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Rhubarb Crisp – Low Carb and Gluten-Free

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Sugar-free and low carb rhubarb crisp with a truly crispy almond flour topping. This wonderful keto dessert is delicious paired with low carb ice cream or whipped cream. 

Low Carb Grain-Free Rhubarb Crisp

In case I haven’t made it abundantly clear, I am a rhubarb fanatic. I love that tart, bright red stalk, particularly in sweet recipes like pies and crisps. We had bunches of it in our garden when we lived on the farm and my mother made a to-die-for rhubarb crisp that was one of my childhood favourites. It’s been my dream to make a comparable low carb gluten-free rhubarb crisp and now I think I’ve actually done it.

Gluten-Free Sugar Free Rhubarb Crisp

I tried once back when I was first doing low carb and it was tasty but I just couldn’t get that crisp topping actually CRISP. Almond flour and other low carb ingredients just have a lot of moisture. They also absorb a lot of moisture when subjected to other ingredients with a high water content. So the topping would get quite soggy from the fruit cooking underneath it. But knowing that I’ve been able to get crisp low carb cookies and cereal with almond flour, I knew there had to be a way. And there was- it just involved thinking outside the box a little.

So scroll down to the recipe. You need to know how I solved this problem! (This recipe originally appeared on Live Better America, which has now gone under. I have added the recipe here for your convenience).

Low Carb Sugar-Free Rhubarb Crisp

 

4.7 from 10 votes
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Rhubarb Crisp – Low Carb and Gluten-Free
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
 
Sugar-free rhubarb crisp with a truly crispy almond flour topping. It took some work to get this recipe right but it was worth it!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: keto rhubarb crisp, rhubarb crisp
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 199 kcal
Ingredients
Crisp Topping:
Rhubarb Filling:
  • 2 pounds rhubarb sliced into ½-inch pieces
  • ⅓ cup Swerve Sweetener or other erythritol sweetener
  • ¼ cup ground chia seeds you can grind whole chia seeds in a coffee grinder
  • ¼ tsp liquid stevia extract
Instructions
  1. For the topping, preheat oven to 300F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, shredded coconut, flax seed meal, pecan or walnut pieces, erythritol sweetener, cinnamon and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the butter, vanilla and stevia extract.
  3. Add butter to the almond flour mixture and use a pastry cutter or two knives to blend in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Spread out evenly on prepared baking sheet and pat down with hands to flatten slightly.
  4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Remove and let cool completely.
  5. For the filling, preheat oven to 400F. In a large bowl, combine rhubarb, erythritol sweetener, ground chia seeds and stevia extract, tossing to coat rhubarb well.
  6. Spread rhubarb mixture into a 9x13 inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until mixture is bubbling and rhubarb is tender.
  7. Remove filling from oven and remove foil. Break cooled topping into pieces with your hand and place over filling to cover completely. Serve warm. Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.
Recipe Notes

Serves 12. Each serving has 11 g of carbs and 6 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 5 g.

199 Calories; 17g Fat (59.6% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 16mg Cholesterol; 165mg Sodium

Nutrition Facts
Rhubarb Crisp – Low Carb and Gluten-Free
Amount Per Serving (1 serving = 1/12th of recipe)
Calories 199 Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Fiber 6g24%
Protein 6g12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Nutritional Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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Comments

  3. Hey Miss C. – Would chia flour work as a sub for flax in the topping and still retain its crunchiness? (1/2 the amount I suppose). (Flax intolerant).

    Reply

    • Not sure, in this case, because chia attracts so much moisture. You could try half almond flour and half shredded coconut for the flax.

      Reply

  5. Hi Carolyn, I have a dumb question. When you state butter in your recipes, is it unsalted butter? Can’t wait to try this recipe and I love, love your blog! It is my hands down favorite!!

    Reply

    • Well, I am weird and typically like to use salted butter, even when adding a little extra salt. But it would be fine with unsalted too.

      Reply

    • It’s simply to mark the notation and clarify that LBA has to count all carbs, including fiber and erythritol.

      Reply

  15. Wow! I just made this and ate a piece for breakfast. I’ve always thought that rhubarb was only good paired with strawberries. It was all I could do to bake this just the way it was written. You have gained my trust over many months and recipes, so I made it as-is. I’m a convert. Strawberries were not only not necessary, but would have confused the ridiculously flavorful dish. Thanks again for a stellar recipe.

