This easy vegan strawberry-rhubarb crumble is the ultimate spring dessert: fruity, slightly tart, with a crunchy oat-nut topping that works completely without flour, refined sugar and butter.

I have to back up for a moment: rhubarb and I had a difficult past. When I was a child, my mother grew it in the garden, and in spring it felt like we had pudding with rhubarb compote almost every day. That fibrous-looking mush really never appealed to me – I was not a fan. It took years before I dared to try it again. It was only in cake that I realized: rhubarb can be really delicious. And now, in this rhubarb strawberry crumble (or rather rhubarb crisp), I am completely convinced.
That rhubarb and strawberry are a fantastic combination is something we do not even need to discuss here. The fruit becomes wonderfully soft and sweet as it bakes, while the crunchy oat crumble topping delivers the perfect contrast. After the first spoonful, my husband summed it up perfectly: “The topping tastes unexpectedly buttery.” – in the positive sense, of course. The secret is in the coconut butter, and the coconut note does not come through strongly at all. The result: a healthier dessert that tastes like spring – best enjoyed warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or soy yogurt. Or vanilla sauce. Anything goes.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No flour & gluten-free – the base of the crumble topping is oats. No flour needed. The result is still wonderfully crunchy.
- No refined sugar – sweetened with maple syrup or date syrup.
- No butter or margarine – coconut butter provides the buttery note.
- Quick & easy – prepped in 10 minutes, the oven does the rest.

Ingredient Notes
- Rhubarb: Best to use fresh, firm rhubarb.
- Strawberries: Fresh strawberries work best – but frozen ones are fine too, though they release more liquid, so in that case add 1 tablespoon more cornstarch.
- Cornstarch: Binds the fruit juices while baking so the filling does not get too runny. Alternatively, use arrowroot powder.
- Lemon juice & lemon zest: Adds freshness and brings out the fruit flavors.
- Maple syrup (or date syrup): Sweetness without refined sugar – adjust the amount in the filling depending on how sweet the strawberries are and your personal taste.
- Rolled Oats: The main ingredient of the topping – no flour needed.
- Almond flour: Gives the crumble a fine nutty note and binds the topping. You can also use ground almonds or oat flour.
- Slivered almonds (optional): For extra crunch in the topping. Feel free to use other nuts if you like.
- Coconut butter: Replaces the butter or margarine in the crumble. The coconut note stays pleasantly subtle. Coconut butter is solid at room temperature, so warm it briefly in the microwave or in a small pot on the stove for easier processing.
- Vanilla extract: Rounds out the flavor and gives the crumble a fine vanilla note. Alternatively, you can use vanilla powder.
- Cinnamon & salt: Bring out the other flavors – do not leave them out.
See recipe card for quantities.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Making this healthy vegan crisp with rhubarb and strawberries is super simple! The oven does most of the work.

- Step 1: Peel the rhubarb if needed and cut into pieces, wash the strawberries and halve or quarter them. Place the fruit in a baking dish.

- Step 2: Combine with cornstarch, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon and maple syrup.

- Step 3: Briefly process the oats, almond flour, slivered almonds, cinnamon, salt, coconut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract in a food processor into a crumbly mixture.

- Step 4: Spread the crumble topping evenly over the fruit filling. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 °C (350 °F) fan, until the topping is golden brown. Then cover with foil or parchment paper and bake for another 10 minutes.
You can also make the topping without a food processor: use rolled oats and mix them with the other dry ingredients. Then add coconut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract and work everything together with your hands.
Let the rhubarb-strawberry crisp cool briefly and serve warm – best with vanilla ice cream, soy yogurt or vanilla sauce. Whatever you desire.
Variations
- Adjust the sweetness – if your strawberries are very sweet, you can reduce the amount of maple syrup in the fruit filling to 2-3 tablespoon if you like.
- Other fruit – the recipe also works wonderfully with raspberries instead of strawberries, or a combination of peach and raspberry in summer. Or go for an apple rhubarb crisp. In fall, try my kaki-pear crumble.
- Without coconut – replace the coconut butter with runny white almond butter.
- Nut-free – if you want it completely nut-free, use runny, light tahini (sesame paste) instead of coconut butter. You can replace the almond flour with oat flour or ground sunflower seeds.
Serving Suggestions
- Warm with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream – the classic
- With vanilla or unsweetened soy yogurt or coconut yogurt
- With my mocha chia pudding or my vegan “cheesecake” cream
- With homemade vanilla sauce or pudding
- Also a treat cold the next day, straight from the fridge

FAQ
With fresh, young rhubarb it is often not necessary. Older, thicker stalks, however, have tougher strings – those should be peeled.
Yes, that is possible, but keep in mind: frozen fruit releases more liquid while baking. Simply increase the cornstarch to 3-4 tablespoon so the filling does not get too runny.
You can use white almond butter instead. If it does not need to be oil-free, coconut oil works as an alternative in this fruit crisp.
Covered in the fridge for 4 days. To reheat, simply place it in the oven or air fryer for 15-20 minutes at 160 °C (320 °F) – then the topping gets crunchy again.
More Vegan Spring Desserts
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

I hope you’ll give this recipe for rhubarb crisp a try. If you love this recipe, be sure to leave a comment, rate the recipe and tag me on instagram (#veggiejam) with your recreation.
PrintRecipe
Vegan Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 portions 1x
Description
This vegan strawberry-rhubarb crumble is the ultimate spring dessert: fruity, slightly tart, with a crunchy oat-nut topping that works completely without flour, refined sugar and butter.
Ingredients
Filling
- 350 g fresh rhubarb, chunks (0.4-0.8 inches; ~3 cups) *
- 350 g fresh strawberries, halves (~ 2 ¼ - 2 ½ cups)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp lemon zest
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2-4 tablespoon maple syrup (or date syrup)**
Crumble Topping
- 100 g rolled oats (1 cup)
- 40 g almond flour (⅓ cup)
- 2 tbsp slivered almonds (optional)
- 60 g coconut butter (¼ cup)***
- 80 g maple syrup (or date syrup) (¼ cup)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F) fan (200 °C / 400 °F conventional).
- Prepare the filling: Cut the rhubarb into 1.5-2 cm (0.4-0.8 inch) pieces, wash the strawberries and halve or quarter them. Combine with cornstarch, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon and maple syrup and place in a baking dish.
- Mix the crumble topping: Briefly (!) process the oats, almond flour, slivered almonds, cinnamon, salt, coconut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract in a food processor into a crumbly topping.
- Bake: Spread the crumble topping evenly over the fruit filling and bake for 20 minutes, until the topping is golden brown. Then cover with parchment paper or aluminum foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until the filling is bubbling.
- Serve: Let cool briefly and serve warm – best with vanilla ice cream or vegan yogurt.
Notes
- * Some thicker rhubarb stalks have an outer layer that is a bit rougher and thicker. In that case, peel off this layer (even if the red layer comes off with it – this does not affect the taste) so the fruit compote in the crumble does not get too stringy.
- ** If your strawberries are very sweet, 2-3 tablespoon of syrup is enough for the filling.
- *** Warm the coconut butter briefly before processing so it becomes softer or runny – this makes it much easier to combine with the other ingredients.
This post is also available in German (Deutsch).









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