This rhubarb and ginger crumble is a simple but delicious treat. The filling is full of the delicious flavour of rhubarb, tart but sweet with a hint of stem ginger. The topping is crumbly and buttery with just a little crunch from added almonds.
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The humble crumble is a simple but always welcome treat. I am a huge fan of crumbles, whether it's a classic apple crumble or pear crumble, we love them! They're really easy to make with minimum fuss. Perfect for pudding after Sunday lunch or as a summer treat, especially on those cooler summer days!
I have been making this rhubarb crumble for years now, it's a firm family favourite and always goes down a treat. It's so easy to make with just 4 simple steps. I add some chopped almonds to the topping for added texture along with some oats. I also add some stem ginger to the rhubarb which adds a little zing to the filling!
Here's What You'll Need
Step By Step Instructions
This is just a quick visual guide please see the full recipe instructions in the recipe card below.
1. Put all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.
2. Lightly grease a skillet or dish, then tip the filling into it.
3. Add all the topping ingredients to a food processor, blitz until you have a rough breadcrumb texture.
4. Sprinkle the topping over the filling then bake in the oven until the filling is bubbling up around the edges and the topping is golden brown. Leave to cool slightly before serving.
Recipe And Ingredient Notes
- Rhubarb - main crop rhubarb is available during the Spring months but you can also make this earlier in the year using forced rhubarb. Rhubarb is quite tart so if you want you can add more sugar to the filling I like the balance of tart and sweet so if you're like me then just follow the recipe as is. When buying rhubarb look for firm, crisp plump stalks with fresh-looking leaves and bright colour.
- Stem ginger - I use stem ginger in syrup for this recipe. You will find this in the baking aisle in mall larger supermarkets. Stem ginger is the preserved fresh young roots of the ginger plant cooked slowly. In the US stem ginger is called candied ginger or crystallized ginger.
- Oats - I use jumbo oats for this crumble you can use any oats except instant.
- Butter - salted butter is my choice of butter for this recipe. If you use unsalted butter I would add a small pinch of salt to the topping. If you want to make this vegan then you can easily make the topping using vegan butter and make sure your sugar is vegan too.
- Pro-tip #1 - make sure the butter is really cold before you use it. I cut the butter into cubes then place it in the freezer for about 20 minutes before I make this.
- Pro-tip #2 - using a food processor saves so much time but if you don't have one don't worry. Just follow the instructions here to make the filling then stir in the chopped nuts.
- Variations - fresh strawberries are also great with rhubarb, I would ditch the ginger if I add strawberries. If you can't find stem ginger you can substitute ground or fresh ginger. I would use ¼ a teaspoon of ground ginger or ½ a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger.
How To Serve Rhubarb and Ginger Crumble
During the summer we love this with a good vanilla ice cream. This is also really good with whipped cream, pouring cream or with some creamy hot custard.
FAQs
If you are using forced rhubarb it should be tender enough that it doesn't need to be peeled. Maincrop rhubarb can sometimes have tough, stringy ribs, so after washing it, strip these off with a small, sharp knife and slice as instructed.
Yes, you can. I prefer to freeze this before cooking it. Put the filling in a buttered pie dish then sprinkle the topping over it. Press the topping down firmly cover the dish really well then freeze. I defrost this in the fridge overnight before baking.
If you have any crumble leftover simply keep it on the countertop until cooled them move to the fridge and eat within 3-4 days. You can reheat it if you want but it's really good cold too.
More Rhubarb and Ginger Recipes
- Rhubarb and Ginger Tarts - puff pastry tarts with rhubarb, crumbled pistachios and cardamom vanilla cream.
- Rhubarb Crumble Muffins - sweet rhubarb muffins, with a hint of ginger and cinnamon, topped with crumble.
- Pear and Ginger Crumble - juicy pears with ginger in a tasty caramel sauce topped with a buttery pecan and oat topping.
Have you made this recipe? Please let me know how it went in the comments, it’s nice to get your feedback.
Rhubarb and Ginger Crumble
Ingredients
For the filling
- 600 g (1 and ¼ cups) rhubarb washed then roughly chopped, any stringy bits removed.
- 1 small piece of stem ginger (10g) chopped
- 2 tsp of ginger syrup
- the juice of half a medium lemon
- the zest of half a medium lemon
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 heaped tbsp soft dark brown sugar
For the topping
- 100 g (1 cup) plain flour
- 100 g (1 ¼ cups) oats
- 125 g (1 ⅛ sticks) of very cold butter cut into cubes + a little more for greasing
- 2 tbsp whole almonds, skin on roughly chopped
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 60 g (⅓ of a cup) castor sugar
For serving
- Ice cream / custard / cream
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees C ( I have an electric, fan assisted oven, please adjust according to the oven you use)
- Add the rhubarb, ginger, syrup, lemon zest and lemon juice along with the sugar to a bowl and mix everything together, making sure the rhubarb is completely covered in the juice.
- Grease an oven proof dish with a little butter.
- To make the oat topping, sift the flour and cinnamon into a mixing bowl, add the oats and castor sugar and butter and start rubbing the mixture together with your fingers until you have a thick crumbly texture.
- Add the rhubarb mixture to the greased dish, top with the oat crumble mixture and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until the topping is crispy and browned.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream of cream.
Notes
- Do I need to peel rhubarb for this crumble? If you are using forced rhubarb it should be tender enough that it doesn’t need to be peeled. Maincrop rhubarb can sometimes have tough, stringy ribs, so after washing it, strip these off with a small, sharp knife and slice as instructed.
- Storing - If you have any crumble leftover simply keep it on the countertop until cooled them move to the fridge and eat within 3-4 days. You can reheat it if you want but it’s really good cold too.
- Freezing - I prefer to freeze this before cooking it. Put the filling in a buttered pie dish then sprinkle the topping over it. Press the topping down firmly cover the dish really well then freeze. I defrost this in the fridge overnight before baking.
- Skillet - I used a well seasoned cast-iron skillet for the crumble. It measures 22cm (8 and a half inches) diameter and 4 cm (1 and a half inches) deep.
- Nutritional Information - is calculated using an online nutrition tool and is approximate. It does not include ice cream.
- Weights and measurements - For US readers, I use Cuisipro measuring cups and spoons, and a Pyrex measuring jug for liquids. These are the industry standard. Cup/spoon volumes can differ from brand to brand, for accuracy, I recommend weighing all ingredients if possible for best results.
Congratulations on your 100th
Irreally enjoy reading your posts, especially when I away from home ( like now). I can imagine you in your kitchen just a few roads from our house.
We have been enjoying basic stewed rhubarb on our breakfast cereal.
Thanks so much Jean, I really appreciate that and I know you have been with me from the start too! Thank you! I hope you're enjoying your trip. Stewed rhubarb is also very good on porridge 😉
Michelle, this is a lovely tribute to your Grandmother. My Irish mom is not much of a cook and definitely not a baker, but her mom was a great baker. I only saw Granny O' every few years (when she'd visit us in the US) but I remember her bread pudding and rice pudding so well. One thing my mom did actually make was stewed rhubarb with custard (Birds). This crumble looks so good!
Thanks so much Eileen x My mum used to make rice pudding for us and is definitely not a baker either, maybe it skips a generation?! We always had Bird's custard though, especially with stewed rhubarb and sometimes with stewed apple, I loved it 😉
Michelle, this is a beautiful post! I can so connect to your story, I have exactly the same memories of my grandmother, gardening and baking with her. She has taught me so much and I miss her dearly. Congratulations on your 100th post! x
Thank you so much Hana, we're so lucky to have these memories x