Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars Recipe

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Do you have plenty of rhubarb to use or maybe you are anticipating how much you will need to use up this season? These yummy Rhubarb Bars are so simple to make!

Do you have plenty of rhubarb to use or maybe you are anticipating how much you will need to use up this season? These yummy Rhubarb Bars are so simple to make!

Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars Recipe

These bars are delicious….if you are a rhubarb lover!! If you are like me, your rhubarb season is once a year and usually only short-lived. It starts to appear in April and reaches it’s peak in June as long as we have rain. That is what happens to me. I try to make as many items as possible during that season, but this is one recipe that I make year after year. Several years ago, I had a neighbor that gave me a recipe that was very similar to this.

Over time, I have tweaked it and changed it to make it fit perfectly for us. This recipe is what I would call the “fig newton” type of rhubarb bar. I guess that is kinda what it reminds me of. It has a top and a bottom and then a nice sauce layer in the middle. They hold together well and are, Oh….so tasty!

Another great thing about this sauce mixture is when you have that abundance of fresh rhubarb, you can make the sauce ahead of time and freeze it. It saves time for these bars to be put together in time by making the top and bottom crumble/crust for them.

I have also used cherries from our bushes or plums from our trees as a substitute for the rhubarb and made them that way. So, you can see that these bars are delicious and versatile for what you have on hand, regarding fruits.

Fresh rhubarb is the best for flavor, taste, and texture, but frozen rhubarb will work just as well. Top it all off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream when you are ready to serve!

Rhubarb Bars Recipe

Ingredients in Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars

  • Arrowroot powder. You could also use cornstarch or another thickener if you don’t have arrowroot.
  • Water.
  • Sugar. I use cane sugar. I’ve not tried this recipe with a sugar substitute.
  • Rhubarb. The rhubarb can be fresh or frozen, depending on the season.
  • Vanilla. This can be Homemade Vanilla Extract or from the store.
  • Butter. If you use salted butter, you can leave out the salt in this recipe; otherwise, use unsalted.
  • Oats. I use old-fashioned oats or rolled oats for this recipe. Quick oats will not work the same.
  • Brown Sugar. This is one item I don’t buy in bulk because it hardens so quickly. Just keep on hand what you need.
  • All Purpose Flour. You can also use gluten free flour mix for a gluten free version.
  • Baking Soda. I buy this in bulk from Sam’s Club.
  • Salt. Any kind of salt will work. I use pink salt.

Rhubarb Bars Recipe

Instructions for Making Rhubarb Dessert Bars

In a saucepan, stir together the arrowroot powder or organic cornstarch, water, sugar, rhubarb, and vanilla.

Cook this mixture until it is thickened and bubbly on low to medium-low heat. It usually takes about 20 minutes.

Rhubarb Bars Recipe

While this is cooking, mix together in a bowl: butter, oatmeal, brown sugar, flour (or gluten free flour mix), baking soda, and salt.

Use a pastry blender or fork to get a crumbly consistency.

Rhubarb Bars Recipe

Grease a 9 x 13 pan. (Merissa actually made this 9×13 pan for me! 🙂 ) Place 1/2 of the crumble mixture in the bottom of your pan and pat it down firmly. Now pour your rhubarb sauce mixture over the bottom crust. Place the remaining crumble mixture over the sauce and pat down slightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Rhubarb Bars Recipe

Remove from the oven and cool slightly. They are best to cut while they are still a bit warm.

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Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars Recipe

Enjoy the bounty of the season with these salty, sour, and sweet Rhubarb Bars!

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Rhubarb Bars
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 20 people
Calories 206 kcal

Ingredients

Rhubarb Filling

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 4 cups chopped rhubarb fresh or frozen
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crumble

  • 3/4 cup butter softened
  • 1 1/2 cup oatmeal
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup flour or gluten free flour mix
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

For the Filling

  1. Cook this mixture until it is thickened and bubbly on low to medium-low heat. It usually takes about 20 minutes.

For the Crumble and Assembly

  1. Use a pastry blender or fork to get a crumbly consistency.
  2. Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Place 1/2 of the crumble mixture in the bottom of your pan and pat it down firmly. Now pour your rhubarb sauce mixture over the bottom crust. Place the remaining crumble mixture over the sauce and pat down, slightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

  3. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. They are best to cut while they are still a bit warm.
Nutrition Facts
Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 206 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Trans Fat 0.3g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4g
Monounsaturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 18mg6%
Sodium 145mg6%
Potassium 110mg3%
Carbohydrates 34g11%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 24g27%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 238IU5%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 36mg4%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Rhubarb Bars Recipe

How to Store Leftover Rhubarb Bars

Once the pan has cooled, you can cover it with plastic wrap and store the leftover bars on the countertop or in the fridge. (Refrigeration is not required.) If only a few bars are left, you can put them in an airtight container and store them on the counter or in the fridge.

You could also wrap the bars in parchment paper and a freezer bag and put them in the freezer for later if you can’t eat them all now. (But it’d be better to half the recipe, use an 8×8 baking pan, and make smaller amounts instead.)

This Rhubarb Bars Recipe makes an incredible bar for a church gathering or potluck.

Enjoy!

Rhubarb

More Rhubarb Recipes

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This recipe for Rhubarb Bars was originally posted on Little House Living in May 2014 and has been updated as of July 2023.

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30 Comments

  1. YUM! My husband would love these! I need to figure out where to get some rhubarb! I have been unsuccessful so far.

  2. I absolutely love rhubarb! These look like a great new way to try it for me!

  3. We do not have rhubarb here in Florida. I don’t think I’ve ever had any. Looks good though!

  4. While rummaging through my freezer looking for some ideas for supper, I came across a package of rhubarb from last years crop here in Saskatchewan. Now thanks to you, I will be making your delicious squares.

  5. Visiting from Saturday Night Live. I adore rhubarb and I’m currently dedicating May to it on my blog. These bars look super yummy. I co-host Sweet and Savoury Sunday and would for you to stop by and share these and other recipes with us. Have a great day!

  6. I’ve never tried rhubarb before. Now I think I’m missing out because this recipe looks so delicious. I love that they’re so simple to make.

  7. Yum, these look super good! I love rhubarb, it’s just so versatile in all kinds of cooking.
    Visiting from Sunday Brunch at Mums Take Five.

  8. These look delicious and are a MUST try! Thanks for posting the recipe to the Pintastic Pinterest Party!

  9. YUM! Thank you for sharing at Tuesdays with a Twist! Hope to see you again this week!

  10. This looks great! I wish I still had the two big rhubarb plants I had a few years ago in Oregon!

  11. My family loved this. They are also BIG fans of your Wacky Cake and Caramel Icing. Thank you for the wonderful recipes and tips.

  12. I made these the other night for dessert and they were a big hit with
    my family. I’m trying to avoid food waste and had a few biscotti that were getting stale, so I crushed them and used them to replace some of the flour. They turned out great!

  13. I’d like to can the rhubarb mixture for using later. What are your recommendations? (Water bath or pressure canner? Time?) I love your web site. Very informative and great pictures. Thanks and keep up the great work.

  14. My whole family loves these bars, I have made them three times since I found this recipe. Tonight when I made them I added frozen blueberries and replaced the flour with oat flour. So good warm with ice cream or cold for a sweet treat. Thank you so much!

  15. Wondering why you only have rhubarb from April to June. We pick ours as long as the growing season; spring to whenever it frosts in the fall.