouth-puckering as lemon. Eating raw rhubarb stalks is completely safe and 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.  

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. Check out my recipes for Rhubarb Ice Cream and Rhubarb Hand Pies for more ideas.

While technically a vegetable, rhubarb is treated like a fruit which is why you will often see it in desserts or combined with other fruits like strawberry and raspberry.  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.  

Rhubarb Crumble Ingredients

Here is what you’ll need for this delicious sweet treat:

• Fresh Rhubarb: Fresh rhubarb the best option for this recipe.  Look for stalks that have a deep red color, are no more than ½-inch wide, and have a light shine to them.  The thicker the stalks the tougher the rhubarb will be.
• Granulated Sugar: Also known as white sugar, adds sweetness and helps the fruit juices thicken while the dessert is baking.  Since the dessert is supposed to be tart I use just enough sugar to tame some of the rhubarb’s tartness
• Tapioca Flour: The tapioca flour thickens the rhubarb filling and keeps it from being too watery.  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.
• Orange Juice:  The sweetness and flavor of orange juice pairs really well with the rhubarb while adding a nice citrus note.
• Orange Zest: The orange zest adds a beautiful orange flavor and also a slight floral taste.
• Unbleached All-Purpose Flour: The flour is necessary for the crumbly texture and for the crumble to hold its shape during baking.
• Unsalted Butter: Butter holds all the other ingredients together.  Using cold butter ensures that the crumble holds its shape when baked and helps maintain the crispy texture.
• Light Brown Sugar: The brown sugar adds, sweetness, and crunch to the crumble.  I tested this recipe with both light and dark brown sugar and the recipe works with both, so you can use either in the recipe.  
• Ground Cinnamon: The cinnamon adds a nice warm woodsy flavor to the crumble.
• Ground Ginger:  Ginger pairs really well with rhubarb.  It adds slight spick kick.
• Kosher Salt: The kosher salt compliments the sweetness of the crumble.

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.  

Start by preheating the oven and lightly butter the baking dish.  For this recipe I used a round 9-inch ceramic baking dish.  Use a similar size pan for the best results.

Step 1:  Cube the butter into 1/2-inch squares, place the butter in a bowl and put it in the refrigerator to keep the butter cold.  Do not freeze it.  It will be harder to work frozen butter into the dry ingredients.

Step 2: 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 3:  Add the butter and use either a pastry cutter to cut the butter in the flour mixture.  You can also use your hands to smush the butter into the flour mixture.

Step 4:  The butter should be about the size of peas when done. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to keep the crumble cold while you prep the rhubarb.

Step 5: Prep your rhubarb.  Rinse off the rhubarb, pat it dry, and cut off the green stems and the root end.  Cut the rhubarb into ¼-inch slices.  Try to keep the rhubarb slices the same size so they bake evenly in the oven.  

Step 6:  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 7:   Sprinkle the tapioca and sugar mixture over the rhubarb and fold the dry ingredients into the rhubarb until there are no white bits left. 

Let the rhubarb sit for 5 minutes.  Taste them.  Is it too tart?  Add 2 more tablespoons of sugar and taste.  

Step 8:  Spoon the rhubarb filling mixture into the baking dish, then add the crumble mixture on top. 

Step 9: 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

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.

How to Serve The Crumble

My favorite way to eat the rhubarb crumble is warm and plain. I love the brown sugar crumble on top. But if you prefer serve it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.  If there is any syrup in the bottom of the baking dish spoon that over the ice cream.  

How to Store the Fruit Crumble

Leftover rhubarb crumble can be stored at room temperature for 1 day covered with plastic wrap unless your house is really warm.  In that case store it in the refrigerator covered tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Simply reheat it in the microwave or a 350ºF oven when ready to eat, or enjoy it chilled.

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

• Use rhubarb stalks that are thin and deep red they will be sweeter.  Don't use rhubarb that has shriveled up or turned brown.
• 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.

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Rhubarb Crumble with Brown Sugar Streusel

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cooling Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

If you love rhubarb you'll love this sweet and tart rhubarb crumble. The combination of sweet brown sugar crumble and tart rhubarb is absolutely delicious.

Servings: 6

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: English

Author: Cheryl Norris

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

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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.

Notes

Make Ahead: The crumble topping can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. The rhubarb can be washed and cut the day before and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Substitutions: If you don’t have tapioca flour can use cornstarch instead. Use 3 tablespoons of cornstarch instead or half the amount of the tapioca.

Nutrition

Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 398mg | Potassium: 350mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 583IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 1mg

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