Protein-Rich Rhubarb Crisp

Rhubarb is an often forgotten keto-friendly "fruit" option. It has only 2.7g net carbs per 100g. When summer comes, I often think of rhubarb and get a hankering for rhubarb dishes. As a kid, we always had rhubarb growing in our garden and my mom would make rhubarb desserts, such as crisps or pies, with it. Rhubarb desserts were some of my childhood favorites.

This rhubarb crisp is a lovely combination of sweet and tangy, with a high-protein topping of nutrient-dense nuts and seeds. It doesn't quite crisp up in the crunchy yet melt-in-your-mouth way that oats, butter, and sugar achieve, but it's still mighty satisfying. Have this crisp as a dessert, coffee-break snack, or as part of a healthy breakfast. Enjoy it any time of day!
Yield: 5 servings
Macros (per serving): 315 calories | 11g protein | 26g fat | 4.5g net carbs
Prep: 20 minutes | Bake: 25-30 minutes  | Cool: 10-15 ​minutes
Storage: refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Filling Ingredients:​
  • 1 pound (454g) rhubarb, chopped into ½-inch (12mm) pieces (about 4 cups)
  • 1 Tbsp (15ml) lemon juice (about ½ small lemon)
  • ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp (75g) allulose or keto-friendly sweetener of choice ✎
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 3 Tbsp (30g) chia seeds​
Dry Topping Ingredients:
  • ½ cup (80g) hemp hearts
  • ⅓ cup (39g) pecans, chopped
  • ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp (45g) almond flour
  • ¼ cup (48g) allulose or keto-friendly sweetener of choice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin spice
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg or more pumpkin spice
  • 1/8 tsp salt
Wet Topping Ingredients:
  • 2 Tbsp (30ml) melted coconut oil, vegan butter, or neutral-flavoured oil of choice
  • 1-2 Tbsp (15-30ml) water
Directions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). 
  2. Put the rhubarb in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
  3. Drizzle the rhubarb with the lemon juice and mix.
  4. Top the rhubarb with the allulose and salt and mix. Set aside.
  5. Combine the dry topping ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
  6. Drizzle the oil over the dry mixture. Mix to distribute the oil throughout.
  7. Drizzle the topping mixture with the water and mix to form a moist crumble. The amount of water needed may vary slighlty with the sweetener used. Start with 1 Tbsp and add more a teaspoon at a time as needed. 
  8. Sprinkle the rhubarb with about half of the chia seeds and mix. Sprinkle with the remaining seeds and mix again.
  9. Divide the rhubarb mixture equally between five 6-ounce (180ml) ramekins. Or, put all of the mixture in a 6-inch (15cm) square pan or 7-inch (18cm) round pan. Don't use a loose-bottomed or springform pan for this recipe.
  10. Top the rhubarb with the topping mixture.
  11. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft and the topping is dark golden brown. ✎
  12. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool for 10-15.
  13. Enjoy warm. 
Make It Nut-Free: if you aren't able to have nuts, you can replace the pecans with ¼ cup (40g) pumpkin seeds, chopped, and the almond flour with sunflower seed flour. Macros (per serving): 305 calories | 12g protein | 23g fat | 5g net carbs
✎ Notes:
  • I have made the pictured crisp with allulose. However, years ago, I made a similar crisp with pure monk fruit powder and it also worked out fine. This crisp is not overly sweet and the tanginess of the rhubarb comes through. If you don't like sour flavors, you may wish to add more sweetener to the rhubarb mixture.
  • This topping is prone to burning, depending on the sweetener used and moisture levels. If you're concerned about burning the tops, you could bake it covered with foil for the first 10-15 minutes.
  • Macros for this recipes are calculated with national nutritional data (i.e. NCCDB & USDA entries in Cronometer) for all ingredients apart from the chia seeds (Bob's Redmill) and hemp hearts (Manitoba Harvest).
  • Macro numbers are rounded. Numbers equal to or greater than 10g are rounded to the nearest whole number (e.g. 10g, 11g, 12g, etc.) and numbers below 10g are rounded to the nearest 0.5g (0.5g, 1g, 1.5g ... 9g, 9.5g). Any numbers below 0.5g are given as is (e.g. 0.1g, 0.2g, etc.). Calories are rounded to the nearest multiple of 5.