This rustic rhubarb berry crisp is delicious and so easy to put together. It works with just about any fruit you would typically select for a pie filling (see the post on my apple version). This is a simple 4-ingredient crisp topping recipe: butter, flour sugar, and cinnamon that is sprinkled over fruit and baked. You can also add a filling thickener if you are using berries or fruit that may give up a lot of liquid. Because this crisp is made from ingredients you may typically have on hand, it’s a quick dessert recipe for unexpected guests. And, don’t let the short ingredient list fool you – it is really yummy!

My Rhubarb Berry Crisp Recipe

Rhubarb berry crisp comes from my grandmother’s recipe box. It is a staple dessert that has carried through generations. I have made it with apples, peaches, berries and a combination of any of the above. It’s a recipe I have visited often enough that I can put it together from scratch without opening the recipe box for directions. I think it is stellar with fresh, in-season fruit and organic dry ingredients. I particularly like this crumb mixture as I am not a fan of crisps made with oatmeal. This has a lovely, crispy, light texture, but isn’t heavy and “woody” as some recipes with oats can be. Serve it with a scoop of ice-cream and it’s just perfect!

Steps for Making Rhubarb Berry Crisp

I’ll show you step-by-step how to make this rustic rhubarb berry crisp.

Supplies

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll need a bowl for your filling and a bowl for your crisp topping. I use a deep-dish pie plate for baking, a mixing spoon for the berries and a fork for making the crisp topping.

Crisp Topping Ingredients

In a medium sized bowl, place one stick of softened butter. You’ll want it soft enough to easily mash with a fork, but still hold it’s shape.
On top of this, pour 3/4 cup of granulated sugar. Again, I go organic with all my ingredients, but it will taste the same regardless of your choice. I always add the sugar as the second step. I feel that the grainy texture of the sugar making contact with the butter stick lends to cutting into that butter when we begin to form the crumble for the crisp.
Next, add a cup of flour.
Lastly, measure in 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

Mixing Rhubarb Berry Crisp Topping

You’ll use a fork to mash the dry ingredients into the butter. The mix will come together quickly and quite easily. I’ll show you three simple steps to watch for as the crumble develops.

At first, the mix ingredients will be fairly separate. Continue mashing with the fork evenly around the bowl to work the dry ingredients into the butter.
You’ll begin to see a rockier appearance develop with still quite a bit of loose flour, sugar and cinnamon around the edges. Continue mashing with the fork.
The final crumble will be fairly even and uniform. The overall color will be sandy with no loose dry ingredients.

You can set the crumble bowl aside and prep the filling.

Fruit Filling Ingredients

For this recipe, I chose rhubarb, raspberries and blackberries. I had frozen rhubarb in the freezer that I wanted to use up as this year’s crop is ready to pick. I had raspberries and blackberries in the fridge, and thought this would create a nice combo with my crisp topping. This is the beauty of this recipe; you can choose any fruit filling you’d like. I would stick to those fruits you would normally use for pie filling as they work the best.

Mixing Rhubarb Berry Crisp Filling

Because my rhubarb was frozen, I let it thaw and drained it before adding to the recipe. I did this because I knew it would release a lot of water. I added this to the bottom of another medium mixing bowl. I had between 3-4 cups of chopped rhubarb. When adding fruit to this dessert, you don’t have to worry about exact measurement. You just want enough to cover the bottom of a pie plate and have a little thickness to it. It doesn’t need anywhere near the amount of fruit for a pie. Try it and you’ll see. Scant or abundant on the fruit, it still works.
I wanted to add another flavor in with the rhubarb for this recipe. I was out of the traditional strawberry companion, so I reached for raspberries and blackberries in the fridge. Again, this is why I love this recipe. Choose what appeals to you. I added 2 generous handfuls of raspberries and one generous handful of blackberries. Have you noticed how “exact” my measurements are? I want to ensure you understand that you’d have to go really far afield to mess this recipe up.
Lastly, because I am using berries, and knew they will generate a lot of liquid, I added a thickener so they wouldn’t take the “crisp” away from my crisp topping. I chose to use Minute Tapioca. It doesn’t add flavor, but gels up the fruit a bit. Feel free, however, to use any thickener you would typically reach for when making pie filling. There is no need to add sugar to the berry mixture.

Gently mix the berries and thickener together.

Baking Rhubarb Berry Crisp

Your oven will already be set to 350 and ready to go.
Butter a deep dish pie plate
Pour berries into the dish and arrange in an even layer.
Sprinkle crumble mixture over the top, covering all the fruit.
Place in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes.

The rhubarb berry crisp will be done when the crumble has browned.

Let it sit on a baking rack so that bubbling interior cools and settles.

This is best served same day and delicious with ice cream! The crisp has a lovely tart/sweetness to it.

Enjoy!

Irma’s Apple Crisp