Cozy and warming, this blueberry rhubarb crisp without flour is perfect as a seasonal late spring or summer dessert! With tart rhubarb, sweet berries and simple oat topping, it's so easy to make and has very little 'hands on' prep time.
Love all things rhubarb? Do check out my easy rhubarb sauce, rhubarb smoothie and my apple rhubarb compote as tasty dessert or breakfast toppings!
With spring here, both the stores and my back yard are abundant with fresh sweet fruit, so I'm making the most of them! Alongside this rhubarb blueberry crisp, I think you'll enjoy my apple blueberry crisp and blackberry and apple crisp as fruity sweet treats!
Making this indulgent fruit crisp couldn't be easier, and has the best gooey sweet fruit and flour-free oat topping. So head to the freezer and pantry to grab your ingredients, and then let me show you how to make this warming sweet treat!
Looking for more cozy dessert ideas? Do have a peek at my blueberry rice pudding and my rice pudding with oat milk as simple weekend treats!
This recipe was updated April 1, 2024 with new photos, recipe tips and a slightly updated recipe.
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⭐ Why this recipe is so good
- Deliciously sweet and tart. Cooked rhubarb has a sumptuous sweet yet slightly tart flavor, and blueberries give us so much sweetness.
- Vegan and gluten free. Use certified gluten free oats, and coconut oil for a dairy free, gluten free and low histamine rhubarb dessert (note that rhubarb scores 1 on the SIGHI list).
- Easy recipe. There's very little hands-on prep time, then the oven does the work!
🫐 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Rhubarb - I suggest to use fresh rhubarb if you can, although frozen will also work well (but will release a little water when baking).
- Blueberries - use either fresh or frozen!
- Oats - I suggest to use old-fashioned rolled oats, and certified gluten free if you have that dietary requirement.
- Coconut oil - this is used as a swap for butter, make sure to melt it before use!
- Pepitas - also known as pumpkin seeds, use unsalted seeds for a little crunch.
- Maple syrup and brown sugar - for the best sweetness.
📖 Swaps and variations
Add more brown sugar. I find the quantities of fruit, maple syrup and brown sugar used give enough sweetness, but if you have a sweet tooth then add a little more brown sugar.
Swap cardamom for cinnamon. Both work well in the oat topping, but my low histamine readers may wish to use cardamom as the histamine level of cinnamon is very debated.
🔪 Step by step instructions
Making this blueberry rhubarb crisp is super simple, requires fairly few ingredients and has minimal prep time.
All the instructions are in the recipe card below, but these step by step photos should help guide you.
Step 1: Combine fruit
Scatter diced rhubarb and fresh or frozen blueberries in a baking dish (image 1).
Step 2: Combine topping ingredients
Combine rolled oats, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), cardamom, brown sugar, melted coconut oil and maple syrup (image 2).
Step 3: Mix oat topping
Use a wooden spoon or your hands to combine the oat topping ingredients, making sure that the oats are well coated in the wet ingredients of coconut oil and maple syrup so they are very slightly sticky (image 3).
Step 4: Bake the rhubarb crisp
Scatter the oat topping over the fruit in an even layer (image 4). Bake the rhubarb blueberry crisp for about 45 minutes, so the fruit is gooey and slightly bubbling.
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- Be sure to mix the oat topping well, so the ingredients are all combined with the melted coconut oil and maple syrup and slightly sticky.
- You can use both fresh and frozen rhubarb for this crisp, but note that frozen may may the fruit filling a little more 'wet'.
- Watch the crisp towards the end of cook time as the topping can catch fast and we don't want a burnt crisp!
📋 Frequently asked questions
Where I live, in London, it comes into season in early April but you can usually find 'forced' rhubarb in the store or a farm shop from the early February onwards.
Yes, you can use frozen rhubarb. It may release a little more liquid than fresh, but will still be sweet, tart and delicious!
It's a vegan crisp as we use coconut oil rather than butter, and can be gluten free if you use certified oats.
Rhubarb scores 1 on the SIGHI list, with a note, 'Controversial. Often well tolerated. Oxalic acid'. As with all recipes here, only use if you know you tolerate well.
🥣 How to serve
If it works for you, then a good scoop of vanilla ice cream is always a traditional side for a warm fruit crisp!
🍽 More tasty desserts
Find so many tasty desserts for winter such as my warming spiced poached pears and honey flapjacks, or summer treats to cool you down with my mango sorbet without ice cream maker and apple juice popsicles. Some recent recipes to enjoy:
I’m always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And please do leave a star rating ⭐ if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp
Equipment
- Baking dish approximately 12-9 inches
Ingredients
For the fruit filling
- 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
- 4 cups rhubarb diced into ½ inch pieces
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
For the oat topping
- 1.5 cups oats gluten free, if required
- 2 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar more to preference
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon cardamom more, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 360F.
- Add the diced rhubarb and blueberries to a baking dish and drizzle over the maple syrup.
- Combine the oats, melted coconut oil, cardamom, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), brown sugar and maple syrup and stir thoroughly so the mixture becomes very slightly sticky from the oil. Sprinkle over the fruit in an even layer.
- Bake the crisp for 45 minutes so the topping is golden brown and the fruit is gooey and bubbly, but keep an eye on it from about 35 minutes onwards as the topping can burn easily and turn fast! Leave to cool slightly, and then enjoy!
Notes
- Fresh or frozen rhubarb and blueberries can be used. If using frozen, they will release a little water in the baking process so you will get a 'wetter' fruit syrup.
- Ensure the oat mixture is thoroughly combined so the oats are all coated in the coconut oil and maple syrup.
- Watch towards the end of cook time for any signs of burning, the oat topping can catch fast!
- Nutritional information is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- rhubarb scores 1 with a note, 'Controversial. Often well tolerated. Oxalic acid'.
- cardamom scores 0, but has a note that some varieties may not be well tolerated.
Melissa McCann says
Hi Claire! I have a huge rhubarb plant in my backyard and I'm excited to try this recipe. Do you think it would be ok without the stevia? It's not something I have on hand.
Claire says
Hi Melisssa, it should be fine without stevia. Perhaps add a little brown sugar instead to help sweeten.
Melissa says
Ok I'll give that a try! Thank you so much!
Claire says
Hope you enjoy!