Rhubarb and Apple Crumble

A delicious rhubarb and apple crumble that combines the tartness of rhubarb with the sweetness of apples, topped with a comforting crumble topping. Serve it with custard, vanilla sauce, or vanilla ice cream.

Rhubarb and apple crumble is a classic British dessert that is popular during the spring and early summer months when rhubarb is in season.

Check out more delicious crumble recipes, like this Black Currant and Apple Crumble or the Gooseberry Crumble. Or make our Apple Rhubarb Crisp. 

Why will you love this apple rhubarb crumble recipe?

• Seasonal: We love to cook and bake using seasonal ingredients and enjoy certain types of fruit and vegetables only when they are in season. So this simple recipe is perfect for the rhubarb season.

• Texture: The soft and tender fruit filling and the crisp and golden crumble are a delightful combination. The fruit filling becomes soft and tender during baking, creating a luscious and juicy texture, while the crumble topping is crispy and buttery, adding a nice crunch.

• Flavor: The dessert offers a delightful balance of flavors, combining the tartness of rhubarb, the sweetness of apples, and the buttery crunch of the topping.

• Versatility: Rhubarb and apple crumble can be enjoyed as a dessert or even as a breakfast or brunch option. You can customize the crumble topping with different ingredients like oats, spices, and other kinds of nuts.

Recipe ingredients

• Rhubarb: A tart and tangy vegetable that is often used in desserts. It has long, pink, or reddish stalks trimmed and cut into small pieces. The leaves are poisonous; always discard them. 

• Apples: Cored and chopped. They provide a nice balance to the tartness of the rhubarb. 
  • Choose sweet apples that are firm, fresh, and suitable for baking to ensure they hold up well during the cooking process.
  • A few popular choices are Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Honeycrisp.

• Sugar: Used to sweeten the fruit filling and enhance its flavors.
  • The amount of sugar can be adjusted based on personal preference and the sweetness of the fruit.
  • You can also sweeten the filling with brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, or xylitol. 
• You will also need three tablespoons of granulated sugar for the crumble. You can’t replace this sugar with honey; crumble only works when made with sugar. 

• All-purpose flour: Used in the topping to give it structure and help it become crispy when baked.

• Butter: Cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, then rubbed into the flour to create a coarse crumble.

• Almonds: Chopped or slivered. They provide a delightful nutty flavor and add an extra layer of texture, ensuring a crunchier crumble.

• Spices: Cinnamon. You could also add a bit of nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, or ground ginger for additional flavor and warmth.

How to make apple and rhubarb crumble?

• Chop: Clean and chop the rhubarb. Core and cube the apples (1). 

• Sauté the fresh rhubarb and the apples in one tablespoon of melted butter on medium heat for 2 minutes (use a large pan) (2).
• Add cinnamon and sugar and cook for another 2-3 minutes (3).
• The apples will remain more or less whole, while the rhubarb will almost disintegrate and form a kind of sauce for the apples. 

• Taste and adjust the flavor with a little bit more sugar or honey, if necessary. Pour the mixture into a medium-sized casserole dish (4).
• Toast the almonds in a small pan. Transfer them to a large plate and let them cool shortly (5).

• Rub the flour and the chopped butter in a large bowl until you obtain crumbs (6).
• Add the sugar and most of the almonds. Rub the flour mixture again (7).

• Top the fruit mixture with the crumble mixture and sprinkle it with the remaining almonds (8).
• Bake the rhubarb and apple crumble in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown (9).
• Let cool slightly before serving.

Expert Tips

• Discard the rhubarb’s leaves; they are poisonous.

• Balance the sweetness: Taste the filling and adjust the amount of sugar accordingly, as the sweetness of the fruit can vary. However, keep in mind that the crumble is also sweet, so the filling should be somewhat tangy. 

• Crispy topping: To achieve a crisp and golden crumble topping, use cold butter and cut it into small pieces. Use your fingertips to rub it into the flour and other dry ingredients until you have a crumbly texture. It helps a lot if your hand are also cold when you mix the crumble.

• Toast the almonds lightly before incorporating them into the crumble to enhance their flavor and to ensure they remain crunchy during baking.

Recipe FAQ

How to serve?

Serve the rhubarb apple crumble in individual bowls, ensuring that each portion has a generous amount of fruit filling and crumble topping. The choice of accompaniment is up to you, based on your taste and the occasion.

• Serve on its own: Rhubarb apple crumble is delicious enough to be enjoyed on its own. 
• Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The contrast of temperatures and textures is delightful.
• Serve with custard, vanilla sauce, or whipped cream. The rhubarb and apple crumble in the picture is served with our homemade vanilla sauce. 
• Serve with a mixture of creme fraiche and brown sugar or with warm caramel sauce.

More baked rhubarb recipes

Rhubarb Apple Crumble

A delicious rhubarb and apple crumble that combines the tartness of rhubarb with the sweetness of apples, topped with a comforting crumble topping. Serve it with custard, vanilla sauce, or vanilla ice cream.

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Desserts

Cuisine: English

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 695kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

• ▢
  Large pan
• ▢
  Medium baking dish

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 12.5 oz rhubarb 350 g
• ▢ 1 lb apples 450 g, Note 1
• ▢ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 2 tablespoons granulated sugar Note 2
• ▢ ½ cup almonds slivered or chopped, 50 g
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 150 g
• ▢ 1 stick unsalted butter 115 g
• ▢ 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢ custard or vanilla sauce or vanilla ice cream to serve

Instructions

Make the filling:

• Prepare ingredients: Discard the rhubarb’s leaves; they are poisonous. Clean the rhubarb and chop it into slices about 0.5 inch/ 1.5 cm thick. Core and chop the apples into cubes.

  12.5 oz/ 350 g rhubarb + 1 lb/ 450 g apples
• Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C.
• Sauté: Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the rhubarb and the apples for 2 minutes. Add cinnamon and sugar (or honey) and continue cooking until all the liquid has evaporated; 2-3 minutes. The apples will remain more or less whole, while the rhubarb will almost disintegrate and form a kind of sauce for the apples.

  1 tablespoon butter + 1 teaspoon cinnamon + 2 tablespoon sugar or honey
• Taste and adjust the flavor with a little bit more sugar or honey, if necessary. Pour the mixture into the baking dish.

Make the crumble:

• Toast the almonds in a small pan without adding any fat. Keep an eye on them and shake the pan regularly. Transfer to a plate as soon as they get golden and fragrant.

  ½ cup/ 50 g chopped/slivered almonds
• Crumble: Place the flour and the chopped butter into a bowl. Rub with your fingers until you obtain crumbs. Add the sugar and about ⅔ of the almonds and mix.

  1 ¼ cup flour + 1 stick/ 115 g butter + 3 tablespoon granulated sugar + ⅔ of the almonds
• Distribute the crumble evenly over the rhubarb-apple mixture in the baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining almonds.
• Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown.
• Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature with custard or vanilla sauce, or vanilla ice cream.

Notes

1. Apples: Firm, fresh, and suitable for baking (to ensure they hold up well during the cooking process). A few popular choices are Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Honeycrisp.
2. Sweetener: To sweeten the crumble filling, use brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, or xylitol instead of sugar.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 | Calories: 695kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 258mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 41g

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