Rhubarb blueberry crisp is a seasonal spring treat that my family always makes from the often rather overgrown plant at the bottom of the garden. This crisp has a wonderful fruity and tart taste, and is perfect for a weekend dessert for all the family.
Love crisp recipes as much as my family does? Perhaps you may also like to see my apple blueberry crisp and blackberry and apple crisp. Both fruity and delicious!
Or if you are a bit of a blueberry fan, then my blueberry rice pudding is so cosy for a winter dessert. Kids always love it too!
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Why this berry rhubarb crisp is so good
- Full of healthy fruit but still feels indulgent, and especially cosy on a wet rainy day.
- As a vegan, gluten-free (use suitable certified gf oats if required) and low histamine dessert, I hope it suits most dietary requirements.
- Oats are full of health benefits, and often thought of as better for you than the regular flour often used in crumble or crisp recipes.
Ingredients
The main ingredients you will need are:
Rhubarb - the star of this dessert! I have always used fresh rhubarb to make this crisp, but I would think frozen works just as well (although it will release more water).
Blueberries - full of health benefits, you can use fresh if you have them or frozen when out of season. Both work well!
Oats - to make the crisp topping in place of flour often used in crumble recipes. The Bob's Red Mill gluten free rolled oats are good if you have that dietary requirement.
Pumpkin seeds - you can leave these out, but I think they make the crisp topping more interesting and they give a good crunch. The Terrasoul organic pumpkin seeds are good.
Maple syrup - for that all-important indulgent sweetness. Rhubarb definitely needs a bit of sugar to perk it up, and personally I prefer to use maple syrup in place of regular white sugar.
Cardamom - I've fallen in love with this low histamine spice recently and it works perfectly for extra flavour in this crisp.
Coconut oil - to help bind the crisp topping together.
Recipe variations
Not a fan of blueberries? Then you could use other low histamine fruit instead such as a handful of blackcurrants.
The pumpkin seeds are optional, but a good crunch makes the crisp extra tasty in my opinion. You can always swap out for pistachio nuts or crushed almonds if you are able to tolerate them (for my low histamine friends).
Step by step instructions
A very simple recipe, with two main steps:
STEP 1
After preheating the oven, scatter the fruit into an ovenproof dish so that it an even layer. Drizzle over the maple syrup.
STEP 2
Make the oat crisp topping by combining the melted coconut oil, cardamom, pumpkin seeds and stevia. It should be a bit sticky from the oil. Spoon the topping over the fruit and bake the crisp until the fruit is cooked and the topping is very slightly golden brown - watch for any signs of burning though towards the end of cooking!
Rhubarb and a low histamine diet
Rhubarb is one of those foods that is a little debated on a low histamine diet. The SIGHI list scores it as 1 on their 0-3 rating, with a note that states 'controversial. Often well tolerated. Oxalic acid'.
I asked on my Low Histamine Kitchen Instagram, and 64% of people who responded to the poll said they could tolerate it. Of course, if your doctor or dietician has advised you to avoid rhubarb then you should follow their advice. This recipe is only for those who are good with the ingredients.
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. It may release a little more liquid than fresh, but will still be sweet and delicious!
It's vegan as we use coconut oil rather than butter, and can be gluten free if you use certified oats.
More desserts to enjoy
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Rhubarb blueberry crisp
Ingredients
For the filling
- 4 cups rhubarb chopped into ½ inch slices
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
For the topping
- 1.5 cups oats gf if required
- 2 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- 3 tablespoon coconut oil melted
- ½ teaspoon cardamom more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon stevia
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Add the fruit to an ovenproof dish and drizzle over the maple syrup.
- Combine the oats, melted coconut oil, cardamom, pumpkin seeds and stevia and stir thoroughly so the mixture becomes very slightly sticky from the oil. Sprinkle over the fruit.
- Bake the crisp for 45 minutes, 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
- Ensure the oat mixture is thoroughly combined so the oats are all coated in the oil and stevia.
- Watch towards the end of cook time for any signs of burning, the oat topping can catch fast!
- If you prefer not to use blueberries, then you can swap for another low histamine fruit such as apple or blackcurrants.
- rhubarb scores 1. See above for more details.
- cardamom scores 0, but has a note that some varieties may not be well tolerated.
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