This Rhubarb Sauce is one of the easiest rhubarb recipes you'll find! All you need is rhubarb and a little sugar. You can serve it in a variety of ways including as a topping with this old fashioned rhubarb pie, you know, in case you can't get enough of that awesome rhubarb flavor!
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It's finally June, my birthday month, and the month things should start warming up here in Montana! Rhubarb is one of the first plants ready for harvesting in my garden.
A few days ago, while enjoying a cup of tea in the garden with my sister-in-law, Kim, she shared a memory of enjoying sugar-dipped rhubarb as a child. One topic led to another and before long I was daydreaming of rhubarb recipe ideas!
Since I already have a strawberry rhubarb jam and rhubarb pie, I decided to make a simple rhubarb sauce this year.
I kept the sugar low because let's be honest, isn't rhubarb's tangy flavor what makes it shine? Because it's not overly sweet, this tart rhubarb sauce pairs wonderfully with vanilla ice cream or even these mini cheesecake phyllo cups. Talk about a quick and delicious dessert!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- If you like easy recipes, you'll love this rhubarb sauce recipe! It takes right around 15 minutes from start to finish and has an irresistible sweet-tart flavor.
- You only need rhubarb and sugar to make this rhubarb sauce recipe, but I'll make a few suggestions on how to change things up a bit to make a few variations.
- This is a small batch recipe, but it can easily be scaled up to make more to give to family and friends.
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Rhubarb: You'll need approximately half a pound of fresh rhubarb. If substituting frozen rhubarb, you don't need to add water to the recipe.
- Sugar: This recipe calls for ¼ cup of granulated sugar, which makes this sauce slightly sweet. If you prefer it sweeter, you can increase the sugar to ⅓-1/2 cup.
- Ginger: I added a slice of ginger, but you can substitute candied ginger or leave it out.
- Citrus: I added a slice of freeze-dried mandarine orange, but you can add an orange or lemon slice. Another option is to add orange or lemon zest.
- Optional Ingredients: Break off a small piece of a cinnamon stick, or add a few cardamom pods. If you like cloves, add a few whole cloves.
🌱 How to Harvest Rhubarb
When harvesting home-grown rhubarb, I like to choose the thickest and reddest rhubarb stalks available. Simply hold the stalk at the bottom, then gently twist and pull. Although you can slice it with a knife, doing so leaves a little stub behind. Make sure to discard the tops (leaves) because they are poisonous.
If you don't grow your own rhubarb, look for it at your local grocery store or at a farmers market!
🍯 How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Slice rhubarb stalks into 1-inch pieces and add to a small saucepan. Sprinkle with sugar. Optionally, add a slice of ginger and a slice of citrus to a small tea bag and add to the pot. If adding other spices, do so now. Sprinkle rhubarb with 3 tablespoons of water and stir to combine.
Step 2: Bring sauce to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Once rhubarb is softened, continue to simmer for another 5 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.
Pro Tip: If you want rhubarb chunks in your sauce, use a slotted spoon to remove them as soon as they soften, then allow the sauce to thicken before adding the rhubarb back in.
🫙 Storage Instructions
Pour hot rhubarb sauce into an eight-ounce sterilized mason jar and refrigerate for up to a few weeks. If you would like to make a larger batch you can process the jars in a water canner for longer storage in the pantry.
Recipe FAQS
Rhubarb does not need to be peeled. Simply wash and chop into 1" pieces and use in your favorite rhubarb recipe!
If you would like your cooked rhubarb to hold its shape, simply reduce the cooking time. Remove the rhubarb from the pot as soon as it softens.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Hoping for a deeper shade of red? Just add a few drops of red food coloring!
- For a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender to blend it.
- If you prefer a sweeter taste, you can increase the amount of sugar.
- Try this yummy sauce swirled in your oatmeal or smoothie. Or drizzle some over waffles, pancakes, or toast!
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Slice rhubarb stalks into 1-inch pieces and add to a small saucepan. Sprinkle with sugar. Optionally, add a slice of ginger and a slice of citrus to a small tea bag and add to the pot. If adding other spices, do so now. Sprinkle rhubarb with 3 tablespoons of water and stir to combine.
- Bring sauce to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Once rhubarb is softened, continue to simmer for another 5 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.
- Pour hot rhubarb sauce into an eight ounce sterilized mason jar and refrigerate for up to a few weeks. If you would like to make a larger batch you can process the jars in a water canner for longer storage in the pantry.
Nutrition
Notes
- If you want rhubarb chunks in your sauce, use a slotted spoon to remove them as soon as they soften, then allow the sauce to thicken before adding the rhubarb back in.
- Hoping for a deeper shade of red? Just add a few drops of red food coloring!
- For a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender to blend it.
- If you prefer a sweeter taste, you can increase the amount of sugar.
- Try this yummy sauce swirled in your oatmeal or smoothie. Or drizzle some over waffles, pancakes, or toast!
Kim says
This Rhubarb sauce is the best. We had it on vanilla ice cream (I'm not a vanilla ice cream fan) and it was so good. Just the right amount of tartness. Good job Hilda.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Kim! I'm so glad you liked it. As always, thanks for the review!