How to Make 2 Ingredient Silky Smooth Rhubarb Puree

Rhubarb puree screams spring! Seasonal rhubarb is one of the first things to show up in the garden, and it’s always a delicious way to kick off rhubarb season. The first harvest is super special, and this is my favorite way to showcase the spring fruit! Once you try this simple rhubarb sauce recipe, you’ll be searching for different ways to use this fruit sauce again and again.

Ingredients for rhubarb puree

• 4 heaping cups of chopped rhubarb chunks (fresh rhubarb or frozen rhubarb)
• 1/2-1 cup of white sugar or brown sugar
• (OPTIONAL FLAVOR BOOST) orange zest, orange juice, maple syrup, or a squeeze of lemon juice

How to Make Rhubarb Puree

Gather your rhubarb

I love to grow rhubarb plants in my garden! It’s one of the first things that pops its head through the ground in the spring and it’s always the very first thing we harvest in April or May. It makes me feel like my garden is producing something already!

If you are harvesting from your garden, just pull gently but firmly on the lower part of the rhubarb stalk. It comes right out of the ground! Alternately, you can cut off the bottom part of the stalk with a sharp knife, but I feel like the first method preserves more of the rhubarb.

Once you harvest it, make sure to cut the leaves off and discard them right away. They are poisonous to humans and animals, so you’ll want to get rid of those.

If you have more rhubarb in your garden than you know what to do with, you should try making my rhubarb crisp without oats! I also need to get my rhubarb jam onto the blog. It’s so good and doesn’t require any pectin! It’s good old fashioned jam!

If you don’t have your own rhubarb and can’t get it from a friend, you can usually find red rhubarb in the grocery store or the farmers market in spring.

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Wash and chop rhubarb

Wash your rhubarb stalks well. Rinse it and store it in the refrigerator. For some reason, when stored in the fridge, it sometimes splits like this. That’s fine! Just chop it up like normal!

Chop up about 4 heaping cups of rhubarb into 1/2 inch rhubarb chunks. (If you have extra, you can freeze it by spreading on a tray at room temperature first, then freeze before transferring to zip-top bags).

Cook the rhubarb

Combine the chopped rhubarb with the 1/2c – 1c. brown sugar or white sugar in a small pot or large saucepan. You can add as much or as little sugar as you’d like. If you prefer it on the tart side, go more toward 1/2c. If you like it sweeter, you can add more like 1c.

I always err on the side of tart. I figure I can taste it as it is breaking down and add more if it needs it. Since I can’t ever take it out, I try to add as I go.

Macerate the rhubarb

I usually stir the sugar and rhubarb together and leave it for about an hour. This starts to release the rhubarb juice so you won’t need to add much water as you cook it.

Isn’t that crazy how juicy it gets from just tossing it with sugar!?

Cook rhubarb puree

Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally. Depending on the cooking time, you’ll end up with a thick sauce similar to applesauce or a loose fruit compote.

I like mine super smooth, so I cooked it for about 1/2 hour until it was all broken down really well.

Puree the rhubarb

Once softened, cool and blend until smooth. If you are impatient like me and blend it right away, just make sure to be VERY careful! I use my Vitamix and it makes a perfectly silky and smooth rhubarb purée. I am sure a regular blender, food processor, or immersion blender (hand blender) would do the trick – especially if you really cook it down.

Store the rhubarb compote

Store the rhubarb puree in an airtight container or airtight jar in the fridge for about a week or so. I usually put it in mason jars like I store jam in. It works perfectly. Kilner jars are beautiful and a great way to store it in the refrigerator.

For longer storage, freeze the rhubarb sauce in ice cube trays or jars (just leave space so they don’t crack).

Best ways to use rhubarb puree

Now you get to be creative and think of all the great ways to use the pureed rhubarb! I can’t wait to hear what you all come up with!

Serving Ideas:

*spoon over the top of vanilla ice cream or on pound cake

*swirl into plain greek yogurt for a breakfast recipe

*add to a cheese plate – it pairs well with brie or honey goat cheese (look at other unique charcuterie ideas HERE)

*layer into parfaits in wine glasses with granola and whipped cream (find my granola recipe HERE)

*use as a fruit sauce for waffles. You need to try my buttermilk whole wheat waffles. They are so good!

