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Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble is bursting with jammy fruit and bright lemon juice. It’s topped with a crunchy cinnamon sugar streusel that everyone fights over!

This strawberry rhubarb crumble is a little tart and a little sweet! You can taste the tart rhubarb, you can taste the floral strawberries, and they have thickened together balanced with the brightness of lemon for a super silky filling. And that crumble topping! It certainly doesn’t hurt that I use my Grandmother’s crumble topping recipe that has been in the family for generations. It’s a golden masterpiece!
A crumble is easy, heartwarming and nostalgic–without being fussy. Truly the dessert of the moment at my house! If you’re looking for more ways to use your strawberries, you could keep it wholesome with some strawberry muffins, continue the pop of lemon with these lemon-infused strawberry scones or an individual strawberry shortcake, or enjoy your peak season strawberries all year long with a batch of easy strawberry jam! Happy strawberry season!
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- Lemon makes this crumble bright and extra flavorful. This is the linchpin. Lemon has a magical quality that allows it to enhance all other flavors, especially berries. Somehow it makes strawberries taste more like strawberries. It also brightens the whole dish.
- Thickens beautifully without cornstarch. This crumble thickens naturally while the fruit bakes, so you get nothing but pure fruit flavor!
- Easy to make by hand. It’s ready to bake in 10 minutes! Just mix it, put it in the oven, and get ready to enjoy bursts of texture in every bite.
Professional Tips
- Think of rhubarb like celery’s baking-friendly cousin. Like celery, rhubarb has strings. No one wants strings in their crumble. Be sure to cut the rhubarb across the middle (not up the stalk) and no thicker than ¼ inch pieces.
- Don’t underbake your crumble. I was a habitual under-baker in my formative years because I was so worried that I would overbake. Allow those juices to get thick and bubbly!
- More is more when it comes to crumble topping. The beauty of this recipe is that it allows for some to sink in and absorb some of the fruit juices and some to stay on top and get nice and crispy.
Ingredients
- Rhubarb: Choose rhubarb stalks that are stiff (not limp), and, ideally, are a deep pink to red color. The best, in-season, rhubarb is a dark, almost magenta red. Yes, you can use frozen rhubarb. Don’t worry, it’s all still incredibly tart!
- Strawberries: Choose in-season strawberries that smell fragrant and are red. Time for a trip to the farmers’ market! Out of season strawberries will have less flavor and more water.
- Granulated Sugar: Sugar absorbs moisture as the filling bakes. This results in a thicker fruit filling. For a deeper caramel flavor, swap half the granulated sugar with light brown sugar in the fruit filling.
- Lemon
- All-Purpose Flour: I use all-purpose flour for this recipe. To make this recipe gluten-free, substitute your favorite 1-to-1 gluten-free flour or experiment with almond flour like I do for my strawberry rhubarb pie in an almond flour pie crust! Some recipes call for baking powder, but this recipe does not require it.
- Cinnamon
- Kosher Salt
- Unsalted Butter: The butter can be substituted with coconut oil if you would like. The texture of the topping will come together differently.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Want to add texture? To get closer to a strawberry-rhubarb crisp, fold a few tablespoons of quick oats or chopped nuts into the topping.
- Make it a rhubarb-only crumble. You might want to increase the sugar a little bit, because rhubarb is pretty tart on its own. You could also substitute the strawberries for raspberries. Check out my raspberry rhubarb crisp for more information! Play around with the fruits, this would also be lovely with orange zest and orange juice, you aren’t married to lemon!
- Infuse your crumble with other spices. I use my Grandmother’s cinnamon crumble topping, but you could use different spices. Try pumpkin spice, apple pie spice, nutmeg, or even vanilla (which you know is delish from these strawberry filled cupcakes).
How to Serve
- Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or caramel ice cream. Or vanilla ice cream with salted caramel sauce!
- Serve slightly warm in individual ramekins. Dinner party time!
- Get some added crunch by sprinkling some toasted sliced almonds or crushed amaretti cookies on top.
Instructions: How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Place the rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Step 2: If rhubarb is green, peel it. Chop off any parts containing leaves, those are poisonous. Chop rhubarb in about ¼ inch pieces. If the stalks are large, slice them in half longways before chopping.
Step 3: Wash, hull and dry strawberries. Dice into pieces just slightly larger than the rhubarb.
Step 4: In a medium mixing bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, ⅓ cup sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir to coat fruit evenly. Spoon into a shallow 1 ½ quart casserole dish.
Step 5: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, remaining ½ cup sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture comes together and is crumbly and homogenous. There should be no visible pieces of butter left. It should be clumpy. You can also do this in a food processor or stand mixer. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit mixture.
Sometimes I make a double batch of the crumb topping, and use any extra for coffee cake muffins or cranberry crumb bars!
Step 6: Bake at 350°F for about 50 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbly and the topping is golden brown.
For easier cleanup, place your baking dish on a parchment paper lined sheet pan. This will help catch any bubbling fruit!
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
Taste your fruit, or at least the strawberries. It is a strawberry rhubarb crumble after all. You might want more or less sugar depending on the ripeness of the berries. I like to mix and then taste to get a real indication of how the flavors will meld.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store baked crumble in a covered dish at room temperature or tightly wrapped in the refrigerator or freezer. Baked crumble will keep for 3 days at room temperature, 10 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months tightly wrapped in the freezer. The crumble topping can be made in advance and refrigerated for 7 days or frozen for up to one month.
You only need to peel green rhubarb before baking, but I prefer to bake with rhubarb that is in peak season, which does not need to be peeled. Be sure to cut off any leaves because they are poisonous.
Yes. You can use frozen rhubarb or strawberries in this recipe without thawing them first. I recommend getting the already sliced frozen strawberries. Just add them straight to the mixing bowl and extend the bake time by 5–10 minutes if needed.
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 7 stalks rhubarb about 4 cups
- 2 cups strawberries 1 dry quart
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 lemon zested
- 2 lemons juiced
For the Crumble:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cold and cubed
Instructions
- Place the rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- If rhubarb is green, peel it. Chop off any parts containing leaves, those are poisonous. Chop rhubarb in about ¼ inch pieces. If the stalks are large, slice them in half longways before chopping.
- Wash, hull and dry strawberries. Dice into pieces just slightly larger than the rhubarb.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, ⅓ cup sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir to coat fruit evenly. Spoon into a shallow 1 ½ quart casserole dish.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, remaining ½ cup sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture comes together and is crumbly and homogenous. There should be no visible pieces of butter left. It should be clumpy. You can also do this in a food processor or stand mixer. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit mixture.
- Bake at 350°F for about 50 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbly and the topping is golden brown.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed crisps and crumble recipes!
Can I use frozen rhubarb?
Absolutely, Sue!
I made this last weekend, and it was a hit! Perfectly balanced and delicious! I have added it to our regular rotation for the season.
Hi Sonia! So glad to hear it, thank you for coming back and commenting! It’s the perfect springtime treat! <3
I can’t wait until it’s finally rhubarb season again! Strawberry Rhubarb desserts are my favorite and this one looks like a must-try as soon as I get my hands on that rhubarb!
There is NOTHING better than this! It was gooey and crunchy and full of fresh flavors. Will have this on repeat all season long.
Yaaas, Elizabeth! I couldn’t agree more!
This dessert was a hit. I had rhubarb for the first time with this recipe and I am happy to say I love it. I love this recipe and from now I’ll make this recipe with rhubarb. Thanks for the recipe.
Glad to have a new rhubarb lover, Greta!
The perfect blend of sweet and tart! I absolutely love the zested lemon added to it, such flavor!
Thank you, Shelby!