An easy rhubarb crumble made with fresh stalks and a classic golden topping. No fuss, no complicated steps, just a reliable, delicious spring pudding you’ll come back to all season.
An Easy Rhubarb Crumble We Make Every Spring
The first rhubarb of the year always ends up in a crumble.
It’s sharp, bright, and exactly what you want after a winter of heavier puddings. This is the dessert my children ask for, every single time. I’ve got four of them, all grown now, and we’ve been making this together since they were small enough to rub butter into flour with far more enthusiasm than skill.
If I make something else, however good it is, there’s always a flicker of disappointment.
Rhubarb season lines up neatly with a run of family birthdays here, so this crumble appears on the table again and again through spring. Everyone eats it and there are no leftovers!
We eat it with ice-cream because we are creatures of habit. Serve it with custard or cream if you prefer.
What You Need To Make Rhubarb Crumble
Rhubarb: Our first crumbles of the year are filled with the juicy and tender bright pink stems of the first forced stalks of the season. As the season goes on, the stalks grow larger and vary in colour from light green to ruby red. They all work. The larger stems will need a little longer in the oven.
Crumble: A simple mix of self-raising flour, crunchy Demerara sugar and vegan butter rubbed together into a rough, crumbly texture. Sometimes I add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg, sometimes I don’t.
This is the way my Gran taught me to make it at her kitchen table, and it’s how I make it too. It is simple, traditional, and absolutely delicious.
How to Make Rhubarb Crumble
For a full, printable recipe card for this classic rhubarb crumble, scroll to the bottom of the page.
- Prepare the rhubarb: Trim and chop the rhubarb stems into even pieces and discard any leaves. You can add a little sugar if you like, but I usually don’t. The sharpness balances the sweet topping.
- Make the crumble topping: Rub the vegan butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the Demerara sugar and add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg if you fancy it.
- Assemble: Add the rhubarb to a lightly greased baking dish and scatter the crumble evenly over the top. Don’t press it down, you want that rough texture so it crisps up as it bakes!
- Bake: Bake until the topping is golden brown and the rhubarb is soft and bubbling underneath.
- Let it sit: Leave it to stand for a few minutes before serving. It will be very hot straight from the oven.
Variations
If you want to soften the sharpness, add strawberries. I do this occasionally, but it divides the room, so I tend to keep it for non-family gatherings!
You can also add a handful of chopped nuts to the topping for extra crunch.
Seasonal Notes
Rhubarb is one of the first things ready in the garden each year. Those early stalks waving at me from the veg garden feel like a proper shift into spring.
I pick it steadily through the season, then stop around midsummer to let the plant recover. After that, we wait again.
More Rhubarb Recipes to Try
If you’ve got a glut of rhubarb, or you’re just not ready to stop at crumble, here are a few more ways to use it:
- Rhubarb Compote – soft, tart, and perfect spooned over porridge, yoghurt, or pancakes
- Rhubarb Muffins with a Crumble Topping – a good one for lunchboxes or freezing
- Apple and Rhubarb Pie – for when you want something a bit more substantial
- Creamy Rhubarb Dessert – layered, softer, and a nice contrast to crumble
Classic Rhubarb Crumble from Scratch (Vegan)
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Oven Proof Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 400 g rhubarb stalks
- 125 g self raising flour or 1 cup plain all purpose flour and 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 90 g vegan butter or margarine + a little extra for greasing
- 90 g Demerara sugar + a little extra for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C/400F and lightly grease an ovenproof baking dish measuring approximately 25 x 20 cm (10 inches x 8 inches)
- Slice the rhubarb into 3cm/1 inch chunks (you don't have to be too accurate here as long as they are similar lengths)
- Add the rhubarb to the prepared dish in an even layer.
- Put the flour into a mixing bowl, add the butter or margarine and rub in to the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
- Add the sugar and stir to combine.
- Spoon the crumble mixture onto the rhubarb making sure all the fruit is covered. Do not press it down.
- Sprinkle with a little extra Demerara sugar.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 - 40 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the rhubarb is soft and bubbling. (Poke it with a fork to check)
- Serve with ice-cream, cream or custard.
