If Rhubarb is one of your favorite springtime treats… these easy rhubarb dessert recipes will satisfy your hankering for this tasty fruit!
A few weeks ago, the kids all charged inside yelling for me to “come quick”.
I figured something horrible happened and raced to the back door… only to find them proudly carrying armfuls of rhubarb they had just picked from our vegetable garden.
NOTE: I know rhubarb leaves are poisonous; so do my kids.
The kids are always so excited to pick those first stalks of bright red rhubarb because it’s one of the only edible plants to grow during our cold West Michigan springs, and we are SO ready for some green this time of year!
Of course, they instantly wanted to make something with our fresh-from-the-garden produce… so I let them each pick a favorite recipe and we use up the rhubarb just as fast as they can pick it this time of year.
While rhubarb isn’t usually the most exciting or sought after fruit — it’s the very first thing to pop up in our garden, and oh, how exciting that is after a long cold Michigan winter of no flowers, no fruits, no veggies, and not even much sun.
If you share my kids’ enthusiasm for rhubarb, you’ll love all the tasty rhubarb-filled treats I have for you today!
1. Rhubarb Crisp with Crunchy Whole-Grain Oat Topping
Rhubarb Crisp is one of my favorite rhubarb dessert recipes because it’s SO quick and easy. Just combine rhubarb with some sugar, mix up a deliciously sweet and crunchy oat topping, and bake in the oven.
And… if you’ve never enjoyed warm rhubarb crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, you’re totally missing out!
Bonus points that it’s naturally gluten-free.
Get the recipe -> Easy Rhubarb Crisp
2. Cinnamon Sugar Rhubarb Muffins
I call them “muffins” but if you add a little cream cheese frosting, these delicious rhubarb muffins instantly become a cupcake dessert your family and guests will rave about!
I usually add a cinnamon sugar topping that makes them just slightly crispy.
They are perfect for a snack, dessert, or even breakfast treat… and they freeze well too.
Get the recipe -> Rhubarb Muffins
3. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
I love almost any type of pie, but strawberry rhubarb pie is one of my favorites.
Of course, we love plain strawberry pie too — but adding the rhubarb gives it a little tartness that is so refreshing this time of year.
Get the recipe -> Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
4. Bumbleberry Pie
What is bumbleberry pie, you might wonder?
If you’ve never heard of or experienced this delicious dessert, let me be the first to share my recipe with you today!!
Bumbleberry Pie is a mix of all your favorite fruits enclosed in a delicious flaky pie crust — blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples… and yes, rhubarb.
It’s SOOOOOO good (and you can use whatever fruits you like best).
Get the recipe -> Bumbleberry Pie
5. Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
Have you ever enjoyed strawberry rhubarb jam over a bowl of vanilla ice cream? If so, you know why it made my list of “easy rhubarb dessert recipes”.
The recipe I use for strawberry rhubarb jam is the same one my mom used. It was published in a tiny little cookbook that we no longer have. I simply have a photocopy from my mom.
I’m sure there are many different recipes around, but the combination of 1-quart strawberries and 1.5 cups of rhubarb seems to be just right for my taste buds!
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam tastes very similar to strawberry jam, but it’s not as ‘seedy’ and it’s MUCH less expensive since we get free rhubarb.
Get the recipe -> Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
Rhubarb freezes well too!
If you still have more rhubarb to use up, throw it in the freezer for later.
Just wash it, dice it, and put in freezer bags. It will last for months in a deep freezer!
OR, you can cook it down with a tiny bit of water and freeze it in a “pureed” form to save space.
I’m sure we’ll tire of rhubarb once other fruits start growing around here. But right now, we will enjoy cooking and baking with our yummy spring “crop”!
Add a few of these easy rhubarb dessert recipes to your menu this spring!
And… share your favorite rhubarb recipes in the comments below!
Head on over to my virtual recipe box for more simple, delicious, family-friendly recipes!
Calliope says
Funny thing: in Greece there is no rhubarb! We don’t plant it, there is no where to be bought, we do not know its taste. There is a greek name for it though! I tried it a few years back when in Oslo, where apparently they make everything under the sun with it! Did not like it
Andrea says
interesting — Rhubarb needs a lot of sugar to sweeten it. Maybe you need more sugar with your “Oslo”!