    Reply

  16. This recipe is a winner! Even the crabby diabetic in my family thought it was great! Only problem….the whole family wants more of this rhubarb crisp, and it does take time (and lots of rhubarb!). Thanks for another great recipe.

    Reply

  18. I’m not overly keen on coconut. Do you think the shredded coconut could be omitted or substituted?

    Thanks

    Jo

    Reply

    • Try using more almond meal in the same amount. It won’t have quite the same texture but should be good.

      Reply

  20. This is great—I’m in the middle of making it. The topping smells and TASTES so good.

    I love your recipes so much. This is my favorite recipe blog in the universe.

    Reply

  21. Hi Carolyn,

    Im curious if a serving of the crisp is 1 cup?
    I haven’t made this yet but have all the ingredients ready to go. I was diagnosed with Type 1 last September. At the age of 44 this came as a huge shock. I am still making the lifetime learning curve of how to eat those things I always loved in a healthier version. This recipie is a great low carb alternative to my mom’s absolutely devine, carb-packed rhubarb crisp.
    Thank you so much….you have made me realize I can have my crisp AND eat it too!!

    Reply

    • I am so glad my recipe can help! I am not sure if the serving is 1 cup, I didn’t really measure it out. I just saw how many servings it made fro my family.

      Reply

      • Carolyn: thanks again for all of your hard work & dedication to trying out new recipies & sharing the results!

        Katy: We are a rare breed! Im happy to connect w/others diagnosed later in life…so far you are #3! Im thankful to find this site. It gives me cooking inspiration! Thanks for your response 🙂

        Reply

  23. Hi this is the only sweetener I could pick up can you recommend how much to use for this recipe? I’m new to sugar substitutes and my first recipe came out way too sweet.

    Reply

    • You need to find out how sweet that is compared to sugar. My sweeteners are equivalent to about 1/2 cup in the topping and 3/4 cup in the filling – that’s equivalent to sugar so use yours in the quantities required to match that. But as to amounts, I can’t say exactly what because I have never used it.

      Reply

      • Thank you so much! This is the info I needed. No wonder my first attempt was so sweet as this replacement is 2:1. 🙂

        Reply

      • Okay, now I’m thoroughly confused. According to Swerve’s web site, their erythritol based sweetener with Oligosaccharides are used at a 1:1 equal measure with table sugar.

        It sounds like your using something that is 2:1. So If I’m using something that is 1:1 ratio, I should basically double the amount I’m using in any recipe from your website?!?

        Reply

        • No, I am not using something that is 2:1 in terms of sweetness, I just happen to like to stretch out my Swerve and use less of it (because it’s expensive) by also using some stevia. What do you plan to use?

          Reply

          • I usually use straight erythritol (only 1/2 the price per # if bought in bulk) with about 1/2 tsp of powdered stevia (better stevia) per cup, which brings it to about the same sweetness of sugar (1:1, maybe a tad more), without having any off tastes to it (less cooling effect, no metallic taste). That’s about a 1:1/96 ratio of erythritol to powdered stevia. Swerve looks to be erythritol and oligosaccharides, and then your super boosting the sweetness even more by using liquid stevia. Basically, if you were using only plain sugar as the sweetener, how much would you use?

            I just need to know how much straight erythritol to how much stevia (liquid or powdered) I need to use for each part of this recipe (thanks BTW, I was just thinking/hoping for something like this when I stumbled upon this).

            Oh, another thing. My “traditional” carb ladened rhubarb crisp had both a top & bottom crumbles (oatmeal, flour, butter, & brown sugar). I was wondering if I doubled the crisp topping, and put half in the bottom of the pan and only baked it for say 10~15 minutes, let it cool, then put the filling in and baked it, would it work? Don’t care if it gets a bit soft, just not soggy or soupy. I know you probably haven’t tried that, but I would value your expert opinion and input of whether you think that might work or not.

            Being that this is suppose to be a crumbly topping, I was also thinking of using “almond meal” instead of almond flour, as I can get it MUCH cheaper (I still sift and regrind it). I did that with that coconut chocolate granola cereal recipe you have here, and it seemed to work fine. Do you think I could do that here too, or would that make it too hard? Again, I’m asking as your an expert (to my relative novice experience) at baking low carb.

            Sorry about all the questions, but your my go to gal (dare I say low-carb goddess baking babe? 😉 when it comes to low carb recipes….

