Vegan Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble (Refined Sugar-Free, Oil-free)

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.

Healthy vegan rhubarb crumble with oats in a baking dish

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.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredient Notes
Step-By-Step Instructions
Variations
Serving Suggestions
FAQ
More Vegan Spring Desserts
Recipe
Comments

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.

Ingredients for vegan strawberry rhubarb crumble

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.

Rhubarb and strawberries in a baking dish

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.

Vegan strawberry rhubarb crumble fruit filling

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

Crumble topping without butter and sugar in a food processor

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.

Vegan crumble with berries and oat topping in a baking dish

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

Vegan rhubarb crisp served with ice cream

FAQ

Do I have to peel the rhubarb?

With fresh, young rhubarb it is often not necessary. Older, thicker stalks, however, have tougher strings – those should be peeled.

Can I use frozen rhubarb or frozen strawberries?

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.

Can I replace the coconut butter with something else?

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.

How long does the crumble with rhubarb and strawberries keep?

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:

Vegan sugar-free strawberry rhubarb crumble

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.

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