Rhubarb Sauce is the perfect sweet and tart topping made with just 4 ingredients. It’s perfect for adding to desserts and breakfast recipes.
If you like old fashioned rhubarb pie, this sauce is the perfect way to add the sweet tart, sour cherry-flavor flavor to a variety of recipes. Serve it like Strawberry Topping or Raspberry Sauce for a delicious Topping for any breakfast or dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Sauce?
- Simple ingredients come together for a homemade sauce with little effort.
- Delicious over ice cream, pancakes, cheesecake, cakes, and more!
Sabrina’s Rhubarb Sauce Recipe
This Rhubarb Sauce is an easy way to turn fresh rhubarb into something you can use in so many different ways. Keep a batch on hand to add a bright, homemade touch to your favorite desserts and breakfasts.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 4 cups red rhubarb , sliced
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Add rhubarb, sugar, and lemon juice to a pot on medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally until they start breaking down, about 10 minutes.
- Add in water, stir well.
- Cook, stirring frequently, for another 5 minutes until it begins to thicken.
- Turn off the heat and let cool 5 minutes before adding to a blender to puree.
- Thin out with a bit of water if necessary.
Nutrition
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Note from Sabrina
My Rhubarb Sauce recipe works by breaking down the rhubarb and sugar ingredients. As you cook the rhubarb, the vegetable will soften and release natural juices. Meanwhile, the sugar will melt and mix with the rhubarb. The vegetable’s bitter flavor will also start to mellow during this process. Once it mixes with the sugar and lemon juice, you’ll have a tasty balance of sweet and sour flavor.
Table of Contents
About this Recipe
Rhubarb has a bold, sour flavor that is also slightly sweet, apple flavor. Often you’ll find it paired with strawberry to balance out the tart flavor but with some simple ingredients to sweeten it up you can also get that delicious rhubarb flavor shine on its own. For my easy Rhubarb Sauce, you’ll cook together rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice, and water on the stovetop. Then, blend it all into a simple sauce perfect for frozen desserts, cakes, Pancakes, Vanilla Ice Cream, Cheesecake and more.
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Fresh Rhubarb Slices: The main ingredient in Rhubarb Sauce is fresh rhubarb. Before starting the recipe, rinse the rhubarb under cold water and trim tough, woody parts off of the bottom of the stocks. Be sure to throw out the rhubarb leaves as they are toxic. You can also slice the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces to make them easier to cook down.
- 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice: The citric acid in the lemon juice helps highlight the natural rhubarb flavor and enhances the sweetness of the sauce.
- 2 Cups Sugar: Make the tart rhubarb flavor more enjoyable by counteracting it with granulated sugar. As the rhubarb and sugar cook, they’ll start to blend into a rich, syrupy sauce.
- 2 Cups Water: Add cooking liquid to help cook and soften the sauce ingredients. As the recipe cooks, the liquid will reduce slightly but still helps to smooth out the sauce recipe.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Pot: Use a large pot or saucepan to cook everything together. Make sure that whatever pot you use is large enough to hold all the ingredients. There also needs to be enough space that you can stir and bring the mixture to a simmer without it bubbling over.
- Blender: To break down the rhubarb pieces into a smooth sauce, use a high-power blender or food processor and blend until pureed. An immersion blender would also do the job, just make sure you get all the lumps blended out.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, you can make this sauce in advance, store it in the fridge, and use it whenever you have a recipe that you’d like to add sweet and tart flavor to. Let the rhubarb recipe cool, pour it into a glass jar, and seal the lid. Keep the premade sauce in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also make a double batch and freeze the second batch of sauce for later.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Rhubarb is quite bitter on its own, which is why it’s important to add sugar to make the sauce more enjoyable. Depending on how ripe the rhubarb you’re using is, the recipe may turn out more or less bitter. Taste test after adding the sugar, and add a little more as needed to taste.
- If you’re Rhubarb Sauce is turning out too watery, you can continue to cook until the liquid reduces. If it still seems thin to you, try mixing cornstarch and water into a cornstarch slurry and adding a little to the sauce mixture to thicken it.
Pairing Suggestions
- Breakfast: This delicious sauce makes the perfect flavorful topping to add to breakfast recipes. For a quick and tasty meal, spread it over toast or spoon the topping over a bowl of Greek yogurt, overnight oats, or oatmeal. It also tastes great over breakfast griddle favorites too! Drizzle the sauce over Sheet Pan Pancakes, Blueberry Waffles, or Berry Stuffed French Toast.
- Dessert: This homemade sauce is equally amazing when used as a dessert topping. Add it to French Vanilla Ice Cream, Baked Strawberry Pie, Pound Cake, or Lemon Cheesecake.
How to Store
- Serve: You can serve this sauce warm or chilled. Do not leave sauce out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: To keep leftover Rhubarb Sauce fresh, wait for it to cool to room temperature. Then, pour the cooled sauce into a jar, glass bottle, or another airtight container. (Try using a funnel to pour the sauce into your storage container without spilling.) Once you’ve sealed the container, put the sauce in the fridge to keep stored for 7-10 days.
- Freeze: For a longer storage option, pour cooled Rhubarb Sauce into a freezer bag or another freezer-safe container to keep frozen for up to 3 months. Let the frozen rhubarb recipe thaw in the fridge before serving.
Ideas to Serve
You can serve Rhubarb Sauce warm or chilled, depending on your preference. After blending, pour the sauce into a sauce boat or syrup dispenser to set on the dessert or breakfast table. Drizzle in a zig-zag motion over breakfast or dessert dishes. You can also get really fancy and fill a ziplock bag or piping bag, then create a design with dots, swirls, or lines on the plate.
Slow Cooker Method
To make your Rhubarb Sauce in the crockpot, add the ingredients to a 3-quart slow cooker and stir. Cover the cooker and set to low for 4-5 hours, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat once the rhubarb is tender. Let cool, and then transfer to a blender to puree.
Frequent Questions
There’s no need to peel your rhubarb. However, it is essential to remove the leaves, which are toxic. Then, slice off the tough root portion.
Because rhubarb has a naturally bitter and tart flavor, this sauce is unpleasant tasting without a sweetening ingredient. However, you can try other ingredients like coconut sugar, agave nectar, or honey to sweeten the mixture instead of sugar. To reduce the amount of sweetener needed, you can also add sweeter fruits like strawberries to the rhubarb mixture. This will just change the flavor of the recipe.
Rhubarb is a vegetable known for its bright pinkish-red color and unique tangy flavor that is like a cross between a sour cherry and green apple.
It comes in peak season during the spring and early summer, making it the perfect time to take advantage of the ingredients and make this delicious sauce.
Variations
- Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce: Strawberry and rhubarb are a classic flavor pairing often used in fruit pies and other springtime recipes. To add strawberry to this recipe, use 2 cups rhubarb, and 2 cups strawberries. Hull and slice the strawberries and add them to the pot to cook down with the rhubarb and sugar mixture.
- Flavoring Ingredients: You can change up and enhance the flavor of your sauce with a variety of delicious mix-ins. For a richer, sweetened flavor, add ½ teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. To contrast the sweet and tart with a warm, spiced flavor, mix in a dash of cinnamon or grated nutmeg. Or, for more citrus flavor, add fresh orange juice and orange zest.
- Brown Sugar: Give the sauce a richer, caramelized flavor by swapping out the white sugar for brown sugar. Alternatively, use half brown sugar and half white sugar in the sauce.
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Photos used in previous versions of this post
Can this recipe be canned or frozen
Both!