Rhubarb & Custard Ice Cream with Toasted Oat Crisp

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Rhubarb crisp already feels dangerously close to ice cream topping.

So Rhubarb Custard Ice Cream was probably inevitable.

Cold custard ice cream. Sharp ribbons of rhubarb. Toasted oat crisp scattered over top like a dessert having a minor identity crisis.

And importantly, there’s no machine involved here.

No compressor humming away in the corner of the kitchen. No hand crank. No bags of rock salt. Just a saucepan, a bowl, a freezer, and a little patience.

Which, admittedly, is already more patience than rhubarb usually receives.

The custard is rich and nostalgic. The rhubarb is meant to bite back a little. And the toasted oat crisp brings the whole thing back to the rhubarb crumbles and apple crisps that seem to appear at nearly every cottage table, church supper, and family gathering east of Montreal.

It’s familiar, but different enough that people will ask for a second scoop before they’ve quite figured out why.

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Why You’ll Love This Rhubarb & Custard Ice Cream

• No ice cream maker required.
• The custard base gives a richer flavour than standard vanilla ice cream.
• Rhubarb provides a sharp contrast to the sweetness.
• The toasted oat crisp adds texture and echoes a traditional rhubarb crumble.
• Ideal for early summer when rhubarb is at its best.
• Easy to make ahead for cottage weekends, barbecues, and family suppers.

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The Story Behind It

When I was growing up, making ice cream wasn’t something that happened on a Tuesday evening because you fancied dessert.

It was an event.

Out came the hand-cranked ice cream maker. Someone was sent to find bags of ice. Someone else was responsible for the rock salt. Children were recruited because they possessed the one thing adults lacked: endless energy and very little sense of whether a task was worth the effort.

The process took time.

At ten years old, that didn’t seem particularly important.

At forty-one, with a family, a job, and a list of things that somehow grows longer every week, it feels rather more significant.

Which is why no-churn ice cream appeals to me.

You get the reward without having to spend an afternoon turning a handle.

The rhubarb takes me somewhere else entirely.

Like many cottage gardens across Atlantic Canada, ours always seemed to have a rhubarb patch. It arrived every spring with remarkable confidence, whether anyone had asked for it or not. Before long there would be pies, crisps, crumbles, and eventually the annual question of what else could possibly be done with rhubarb.

Years later, while living in England, I discovered that the British answer to that question was often custard.

Apple crumble with custard. Rhubarb crumble with custard. In some parts of the country, it seemed entirely possible to receive custard whether you had requested it or not.

Bird’s Custard Powder remains one of those wonderfully practical inventions. It delivers that familiar flavour without requiring eggs, tempering, or unnecessary drama.

Paired with tart rhubarb and a toasted oat crisp, it creates something that feels halfway between an old-fashioned cottage rhubarb crumble and the hand-churned ice cream of my childhood.

Which is a very pleasant place to be.

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Ingredients

For the Rhubarb Ripple

• 3 cups rhubarb, chopped
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon lemon or orange juice
• Pinch of salt

For the Toasted Oat Crisp

• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

For the Custard Ice Cream

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 3 tablespoons custard powder (I like Birds)
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

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Method

Make the Rhubarb Ripple

Combine the rhubarb, sugar, water, citrus juice, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat.

Cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb has softened and the mixture becomes thick and jammy.

Allow to cool completely.

Make the Toasted Oat Crisp

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Mix the oats, flour, brown sugar, and salt together in a bowl.

Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Spread onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 12–15 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until golden brown.

Cool completely.

Prepare the Custard Base

Whisk together the custard powder and milk until smooth.

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the condensed milk, custard mixture, vanilla, and salt.

Cook gently for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened.

Do not boil.

Remove from the heat and cool completely.

Whip the Cream

Whip the cream to soft peaks.

Fold in the cooled custard mixture until fully combined.

Assemble

Spoon one-third of the ice cream mixture into a loaf pan or freezer-safe container.

Add spoonfuls of rhubarb ripple.

Repeat the layers until everything has been used, finishing with extra ripple on top.

Use a knife to gently swirl.

Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.

When serving, scatter generously with toasted oat crisp.

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A Few Small Tips Before You Start

• Let the rhubarb cool completely before folding it into the ice cream.
• Don’t over-swirl the ripple. Distinct ribbons look better and taste better.
• Keep the oat crisp separate until serving so it stays crunchy.
• Let the ice cream sit on the counter for 10 minutes before scooping.

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What Else Works Here

A handful of strawberries can soften the sharpness of the rhubarb if you prefer a sweeter ripple.

A pinch of ground ginger works beautifully in the oat crisp.

Later in the summer, blueberries make an excellent substitute for the rhubarb.

If you’re serving this for adults, a spoonful of dark rum stirred into the rhubarb mixture adds a little depth without overwhelming the fruit.

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What to Serve With It

This is very much a dessert that likes company.

Serve it after a barbecue, alongside a slice of blueberry pie, or with a few oatcakes and a strong cup of tea.

If you’re at a cottage, it feels entirely appropriate eaten from a bowl on the deck while arguing about whether the weather is actually going to hold.

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Storage & Make-Ahead

The ice cream will keep well in the freezer for up to two weeks.

Store the oat crisp separately in an airtight container and add it just before serving.

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Related Recipes

• Wild Blueberry Muffins
• Nova Scotia Oatcakes
• Plum Jam
• Oatmeal Molasses Bread