Easy Rhubarb Sauce

This quick and easy Rhubarb Sauce recipe has only 3 ingredients. Enjoy it on its own, or over yogurt or vanilla ice cream!

Nothing says spring produce like rhubarb!

This gorgeous plant makes the most delicious sweet treats, like Rhubarb Cake, Rhubarb Bars, and Rhubarb Muffins.

And, you can cook it down into a fruit sauce, similar to making applesauce. The end result is a truly delightful Quick and Easy Rhubarb Sauce.

It has three simple ingredients, so the hardest part of this recipe is sourcing the rhubarb!

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When is rhubarb in season?

Rhubarb is in season in the spring. In the Midwest specifically, you’ll see stalks ready for harvest in late April through early June.

If you live in the Midwest or Pacific Northwest, check your local farmer’s market in May for the best chance of finding it.

You may luck out to see rhubarb earlier in the year, which is greenhouse grown rhubarb. Either will work for this recipe.

Top tips

• Don’t be tempted to add water to the rhubarb and sugar as they cook. The rhubarb will start to release its juices as it cooks, so water will just dilute the sauce.
• On that note, stir the sauce often to ensure the sugar doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan.
• Have green rhubarb? You can make this sauce with a green variety, too! I used a mixture of green and red rhubarb (the green is the Victoria variety, and the red is Crimson Red).

Ingredients

You just need 3 ingredients:

• 2 cups of chopped rhubarb
• Granulated sugar (you can increase or decrease the amount as you wish)
• Vanilla extract—this is optional. I like the flavor both with and without it. Try both and see which you prefer!

How to make easy rhubarb sauce

Start by chopping the rhubarb into half-inch pieces.

I used a combination of Crimson Red (the red/pink one) and Victoria (the green one) rhubarb for this. You can use any variety that you like.

Place the rhubarb in a small saucepan with the sugar.

Place the pan over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is soft and falling apart.

Add the vanilla extract, if using. Let cool and serve!

Frequently Asked Questions

Variations

The most simple recipe is for rhubarb sauce is rhubarb and sugar. If you want to change things up, here’s what to add:

• A splash of vanilla extract
• The zest of one orange
• The zest of a lemon
• A pinch of nutmeg

What to do with rhubarb sauce

This easy Rhubarb Sauce is super versatile. Here are a few ideas for how to enjoy it.

• On its own
• On top of vanilla ice cream
• Stirred into Greek yogurt
• Spooned over pancakes or waffles
• Swirled into oatmeal
• On top of pound cake or angel food cake with whipped cream

How to freeze rhubarb sauce

Rhubarb Sauce freezes beautifully. Transfer the sauce to resealable freezer bags (or another freezer-safe, airtight container) and freeze for up to 6 months.

Defrost in the refrigerator for 24–48 hours.

Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!

📖 Recipe

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