Photo: James Moffatt
Call it the backbone of a good crumble, but a fruit it is not. A perennial vegetable from the buckwheat family, rhubarb is recognised for its crimson stalks and tart bite: pale green varieties lean sharp and acidic, while deeper red stems are softer and delicately sour. Returning year after year from the same stubborn root crown, it can persist for decades, anchoring itself through seasons of frost and regrowth, where winter chill coaxes the plant into dormancy before spring’s resurgence.
Then there’s forced rhubarb – a crop that reads like a nyctophile. Popularised in northern England, it’s grown in pitch-black sheds or under upturned pots, deprived of sunlight to trick it into rapid growth and heightened sweetness. So responsive is the plant hiding there in the dark, that it can be heard crackling as it stretches upwards. Harvested by candlelight to preserve the process, romance, it seems, is not dead – it simply resides in Yorkshire.
Whether you bake it in an easy, steaming winter pie or turn it into a sticky jam, the possibilities with rhubarb are endless. Here are our best rhubarb recipes for sweet tooths and savoury fanatics alike.
Loading the player…
Rhubarb desserts
Chocolate Dutch baby with roasted rhubarb
A Dutch baby with a chocolate-rhubarb spin.
Rhubarb-strawberry milk bun pudding
This pudding reminds us of Devonshire tea: baked fruit takes on a jam-like quality while vanilla custard and small milk buns round things out.
Coconut rice pudding with star anise and rhubarb
This dessert is coconut, spice and all things nice.
Rhubarb galette
Galettes are one of the easiest pastries to prepare – the more rustic it looks, the better.
Rhubarb and apple pie with warm cinnamon custard
Rhubarb. Apple. Custard. It’s an unbeatable combination.
.jpg?resize=760%2C608&format=auto)
Baked rhubarb with orange and cardamom
Australian Gourmet Traveller fast recipe for baked rhubarb with orange and cardamom.
Rhubarb and raspberry brownie
A classic rich chocolate brownie, dotted with the fruity flavours of rhubarb and raspberries. It’s perfect dessert to take to a picnic.
Rhubarb, lime and coconut slice
It’s all about that tang and texture.
Rhubarb and apple tarte Tatin with Calvados ice-cream
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Rhubarb and apple tarte Tatin with Calvados ice-cream
The Agrarian Kitchen’s rhubarb and chamomile tart
Chamomile-scented custard tart topped with tender roasted rhubarb makes for a stunning finale.
Roasted rhubarb and mandarin frangipane tart with thyme
A vibrant tart made for sunlit winter afternoons.
Rhubarb crumble
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for rhubarb crumble.
Rhubarb and yoghurt twists
The yoghurt in this dough makes for an ultra-light and fluffy texture, and also helps these twists keep well – they stay fresh for a couple of days.
Rhubarb millefeuille
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for rhubarb millefeuille from The Cove in Hobart, Tasmania.
Thick ricotta pancake with roast rhubarb
A fast and fluffy dessert or a luxurious weekend brunch? Either way, this ricotta pancake with roast rhubarb hits the spot.
Baked rhubarb with orange and citrus mascarpone
Baked rhubarb with orange and citrus mascarpone recipe – Preheat oven to 200C. Toss rhubarb with sugar, orange juice, sliced orange and coriander seeds in a baking dish to coat.
The Summertown Aristologist’s rhubarb spelt tart
A favourite dessert recipe from the team at the much-loved Adelaide Hills restaurant.
Caramel pudding with crème fraîche, rhubarb and vanilla
A recipe combines rice pudding and brûlée into one bubbly result.
Sugar-crusted rhubarb hand pies
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for sugar-crusted rhubarb hand pies.
Curtis Stone’s Liège-style waffles with rhubarb-vanilla jam
“One bite of these crisp, buttery waffles and you’ll never go back to regular waffles again,” says Curtis Stone.
Rhubarb and chocolate tart
This tart is easy to whip up if you have shortcrust pastry on hand. The tangy rhubarb is a great match for the rich but slightly bitter chocolate.
Sean McConnell’s rhubarb, strawberry and pink peppercorn crumble with chamomile ice-cream
Recipe for rhubarb, strawberry and pink peppercorn crumble with chamomile ice-cream by Sean McConnell from Monster, Canberra.
Brigitte Hafner’s rhubarb dumplings
Brigitte Hafner recipe for rhubarb dumplings.
Rhubarb and custard bread pudding
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for rhubarb and custard bread pudding.
Rhubarb and strawberry tart with candied pistachio and fennel seeds
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for rhubarb and strawberry tart with candied pistachio and fennel seeds.
The Agrarian Kitchen’s rhubarb and strawberry sponge puddings with ricotta gelato
Ricotta gelato cuts through these fluffy sponge puddings.
Rhubarb and strawberry lattice pie
Fruit compote in a sugar-flecked sweet crust? It’s a hard act to beat. When it comes to dessert, everyone will want a piece of this rhubarb and strawberry lattice pie.
Rhubarb, brown sugar and fennel pie
The top of this pie has a chewy-biscuit texture from the brown sugar, while fennel seeds add a lovely note of spice.
Rhubarb and custard brown-sugar waffles
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for rhubarb and custard brown-sugar waffles.
Rhubarb-hazelnut puddings with brown sugar-brandy custard
Warm pudding, chilled custard. Perfect.
Vincent’s bread and butter pudding with rhubarb compote
Vincent’s brioche bread and butter pudding is perfectly cut through by a rhubarb compote. Winter baking starts here.
Rice pudding fritters with rhubarb and winter strawberry jam
Two winter favourites, rice pudding and rhubarb, combine in these sweet treats.
Rhubarb and berry Linzertorte
Our take on the Austrian pie, all crumbly pastry and jammy insides.
Rhubarb Louise cake
The New Zealand cake-slice hybrid, reimagined with soft baked rhubarb.
Curtis Stone’s rhubarb, pomegranate and hazelnut crumble
This is a crumble at its simplest – the vibrant rhubarb stalks and pomegranate seeds do all the tantalising talking here.
Rhubarb and raspberry crostata
Australian Gourmet Traveller Italian dessert recipe for rhubarb and raspberry crostata.
Apple, rhubarb and raspberry pie with toasted almond ice-cream
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for apple, rhubarb and raspberry pie with toasted almond ice-cream.
Sharbat-e reevas (rhubarb-rosewater sherbet)
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for sharbat-e reevas (rhubarb-rosewater sherbet) by Greg and Lucy Malouf.
Savoury rhubarb dishes
Bar Rochford’s duck liver pâté with rhubarb compote and fennel salad
Bar Rochford’s rustic pâté for the home cook, no sous-vide required.
Roast pork with rhubarb and rosemary jelly
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Roast pork with rhubarb and rosemary jelly
Persian lamb with rhubarb and chelow
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Persian lamb with rhubarb and chelow
O Tama Carey’s rhubarb achcharu
This sweet and hot rhubarb achacharu, a Sri Lankan pickled vegetable mix made with mustard seeds and ginger, perfectly complements O Tama Carey’s black beef brisket recipe, or any other rich meat dish.
Roast duck with orange and rhubarb
Rodney Dunn recipe for roast duck with orange and rhubarb.
Three Blue Ducks’ raw fish, buttermilk, ginger, rhubarb and fennel
Australian Gourmet Traveller feature recipe for Raw fish, buttermilk, ginger, rhubarb and fennel
Pheasant and ham hock terrine with rhubarb-apple chutney
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Pheasant and ham hock terrine with rhubarb-apple chutney
Related stories
Native ad body.
Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%
Native ad body.
Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%
Native ad body.
Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%
Native ad body.
Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%
