With its bright color and tart taste, rhubarb is a must-grow veggie for your spring garden. While you may not want to munch on the raw stalks — they’re fairly sour — rhubarb becomes sweeter (and recipe-ready) when cooked. And because it’s so versatile, you can incorporate it into a variety of dishes to satisfy your exact craving.
What to do with rhubarb
1. Make a Soda
It all starts with a simple syrup: combine 1 pound of chopped rhubarb with 1 cup sugar and 2 cups water. Add a cinnamon stick, along with a dash of nutmeg, fresh ginger and vanilla bean if you’d like. Bring everything to a simmer and let it gently bubble for 15 minutes until it’s syrupy. Strain out the rhubarb, then chill the syrup.
Once chilled, mix the syrup with club soda and you have rhubarb soda! (Add a splash of cream for a tasty cream soda.)
2. Mix It in Cocktails
Make a boozy summer beverage by mixing your DIY rhubarb syrup from the recipe above with lemon and gin. Or perhaps rum and mint? Or tequila and lime? You do you.
4. Make an Ice Cream Float
Whip up a rhubarb soda using the recipe above, then add a scoop of vanilla or strawberry ice cream to create a yummy float.
5. Bake With Rhubarb
Dice up the veggie and mix it into a batch of cinnamon muffins, or pair it with strawberries and make a mouthwatering crumble.
6. Customize Your Ice Cream
A batch of homemade ice cream gets even tastier when you add rhubarb to the mix. The pink color is oh-so-pretty, and if you pair the frozen treat with a side of buttery shortbread it’s pure bliss.
7. Pickle the Rhubarb
Pickling is super trendy and a delicious way to extend the life of your veggie. You can follow the same basic instructions you’d use to pickle any fruit or veggie, though it’s extra tasty if you spice it up with additions like cardamom and dried chiles.
8. Add It to a Salad
Roast the veggie with a sprinkle of sugar to temper its natural sharpness, then add it to a salad once cooled. One go-to recipe: rhubarb roasted with beets, placed on a bed of peppery arugula and tossed with goat cheese and homemade vinaigrette.
9. Make a Jam
There’s nothing better than starting your day with a crisp slice of homemade bread slathered in fruit jam. To make it, you’ll mix the veggie with sugar, lemon juice and vanilla bean, then roast to perfection.
10. Decorate an Ice Cream Cake
Roasted with strawberries, rhubarb can be the crowning glory of an ice cream cake layered with toasted walnuts, oat crumble and whipped sour cream.
11. Cook a Soup
Rhubarb works wonders in both sweet and savory soups. For sweet “dessert” soups, simmer and strain the rhubarb with a touch of sugar and the berry of your choice. (You could go with a classic strawberry-rhubarb combo or mix it up with raspberries or cherries.) Top the soup with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
To go savory, sauté the rhubarb along with a traditional mirepoix. Add red potatoes and some veggie broth (plus salt and pepper) for a delicious, hearty spring soup.
Strawberry rhubarb pie is delicious. Easy to make
looks delicious
What is mirepoix ? These rhubarb recipes sound great I love Rubsrb snd looking forward to trying them .
Hello! Mirepoix is a combination of onion, carrot and celery generally cut to the same size. Thanks!
Rhubarb has always been one of my favorite veggies! Although I didn’t know this growing up in Wisconsin. This was a fun pie, coffeecake ingredient, sauce to eat on breakfast and many other delicious ways to prepare as an addition to desert at snacking! Your ideas just add fuel to my appetitive for rhubarb! Thank you!!
Neat ideas for rhubarb I will try some. Thsnks
I bought a few pounds yesterday and it’s now in jars infusing vodka and gin. Makes excellent liqueurs and shrubs in addition to pie, jam, etc!
Rhubarb Pie with Eggs
Prepare pastry for 2 crust pie.
Combine:
4 cups rhubarb chopped (1/2” to 1” pieces)
1 ½ cups sugar or 1 1/3 cups for less sweet
1/3 cup flour or ¼ c tapioca
dash salt
3 eggs
Let stand 15 minutes.
Turn into pastry-lined pie plate. Dot with butter or margarine. Cut slits in top crust, crimp edges. Sprinkle crusty lightly with sugar if desired.