Linda says
I found a recipe last year for Chocolate Rhubarb Brownies on Pinterest. It is a Food Network recipe and it is delicious. The rhubarb adds a lot of moisture and a subtle tang that is delicious.
Linda says
Here is the link:
https://pin.it/1ty3Iz9 Looks funny, so I hope it works!
Andrea says
yay — thanks for the link!
Karen says
HAHA. Rhubarb hasn’t even begun to come up, up here in Alaska! I’m not really a sugar fan but I do have one Rhubarb recipe I LOVE so thought I would share. It’s YUMMY!
Ingredients
1 large sweet potato
1 cup French lentils
3 cups of water
1 bay leaf
2 stalks of rhubarb (diced into small pieces)
1 red bell pepper (diced into small pieces)
1 jalapeno
1/2 yellow onion
2 cups spinach, kale, collards or some sort of green chopped finely
1 TB coconut oil
1/2 TB of mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 TB minced ginger
1 TB cumin powder
salt and pepper to taste
An avocado or goat cheese goes well with this too.
Directions
Cook the lentils in a pan with 3 cups of water and bay leaf or in a rice cooker.
Preheat the oven to 425°
Chop sweet potato into 1/4 to 1/2 inch chunks
Add coconut oil to sweet potatoes, salt, pepper, to roasting pan, stir and roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, stir them and roast another 15 minutes until they are tender.
In a large saute pan, add coconut oil, yellow mustard seeds and let it heat up, the seeds may explode / go flying… Add chopped onions, red pepper, jalapeno and saute for 5 to 10 minutes. Add chopped rhubarb, add spices and saute a bit longer.
Once the rhubarb and peppers are sauteed to your liking, add the roasted sweet potato chunks and lentils to the large saute pan. Add the chopped greens, stir and turn the heat down to low for a minute or so.
Serve with avocado or goat cheese and enjoy.
https://www.sustainablenourishment.com/rhubarb-lentil-sweet-potato-curry-recipe/
Andrea says
wow — that’s definitely a different recipe that I would have never thought to try before!
we do all like sweet potatoes and lentils… I might just have to try it out!
Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Chris says
That’s so neat that your kids get so excited about the garden. Bumbleberry pie reminds me of Grand Traverse Pie Company which we enjoyed on two of our three vacations to Michigan. Hmmmm.
Andrea says
Grand Traverse Pie Company = YUM!
Mary Catherine Martinez says
Rhubarb crumble, for sure!
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/420616/rhubarb-crumble
British, but easily converts to yumminess in the US, too 😀
Christine from The (mostly) Simple Life says
Yum! I want to try that pie!
I had a friend whose mom always made strawberry-rhubarb jello for church events and it was AMAZING. I think she kept the recipe a secret though, so I have no idea how to make it. I’m thinking it would be wonderful in pie form though 🙂
Andrea says
it’s a REALLY good pie!!
Michelle says
A breath of fresh air, thank you!
Cling to what is good -Rom12:9
Nancy says
I have vivid childhood memories of my grandpa sneaking spoonfuls of my grandma’s strawberry-rhubarb jam, and my grandma pretending to scold him. He always said he ate it because he needed some “pep” which, now that I think about it, kind of sounds like old-timey substance abuse. LOL. Thanks for the smile today.
Andrea says
haha — yes, we love strawberry rhubarb jam (and I’m on my last jar right now). Perfect timing with strawberry season right around the corner too!
Brenda says
How is Rhubarb to grow? It seems pretty easy to grow. Does it take over or stay a nice manageable size?. I would only need 1 plant for my needs, but I don’t want it to end up being huge in a couple years!! Thanks for your help
Andrea says
it’s very easy to grow (at least in MI) We actually transplanted ours from a friend and have had a fantastic crop every year.
The plants do get quite large (like 3 feet across if you don’t harvest the rhubarb) but you can easily just cut them back if they get too big. And you chop them completely down in the fall. In my experience, they don’t really get bigger each year, it’s more they get bigger as the summer goes on, but then start out tiny again the next spring. Either way, one plant would be plenty for anyone with “normal” rhubarb needs 🙂
Ann says
Hmmm. I have never cut mine down in the fall.
Ann says
I’ve already had to snap off 6 flowers from my rhubarb plants. Crazy!
Andrea says
what! I don’t think my plants have ever gotten flowers on them. I didn’t even realize rhubarb plants flowered. You must have special plants!
Ann says
Me too! Over 20 flowers from 4 plants!