*use as a topping for pancakes. Have you tried my sourdough discard pancakes? This is heavenly on them!

*try as filling for a tart shell or tart crust

*mix into cocktails like rhubarb Bellinis for a fun twist

*serve as stewed rhubarb alongside roasted meats for a perfect compliment of sweet and tart.

Here’s some picture Inso for how I’ve used my rhubarb sauce!

Variations and add ins:

• Combine rhubarb with other fresh fruit like strawberries, blueberries, or cherries to make it even sweeter.

• Use lemon zest, orange zest, orange juice, maple syrup or lemon juice for a bright citrus note.

• Add extracts like vanilla extract or vanilla beans, or almond extract to enhance the flavor.

• Reduce the sugar and serve as rhubarb puree baby food.

• If you want a pinker rhubarb puree but you have greenish rhubarb, just add a few cherries or strawberries to bump up the pink color and make it more beautiful.

• To make a rhubarb coulis, just add a little liquid and put it through a strainer to make it more similar to a coulis.

FAQs

How do you make rhubarb puree?

Cook fresh rhubarb with a little sugar over medium heat, then blend until smooth. It’s one of the simplest rhubarb recipes.

How to make rhubarb puree for baby?

Follow the same cooking process as above, but keep it plain – just rhubarb and a small amount of sugar or maple syrup to sweeten. Bend until smooth and store in ice cube trays in the freezer for easy serving.

How do you make rhubarb puree for cocktails?

Make a simple rhubarb sauce and thin with sugar syrup (simple syrup) or orange juice until it is pourable. Use in rhubarb Bellinis or use as your simple syrup in any recipe like margaritas, martinis, etc…

What does rhubarb puree taste like?

Stewed fruit with a balance of sweet and tart – like applesauce but tastier. Adding orange zest, maple syrup, or fresh fruit gives a perfect balance of flavors.

What is the main ingredient of rhubarb puree?

The star is rhubarb – whether from your garden, the farmers market, or the grocery store, with just a little sugar.

Can I use frozen rhubarb to make this?

Yup! I usually chop my rhubarb and put it on a parchment lined tray – or a tray lined with a Silpat silicone baking mat. I put that in the freezer for a couple hours until the chunks are completely frozen. Then I store it in a Ziplock freezer bag.

When you individually freeze it, then it doesn’t clump together and it allows you to use a measuring cup to take out just what you need. Then when I want to use it in the dead of winter, I can just scoop out what I need.

You can easily throw the frozen rhubarb in the pot and start cooking it down. As it defrosts, it lets off a lot off water, so you may not even need to macerate it first!

Can I freeze rhubarb puree?

For sure. You could freeze the puree in ice cube trays and then pop the cubes out and store them in a zip top freezer bag. You could also freeze larger quantities in glass mason jars or other airtight containers. Just make sure you leave enough head room so if it expands during freezing, it doesn’t break the jar.

Can I make rhubarb puree ahead of time?

Absolutely. Store in the fridge in mason jars or Kilner jars for up to a week, or freeze for months. If you want to serve it warm, just heat before using.

Can I add other fruits to rhubarb puree?

Absolutely! This would taste amazing with apples or any type of berry.

*Strawberries are usually used with rhubarb and it gives it the most beautiful red color and extra sweetness.

*I also think it would be so good with blueberries or blackberries.

*I added frozen sweet cherries to my rhubarb jam last year to bump up the red color without adding a lot of expensive ingredients and it was delicious!

*If you could find some peaches in season, that would absolutely rock!!!

If you do add a sweeter fruit, I’d hold back on the sugar a little bit. You can always add more but you can’t take it away!

I hope you absolutely love this rhubarb recipe! I adore the sugar and rhubarb tart and sweet pairing and it’s just the perfect way to welcome spring! Let me know if you find new ways to use it!

Recipe Card: Rhubarb Puree

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