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
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.
jday
This is really good! Just made it this morning and it was so delicious over pancakes. I think I may use it to make rhubarb ice cream this summer. Thank you!
Susan
I want to try your recipe but I must have missed in the recipe when you add the teaspoon of vanilla. When do you typically add it? Thanks.
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Susan, I add it after it has thickened and have removed it from the stove. I'll be sure to update the recipe. Thanks! Shelby
Catherine
Thanks for this simple delicious recipe.
Sharon Lockshier
Can the rubarb sauce be water bath canned? Like a sweet relish.
Shelby Law Ruttan
Rhubarb is a high citrus fruit, meaning it is not required to do a hot water bath and a hot pack is all that is needed.
Mack
I really enjoy making and eating this sauce...the only change I make is substituting Whole Earth Erythritol Sweetner for the sugar. Delicious!
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Mack! Thank you and I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for coming back to give it a rating! Shelby
Linda A Engle
I love it. I put it over orange sherbet. That's what my grandmother did
Great recipe
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Linda, thank you! Shelby
WandaCraven
I tried following this recipe and it's instructions, but it took alot longer than 10in to cook the thinly sliced prices to the tender stage and even after am hour of simmering, it still did not look anything at all like the picture on the post shows...I think they had to have left out some important steps or something...I think I will get me up having to puree the stuff after it cools before storing it away as they claim... It tastes fine...but not as quick or easy as they make it out to be.
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Wanda, this is a very simple recipe and it should not take an hour of simmering to get the rhubarb to the consistency you see in the photos. No steps were left out of the recipe making. As for how long it takes, it all depends on the person, cooktop, and temperature. I am sorry you had difficulty with it. Shelby
Rachael
It was very easy and so delicious!
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Rachael, thank you! Shelby
Roxanne Simmons
Try it over warm gingerbread and whipped cream. Totally scrumptious!!!
Angela
Look no further as this is 10 star worthy. Perfection has been forever defined in this recipe❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Angela, thank you so much! Shelby
Kat
Thanks for this recipe! It is the perfect starter for rhubarb season- Our Rhubarb thrives behind the garage facing northeast. To add more texture to this sauce I added another 4 cups of diced rhubarb to the pot after I let it simmer for the 5-10 minutes described in the recipe- It softened & added a bit more of the squeaky sour flavor that I love about pie-plant! We eat this with yogurt, toast, cottage cheese, or just enjoy a bowl as dessert. This will also make a gorgeous gelatin dessert if you use the sauce in place of the cold water called for on the package (dissolve the Jello mix in a scant cup of boiling water, then let it cool to barely warm and stir in a cup of the rhubarb sauce. . . let set & enjoy.)
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Kat! Thanks for stopping by and for trying the recipe as well as sharing your method and ideas! ~Shelby
Marlene
How would you adjust the amount if using frozen rhubarb?
Shelby
Hi Marlene, I would go ahead and use the same amount. You will just cook it down until it is the thickness you want, the water will cook out of the rhubarb. Hope this helps!
Charlynn
My father in law makes the best buttermilk pancakes. A few Summers back he started making strawberry rhubarb sauce to have as a topping for the pancakes. Everyone in the family loves it! I’ve also used the sauce for french toast, biscuits and English muffins.
I have an huge amount of rhubarb growing this year! I’m going to make the sauce and attempt to can it (I’ve never canned anything ever) for Christmas gifts.
Shelby
Hi Charlynn! I believe with rhubarb, because it is a high acid food, you should be able to hot pack it for canning, which makes it super easy since you won't need a pressure cooker! I haven't canned it myself but if my supply gets larger, then I certainly will! This year I've made a lot of Rhubarb recipes and have incorporated some of those with strawberries also. I just love this stuff! Good luck with your canning and thanks for stopping by!
Cookie
add jalapeno and use it as a barque sauce, or basting sauce!
Shelby
That's a totally great idea! I actually have a BBQ Sauce recipe going up very soon for a sponsored post that is Strawberry Rhubarb 🙂
Robin L
I, also, grew up eating rhubarb sauce, every Spring. My dad's rhubarb was tucked in a neglected corner of his veggie garden. It totally flourished there! I loved my mom's sauce! Her recipe was 3 to 4 cups of washed and cut rhubarb (1 inch pieces), 1/2 C. sugar and 1/2 C water. Bring to a boil, cover reduce heat to low and simmer about 5 minutes or until fork tender. Cool before eating, With 4 children, she probably always made a double batch and most of it was probably gone before the next day!
Beth Brooks
Thank you so much, my mother passed away a couple years ago and I could not find her recipe. When I read your comment I remembered this was the exact way that she made it thank you so much
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Beth, your welcome, I hope you enjoy the recipe! Shelby
Carol
I grew up putting this sauce over my oatmeal. It’s even good over cold cereal.
Shelby
Topping your oatmeal is a great idea! Thanks for sharing Carol!
Ellen
That sounds wonderful! We usually ate it over ice cream or just by itself.
Lorie anne
What type of food can you use this sauce for?
Shelby
Hi Lori, I have a couple of recipes on my blog that I incorporated this sauce into. Look for Bacon Jalapeno Grilled Cheese and Rhubarb Cheese Danis.You could also spread it on toast or biscuits, use it as a filling in cookies or even as a filling in sweet rolls!
Roseanne Jones
Ice cream
DeeDee Driver
we like to put it over vanilla ice cream and also over a slice of pound cake.
Janet Brown
Do you know if this can be canned? I'd love to make a large batch but don't have freezer space. Thanks!
Shelby
Hi Janet, yes, I believe you could can this. I would do a hot pack with it in sterilized hot jars and then let sit until the jar seals. You should hear them pop as they seal.
Tina
I canned mine and it turned out great!
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Tina, that's great to know! Thank you! Shelby
Liz
Iowa soil was much better than Indiana soil for growing rhubarb. I have two plants that produce about 3 stalks each year! Like you, I loved my mom's rhubarb creation---and I'd love to make your sauce. How much vanilla do you like to add?
Shelby
Oops! Looks like I forgot to add the vanilla measurement! I used 1 teaspoon. 🙂
Sharon
Last spring I dumped some compost on top of my rhubarb. It loved it and produced a much better crop. Try that to see if it helps your soil.
Shelby
Thanks Sharon, I appreciate the tip 🙂
Donna Christensen
Thanks for the tip. I make my own compost. I will try is now and again in the fall.
Lisa
Delicious ♡ I bought some Rhubarb at the local farmers market and wasn't sure what to do with the leftovers. This recipe is great and I'll definitely make it again!
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Lisa, Thank you! Happy you found this recipe! Shelby