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HealthyGreenSavvy

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May 2, 2016

Amazing Rhubarb Recipes to Celebrate Spring

Last Updated on October 26, 2020

Ready for some the best healthy rhubarb recipes on the interwebs? No idea what rhubarb is or how to cook with rhubarb? Here’s why to get to know this terrific plant, which can be used in soooooo many delicious recipes with rhubarb all season long. Find out how to cook rhubarb with some of these mouth-watering uses for rhubarb.

If you’re not familiar with this veggie that’s used like a fruit, you will be by the end of this post, one of the most viewed on HealthyGreenSavvy.

Here’s why I grow FIVE SEVEN rhubarb plants in our tiny urban lot and why you may want to get to know this cool seasonal vegetable. Plus more than 40 of the best healthy rhubarb recipes from around the blogosphere!

cover photo of rhubarb stalks with title text overlay

What is Rhubarb, Anyway?

Rhubarb is a giant perennial vegetable (a relative of buckwheat) that thrives in a range of climates. It has big beautiful leaves that, by the way, are poisonous, containing toxic amounts of oxalic acid. What we eat are the (not poisonous) stalks, which are notoriously sour.

Though technically a vegetable, rhubarb’s sourness means it’s mostly used with copious amounts of sweetener that work against its healthy nutritional profile. But working a veggie into a healthied-up quick bread recipe is still a good move.

1 cup of fresh, unsweetened rhubarb (about 2 medium stalks) has only 25 calories and is a good source of potassium, which many of us are deficient in. It also has an array of vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols to support your health. (source)

Just go easy on the sugar, k? (Here’s how much sugar per day experts advise.) 
How to Cook with Rhubarb (& Why You’d Want to)

Rhubarb was not really on my radar until I attended a workshop on dehydrating food, where Mary T. Bell, author of several books on the subject, passed around samples of something she called “rhubarb lace,” a fruit leather made from rhubarb.

It was A-M-AAAAAA-ZING. Before that I had no idea you could even make your own fruit leather, nevermind one from a peculiar seasonal vegetable.

Rhubarb leather is the reason I grow rhubarb. After that workshop, I sought out rhubarb divisions and started growing it everywhere I could.

Rhubarb leather is absolutely delicious and takes the place of candy as a special sweet treat for my kiddos and me. I’ve simplified Bell’s recipe a little over the years and reduced the amount of added sugar (as well as strawberry-flavored jello, which you totally don’t need, and absolutely don’t want in your healthy treats!)

Photo of homemade rhubarb leather!

Check out the easy recipe for homemade fruit leather made from rhubarb.

In my opinion, rhubarb leather is reason enough to grow huge quantities of rhubarb, but there are plenty more if you’re not convinced! If I could send you a taste of our rhubarb leather through this screen, though, I know you would be a convert as well.

Since I now have such an abundance of rhubarb, I’ve had the pleasure of trying it in numerous other relatively healthy rhubarb recipes. Some of my favorite uses for rhubarb are included below.


Because in some climates they’re ripe around the same time, rhubarb and strawberries are often paired, so you can also make strawberry-rhubarb sauces, breads, or crisps. I prefer to devour my strawberries plain, so they don’t make it into our baked goods, and the rhubarb’s great on its own.

–> Note that if you want to enjoy rhubarb all summer long, you need to pick your plants somewhat regularly or the stalks will get tough. 

How to Use Rhubarb

If you’re making recipes with rhubarb, cooking and blending the sauce will make tougher stalks usable, but they’ll have more stringiness than when you cook more tender stalks. I’d test out rhubarb late in the season if the plant hasn’t been picked regularly before serving your favorite rhubarb recipes to guests!

Extend the season for enjoying these yummy rhubarb recipes by freezing cut rhubarb chunks, which can be used in baked goods or cooked for rhubarb sauce or leather any time of year. We harvest a lot of rhubarb early on and pop much of it in the freezer for later use.

Here’s the lowdown on the simplest food preservation methods to help preserve your rhubarb harvest. Note that if you’re using frozen rhubarb in one of these rhubarb recipes, you need to measure it before thawing as it loses a lot of liquid once it thaws.

You can also can cooked rhubarb. Here are instructions for canning stewed rhubarb from Homespun Seasonal Living.

Canning, freezing, or dehydrating rhubarb will help you enjoy this delicious seasonal food all year long.

How to Cook Rhubarb: Delicious & Healthy Recipes with Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a great replacement for or addition to berries in healthy quick-breads or muffins (recipes pretty much interchangeable), and makes delicious rhubarb crisps and crumbles perfect for early summer potlucks. Here’s my nearly fail-proof easy rhubarb crisp recipe. SO good!!

If you have a sour tooth, rhubarb is very tasty diced fresh with just a light sprinkling of sugar.

