Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars Recipe

Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars Recipe

Each rhubarb season, my rhubarb plant comes back and offers just enough for me to make a few recipes like these Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars Recipe.

Since I don’t have lots of rhubarb to work with, I make it count with a few delicious recipes using rhubarb.

When it is in season, you can find fresh fruit like fresh rhubarb at a local grocery store or a farmers market in early summer.

This recipe for these bars is similar to a strawberry rhubarb crisp but you use the crisp part of the recipe for the pressed crust and crumble topping.

It is one of my most favorite strawberry rhubarb recipes that rivals any fruit pies because it is so quick and easy to make!

The tart rhubarb is gently balanced with a package of Simply Delish Strawberry Jel and then baked for a delicious dessert that will have any fan of rhubarb cheering!

It is also a super easy dessert recipe because I use a box of strawberry jel instead of corn starch to keep the carbs low and get a gelling opportunity all in one.

It is sweetened enough and has a strong enough strawberry flavor to match the tartness of the rhubarb.

These strawberry rhubarb bars will even hold up in a lunchbox if they are chilled.

Keep reading as I walk you through making these Keto Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars, go over tips and substitutions, answer frequently asked questions and give ideas on how to use the rhubarb filling in other ways.

What you will need to make these Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars

• Almond flour
• Monkfruit
• Maple extract
• Powdered stevia
• Butter; softened
• Rhubarb
• Water
• 1 package Simply Delish Naturals Strawberry Jel

Let’s make some of these Keto Crumble Bars with our fresh rhubarb!

You will need to pre heat oven to 350F and line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper so you can lift them out later for cutting.

Spraying with cooking spray may work, but you will sacrifice a few bars when you start to try to get them out of the baking dish.

In a large bowl add the almond flour, monk fruit or 1/3 cup sugar free granulated sweetener and softened butter.

You do not want melted butter here.

If you forgot to set out the butter to soften, go read my post on how to quickly soften your cold butter.

Using a fork, or pastry blender cut butter into other ingredients.

You can use a pastry cutter or food processor on low speed if you wish, but the fork in the bowl is the quickest with the least amount of cleanup.

Set aside 1 cups worth of the crumble in a small bow for your crispy topping.

Press the remaining crumble into the bottom of your prepared baking dish.

Bake 15 min until lightly golden on edges and set.

You do not want it very brown for this first time baking, just a nice golden brown as it finishes cooking the second time you bake it with the filling.

Cool the bottom crust for at least 20 minutes.

This allows the monk fruit to adhere to the almond flour creating a bond, so it does not crumble later!

Now prepare your rhubarb.

You will need 4-5 cups of rhubarb.

If you are using frozen rhubarb, it is probably already chopped, but you need to defrost it a little by running warm water over it while in a colander.

If you do not thaw it a bit, it will sweat a lot and make your filling a watery mess as it is hard to gauge how much water the frozen chunks will give off to make the water ratio correct.

If not, wash your rhubarb stalks and cut off the leaves.

Rhubarb leaves are toxic, so you want to cut them all off.

Now cut your rhubarb stalks into small 2-inch pieces.

Put all of the rhubarb into a large saucepan with water.

Cook down until softened and rhubarb is broken down.

It will be a little bit stringy, but can be easy mushed against the side of the pan without trouble.

Now that is is cooked down, whisk in the dry package of Simply Delish Strawberry Jel.

Set aside the fruit mixture to cool for 10 min.

It will thicken up naturally and will be less likely to absorb into the bottom crust.

Now spread the fruit filling evenly over the bottom crust in the baking pan.

Crumble the reserved crumbs on top as evenly as possible and as small pieces.

I grab some with my hand and rub my fingers and thumb to break up the clumps smaller.

Bake the Keto Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars for 20 min.

Once it is done, it will not jiggle when gently shaken and the crisp topping will have baked into coarse crumbs.

It will not be as golden brown as the crust from earlier so do not overbake.

Let the rhubarb crumble bars cool completely on a wire rack before putting in the fridge for at least an hour.

You will get the best results with an overnight set.

This way the filling has set up enough to hold together and pick up like a regular fruit bar versus needing a plate and fork like a pie.

Keep any leftovers in an airtight container up to 5 days.

I recommend putting it in the fridge as the fruit will spoil quickly if at room temperature more than a few hours to serve.

Tips and ideas to turn this keto strawberry rhubarb filling into other recipes!

• Press the crust out into a pie plate and fill with the filling. Make sure you press the crust to the edge of the pie plate and proceed with the recipe as written.

• Replace 2 cups of the rhubarb with fresh berries and proceed with the recipe as written whether for bars or a gorgeous strawberry rhubarb pie. This is a great way to add another layer of sweetness to the very tart flavor of this dessert.

• Take my Keto Coffeecake Recipe and instead of using the toffee stevia, fold in some chopped rhubarb and put all of the crumble on top to make a Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee cake. Make sure the rhubarb is raw and not cooked so it holds its shape in the cake.

• Use 4-5 cups rhubarb with 2 cups sliced strawberries to make some strawberry rhubarb jam. Put all of the rhubarb plus the SImply Delish Strawberry Jel but leave out the extra water. Simmer until thickened and store in the fridge to thicken up.

• Make the filling and have it over some French toast with some fresh strawberries before topping with maple syrup. Or use it as a topping over a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

• One of my favorite ways to ramp up the flavor is to turn it into a orange kissed dessert when you add in 1 tablespoon of orange juice and some orange zest to the crust and crumble. The orange really ups the flavor without adding too many extra carbs.

• You can also include lemon juice to the filling mixture to increase the tartness if desired.

• Substitute the monk fruit sweetener with coconut sugar, keto brown sugar or date sugar to add a caramel undertone to the flavors.

• Add another flavor dimension to the filling when you use roasted rhubarb instead of fresh rhubarb. All you would have to do is roast your cut rhubarb on a tray in the oven at 450F for 10 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.

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Can I use the rhubarb filling next time to make a strawberry rhubarb cake or strawberry rhubarb blondies?

Yes! You can either make the cake from scratch following my recipe for Sugar Free Vanilla Cake or use a prepared cake mix. Before putting it in the oven, dot the batter with dollops of strawberry rhubarb filling then bake as directed. Alternately you can put dollops of the strawberry rhubarb topping onto the top of blondies spread into a pan and gently swirl a few strokes of a knife through it. 

Would this filling using the strawberry jel also work for a strawberry rhubarb cobbler?

Yes, it would work great. Since cobbler relies on the filling being half of the dessert, you will need to make double the amount of filling called for. You can even opt to make one filling recipe with all rhubarb and the second one with all juicy sweet strawberries. Put into an 8×8 baking dish and use this 5 Ingredient Biscuit as the cobbler topping. Bake at 350F for 20-25 min.

​Is there a way to make this dairy free and nut free?

Yes, you can use coconut oil or vegan butter for the butter called for in the crust. Instead of almond flour, you can use gluten free all purpose flour and it will still work out. I would recommend using an egg wash on the single layer of crust before baking to help it hold together better. This is the only change you need to make it nut free as the Simply Delish jel is already allergen friendly.

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Here are some other Gluten Free Low Carb Desserts to enjoy!

Gluten Free Strawberry Tres Leches Cake Recipe

Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Bisconie Recipe

The Best Gluten Free Strawberry Pudding Cake Recipe

This post was updated with new photos and additional information on 2/27/2024