Rhubarb Crumble Recipe—a tangy, crispy, and sweet dessert that your taste buds will sing with joy. Yes, a unique English dish made with tangy fruit, crunchy oats, and orange juice. And when you pair it with vanilla custard, it is an excellent dessert for a cosy night.

Now, you might be thinking making this crumble recipe is not easy. But trust me, friends, you will change your opinion after reading this article.

Here, I will share an easy recipe from scratch. With it, you will also learn tips, nutritional facts, using either fresh or frozen foods, and lots of other useful facts that you should not miss. So, scroll down and enjoy.

1. What Is A Rhubarb Crumble Recipe?

By origin, it is a British Cuisine and a simple pudding recipe that gained popularity during World War II. Rhubarb Crumble is the favourite and has a sweet and savoury flavour.

The simple recipe consists of a crumble top and a fruit base. Add strawberries, apples, blackberries, or pears in the base section with Rhubarb. And in the topping portion, there are plenty of ways to make it a little crispy (humble crumble), like adding cornflour, oats, or any dried fruit.

2. How Can I Prepare a Rhubarb Crumble Recipe?

There is no magic method to prepare this insanely delicious dessert. But you need to know certain things before cooking it. Firstly, if rhubarb stalks have any leaves attached, discard them, as they are poisonous.

Don’t cut the rhubarbs into small pieces. They tend to break down due to high water content. Although it will soften up during baking, the size still helps retain some texture.

Now, wash them and chop them into chunks about 4 cm in length. You don’t need to peel off the outer skin; it is generally unnecessary unless the rhubarb is particularly tough and stringy.

2.1. Ingredients For The Crumble

• Rhubarb—Take 500 grams from the supermarket or any fruit store. They are usually available in bundles of stalks. Look for the fresh one, with fleshy stalks and without leaves.
• Cornflour—It is optional, but you must include it. It will maintain the thickness of your fruit crumble, or you will have to deal with a watery fruit mixture. You could even try arrowroot starch or tapioca.
• Orange juice or finely grated orange zest—One cup of fresh orange juice or the zest of finely grated orange enhances the tanginess and pairs with the Rhubarb very well. You can also go with lemons if you want.
• Brown sugar—Use 100 grams of brown sugar for the crumble. It will add a sweet note of caramel to your Rhubarb crumble recipe. You can use caster sugar or white sugar.
• Vanilla extract—To boost the flavour and sweetness, use vanilla extract or essence.

2.2. Ingredients For The Toppings

• Plain flour—The main ingredient to get a crispy and crunchy texture in your recipe. You can even try all-purpose flour also. Use 100 grams of flour. Or go with desiccated coconut for the lighter crumble.
• Oats—Use rolled oats to make the crumble-top crunchier and tastier. Steel-cut or quick oats are also good.
• Butter—Take 100 grams of unsalted butter to make the topping crunchy. If you are a vegan, replace it with margarine.
• Demerara sugar—Use demerara sugar instead of white or brown sugar for the crumble topping. Take 4 tbsp of demerara sugar. It has large crystals to give a crunchy texture.

2.3. The Making Process

Step 1—Preheat the oven to 190 C / 375 F, fan-forced. Take the Rhubarb chunks to a baking tray and add brown sugar, orange juice, zest, cornflour, and vanilla extract. Mix all the ingredients well and put them aside.

Step 2 —In a large bowl, combine all the topping ingredients. And rub the chilled butter into the dry flour and oats, and add demerara sugar to it. Combine the mixture well until it gets sticky and lumpy. Or, if you are using a food processor, add all the ingredients and pulse gently to make a crumb-like texture.

Step 3—Use your fingertips to mix the crumble top a little more until it looks like bread crumbs. Now, freeze it for 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 4—Spoon the chilled crumble-top mixture on the Rhubarb fruit and scatter it carefully.

Step 5—Bake it for 30 to 40 minutes in a medium baking dish until the fruit softens and the crumble turns golden brown. Serve it hot with ice cream or fresh custard.

2.4. Tips For The Rhubarb Crumble Recipe

1. When you use the butter for the crumble topping, ensure it is chilled. It will help the rubbing way easier. It will create a better texture for your toppings.
2. If you want a spicy twist on your traditional recipe, add some finely chopped ginger stem, juice, or ground ginger, according to your choice.
3. Don’t forget to use chilled toppings to get chunky and craggy crumbles. Freezing hardens them, resulting in crispy and crunchy Rhubarb crumble when baked.
4. You can use hazelnuts and ground almonds to the simple crumble mixture—they are a great addition to the rhubarb recipes.
5. Don’t forget to use cornflour in your fruit mixture, or you will be left with a soggy crumble. Due to its high water content, the Rhubarb releases water as soon as you mix it with sugar. So, always add cornflour to the mixture before baking it.

