Blueberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Some people reach for chocolate desserts and others prefer creamy sweets, but hardly anybody turns down a delicious fruit crisp. Simply made from fresh or frozen fruit and topped with a buttery oat topping, this blueberry-rhubarb crisp comes together quickly and is a serious crowd-pleaser. Take it to a potluck, serve it at a backyard barbecue or bake it on a regular weeknight just because. Enjoy your rhubarb-blueberry crisp extra crispy? Go ahead and add chopped nuts to the topping.

What’s the difference between a crisp, crumble and cobbler?

When it comes to fruit desserts, small nuances separate them. The main difference between cobblers, crumbles and crisps is the topping. A crisp generally has a topping made with oats and nuts that gets golden brown and crispy in the oven. A crumble is a baked fruit dessert with a flour and butter streusel topping, much like that of a cinnamon coffee cake. Fruit cobbler gets a crown of biscuit dough or cake batter.

Slide farther into the rabbit hole of baked fruit desserts and you’ll find buckles, betties, slumps, sonkers and pandowdies—all made with fruit. These are often (but not exclusively) made in the summer, baked until golden brown and bubbly, and excellent with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Blueberry-Rhubarb Crisp Ingredients

• Fresh or frozen blueberries: Fresh berries are extra-nice, but frozen berries are usually high quality and delicious. If using frozen berries, thaw and drain them first.
• Rhubarb: Rhubarb is a tangy and juicy plant with an edible stalk in the buckwheat family. However, the leaves should not be eaten as they contain oxalic acid, which can be toxic in large doses. Look f or fresh, unblemished stalks.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the fruit filling. Blueberries can range from tart to sweet and rhubarb is super tart, so you need the extra sugar. Brown sugar is essential for the crisp topping.
• Flour: All-purpose flour helps thicken the filling and stabilizes the crisp topping.
• Quick-cooking oats: Quick-cooking oats are thinner than regular oats so they cook faster. However, there’s no need to run out and buy them for this recipe. Rolled or old-fashioned oats, the kind you’d use in a typical oatmeal recipe, will do just fine.
• Spices: Cinnamon and nutmeg are harmonious when paired with blueberries and rhubarb. Ginger, cardamom and a pinch of clove would all work nicely as additions.
• Butter: I like a sweet and salty crisp topping, so I use salted butter (or add a pinch of salt) when I make a crisp. You can use whatever butter you like.
• Whipped cream: There’s nothing like a dollop of sweetened whipped cream on a crisp!

Directions

Step 1: Make the fruit filling

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, toss together the blueberries, rhubarb, sugar and flour. Transfer to a greased 13×9-inch baking dish.

Step 2: Mix the crisp topping

In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until crumbly.

Editor’s Tip: To avoid doing more dishes later, make the topping in the same bowl you used to make the filling. You don’t even need to wash it first unless the filling was super juicy. Cut in the butter with two knives, a fork or a pastry cutter. Or, just use your fingers to rub it into the ingredients. But be careful: If your hands or the room are too hot, the butter will melt quickly.

Sprinkle the topping over the fruit mixture.

Step 3: Bake and serve

Bake the crisp for 45 to 55 minutes or until the fruit is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Let it cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm. Dollop with whipped cream, if desired.

Blueberry-Rhubarb Crisp Variations

• Try other berries: Strawberries and rhubarb are a storied combination—you’ll find them together in dishes like strawberry rhubarb cream and strawberry rhubarb cheesecake bars—so don’t hesitate to use fresh or frozen strawberries in place of the blueberries. Raspberries would also be a great choice.
• Switch up the topping: Add nuts to the topping to give it even more crunch. Slivered almonds, walnut pieces or even pistachios would be a wonderful addition.
• Add some zest: Some grated lemon or orange zest would be great in the fruit mixture.
• Spice it up: Add extra spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice or clove, to the fruit.

How to Store Blueberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Store leftover rhubarb-blueberry crisp covered tightly or in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When moving the dessert to a storage container, try to keep the crisp topping on top as much as possible to help slow down the rate at which it gets soggy.

How long does a blueberry-rhubarb crisp last?

Properly stored in the fridge, a fruit crisp lasts up to five days.

Can you freeze blueberry-rhubarb crisp?

You can freeze blueberry-rhubarb crisp, but the topping might get soggy. Ensure the crisp is cooled completely, cover it tightly and freeze it for up to three months. To reheat a frozen crisp, thaw it overnight in the fridge and then bake it at 350° until heated through. You could always add some fresh crisp topping before you bake it.

Do you need to reheat blueberry-rhubarb crisp?

Crisps are delicious hot, cold or in between. If you wish to reheat this dessert, doing so in a 350° oven will help add crunch back to the oat topping, which can be a nice touch (heating the crisp in a microwave will not have the same effect).

Blueberry-Rhubarb Crisp Tips

Is it better to use fresh or frozen rhubarb for blueberry-rhubarb crisp?

Fresh rhubarb is ideal for this rhubarb-blueberry crumble recipe, as frozen rhubarb releases more water when heated. To counteract this, if using frozen rhubarb, measure the fruit while it’s still frozen, then thaw it completely in a colander, allowing it to drain while it defrosts—no need to press the liquid out. If you have a rhubarb plant and want to save some of the stalks for future use, learning how to freeze rhubarb is a good idea.

How should you serve blueberry-rhubarb crisp?

A rhubarb-blueberry crisp is delightful on its own, but you can never go wrong serving it with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of store-bought or homemade vanilla ice cream. Other ice cream flavors could fit the bill too. If you want to get wild, top the crisp with blueberry ice cream, rhubarb crumble ice cream or both!