How to Prepare Rhubarb

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: March 29, 2019 References

If you have more rhubarb than you know what to do with, you have options! For a hands-off approach, bake chopped rhubarb with sugar. You can also cook it on the stove top so it breaks down into a thick, jammy texture. If you prefer, make a thinner sauce that you can spoon over desserts. Try a simple whipped cream and rhubarb dessert that uses stewed rhubarb as its base. If you want to preserve the rhubarb, make rhubarb jam and process the jars so you can store it for up to one year.

Ingredients

Roasted Rhubarb

1.2 pounds (550 g) rhubarb
2/3 cup (85 g) sugar

Makes 4 servings

Stewed Rhubarb

1 3/4 pounds (800 g) rhubarb, chopped into 1/2 inch (12 mm) pieces
⅓ cup (113 g) honey
2 tablespoons (12 g) orange zest
¼ cup (60 ml) orange juice

Makes 5 to 6 servings

Rhubarb Sauce

1/3 cup (67 g) sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) water
2 1/4 cups (225 g) rhubarb, chopped
1 teaspoon (2 g) grated lemon peel
1/8 teaspoon (0.5 g) ground nutmeg

Makes 1 1/4 cups (280 g)

Rhubarb Fool

1 batch of stewed rhubarb
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
Powdered sugar to taste

Makes 4 servings

Rhubarb Jam

2 1/2 pounds (1.1 kg) rhubarb, chopped
1 cup (240 ml) water
1 7.5-ounce (49 g) package powdered pectin
1/2 teaspoon (2 g) butter or margarine
6 1/2 cups (1.3 kg) sugar

Makes 8 cups (2.6 kg)

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Trimming and Chopping Rhubarb

1
Select fresh, crisp rhubarb stalks. Look for firm stalks of rhubarb that don't have any soft or brown spots on them. Depending on how it was grown, rhubarb can range from pale pink to deep red in color. While you can buy thin or thick stalks, thin stalks won't be as stringy and will be tenderer than thick ones.^{[1]
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- Check the refrigerated section of the produce department to find rhubarb or get it from local markets in early spring.
2
Trim off the ends and rinse the stalks. Cut off 1 inch (2.5 cm) from both ends of the rhubarb stalks. Discard the leaves because they're poisonous. Rinse the trimmed rhubarb under cold water to remove any dirt or grit.^{[2]
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3
Peel the rhubarb, if desired. If you have wide, thick rhubarb, you can use a vegetable peeler to remove the large stringy skin on the stalks. Keep in mind that most of the stringy texture won't be noticeable once the rhubarb is cooked.
4
Chop the rhubarb according to your recipe. Lay the rhubarb on a cutting board and cut each stalk into pieces between 1/4 and 1 inch (6 to 25 mm) in size. To make sauces or stewed rhubarb, cut the rhubarb into 3/4 to 1 inch (19 to 25 mm) pieces. If you want to make rhubarb pie or baked goods, chop the rhubarb between 1/4 and 1/2 inch (6 to 12 mm).^{[3]
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5
Use or freeze the prepared rhubarb. Follow your recipe to use the rhubarb or lay the pieces on a large rimmed baking sheet. Freeze the rhubarb pieces until they're completely hard and transfer them to a freezer-safe storage bag. Freeze the rhubarb for up to 10 to 12 months.^{[4]
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- You don't need to thaw the frozen rhubarb before cooking or stewing it.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using Rhubarb in Recipes

1
Roast rhubarb in the oven. Preheat the oven to 395 °F (202 °C) and chop 1.2 pounds (550 g) of rhubarb into 3-inch (7.5-cm) pieces. Put the rhubarb in a baking dish and sprinkle 2/3 cup (85 g) of sugar over it. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and cook the rhubarb for 15 minutes. Remove it from the oven and stir the softened rhubarb so it's coated in its juice.^{[5]
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- Serve the roasted rhubarb alongside roast salmon or pork. You can also mix it into yogurt or ice cream.
2
Stew rhubarb on the stove top. Put the chopped rhubarb, honey, orange zest, and orange juice in a pot on the stove. Turn the heat to medium-low and stir the ingredients until they're combined. Put the lid on the pot and let the rhubarb bubble gently for 15 to 20 minutes. It should become completely soft and remain a little chunky. If you want smoother rhubarb, cook it for an extra 5 minutes.^{[6]
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- Use the stewed rhubarb while it's hot or chill it before you use it. Top your favorite porridge, ice cream, or biscuits with the stewed rhubarb.
3
Bake a rhubarb crumble or pie. Mix chopped rhubarb with sugar and orange zest. Place it in the bottom of a pie plate and top it with a streusel mixture, if you want to make a crumble. To make a pie, lay pastry in the bottom of the pie plate and fill it with the rhubarb mixture. Lay another piece of pastry on top. Bake the crumble or pie until they're golden brown.
- For a sweeter crumble or pie, add chopped strawberries to the rhubarb mixture.
4
Bake rhubarb cake or muffins. Add chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb to your favorite butter cake or muffin recipe. You can also make a tart coffeecake by mixing 1 to 2 cups (100 to 200 g) of rhubarb into the batter.
- Try adding rhubarb to muffin or cake recipes that also use sour cream or buttermilk.
5
Cook a rhubarb sauce. Put the sugar and water into a saucepan and turn the heat to high. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the rhubarb and cook it until it's tender. This should take 5 to 10 minutes. Turn off the burner and stir in the lemon peel and nutmeg.^{[7]
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- Spoon some of the rhubarb sauce over toast, pancakes, or cheesecake.
6
Whip stewed rhubarb with heavy cream. To make a classic rhubarb fool, refrigerate a batch of stewed or baked rhubarb until it's completely cold. Beat 1 cup (240 ml) of chilled heavy cream with powdered sugar to taste. Keep beating the whipped cream until stiff peaks form. Use a spatula or spoon to gently fold the cold rhubarb into the whipped cream and serve it immediately.^{[8]
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- Avoid storing the rhubarb fool because the whipped cream will separate.
- Try substituting plain Greek yogurt for the whipped cream.
7
Make rhubarb jam. Place the chopped rhubarb in a large pot with the water and turn the heat to high. Once the water boils, reduce the heat to medium and cook the rhubarb for 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked rhubarb to a larger pot and stir in the pectin and butter. Stir in the sugar and cook the jam over high heat for 1 minute. Keep stirring to prevent the jam from sticking.^{[9]
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- Transfer the jam to clean jars and refrigerate them or process them in a water bath to preserve the jam for up to 1 year.