Easy Rhubarb Recipes You MUST MAKE for Spring

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Spring has finally arrived and that means the arrival of all of the delicious spring produce! Rhubarb is always a special treat. It grows like crazy even though it only produces for a short window of time. Rhubarb is one of those plants that is incredibly easy to grow and will continue to come back and produce year after year. It’s a great way to add another vegetable to your garden and to your diet.

Easy Rhubarb Recipes for Spring

Today I’m rounding up some deliciously easy rhubarb recipes for you, perfect for that rhubarb growing in your garden or any that you might find at the farmer’s markets or grocery stores this time of year.

May is when our rhubarb gets started, and June is when it really hits its stride, so now is a great time to gather up all of the spring dessert recipes that you want to make.

Rhubarb

We love rhubarb, and I have a large patch that we tend each year to produce as much as possible. While this plant doesn’t grow in every climate, it sure grows in abundance here in the north.

Let’s dive right in to the recipes!

Easy Rhubarb Recipes

rhubarbsmoothie

Rhubarb Smoothies

Rhubarb Smoothies are a quick and easy way to use your rhubarb and sneak an extra vegetable into your day. This recipe post also gives instructions on properly harvesting rhubarb, just in case you were wondering!

rhubarbbread

Rhubarb Bread

Strawberry Rhubarb Bread is a yummy quick bread treat that the whole family will enjoy. This bread is perfect for breakfast or even for a mid-day snack.

Rhubarb Cake Recipe

Rhubarb Cake

This Buttermilk Rhubarb Cake Recipe is my family’s absolute favorite! This is typically the first rhubarb recipe I make yearly to kick off the beginning of the rhubarb season.

rhubarbbars

Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars

This Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars Recipe is one of my favorite rhubarb recipes. They are easy to make and you can easily make them gluten free!

rhubarbcake

Brown Sugar Rhubarb Cake

Now if you really want a treat you might want to give this Brown Sugar-Topped Rhubarb Cake Recipe a try! I’m thinking this would be perfect for a spring birthday cake or topped with vanilla ice cream.

bluecornbread

Rhubarb Cornbread

If you are gluten and dairy free you might enjoy this Vanilla Rhubarb Blue Cornbread. I think my boys would love this recipe, so I’m going to have to give it a try.

Rhubarb Custard Pie

Ok, this Rhubarb Custard Pie looks incredibly easy…only 7 ingredients? I think I’d use my Butter Pie Crust with it instead of store-bought, but other than that, the recipe looks great!

rhubarbvinegar

Rhubarb Vinegar

This recipe looks so interesting that I had to include it. Have you ever made Rhubarb Vinegar? I think it would be a great way to use up extra tart Rhubarb and might be really good added to homemade salad dressings. What do you think?

rhubarbcrumble

Rhubarb Crumble Recipe

This is another one of my very favorite rhubarb recipes… this Rhubarb Crumble Recipe! It’s so easy to make, and it’s even gluten-free.

Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade

Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade would be a wonderfully refreshing drink for summertime! My kids love lemonade on a hot day.

coffeecakerhubarb

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

If you want to use your rhubarb in an upcoming brunch, you might want to give this Rhubarb Coffee Cake a try!

rhubarbcrisp

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Does your family enjoy a good peach or apple crisp? Change it up this spring and make a Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp instead! Cobblers or Crisps are one of my favorite ways to use summer fruit.

jam

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Jam and Jellies are always a staple in the summer, and making one with rhubarb is no exception! Strawberry Rhubarb Jam is easy to put together (no pectin needed!), and you can preserve the extras to enjoy all winter long.

You could also use this as a rhubarb sauce topping for pancakes, biscuits, oats, or other breads or desserts if you don’t cook it down as much as use it more like syrup.

Rhubarb Kale Salad

Here’s a way I would not have pictured using rhubarb! This Rhubarb Kale salad looks like a nice, fresh, springy way to use the spring produce.

canningrhubarb

Canning Rhubarb

Now if you’ve made it to the end of this list and tried all of the easy rhubarb recipes that your family would enjoy, but you STILL have more rhubarb to use up, you can always start Canning Rhubarb! You can add a little lemon juice to your cans to help them keep their bright red rhubarb color.

It’s really actually very easy and can be done in no time. You can always freeze rhubarb, but I love how canning rhubarb helps to pre-cook the rhubarb so that it’s much easier to add to recipes like rhubarb muffins. I also make Strawberry Rhubarb Pie filling, but I haven’t uploaded that recipe yet. I will try to this summer!

This list of easy rhubarb recipes is making me hungry now, how about you?

What is the healthiest way to eat rhubarb?

Although rhubarb recipes can contain quite a bit of tartness, the healthiest rhubarb recipes would be those that contain the lowest amount of sugar. It depends on what you want the flavor to be like!

If you prefer, add other fruits along with the rhubarb to cut down on the tartness without adding more sugar. Fruits like strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries are always a good addition!

Do you need to peel rhubarb before you cook it?

Rhubarb doesn’t HAVE to be peeled before eating or cooking, but some varieties and some of the larger, thicker stalks would taste best and have a better texture if peeled before use. The smaller, tender stalks do not need to be peeled.

Should rhubarb be cooked before eating?

You can eat rhubarb raw if you really want to! It’s safe either way. Just don’t eat the leaves, as they are poisonous.

Rhubarb

What is the best way to freeze fresh rhubarb?

Rhubarb can be washed and cut into pieces before being placed in a freezer bag and frozen until needed. There is no need to blanch rhubarb before freezing it.

What should I do when my rhubarb starts to flower?

Cut off the flower buds to keep your rhubarb growing as long as possible. The only reason to let the flowers bloom out would be to collect the seeds.

What do you use canned rhubarb for?