The sauce used in the leather recipe can also be eaten like apple sauce or as an ice cream topping. It’s really delicious and surprisingly addictive. Try this easy rhubarb sauce over pancakes or swirled into some homemade yogurt.

Some folks even make homemade barbecue sauces and drinks, both alcoholic and otherwise, with rhubarb. Check out the healthy rhubarb recipes below for some incredible ideas for using this wonderful seasonal veggie.

Grow or Buy Your Rhubarb?

Growing rhubarb is *really* easy, will save you quite a bit over buying, and keep you in rhubarb for all these fantastic rhubarb recipes. Plus rhubarb is a gorgeous addition to your garden.

photo illustrating rhubarb use: rhubarb plant as landscape ornamental

You can buy rhubarb at farmers’ markets and grocery stores, but it’s so easy to grow rhubarb, I can’t imagine paying for it. Here’s how to grow rhubarb in your garden.

It’s a readily divided perennial, so you might find a friend with one they’ll share with you so you don’t even need to buy the plant. Read more on how to get plants free in this post.

I started with just a couple little divisions from another gardener, and now I have seven giant bushy plants filled with big stalks ready for all our favorite rhubarb recipes, and for sharing with other gardeners!

If you don’t want to grow it yourself, one of your neighbors likely has enough rhubarb to spare for a crisp. Not everyone goes as nuts over rhubarb as I do. Yet. Seriously, try the rhubarb leather and you’ll be a convert, too!

If you keep picking it all summer, it shouldn’t get tough. Test out what you’ve got if you’re over a month into summer weather and your plant hasn’t been picked consistently.

Note that if you’re dealing with a shadier garden, rhubarb is one of the more than 40 vegetables that grow in shade!

Ready to dive into some luscious yet healthy rhubarb recipes? Here are some of the best healthy recipes with rhubarb to get you started!

Healthy Rhubarb Recipes: Rhubarb Drinks

photo illustrating rhubarb uses: Honey Rhubarb Water Kefir Soda from Raising Generation Nourished

Honey Rhubarb Water Kefir Soda (Raising Generation Nourished)

Fermented Strawberry Rhubarb Soda (Learning and Yearning)

Rhubarb and Honey Soda (And Here We Are)

Rhubarb Mead (Practical Self-Reliance)

Rhubarb Cherry Wine (Common Sense Home)

Homemade Rhubarb Wine (Practical Self-Reliance)

2 Ingredient Instant Pot Rhubarb Juice (All the Nourishing Things)

Rhubarbade (Common Sense Home)

Healthy Rhubarb Recipes: Savory Rhubarb Dishes

 photo illustrating rhubarb uses: Carrot Rhubarb Soup from Tasting Page

Carrot Rhubarb Soup (Tasting Page)

Rhubarb Vinaigrette (Dinner with Julie)

Spiced Rhubarb Chutney (This is So Good)

Rhubarb Apricot Chutney (Perfect Pantry)

Rhubarb Salsa (Traditional Cooking School)

Fermented Rhubarb (Fermentools)

Healthy Rhubarb Recipes: Muffins and Breads

photo illustrating rhubarb uses: orange quickbread from Strength and Sunshine

Rhubarb Orange Quickbread (Strength and Sunshine)

Gluten Free Dairy Free Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins (Just Take a Bite)

Rhubarb Honey Cobbler (Eat Beautiful)

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble, Honey Sweetened & Gluten-Free (Common Sense Home)

Grain-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler (Recipes to Nourish)

Rhubarb Banana Bread (Kim’s Cravings)

Raspberry Rhubarb Bread (Eating Well)

Vanilla Rhubarb Yogurt Blue Cornbread (Strength and Sunshine)

Healthy Rhubarb Recipes: Sauces & Breakfasts

Rhubarb Compote (Tasting Page)

Rhubarb Sauce (Nourished Kitchen)

Strawberry Rhubarb Butter (Grow Cook Forage Ferment)

Rhubarb Apple Sauce (Just Take a Bite)

Homemade Rhubarb Sauce (Learning and Yearning)

Rhubarb Chia Jam (Cookie and Kate)

Honey Rhubarb Granola (Raising Generation Nourished)

Rhubarb Quinoa Breakfast Porridge (Just Take a Bite)

Healthy Rhubarb Recipes: Desserts

photo of rhubarb uses: Paleo Instant Pot Strawberry Rhubarb Custard All the Nourishing Things

Paleo Instant Pot Strawberry Rhubarb Custard (All the Nourishing Things)

Strawberry Rhubarb Creamsicles (Raising Generation Nourished)

Cherry Rhubarb Jello (Just Take a Bite)

Rhubarb Sorbet (Paleo Hacks)

No Churn Honey Rhubarb Ice Cream (Raising Generation Nourished)

Rhubarb Pecan Ice Cream (Just Take a Bite)

Rhubarb Gelato (Food 52)

Traditional Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Maple Cream (Butter for All)

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake (Adamant Kitchen)

Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Cake (Sassy Kitchen)

Need more ideas? Here are a gazillion from some pinners who also love rhubarb!

