If you've got rhubarb, you'll want to make this easy Rhubarb Butter. It's a flavour explosion in your mouth. This luscious, silky spread is tart & tangy, amazing on toast, muffins, scones, pancakes, as a filling for cake, swirled through yogurt, or eaten by the spoonful. Make an extra batch for the freezer to enjoy in wintertime, and you'll thank your future self.
'WOW'. That's the only word I can use to describe this droolworthy spread. Well . . . okay . . . in addition to luscious, silky, velvety, tangy, heavenly, and out-of-this-world delicious.
Who knew that cooking up the stalks of that ubiquitous rhubarb plant could result in something this spectacular? I've cooked and used rhubarb in a huge variety of ways over the years - cakes, crisps, pies, galettes, ice-cream, juice, jams, but this year is the first time I've made rhubarb butter. It is our new favourite way to enjoy this humble vegetable (yes, it's botanically classified as a vegetable, even though it's mostly used in sweet treats).
We have several rhubarb plants - two unknown varieties. One is a giant rhubarb plant with more greenish stalks, and one is regular-sized and beautifully red.
Rhubarb Butter
Rhubarb butter is a fantastic way to preserve the bounty of this common northern garden plant. It's a bit like rhubarb curd, but much more intense, tangy, and 'rhubarby'. This ruby-red spread is delicious slathered on warm buttered toast, pancakes, or waffles. It can be swirled into plain yogurt, dolloped on top of oatmeal or ice cream, used as a filling between cake layers or on top of cheesecake. Rhubarb butter can be used wherever a recipe calls for lemon curd, and it'll give off the same tanginess plus its beautiful scarlet vibe.
What You'll Need for Making Rhubarb Butter
Any kind of rhubarb will do, but I like to use just the bottom halves of the stalks, which are redder, to make this rhubarb butter (which gives it that glorious scarlet hue) and save the greener top halves of the stalks to use in other delicious things (like this easy rhubarb pie we'll have for dessert tonight). But even if your rhubarb isn't as red, the rhubarb butter will still have the same fantastic eye-popping flavour.
How to Make It
Wash the rhubarb stalks and trim off the ends. Make sure to discard the leaves (which are actually toxic - but the stems are not). Cut the rhubarb into smaller pieces, then combine them with sugar, lemon juice, water, and a pinch of salt.
Simmer the rhubarb pieces until they're tender, then purée them to a smooth paste in a high-speed blender (or with an immersion blender). Return the purée to the pot and cook it until the juices evaporate and the rhubarb butter thickens enough that a spatula dragged through it leaves a trail that doesn't fill in. Perfect. Taste and adjust for sugar, if it needs a touch more.
Add the butter and vanilla, let cool, and enjoy!
How Does it Keep?
You can store rhubarb butter in a re-sealable jar or container in the fridge for up to a month. But if you have enough rhubarb, you'll want to make an extra batch of the butter to freeze for future use. It'll keep in the freezer, in sealed freezer-safe containers or jars, for up to a year.
Pull out a jar anytime to enjoy on a piece of bread or toast, or to use in your favourite recipes.
Move Over Jam, Rhubarb Butter's Here
Try this delectable rhubarb butter with fresh scones and clotted cream next time you have a tea party. We served it at our lovely Blue & White Afternoon Tea Picnic - it was irresistible slathered onto fresh English scones and gluten-free fruit scones.
Rhubarb butter is one of my favorite ways to start the day.
Got Lots of Rhubarb?
Here are some other mouthwatering rhubarb recipes:
- Crustless Rhubarb Custard Pie (one of the most popular recipes on the blog)
- Easy Rhubarb Curd
- Mom's Rhubarb Cake - so good!
- Rhubarb Crisp
- Rhubarb Cordial
- Honey-Rhubarb Ice Cream - a summer treat.
- Rhubarb & Spruce Tip Galette
- Strawberry Rhubarb Pavlova Cake
- Saskatoon & Rhubarb 'Eton Mess'
- Baked Rhubarb Compote
- Rhubarb Gin Kombucha Cocktail and a campfire dinner.
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Guten Appetit!
Rhubarb Butter
Equipment
- high-speed blender or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1 lb. (454 g) fresh rhubarb, cut into ½-inch/1 cm pieces - about 4 cups Use the reddest rhubarb stalks you can find, or just use the redder bottom half of each stalk.
- ¾ cup (150 g) sugar* see note, below
- a pinch (~⅛ teaspoon) fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the rhubarb with the sugar, salt, lemon juice, and water in a medium-sized heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring often to prevent sticking. Then reduce the heat to medium, and continue to cook the rhubarb, uncovered, until it is soft and broken apart, stirring occasionally. This will take 15-20 minutes.
- Scrape the rhubarb into the canister of a high-speed blender and purée until it is very smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Alternately, you can purée it in the saucepan with an immersion blender, but it might not be quite as silky-smooth (though still just as delicious).
- Return the puréed rhubarb to the saucepan, and cook it, uncovered and stirring constantly, over medium heat until it is very thick - if you scrape a flat-bottomed wooden spoon or spatula through it, the channel doesn't fill back in. This will take another 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust for sweetness, adding more sugar if desired, and cook for another minute.
- Remove the rhubarb butter from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Let cool.
- Transfer the rhubarb butter to a sealable jar or container, and keep it refrigerated for up to a month. The rhubarb butter can also be divided into smaller containers and frozen for up to a year.
- Makes about 1¾ cups (420 ml), depending on how much you cook it down.
Norm Leicht
Just what I wanted.After 1st year want to harvest, this adds to my desires.
Margaret
Having a rhubarb plant in the yard is a treasure in the spring when it's the first plant up to produce something delicious. It IS hard to wait a year or two until it's ready to produce after planting, but wonderful to have it for years after. I think you'll like this recipe once you can start harvesting your own rhubarb! Happy Baking!
mari
Just wondering if this could be made with sugar substitute (diabetic) i love rhubarb and have made your crust less custard pie and absolutely love it (used a monk fruit stevia sugar substitute which.worked)
Margaret
Hi Mari, I haven't tried it, but it should work fine, I think. You may have to cook it a little longer and the monkfruit part of the sweetener may make the colour very slightly browner, but it should still taste great.
I'm so glad you love the rhubarb custard pie - thanks for the feedback!😍 Happy rhubarbing!