          • Swerve equals sugar in sweetness and my stevia is 1/4 tsp to 1/4 cup sugar. So 1/2 cup “sugar” in the topping and 1/3 plus 1/4 cup “sugar” in the filling. Does that help? Also, I can’t say for sure almond meal will work here but if you are re-grinding it, it probably will.

          • Okay, that’s what I needed. I didn’t realize/know that a 1/4 tsp of the liquid stevia was equal to 1/4 cup of sugar in sweetness. Thanks.

  24. I’ve tried many of your recipes, and loved them all! I can’t wait to try this. I’m curious about always recommending erythritol or Swerve. Is it just your preference. I would like to use granulated Splenda, even though I think erythritol is probably “healthy” in the end, but Swerve and the like have that weird cooling effect when used in large quantities, to me. What are your thoughts on that? LOVE your website. I’ve donated all my cookbooks, and I just come here 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Lori. I recommend them because yes, they are my favourites and my personal preference. I don’t like Splenda at all, for both flavour and because of how it’s made. Plus Splenda baking blend is bulked with things that add carbs to the recipe, whereas erythritol doesn’t effect my blood sugar at all. You may find the topping in this doesn’t get as crisp with Splenda. You could also do half Splenda, half Swerve to cut down on the cooling effect (I don’t experience any of that with Swerve, but I do with straight erythritol).

      Reply

  25. Have you tried using honey or agave instead of the other sweeteners? Just wondering if that would work……

    Reply

  26. This is the absolute best recipe that all my family and friends devour! So now comes my hubby problem- yep he has an allergy to almonds, go
    figure, so is there a replacement or does he have to go without. Hoping for a miracle here so thanks

    Reply

  27. This looks sooo good, but chia seeds give me awful digestive issues so I avoid them. Is there something else I could use as a thickener, maybe xanthan? If yes, how much would you suggest using?

    Reply

  28. This looks amazing!! Can you think of anything that I could substitute the ground chia seeds for? I have everything else, but that!

    Reply

    • The chia just helps thicken the filling. You can skip it or use a touch of xanthan gum if you have it.

      Reply

      • Did you try using whole chia seeds? I don’t have a coffee grinder and am curious how leaving them whole would affect the recipe.

        Reply

        • I used whole chia seeds and the filling turned out fine. I added more than the recipe called for though. I made a half recipe, but accidentally added the full measure of chia. It turned out fine.

          Reply

  29. Have you tried placing the topping on the filling and just baking together, instead of separately?

    Reply

  31. This is WONDERFUL! I tweaked a couple of things. I used it a guide to make a ‘crumble’ type topping by using the butter chilled and chopped and rubbed it in to the dry ingredients. I omitted vanilla and stevia.
    One it was all incorporated I topped my stewed rhubarb with the crumble mix and popped it in the oven and it came out perfect.
    So many times I find myself returning to your site. I really appreciate your recipes.

    Reply

  32. I have quite a bit of rhubarb from last years garden. This is delish! I served it with cream. I will make again! Thanks.

    Reply

  33. 3 stars
    I used Sukrin Gold in the topping plus stevia glycerite and matched your ingredients for the filling. Overall it was good, but the whole thing was not sweet enough for me with 2 pounds of rhubarb. I ended up dripping stevia on my dish as I did not put ice cream on top of it. Also my topping burned in the oven at 20 minutes. The topping was very crunchy and I really like that. Does the Sukrin Gold tend to burn? I will work on tweaking this more for our family.

    Reply

    • Subbing in a different sweetener is definitely part of the problem. Sukrin is not as sweet as swerve and yes, I think it could have caused the burning.

      Reply

  34. 5 stars
    Ohmygosh! I love rhubarb and this was amazing! I’m so glad I found you. I cant wait to make more of your recipes. Thank you so much!

    Reply

  36. 5 stars
    Baking the two parts separately is really smart and truly a big surprise. It’s like stewed fruit topped with crumbled cookies, and there’s nothing wrong with that!

    Reply

  37. 5 stars
    This looks amazing!! Love crisps & the fact that this is low carb & sugar free…I won’t feel guilty eating the whole thing!

    Reply

  39. 5 stars
    This was the yummiest mid week treat! You would have never guessed it was healthier, the flavor was amazing!

    Reply

  42. 4 stars
    This tastes really good but mine was mostly toasted powder crumbs. It seems that it needed a little more butter for the ingredients to stick together and combine. I am going to try to add more butter and toast again.

    Reply

    • Then something went wrong on your end, something was mismeasured. This is more like crisp cookies than any kind of powder.

      Reply

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