Mom's Rhubarb Sauce Recipe is a simple recipe made with just 5 ingredients. The fruit sauce has a sweet and tangy flavor and is one of my favorite rhubarb recipes.
This recipe is the best rhubarb sauce recipe and the touch of vanilla added to it at the end is my favorite way of making it. It is a delicious addition to sweet desserts and makes a delicious topping for vanilla ice cream.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
✔️
✔️ You can make some delicious recipes using rhubarb sauce like this Rhubarb cheese danish.
✔️ Rhubarb sauce has incredible flavor and it can be used to accompany sweet and savory dishes.
✔️ It has 0g total fat and only 43 calories per serving and can easily be made sugar free by using a natural sweetener in place of sugar.
🥘 Ingredients
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Raw rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
Pure vanilla extract (optional)
🔪 Instructions
- Place rhubarb chunks, water, salt, and granulated sugar, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the rhubarb mixture to a boil then turn the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, or until the rhubarb has broken down and become soft.
- Allow the sauce to cool completely before storing.
🥄 Equipment
Large Saucepan
Potato masher or immersion blender
🥫Storage
Store rhubarb sauce in airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week. Can freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer containers.
📖 Variations
- Frozen rhubarb can be substituted for fresh rhubarb.
- Make strawberry rhubarb sauce and substitute 1-½ cup strawberries for 1-½ cup rhubarb.
- Scrape the seeds from a 1" piece of vanilla bean and use in place of the extract.
- Eliminate vanilla and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lemon zest.
- Substitute brown sugar or maple syrup for the sugar.
💭 Tips
- If harvesting your own rhubarb, be sure to pull the entire stalk out of the ground. Cutting the rhubarb will stop any new stalks from coming in. Rhubarb will continue to grow for a good length of time if it is being harvested properly.
- For a less sweet rhubarb sauce, cut the sugar down to ½ cup.
🙋 FAQ's
Rhubarb is a perennial plant that grows like crazy in the right element. It is a sturdy plant that is in the fruit family. However, it's flavor is very tart with no sweetness at all.
Yes, some rhubarb is greener than others. I like to choose stalks that are mostly red so I can get that beautiful color to the sauce. However, both types have the same flavor.
Rhubarb leaves are toxic and should not be consumed. Rather in the compost or trash. The poisonous acid in the leaves is not absorbed into the ground and can be used as fertilizer
🍽 Serve with...
Homemade rhubarb sauce is a simple condiment that fancies up a slice of pound cake or adds some sweetness to plain greek yogurt sprinkled with granola. It is also great used as an ingredient in other recipes like this Rhubarb Cheese Danish!
🏫 The last word
- Rhubarb season begins in spring, sometime in April and can go as far as July. Once it starts to get very warm out, the rhubarb tends to not produce firm tall stalks If you need to buy it, Rhubarb is a seasonal fruit that can be found on roadside stands and in the produce section grocery stores.
- Rhubarb stalks can be bright red or light green with a touch of red. For the best results, choose 12-18" long crisp stalks that are about ¾" in diameter.
- If harvesting your own rhubarb, stop doing so when the stalks become thin. This is a sign the plant is not getting enough food.
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📖 Recipe
Mom's Rhubarb Sauce
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Ingredients
- 4 cups rhubarb diced
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place rhubarb chunks, water, salt, and granulated sugar, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Bring the rhubarb mixture to a boil then turn the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, or until the rhubarb has broken down and become soft.
- Remove the sauce from the stove and stir in the vanilla. Allow the sauce to cool completely before storing in the refrigerator.
Annette
I'm getting ready to make this. It sounds so delicious. How long will it keep in the refrigerator? Thanks!
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Annette, I did address this in the post but you may have missed it. The sauce can be stored up to 1 week in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer (in freezer safe containers). Enjoy!
Donna
Can you add sugar free strawberry jello to this. Was wondering to make a turnover, without using strawberries
Shelby Law Ruttan
I say you can try, I have not done so, but leave out any sugar if you add the jello. It might be thicker than you like, but you can thin it out with water if that is the case.
Marcy Ottoson
Trying this recipe today, can you double it or triple it and can it?
Shelby Law Ruttan
Yes, you could do that. Because Rhubarb is high acid like tomatoes, you can just do a hot pack. Pack the hot sauce into sterilized hot jars and cover with lids (that also have been sterilized and are hot), then tighten the screw cap. As the jars cool down, you will hear them pop. This will be the seal forming on the jar. If you have any other questions, please feel free to send me an email. Thanks! Shelby
Stacey
How many 8 ounce jars would this make? And how long would you water bath it for? I am just over 1,000 feet. Thank you.
Shelby Law Ruttan
This recipe makes only about 2 cups worth of rhubarb sauce and is not meant for canning purposes as it is a small batch. It can be frozen in an airtight freezer safe container up to 3 months.
Zach
I have made this recipe several times now and it is always a winner and a big hit. I let it cool until it is warm and then spoon it over vanilla bean ice cream. such a refreshing Summer dessert.
Thanks for the recipe!!!
Elaine
I was looking for the recipe from an old Better Homes and Gardens cook book that I had and that came apart. Thought I saved it. This looks like it. I will try it. I like vanilla in rhubarb sauce. It takes away some the tartness
Chris Talley
Looking at recipe on line on my phone, there are no amounts given for the ingredients. Could they be emailed to me? Sooner the better since I have fresh rhubarb
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Chris, at the very top of the page there is a jump to recipe button. If you click that button, it will take you to the content that includes the recipe card. I hope you enjoy the recipe! Shelby
Tey
I I made this recipe with Splenda after it cooled I put in the freezer and it made a fantastic sugar-free sorbet
Kay Nicholas
I was wondering if Splenda would work in this recipe. Thanks for posting!!!!
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Kay, yes, Splenda will work in this recipe. Enjoy!
Cherise
Great recipe, simple and delicious. My only drawback is the rather unpleasant color...a greenish brown.
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Cherise, often times you will get a greenish brown color from rhubarb if it is mostly a green stalk. For that reason I always try to buy stalks that are bright red. Glad you enjoyed the recipe! Shelby
Suzanne Scriven
I typically add enough drops of red food coloring to achieve a pale pink color (after taking the rhubarb mixture off the heat).
Amy
I’m trying out your recipe today can the sauce be canned?
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Amy, yes, it can be canned. I would use pint sized jars and process the cooked sauce in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. Thanks! Shelby
Laurel
I have tried several rhubarb sauce recipes and this is the best one so far! Others have had lemon juice or cinnamon, but the vanilla and touch of salt in this one was perfect!
W. Richter
tried this for the first time, family and neighbors love it. I make a rhubarb/strawberry jam and I freeze it. Can this sauce be frozen?
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hello, thank you for trying the recipe and am so glad you love it. Yes, this sauce can be frozen up to 1 year in an airtight container. Thank you!