Bake at 400º for 50 minutes, or until it bubbles out the slits.
If edges brown too quickly, cover with strips of foil.
*My sister, Jeanie, chops her rhubarb into 1/8” to ¼” pieces in her Cuisinart. I chop mine about 3/8” on a chopping board. It’s personal preference. (Jeanie uses tapioca, I use flour.)
The eggs create a custard on the rhubarb.
I love rhubarb I have some up in my freezer that I have to get used up.
I love rhubarb and strawberry purs
I have rhubarb in my garden, I have enjoyed it through summer and now Autumn in Australia. I cook it in no sugar Solo and love it, I don’t strain it as I love the stem too. Some icecream or even custard can be yummo with it but personally I love it totally on its own..good for those on a diet.
I ❤️rhubarb and have an old rhubarb custard pie recipe and if you eat it, you’ll never want another kind of pie!
That sounds amazing, I’m always on the look out for new recipes and ways to use Rhubarb
Eileen Uhlenkott, Can you please share the old rhubarb custard pie recipe?
Yes please
Would love to have a receipe for the custard, rubarb pie.
So, will you share that yummy pie recipe??
does anyone know where you can buy Rhubarb. Publix told me it was only in season for a very short period of time. Cant find it in coastal carolina area.
My great grandmother brought a piece of her rhubarb root to Canada when she immigrated here in 1904. I have some of that root in my backyard and just love all the things I can make with rhubarb.
Chop it and cook it just like you’re making applesauce. Add sugar to taste and the tiniest sprinkle of cinnamon. Make sure you have a bit of liquid to cover the bottom of the pan before you start or else it will burn. Rhubarb sauce is just the best!
I ❤️ rhubarb sauce on ice cream or added to yogurt.
Another way I make it similar as above but minus the cinnamon. When cooled it is fantastic on Real Sour Dough hot cakes and topped off with heavy cream. Maybe not the best for those of us watching our diet but now and again it is a delightful treat!
I agree
Never spoil Rhubarb recipes by adding stawberry. It is my pet peeve!
My mom makes a blueberry strawberry rhubarb bake with a crispy brown sugar and cinnamon topping that would change your mind
I purchased a strawberry rhubarb and a champagne rhubarb I can’t wait to harvest them, I’ve tasted the strawberry one it was delicious,
I agree!
I see people comment about the Rhubarb Recipes. Where do I find them. thank you for your help.
Hello Gail. Here is the link https://www.craftsy.com/post/things-to-do-with-rhubarb/. Each one tells you what you need.
If you have any questions please email or phone customer service.
Thanks
Sarah
Carftsy
Can’t get into the rhubarb recipes on your website, no recipes open. I went to the site you recommended and the same food articles come up but don’t open. Hope there is an easier way… thanks
Here is the link https://www.craftsy.com/post/things-to-do-with-rhubarb/. Each one tells you in the description what you need and how to make.
If you have any questions please email or phone customer service.
Thanks
Sarah
Carftsy
Any idea approx. How many cups of chopped rhubarb would be one pound?
Pinterest and Allrecipes.com have plenty of rhubarb recipes
Love to cook
Would love the jam recipe.
I would love the recipes.
What about a rhubarb and strawberry pie … the best
My grandma used to make a rhubarb raspberry jelly and it was the best tasting jelly I’ve ever had. Since she passed I’ve tried rhubarb strawberry jelly and it’s ok but the rhubarb raspberry was unbelievable, I wish I had her recipe.
It’s looks very yummy and I would to received the recipe to make it.
Buenas noches quisiera saber los cursos de arreglos florales para arreglos de eventos bodas banques y aniñarlos amo pastelería en casa
I make strawberry rhubarb dump cake-favorite with my extended family
How do you make that is sounds delicious!
I’m surprised you didn’t list Rhubarb Bread or the various cakes. I have found a couple recipes here that I’ll be trying! Thank you very much!
Interesting recipes. I grow my own rhubarb.
I loved seeing the different recipes, as I have never thought of using it other than for Rhubarb pie or crumble. But now I can not wait to try the other ways.
Use it to make a rhubarb custard pie. It’s everyone’s favorite pie here
I like the recipes
Interesting. I had no idea you could do so much with rhubarb