Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

A strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe served in a baking dish and in a bowl with vanilla ice cream

5 from 4 votes

Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Juicy berries, tart rhubarb and a thick, crumbly topping make the best strawberry rhubarb crisp, and this one just happens to be gluten-free, grain-free and Paleo! Plus it can easily be made vegan. See notes at the end.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Resting time20

Total Time1 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 596kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

1 cup (8 oz.) palm shortening
2 cups diced rhubarb (from about 8-10 oz. rhubarb stalks)
2 cups hulled, diced strawberries (from about 14-16 oz. whole strawberries)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons arrowroot flour/starch or tapioca flour/starch
1½ cups superfine blanched almond flour
½ cup coconut sugar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup sliced almonds
vanilla ice cream, for serving (dairy-free, if necessary)

Instructions

Heat the oven to 375°.
Chill the palm shortening in the fridge until ready to use.
In a large bowl, toss together the diced rhubarb and strawberries, honey and arrowroot/tapioca. Pour into an 2½-3 quart (9") baking dish or deep pie dish.
In a medium bowl or stand mixer bowl, mix together the almond flour, coconut sugar and salt. Roughly chop or crumble by hand the sliced almonds and stir them into the dry ingredients.
Add the chilled shortening to the dry mixture in small pieces. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large bowl and pastry cutter, blend the shortening in until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs or damp sand. (You can also use your fingers but it'll get messy.)
Evenly distribute the topping over the fruit.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the topping is brown and the juices are bubbling along the edges.
Let the crisp rest for at least 20 minutes. The juices will be pretty runny. The longer it sits, the more the juices will thicken and set. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with (dairy-free) vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Notes

Note: strawberry rhubarb crisps always have a lot of juice when they first come out of the oven. For the crisp to have a thick sauce right away, it would take way more thickener than you'd want to use or taste. If you've seen pictures of other crisps that looked "dryer," most likely those photos were taken once the crisp had completely cooled. I did not wait that long for the photos here.

To make this vegan: Replace the honey in the filling with coconut sugar or maple syrup. Keep in mind these will slightly change the flavor. You can also use white sugar but then it won't be refined sugar free.

See blog post for more substitutions and variations.

What you can make ahead:

You can make the topping - without adding the palm shortening - and store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Cover leftovers and place in the fridge for up to 5 days.

To reheat leftovers: Place the dish, uncovered, in a 350° oven for 15-25 minutes, until warmed to your liking.

Nutrition