Our 15+ Favorite Sweet and Sour Rhubarb Recipes

The love that we give to the bounty of spring and early summer tends to focus (at least here in Germany) on wild garlic, asparagus, and strawberries, but there’s one sweet and sour “fruit” that shouldn’t be overlooked: rhubarb!

When the long, thin pink and green stalks of rhubarb find their way into the supermarket, it's always my ultimate sign that the colder days are numbered and summer is just around the corner. Even the sight of the word “rhubarb” popping up on restaurant menus triggers in me that anticipation of the transition from spring into summer, and the first bite of the sweet, sour, and slight berry-like flavor turns that transition into reality.

To make the most of the rhubarb season, which, like asparagus, comes to an end at the end of June, we've collected our favorite recipes from the Kitchen Stories repertoire and our community.

A few tips before you get started? Depending on whether you lean more sour or sweet, be sure to pay attention to the color of your rhubarb. The more immature green rhubarb is particularly tart, while very red rhubarb stalks tend to be milder and sweeter in flavor. You can learn even more about rhubarb, how to buy, store and prepare it properly, in this article.

Our favorite rhubarb recipes

Rhubarb cakes, tarts, and muffins

Even though rhubarb is technically a vegetable, it’s often used as a fruity component in baked goods and desserts. Classics like streusel cakes, pies, galettes, or meringue cakes are always good choices, but we’ll even do you one better with this *new* luxurious, layered recipe combining rhubarb, cake, and cheesecake from our chef Hanna:

3:30 h

2.6k

Layered rhubarb cheesecake

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— Rhubarb meringue cake
— German rhubarb streusel sheet cake
— Gingered strawberry-rhubarb pie with crumb topping
— Strawberry rhubarb muffins
— Rhubarb galette
— Rhubarb strawberry feuillette
— Rhubarb Dutch baby with vanilla sauce

Rhubarb crumbles and casseroles

The sweet, tart fruitiness we know and love in winter’s darling apple crumbles translates beautifully to warmer days with rhubarb and ruby red raspberries. The flavor and texture of rhubarb also gives new life to bread puddings, adding a summery, refreshing note to an otherwise very rich dessert.

— Rhubarb raspberry crumble
— Rhubarb bread pudding

Creamy desserts with rhubarb

Desserts with a creamy component are especially delicious with rhubarb because the soft, sweetness of the dairy balances out the sourness of the rhubarb and creates an exciting contrast. If you love rhubarb in ice cream, with panna cotta, and as a counterpart to mascarpone, you should definitely also try our super simple *new* rhubarb dessert:

45 min

vegetarian

2.2k

Simple roasted rhubarb fool

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— No-churn honey rhubarb ice cream
— Rhubarb panna cotta
— Mascarpone cream with rhubarb and raspberries

Make rhubarb jam

One way to enjoy rhubarb year-round is to boil it down into a delicious jam. For even more flavorful contrast, this version from our community adds a pinch of salt and pepper. Another exciting *new* jam recipe with rhubarb, you can find here. I can tell you one thing in advance: It’s like nothing you’ve ever tasted before!

1:20 h

vegan

1.2k

Not your average rhubarb jam

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— Strawberry rhubarb jam

Tangy rhubarb drinks

Rhubarb also works well in drinks; the summery acid kick brings in a little excitement whether sipped with alcohol or not. You can easily boil it down into a simple syrup, which will keep for a while so you can have it on hand to refine your favorite drinks year-round. Here are two tangy suggestions to get you started:

— Rhubarb soda
— Rhubarb-vanilla cocktail

Rhubarb can also be savory!

That's right, rhubarb doesn't always have to be sweet. It can also be prepared excellently in a curry, with fish or meat, or made into a savory rhubarb chutney as in this recipe:

50 min

1.6k

Lamb chops with rhubarb chutney

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If you really want to savor the sweet and sour flavor of rhubarb to enjoy throughout the year, you can also freeze rhubarb. Simply chop the rhubarb (after cleaning and peeling it) into small pieces, transfer it to a freezer bag, and freeze! Use it straight from frozen or let it thaw before using in any of the recipes above and enjoy our rhubarb recipes all year round!