I ran a search including the word “healthy” but I don’t think everything there qualifies. Try substituting whole grain flours where you can, use butter or coconut oil instead of margarine or canola, and be as sparing as you can with the sweeteners. You can also try subbing in some apple sauce so you can cut down on sugar.

What are your favorite uses for rhubarb?

Pin to save these healthy recipes with rhubarb for next time you have rhubarb on hand!

how to cook with rhubarb: pin with title text and photos of healthy rhubarb recipes

I share more inspiring ideas for healthy food, gardening, and natural remedies from across the blogosphere many times a day. Follow me on Pinterest to see all my awesome finds!

Growing some of your own food is just one strategy for eating healthy on a budget. Find lots more in my FREE guide, Affordable Healthy Food.

Photo credits: Jeremy Keith, stu_spivack, Whitney, Katherine, Meal Makeover Moms via Flickr

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Susannah

Susannah is a proud garden geek and energy nerd who loves healthy food and natural remedies. Her work has appeared in Mother Earth Living, Ensia, Northern Gardener, Sierra, and on numerous websites. Her first book, Everything Elderberry, released in September 2020 and has been a #1 new release in holistic medicine, naturopathy, herb gardening, and other categories. Find out more and grab your copy here.

Filed Under: frugal, Gardening, Healthy Food, Healthy Food & Easy Recipes, Miscellaneous, uncategorized Tagged With: dehydrating, garden, recipes, rhubarb, rhubarb crisp, rhubarb leather

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Comments

  1. Rachel says

    May 3, 2016 at 9:48 am

    Thanks for reminding me to use my rhubarb! I am going to use your recipe for the church bake sale coming up this week.

    Reply
    • healthygreensavvy says

      May 3, 2016 at 10:58 am

      Hope everyone likes it! So nice to have not only homemade, but homegrown stuff to share. Bon appetit 🙂

      Reply
  2. Rachel says

    May 3, 2016 at 9:48 am

    Thanks for reminding me to use my rhubarb! I am going to use your recipe to for the church bake sale coming up this week.

    Reply
  3. Britney says

    May 12, 2016 at 4:01 pm

    Wow, who knew there were so many things you can du with rhubarb! Thanks for sharing at Simply Natural Saturdays!

    Reply
  4. Raia says

    May 19, 2016 at 1:44 pm

    Delicious uses! I love adding rhubarb to apple pie. 🙂 I’ve never tried to grow it, though my husband’s grandmother has bunches of it on her property. 🙂

    Thanks for sharing this with us at Savoring Saturdays! Hope to see you back this weekend!

    Reply
  5. Brittany says

    May 19, 2016 at 3:52 pm

    I’ve never had rhubarb. Thanks for making it less intimidating!

    Reply
    • healthygreensavvy says

      May 19, 2016 at 5:08 pm

      Ooh, Brittany, you’re in for a treat! If you have a sour tooth, just try it with a little sugar to ease your way in. Or toss it in your next baking experiment. Let me know what you think!

      Reply
  6. Shelly Duncan says

    May 29, 2016 at 8:49 am

    I’ve been thinking of planting rhubarb in the veggie garden… You’ve given me some inspiration!

    Reply
    • healthygreensavvy says

      May 29, 2016 at 8:59 am

      Pleased to hear it! If you lived nearby I’d dig some up for you — mine are growing so huge! What do you think you’ll make?

      Reply
  7. Cassi says

    May 31, 2016 at 10:32 am

    I tried rhubarb as a kid and wasn’t fond of it but I’m willing to try it again now that I’m experiencing new foods.

    Reply
  8. Elaine Matthews says

    June 1, 2016 at 9:56 am

    What a great collections of rhubarb recipes!! This was the Most Viewed from last weeks party and will be a feature tomorrow!! Thanks for sharing on My 2 favorite Things on Thursday!! Hope to see you again tomorrow!! Pinned!!

    Reply
    • healthygreensavvy says

      June 1, 2016 at 10:12 am

      Delighted to hear it — thanks so much for featuring this post!