Canned rhubarb can be used in most of the recipes above. You could also use it in other desserts, such as rhubarb upside-down cake, and rhubarb compote, or even use it as a savory topping over pork cooked in the oven or other similar dishes!

What are some of your favorite easy rhubarb recipes that you love to make in the spring?

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Me and KadyMerissa has been blogging about and living the simple life since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to the 100-acre farm and ministry on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.


This blog post on Rhubarb Recipes was originally posted on Little House Living in March 2016. It has been updated as of May 2023.

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27 Comments

  1. I love rhubarb and the fresh taste of spring and new growth every spring. Please chime in on how to make these with less sugar as I am really trying to do sweet treats with only minimum amounts of sugar? They all look really yummy though!
    Thanks, Ckay
    I do not use the artificial equal/splenda stuff!!!!

    1. Buy fresh Driscol strawberries, wash & stem and measure them and set aside. Cut up fresh rhubarb stems in the same quantity. Cook the rhubarb in a small amount of water, covered for about 5 min. after it boils. Remove from heat when done and put all the strawberries in the pan with the hot rhubarb. Stir and allow to cool completely in the pan.
      Chill overnight and serve each dish with just a little sugar each, according to taste. The Driscol strawberries are a little sweeter than others, and help to sweeten the rhubarb. I hope this helps!

    2. Raw rhubarb compote (amazing, crunchy fresh tasting salad!)
      2.25 lbs rhubarb, diced into 1/4″ squares
      1/2 cup sugar
      1/4 cup orange juice

      Mix together and let sit on counter 6 hours or overnight.

      Such a great recipe! Keeps in fridge for three days after initial time at room temp.

  2. I made a variety of fruit vinegars for gift giving last year. I found a very simple method similar to that used by Stratta in East Sussex (http://www.stratta.org/index.php)
    You use equal weights of vinegar & prepared fruit, bring to a simmer, mash the fruit slightly, pour into sterile jars, store in a cool dark place for about 2 weeks, to allow the fruit flavour to infuse. After that, strain through cheesecloth, coffee filter etc (depending on the type of fruit you use) & bottle for giving/use. You can use apple cider, rice, white wine, balsamic vinegar, depending on budget & preference.
    My vinegars actually sat for a couple of months before I decanted them & had amazing flavour/colour. The make wonderful vinaigrettes. I generally use a bit of honey to sweeten to taste at the time.
    I did 2 batches of some of the fruits, one with white wine vinegar & the other with apple cider vinegar to do a taste test, the winner was apple cider vinegar.

  3. Marissa do you happen to know if rhubarb will grow in the south I live in Florida it is very expensive in the grocery store if I can even find it there. just wondering I love
    rhubarb. when I lived in Wisconsin I always had lots because my father in law grew it.

      1. I lived in Florida for years, North Florida, and tried and tried to grow rhubarb, even using the variety specially designated by the University of Florida horticulture experts as the only one even possible to grow in Florida; all with no success. We then lived in northern Montana and it was like zuchini (so much you couldn’t get rid of it!) Now I am in Northern California, it is abundant, and I can’t wait to try these recipes!

  4. Thanks for the great ideas- I have an abundance of rhubarb in my backyard right now and have been having stewed rhubarb on my breakfast each morning but needed some different ideas.

  5. I have never baked with rhubarb. Your sharing of recipes is inspiring me! I will pin your post for the future. Thank you for sharing!

  6. Our Rhubarb is just coming in and I was getting worried what I was going to do with all of it! Definitely pinning this to my recipes board! Thanks!

  7. Hello,
    Can someone please tell me why every or almost every recipe calls for Strawberries?? I do not eat them and I would like to find some recipes that did not call for their use. Is there a reason that all recipes have Strawberries? I mean will other fruit not be just as good? What about Blueberries, they are generally sweeter, I find then Strawberries. Would they not work? And what about just a plan way to cook Rhubarb?
    Thanks
    Kathy

    1. I think strawberries are included because they are sweet and because their flavors pair so well with rhubarb. I don’t see why other fruits or berries could be substituted in the recipes.

      1. Thank you, I just could never understand why it is always Strawberries, which makes it hard for someone like me, who does not eat Strawberries!
        Kathy

        1. You can make any recipe without the strawberries. Just add a bit more sugar. A Tablespoon or two. Strawberries were used because people didn’t like the tartness of rhubarb. The strawberries were available and abundant.
          I am a lover of pure tartness. Rhubarb, Gooseberries, pie cherries. Yum.

  8. Great ideas here. I have lots of rhubarb coming up in the garden, and will probably get some in my CSA box starting later this month, so all ideas welcome. Am especially intrigued by the vinegar idea above and from a commenter. Will definitely try.
    Found you at Show and Tell party.

  9. All i knew before this was a strawberry rhubarb pie that my father in law used to make. Thanks for the great ideas!

    You should stop by my weekly link party and share this with everyone : )

  10. This is such a fantastic collection of rhubarb recipes! All of the recipes you featured sound delicious, but that rhubarb smoothie looks amazing. I will definitely be trying that beauty out in the near future!

    Thank you so much for posting all of these in one perfect little place. Will be pinning for sure.

    I’m stopping by from the Meet Up Monday Link Party!

    I hope you have the most wonderful week.

    Thanks again for your post!!!
    ?????

  11. Mmmmm, I love rhubarb recipes! That rhubarb vinegar has me intrigued…perhaps that will be my next recipe to try! Thank you!

  12. Merissa, you are the rhubarb diva! Thanks for these recipes. Mine is ready to pick and I”ve got to get to it tomorrow!

  13. First thing I made was a drink using 6 cups water and 2 cups rhubarb combined with 1 cup sugar. Boiled for 30 then strained in a seive. Toped off with a cup on lemon juice. Stored in a jar refrigerated for the next hot day.