Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Pistachios

This strawberry rhubarb crisp is a summer classic with a surprising twist. Sweet strawberries and blueberries perfectly balance tart rhubarb and finished with a crunchy pistachio crumble.

Summer is definitely coming to a close. Next week is the last full week of summer vacation for my kids before school starts. It always makes me a little sad to see the kids return to school. Don’t get me wrong, I could use the alone time.

But, summer has this special magic. Something about the lazy mornings, laid-back schedule, bathing suit tan lines on my kids and dinner at 7 o’clock because the sun is still up.

Summer means sand in the car, flip flops on the feet and sleepovers. Marco polo in the pool, boogie boarding at the beach and sand castles lining the shore. Tomatoes in the garden, corn on the cob and smiles dripping with watermelon juice.

Which brings me to my favorite summer fruit, strawberries! Oodles and oodles of sweet and delicious strawberries. We eat them plain, but I love cooking with them, too. Besides making strawberry jam, my other favorite way to cook with strawberries is to bake a strawberry rhubarb crisp.

Why this recipe is so fabulous

Fruit desserts are my absolute favorite dessert. It’s probably the Persian side in me as middle easterners serve fresh fruit as a dessert all the time, something lost on my Western counterparts. But also, they do not have to be tooth cracking sweet.

Fruit desserts are not only delicious, but they are rather beautiful with their bright colors. And one of the easiest desserts to bake, whether you are a novice cook or a seasoned gourmet, is a fruit crisp. But wait, what is a crisp? Is it like a cobbler or a crumble?

When it comes to fruit desserts, there are so many choices. And if you are a little befuddled about the differences of some of America’s favorite fruit desserts, I am here to clear the confusion.

Betty: Made with layers of fruit and buttered bread pieces (or crumbs) and baked together.

Buckle: A cake like batter baked in a pan with fruit placed on top. As the cake bakes, the fruit sinks down and bakes in the center. Doesn’t this brown butter blueberry buckle look incredible?!

Cobbler: Baked in a casserole dish with fruit on the bottom and sweet biscuit dough pieces on top. (Check out my recipe for peach blueberry cobbler pictured above)

Crisp: Baked in a casserole dish with fruit on the bottom and a crispy topping over it. Similar to a crumble, except that the topping contains oats and nuts. That’s what this recipe is, a strawberry rhubarb crisp.

Crumble: Fruit baked on the bottom with a crumbly streusel topping made from sugar, flour and butter.

Grunt: Similar to a cobbler, but made in a skillet on the stove top. Also called a slump. (Here’s a great recipe for a cherry berry grunt)

Pandowdy: Fruit baked on the bottom with rolled pastry on top. Once out of the oven, the pastry is then broken into pieces to absorb the sweet fruit juices. Hello blueberry peach pandowdy!

Pie: Pastry crust on the bottom with fruit in the middle and sometimes more pastry on top. (Check out my recipe for homemade peach blueberry pie!)

Ingredients you need

• Rhubarb: You can use fresh or frozen rhubarb. If using frozen, thaw completely and discard excess juice.
• Strawberries: Fresh strawberries are preferred over frozen as frozen strawberries will melt even more when baked.
• Blueberries: You can use fresh or frozen blueberries. If using frozen, thaw completely and discard excess juice.
• Lemon: You will use the zest and juice from of a lemon. You can skip the zest, but you do need an acidic juice like lemon, orange or grapefruit juice.
• Butter: Use unsalted butt and keep it cold. This helps keeps the crumbly topping crunchy and flakey.
• Pistachios: You can also use almond slices or slivers, chopped walnuts or pecans.
• Pantry staples: Rolled old-fashioned oats, all purpose flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, ground cinnamon and salt

Step-by-step directions

1. In a large bowl gently mix together rhubarb, strawberries, blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and zest until the fruit is coated.

2. In a medium-sized bowl mix together the oats, flour, pistachios, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. With your fingers rub the butter into oat mixture until coarse crumbs form.

3. Pour fruit into a shallow 2-3 quart baking dish and sprinkle evenly with topping. You can also bake crisp in individual ramekins or bowls.

4. Bake for 45 minutes at 350ºF or until toping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling. Let crisp sit for 20-30 minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature. If baking in smaller individual dishes, place the small bowls/ramekins on a baking sheet while it bakes. The smaller bowls tend to get stuffed with fruit and can overflow with juices as it bakes.

Recipes tips and FAQs

There’s another reason why fruit crisps are so popular, besides how easy they are to throw together. You can use almost any fruit to make a crisp. Trust me, I have made a whole lot with a variety of different fruits.

You want to use fruits that have flesh and meat to it. For example, citrus fruits don’t make good crisps as they are mostly juice. Another option is use two or more fruits in your crisp.

Have you ever tried a grape crisp? I have paired juicy grapes with hearty apples to make a wonderful fall inspired crisp. You can also bake a sweet fruit with a sour for another wonderful flavor combination.

Other fruits you can use alone or paired with another fruit to make a crisp include:

• peaches
• nectarines
• apples
• quince
• pears
• grapes
• strawberries
• blueberries
• raspberries
• blackberries
• mangos
• plums
• rhubarb
• cranberries
• cherries
• apricots

PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.

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