      Reply
  9. Margy says

    June 2, 2016 at 3:46 pm

    I’m going to try making some fruit leather this season. May not have enough rhubarb to use though. – Margy

    Reply
    • healthygreensavvy says

      June 2, 2016 at 3:51 pm

      You could make whatever you have and do the rest with other fruits. But I bet if you let it be known (Freecycle, co-workers) that you were looking for rhubarb you would be inundated! Let me know how it turns out 🙂

      Reply
  10. Angela @marathonsandmotivation.com says

    June 4, 2016 at 7:49 am

    Lots of great ideas! I am looking forward to making theRhubarb Crisp, Yummy!!! Pinned. Thanks for sharing at the Sunday Fitness & Food Link-Up 🙂

    Reply
  11. Alicia Owen says

    July 15, 2016 at 4:35 pm

    I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of rhubarb jam, but I would love to try some other recipes with it. Thanks for stopping by Farm Fridays!

    Reply
  12. Jackie says

    March 21, 2017 at 2:55 pm

    Omg I wish I had this post last year! I had rhubarb coming out of my ears. I am saving this post and trying it this year!

    Reply
    • Susannah says

      March 21, 2017 at 3:08 pm

      That’s fabulous! What did you do with it all? (After you got it out of your ears of course 🙂 )

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. It’s Party Time at the Healthy, Happy, Green and Natural Party Blog Hop #110 says:
    May 9, 2016 at 9:20 pm

    […] 10 Awesome Uses for Rhubarb from healthygreensavvy Easy Homemade Coffee Scrub from writingwhileintroverted […]

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  2. My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday - Link Party #71 | says:
    June 2, 2016 at 2:02 am

    […] the Most Viewed this week was 10 Awesome Uses for Rhubarb from Healthy Green Savvy!! Rhubarb is synonymous with a late spring or early summer fruit…I can see why you checked it […]

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  3. Great Green Finds: Natural Remedies, Free Food, and More Goodies from the Blogosphere - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    June 2, 2016 at 8:46 am

    […] got my first nibbles of early edibles like chives, my lemon balm is ready for daily harvest, and rhubarb is big and ready for our annual round of leather- and crisp-making. My post “10 Awesome Uses […]

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  4. Grow Food Everywhere - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    June 18, 2016 at 3:48 pm

    […] next to the street that used to be nothing but weeds, where now I have rhubarb (see my post on rhubarb to see why I’m putting this plant everywhere I can), gooseberries, serviceberries, several […]

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  5. This Summer In My Kitchen - Small Bites Wellness says:
    June 21, 2016 at 10:03 am

    […] and an on/off button, so I’m thinking I can pull this one off. I’m planning to try rhubarb leather from Healthy Green Savvy. We’re on the go all the time with the long days, and having snack […]

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  6. Things I Loved in June - Whole Natural Life says:
    June 30, 2016 at 10:19 pm

    […] Back when I lived in Colorado, we used to get rhubarb in our CSA box and I never knew what to do with it. If you’re in a similar boat, be sure to check out Healthy Green Savvy’s post on uses for rhubarb! […]

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  7. Great Green Finds: DIY Bug Spray, Coconut Milk, and More Inspiring Ideas from Green Bloggers - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
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    […] been loving the goodies coming from our yard, from rhubarb and honeyberries (pictured at left), to strawberries and arugula. Juneberries looked to be a good […]

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  9. Health Benefits of Potassium - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    July 23, 2016 at 2:30 pm

    […] of potassium. If you’re really after a sweet try making dried bananas candy or one of these rhubarb treats! (Rhubarb has an impressive 351 mg potassium per 25-calorie cup.) Or check out this collection of […]

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  10. Great Green Finds: Delicious Summer Treats - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    July 30, 2016 at 12:20 pm

    […] month we went a little bananas for bananas. Once the dehydrator was out for rhubarb leather, we made huge batches of dried bananas candy. Not all our bananas fit on the dehydrator, so we […]

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  11. Dehydrating Food: Food Preservation for Beginners - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    August 12, 2016 at 11:31 am

    […] Rhubarb leather is the reason I grow rhubarb.  It is absolutely delicious, and takes the place of candy as a special treat when kiddos are looking for sweets. And it’s technically a vegetable! (Any fruit sauce, like leftover applesauce or sauce from your overly-bountiful pear tree, can be turned into leather as well.) […]

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  12. Savor Summer with these Great Green Finds - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    September 3, 2016 at 1:48 pm

    […] also found some great new ways to turn vegetables into treats (think rhubarb leather and zucchini cake). I have a mammoth zucchini that somehow survived an onslaught of squash bugs […]

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    April 6, 2017 at 2:30 pm

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  15. Why You'll LOVE Growing Your Own Fruit - HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    June 10, 2017 at 3:00 pm

    […] for desserts and treats, and I think makes a striking landscape plant. (Check out my post on uses for rhubarb for more on why it’s a must-have for the perennial food […]

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  16. How to Make Homemade Fruit Leather from Rhubarb | HealthyGreenSavvy says:
    August 13, 2018 at 11:30 am

    […] some other ideas for using bountiful rhubarb? Check out these other fabulous uses for rhubarb! amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = […]

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