Keto rhubarb crisp with a truly crispy topping. This wonderful sugar-free dessert is delicious paired with low carb ice cream or whipped cream.
Most keto fruit crisp recipes suffer from the same common problem: they aren’t actually crisp at all. The topping is too soft and sometimes a little bit soggy.
But what if I told you that this rhubarb crisp recipe is the real deal, with a sweet-tart rhubarb filling and a truly crispy sugar-free, grain-free topping?
How did I do it? Oh, I have my ways and means. And I am more than happy to share my secrets!
Rhubarb crisp is the best!
I first posted this recipe back in 2014, and I decided to give it a bit of an update. It’s just as delicious as it ever was, but now it’s even lower in carbs AND you can have a bigger portion.
The truth is that I am a rhubarb fanatic. I love that tart, bright red stalky vegetable. And yes, it is a vegetable, although people tend to treat it as a fruit. It’s incredibly tart on its own, but cook it down with some sweetener, and it has this incredible and unique flavor.
I have a number of delicious keto rhubarb recipes, such as my rhubarb scones, keto strawberry rhubarb sauce, and rhubarb coffee cake.
But rhubarb crisp has a very special place in my heart. When I was growing up my mother made a to-die-for rhubarb crisp that was one of my childhood favourites. The topping was rich and buttery, with plenty of brown sugar. It’s been my dream to make a keto-friendly rhubarb crisp that could even come close to hers.
And I think I’ve actually done it. Hooray!
How to make keto rhubarb crisp
Fruit crisps are one of my favorite desserts so it was pretty important to me to make a good one. But getting the topping to be truly crisp is tricky.
Almond flour and other low carb ingredients have quite a bit of moisture. They also tend to absorb a lot of moisture when subjected to other ingredients with a high water content. That’s why most keto fruit crisps tend to be soggy.
The solution is actually ridiculously simple
Bake the topping separately from the filling.
It may be unconventional, but trust me, it’s the only way to make a keto crisp. When it finally occurred to me, I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it before.
My keto Cinnamon Crunch Cereal was the tip off for me. It crisps up so perfectly and tastes reminiscent of an oatmeal cookie, and that’s when I realized it would be the perfect topping for a fruit crisp.
More tips for keto rhubarb crisp
A few extra tips for getting the perfect rhubarb crisp recipe:
- Choose the reddest stalks of rhubarb that you can find, as they will produce that gorgeous deep pink color. The green rhubarb tastes exactly the same, though!
- Erythritol based sweeteners are a must. No other sweetener will crisp up properly, especially BochaSweet and allulose.
- If you don’t like coconut, feel free to replace that with additional almond flour (in the same amount).
- Really press down that topping firmly before baking. This is what helps get it truly crisp.
- Also know that it won’t seem crisp right out of the oven. But it will continue to crisp up as it cools. As long as you pressed it quite thin and the edges are golden, you should be good.
- Rhubarb is quite juicy when cooked, so use glucomannan to thicken the filling. I prefer this over xanthan gum as it mixes in more easily and doesn’t clump up. (And yes, I really do mean 1/4 teaspoon plus another 1/8th teaspoon).
To store the keto crisp:
Cover any leftovers with foil or plastic wrap. You can store on the counter for two days, or in the fridge for about 5.
The topping will become less crisp as it sits, which happens with any fruit crisp recipe. You could simply keep the filling and topping separate, and only combine them when serving, if you wish.
How to serve keto fruit crisp:
Do yourself a big favor and make some of my keto vanilla ice cream to top the rhubarb crisp. IT IS MAGICAL!
A little whipped cream is nice too, though. I’ve even eaten it for breakfast with a little heavy cream poured overtop.
Ready to enjoy this delicious keto crisp recipe?
Keto Rhubarb Crisp
Ingredients
Crisp Topping:
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/3 cup brown sugar replacement, erythritol-based
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 5 tbsp butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
Rhubarb Filling:
- 2 pounds chopped rhubarb
- 1/3 cup powdered sweetener, (more if you like it sweeter)
- 1/4 + 1/8 tsp glucomannan
Instructions
Crisp Topping
- Preheat the oven to 300F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, combine the almond flour, shredded coconut, chopped pecans, sweetener, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine. Sprinkle with the butter pieces and then process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet and cover with another piece of parchment. Use a rolling pin or your hands to press down firmly so that the mixture sticks together. Remove the top sheet of paper.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Remove and let cool completely - the mixture will continue to crisp up as it cools.
Rhubarb Filling
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Spread the rhubarb in a 9x13 inch glass or ceramic baking dish and sprinkle with the sweetener and glucomannan. Toss to combine.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling and rhubarb is tender.
- Remove the filling from oven and remove foil. Break the cooled topping into pieces with your hand and place over filling to cover completely. Serve warm, topped with whipped cream or keto vanilla ice cream.
Nutrition
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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If I don’t have glucomannan, could you suggest how much xanthan gum could be substituted? I realize it may clump a bit more…
It will be about the same amount.
Carolyn,
In your cookbooks and on this site I see recipes that call for protein powder. Somewhere I’ve missed your recommendation of a Keto protein powder to use. Can you give me some suggestions please? I’d like to make the recipes.
Thanks. Enjoying cookbooks and this site.
Nancu
I’ve used a bunch but I really like this one: https://amzn.to/2K4QUj9
How thick should the topping be, or if to the edges of the baking sheet, what size baking sheet?
It’s hard to say, you simply press it down thinly. Maybe 1/3 inch thick or so? Basically, you want enough to be able to cover the dish your rhurbarb is in so you’re pressing it out a bit larger than 9×13.
Can you use other fruits instead of rhubarb? Blueberries, raspberries or blackberries? Thanks!!
Absolutely but it will be higher carb.
Thanks, just don’t think I’ll be able to find rhubarb right now!!
It’s healthy and yummy at the same time. This recipe is awesome and will be one of our favorite desserts at home!
I am all for low carb desserts!! Love this one! The flavor is amazing & everyone loves crisps!
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.
Then something went wrong on your end, something was mismeasured. This is more like crisp cookies than any kind of powder.
Crisps are one of my go-to desserts in the summer and this does not disappoint! So delicious.
rhubarb crisp is the greatest! love this dessert
This was the yummiest mid week treat! You would have never guessed it was healthier, the flavor was amazing!
I’m a sucker for all types of crisps. Trying immediately!
This looks amazing!! Love crisps & the fact that this is low carb & sugar free…I won’t feel guilty eating the whole thing!
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!
Glad you liked it!
Could one just add more stevia and leave out the swerve. I’m have a sugar alcohol intolerance, that’s why i ask.
Yes but your topping won’t be as crisp.
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!
So glad you liked it!
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.
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.