Tangy rhubarb combined with sweet strawberries and blueberries makes for a delicious combination. This recipe for berry rhubarb crumble won a $5,000 prize, and after eating it I can see why!

Why this recipe works
I have a story to tell you about this tasty dessert and how I ended up with it. I run a recipe/food Facebook group for this blog. One of the members of that group is Pat Harmon, and she’s a “recipe contester”. That means she creates recipes and enters them into contests. And she doesn’t just enter, she wins!
Pat posted her “Very Berry Rhubarb Cobbler” in the group. As it turns out this recipe had been a $5,000 prize winner in 1997. Pat told me she had been a contester for a few years before entering into Reddi-Wip’s “50 Fruit Salute”. This contest offered $50 prizes, one winner per state, and a grand prize of $5,000.
She had already been a finalist in the Pillsbury Bake-Off (and would go on to the finals two more times) before coming up with this recipe.
“I was a big fan of rhubarb and strawberries together, so I changed it up a bit by adding blueberries. Inspired by an apple crisp topping I had tried, I added almonds to mine. I received two letters in the mail the same day. One said I had been chosen for the $50 Pennsylvania prize and the other said I had won the grand prize as well!”
A little about the name. Pat’s recipe is titled Very Berry Rhubarb Cobbler and I’ve called it Prize Winning Rhubarb Crumble. There’s definitely some debate among bakers on whether something should be called a cobbler, crisp, crumble, grunt, etc.
A crisp usually has oats in the topping, a cobbler is a biscuit topping dropped on top of the fruit (it looks like a cobbled road), and a crumble doesn’t have oats, but can have nuts. So to keep the peace in Internetland, I’m going with “crumble”.
RELATED: Be sure to try our Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars too!

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
RHUBARB – You’ll want to pickup some fresh Rhubarb from your local farmers market or grocery store.
BERRIES – Stick with fresh strawberries and blueberries for this recipe. If frozen is all you have, make sure to thaw completely. You may need to increase the amount of cornstarch to thicken the mixture.
ALMONDS – I like to use sliced almonds as Pat’s recipe suggests, but pecans or walnuts would be great too, depending on what you like best.
How to Make Prize Winning Rhubarb Crumble
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Start by preheating your oven to 375º F. Grease up the bottom and sides of a 13×9 baking pan.
- Prep the fruit by chopping the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces and slicing the strawberries.
- In a large bowl, stir together rhubarb, strawberries, and blueberries.
- Add in the sugar, cornstarch and balsamic vinegar. Stir the mixture well, turning the fruit to make sure you get to the bottom of the bowl. Stir until all the fruit has a beautiful sugary coating.
- Place the sugared fruit mixture into your prepared pan and set aside while you make the topping.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt and almonds. Stir in the egg until the topping is nice and crumbly. Toss with your fingers to make sure it’s completely combined.
- Crumble the topping over the sugared fruit, then drizzle all over with butter.
- Place pan in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. The topping should be golden brown and the fruit mixture will be vibrant and bubbly.
- Remove the pan to a cooling rack and cool to slightly warm. Serve warm topped with a big, chilly scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.

Serving Suggestions
If you’ve been looking for a rhubarb recipe to try, this is it. You’ll be thanking Pat for it. Head over to my Facebook group and join and be sure to let her know if you tried it!
Serve warm with a big scoop of ice cream, whipped cream, or both! We aren’t judging!
More Cobblers and Crisps Recipes
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Prize Winning Rhubarb Crumble
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 2 cups rhubarb cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups fresh strawberries sliced
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Things You’ll Need
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º Grease a 13×9 baking pan with butter or cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, and blueberries.2 cups rhubarb, 2 cups fresh strawberries, 1 cup fresh blueberries
- Add sugar, cornstarch and balsamic vinegar. Toss and stir until well coated.1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Place sugared fruit mixture into prepared pan and set aside.
Make the Topping
- Mix together flour, sugar, salt and sliced almonds. Stir in egg until crumbly. Toss with your fingers to make sure it’s completely combined.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup sliced almonds, 1 large egg
- Crumble over top of sugared fruit in pan. Drizzle with melted butter.3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until topping is golden brown and mixture is bubbly.
- Cool until slightly warm. Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream.
Nutrition
This post was originally published here on July 13, 2019.
Amanda Davis
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Tia says
Made it without blueberries, used an extra cup of rhubarb. Mixed the butter in with the flour. It was fabulous!
Amanda Davis says
Sounds deicious!