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Embrace the sweet-and-tart flavor of summer with my guide on How to Stew Rhubarb! It's super easy and once you try this delicious sticky-sweet sauce, you'll be looking for any excuse to make it again!
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Stewing Rhubarb
There's no sign of summer quite like fresh rhubarb! It's the flavor of the season, and I can't smell it without immediately being transported to beautiful rural farmer's markets stocked with homemade strawberry rhubarb pies.
If you've never tried stewing rhubarb, now's the time to try it. Only available while it's in season (unless you buy it frozen or freeze it yourself!), rhubarb is tangy, tart and incredibly flavorful! It's the perfect base to combine with a sweet glaze or bake up in muffins and pies.
As for me, it's hard to choose a favorite way to cook rhubarb- I love making homemade rhubarb sauce, and even rhubarb chutney. But I know I always need to make some stewed rhubarb first. It's just the perfect sauce!
Serve it up with ice cream, bake it into muffins or bread, or top your favorite waffles- try it once, and I promise you'll be hooked!
Stewed Rhubarb Recipe Ingredients
- Rhubarb
- Sugar
- Water
- Orange juice
- Cinnamon (optional)
How to Prepare Rhubarb
Fresh, young rhubarb is very easy to prepare. Just discard the leaves, chop off the ends of the stem and scrub the entire thing under running water. For older, thicker rhubarb stems, you may need to remove any particularly tough threads from the stems, similar to celery.
Make sure not to completely remove the skin of the rhubarb! All of that beautiful pink color is contained in the skin. It won't effect the flavor, but the sauce will be green instead of pink.
How to Stew Rhubarb
- Slice the rhubarb into bite-sized chunks, and place them in a saucepan.
- Add in the sugar, orange juice, water, and optional cinnamon.
- Bring the liquid to a boil, then let it simmer for around 5-10 minutes, or until the rhubarb is starting to fall apart. It should only just hold its shape. Allow the mixture to cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge or use right away!
Cooking Rhubarb Tips
- Make sure to take out any particularly tough strings, but don't completely skin the rhubarb. The pink skin gives it a beautiful color.
- Older rhubarb will be more tart, so depending on the age of the rhubarb, you may need to add more sugar.
- Make absolutely sure to remove and discard the leaves. Unlike many other bright-stalked leafy greens, the leaves on rhubarb are toxic!
- Feel free to add fruits to the pot! I love adding in chopped sweet apples or sliced strawberries to boost up the sweetness. Rhubarb and strawberry sauce is a perfect match!
Uses for Stewed Rhubarb
- On Meat: Tart and sweet stewed rhubarb is a delicious topping for meat! I especially love serving it on pork chops. The mild flavor of pork is enhanced by the sauce, adding just enough savory, salty base to make every flavor shine. If you love pork chops with stewed apples, you'll love adding rhubarb, too.
- For Dessert: Stewed rhubarb makes an incredible dessert sauce. I love pouring it hot over vanilla ice cream, or topping a cake with it. Or, use it in pie filling to balance out a sweeter base!
- In Baking: Mix a little stewed rhubarb into muffin batter for the perfect summer breakfast muffins!
- For Breakfast: There's nothing like the tart tang of stewed rhubarb to pair with your favorite breakfast foods! I especially love it paired with strawberry jam on waffles and pancakes!
Stewing Rhubarb FAQ
While you can peel rhubarb, it's not necessary! Peeling the rhubarb doesn't clean it any more than a good scrub under running water, and the skin is where all the beautiful pink color is!
Any sweetener you choose is a good choice for rhubarb, but I've found that classic white sugar dissolves well and thickens easily into a perfect glaze. Liquid sweeteners may make a slightly thinner sauce, so keep that in mind when simmering.
Rhubarb can be stewed in a sugary glaze, or it can be chopped into small pieces to be baked! I like baking rhubarb into muffins and bread, and using stewed rhubarb for spreads, chutneys, and pie filling!
Rhubarb is super easy to prepare! Just cut off and discard the leaves and the ends of the stems, then remove any particularly tough threads. Scrub the stems well under running water, slice, and get cooking!
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📖 Recipe
How to Stew Rhubarb
Ingredients
- 2 cups Rhubarb
- 2 Tablespoons Orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Water
- 1 pinch Cinnamon optional
Instructions
- Slice the rhubarb into bite-sized chunks, and place them in a saucepan.2 cups Rhubarb
- Add in the sugar, orange juice, water, and optional cinnamon.2 Tablespoons Orange juice, 2 Tablespoons Sugar, 2 Tablespoons Water, 1 pinch Cinnamon
- Bring the liquid to a boil, then let it simmer for around 5-10 minutes, or until the rhubarb is starting to fall apart. It should only just hold its shape. Allow the mixture to cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge or use right away!
Video
Notes
- Make sure to take out any particularly tough strings, but don't completely skin the rhubarb. The pink skin gives it a beautiful color.
- Older rhubarb will be more tart, so depending on the age of the rhubarb, you may need to add more sugar.
- Make absolutely sure to remove and discard the leaves. Unlike many other bright-stalked leafy greens, the leaves on rhubarb are toxic!
- Feel free to add fruits to the pot! I love adding in chopped sweet apples or sliced strawberries to boost up the sweetness.
Nutrition
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