The first rhubarb showed up at the market the other day and I squealed, jumped around, went appropriately crazy, then collected myself and bought an embarrassing amount. That’s just what rhubarb does to me. Its bright, puckery tartness is like a wake-up call after months of winter.
It’s the official signal that strawberry rhubarb pie season is here and I should probably clear my schedule.
If you’ve got a pile of rhubarb stalks and a free afternoon, these are the fun rhubarb recipes I make after I’ve worked my way through the rhubarb crisp and other classic easy rhubarb recipes.
1. Easy Homemade Rhubarb Curd
Sweet, tart, creamy, and an absolutely stunning shade of pink. This rhubarb curd is the first thing I make every single season. The uses are honestly endless: spoon it into tart shells, swirl it into yogurt, fill cupcakes with it, or just eat it straight from the jar like I do. No judgment here whatsoever.
2. Rhubarb Curd Bars
I wanted creamy rhubarb bars in the spirit of a classic lemon bar, and after several rounds of testing, I promise you this is the one. That luscious rhubarb curd gets smoothed over a buttery shortbread crust into something truly out-of-this-world. I’m not really sorry that this recipe follows hot on the heels of basically every other rhubarb recipe I’ve ever made.
3. Flaky Rhubarb Hand Pies with Vanilla Drizzle
The rhubarb hand pie is a portable dessert that screams spring and summer. Tart, sweet rhubarb tucked into buttery flaky pastry and finished with a drizzle of vanilla icing. What’s not to love? They are totally acceptable breakfast food and arguably even better than a traditional pie because you can take them on a picnic.
4. Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Cake
I told you I’m obsessed with rhubarb, so naturally there had to be a cake. This tender strawberry rhubarb yogurt cake is finished with a buttery brown sugar streusel that makes it feel like something truly special. The sharp rhubarb and the ripe, sweet strawberries together are a match made in absolute heaven.
5. Rhubarb Cookies
These rhubarb cookies are soft, cake-like, and bursting with tart rhubarb in every single bite. With a texture like fluffy muffin tops, they are easy to bake and even easier to love. They’re a fun, unexpected twist on your standard cookie jar and they disappear fast, so consider doubling the batch.
6. Rhubarb Dutch Baby
This Rhubarb Dutch Baby is the most dramatic, show-stopping thing you can do with a skillet and some rhubarb on a lazy spring morning. An eggy batter goes into a screaming hot pan and puffs up into this giant, chewy, golden pancake, and then you pile tart, rosy rhubarb right on top. It’s breakfast, it’s dessert, it’s honestly whatever you want it to be.
7. Ginger Rhubarb Cake
Warm, spicy ginger and bright, tart rhubarb are a combination I am fully here for. This moist, fluffy ginger rhubarb cake swaps most of the butter for yogurt, which adds a lovely tang and just enough virtue that it totally doubles as breakfast.
8. Strawberry Salad With Rhubarb Dressing
Not everything rhubarb has to be baked, and this Strawberry Salad With Rhubarb Dressing is proof that those gorgeous tart stalks deserve a spot in your savory bowl too. That bright, puckery rhubarb flavor gets turned into a dressing that plays off sweet strawberries in the most unexpected, season-perfect way. It’s the kind of recipe that makes you feel like a genius for buying more rhubarb than you could possibly carry home.
9. Healthy Rhubarb Muffins With Greek Yogurt
These Healthy Rhubarb Muffins with Greek Yogurt are the reason I feel zero guilt about eating dessert for breakfast. Soft, fluffy, and packed with that bright rhubarb tang we’ve all been waiting all winter for. The Greek yogurt keeps them tender and adds a little protein to the situation, which basically makes them a health food (I’m going with it). Rhubarb lovers, these are absolutely your people.
10. Strawberry Rhubarb Pudding Cake
This Strawberry Rhubarb Pudding Cake is the kind of recipe that makes you want to stock up on rhubarb the second it hits the market, which, honestly, I already do by the armful. A pudding cake is pure magic. It goes into the oven as one thing and comes out as two: a tender cake layer on top, a saucy, jammy situation underneath. Spring in a baking dish, and I am completely here for it.