2.5. What To Serve With Rhubarb Crumble?

The Rhubarb crumble tastes mouthwateringly delicious when you serve it hot. Or you can have it with ice cream, sour cream, or custard. Here, I will share a quick vanilla custard recipe you can prepare quickly.

2.5.1. Old-fashioned Vanilla Custard Recipe

Thick, velvety, old-fashioned vanilla custard tastes incredible when you pour it over the Rhubarb crumble. So, guys, let’s check it out.

Ingredients:

• One cup of double cream
• Four egg yolks
• One cup milk
• Two tbsp cornstarch
• Two tbsp vanilla essence
• Four tbsp caster sugar

Preparation:

1. Over medium heat, place a saucepan. Now combine the double cream, whole milk, and vanilla and stir it for 5 minutes. Remove the mixture from the oven when it is warm but not boiling.
2. Add egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch to a bowl and whisk it until it blends well. Now, pour the hot cream over the egg yolks and stir the mixture continuously.
3. Finally, pour the custard mixture into that saucepan and place it on low heat. Stir it continuously for 10 minutes until the custard thickens.
4. Now serve this old-fashioned vanilla custard over the crumble and enjoy.

3. Nutritional Facts About Rhubarb

Rhubarb is low in calories and not high in essential nutrients. However, they are rich in Vitamin K1 and fibres, similar to orange, celery, and apple.

According to USDA, 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of cooked Rhubarb with sugar comes with,

• Energy: 116 kcal
• Carbs: 31.2 g
• Fibre: 2 g
• Protein: 0.39 g
• Fat: 0.05 g
• Water: 67.8 g
• Calcium: 145 mg
• Potassium: 96 mg
• Sodium: 1 mg
• Iron: 0.21 mg

4. Can I Use Tinned Rhubarb For The Rhubarb Crumble Recipe?

The simple answer is yes, you can. But it will be a little different in texture and taste. As tinned rhubarb has been heated to kill the microorganism, you will have it in an already cooked form. Due to this, it also loses the fruity texture and does not taste like any fresh Rhubarb.

Sometimes, the tinned Rhubarb comes with sugar syrup or light syrup. In that case, you must use the right amount of sugar in the fruit base. Or, you may end up with a sugary recipe.

5. Can I Use Frozen Rhubarb?

Like the tinned Rhubarb, you can also use a frozen one for the recipe. But in the case of frozen Rhubarb, you need to keep an eye on certain things while cooking.

You have to thaw the Rhubarb properly before using it. It will hamper the structure during this as the Rhubarbs are high in water content. They will break down when you defrost them. Defrost rhubarb releases moisture. So, don’t add too much sugar or liquid syrup to the fruit mix.

Frozen Rhubarb is also good. But in that case, you must keep a good eye on the cooking time. Or, you have to deal with the burned crumble top, as with the frozen one, you need more time for the cooking.

6. Can I Add Other Fruits To The Crumble?

Yes, you definitely can. The Strawberry and Rhubarb combination has a sour and sweet taste. Just replace half the Rhubarb with the strawberry and make your strawberry-rhubarb crumble recipe.

Blueberries, pears, and apples also pair well with the Rhubarb. Just make sure that when you replace it with any sweet fruit, try to decrease the sugar you use.

7. How Can I Store The Leftover Rhubarb Crumble?

You can store the Rhubarb crumble in the freezer or refrigerator for days to months.

Store leftover Rhubarb Crumble in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. When you plan to eat it again, reheat it in the oven preheated to 350°F (175°C) for about 10-15 minutes. Rhubarb crumble can be served warm.

You can also keep them for months in a freezer. But make sure you use a freezer-proof dish. Before using it, either defrost them or cook the refrigerated Rhubarb, as mentioned above. Reheat the frozen Rhubarb in a preheated oven for about one hour at 160 C.

Final Note

I hope you have a handy guide that you need to know before preparing the delicious Rhubarb crumble recipe. So, enjoy the reading and cook this mouthwatering dessert for your friends and family.

Last Updated on December 17, 2023 by Arnab Nandi