Rhubarb Syrup

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Here’s how to make rhubarb syrup, which is fantastic on pancakes, in soft drinks or cocktails, or as a glaze for chicken or other poultry.

A bottle of rhubarb syrup with rhubarb stalks in a wooden box.

Making rhubarb syrup couldn’t be easier: Bury chopped rhubarb in sugar and let time do the rest.

It really is that simple. Chop stalks of rhubarb, put them in a glass jar, like a Mason jar, and bury them in white sugar. Put the lid on the jar and shake to remove any air pockets. Add enough sugar to cover the rhubarb by about 1/2 inch.

Overnight, the sugar will extract the moisture from the rhubarb, and you’ll have a syrup.

A few pointers:

  • As the sugar absorbs the liquid from the rhubarb, keep adding a little more each day, about 2 tablespoons at a time. Shake after each time. Stop when no more sugar can be absorbed. You’ll know this by seeing a layer of sugar at the bottom of the jar the morning after you’ve shaken everything all up.
  • If you don’t do this, you run the risk of the syrup not being concentrated enough, and if that happens, it can ferment.
  • Once the syrup is concentrated, let it sit on the counter a few days at room temperature. This will help darken the syrup from a light pink to a rosy red. The longer you let it sit, even in the fridge, the pinker it will get, up to about 2 weeks.
  • If you want a redder rhubarb syrup, add a handful of strawberries when you start. Some very red varieties of rhubarb will make a crimson syrup by themselves.
  • Strain out the rhubarb and discard, or use in rhubarb bread or muffins.
  • Once finished, the rhubarb syrup will keep indefinitely in the fridge.

How to Use Rhubarb Syrup

I initially made it to add to summertime gin and tonics. Make a G&T the way you like it, then add a spoonful or two of rhubarb syrup and you have a quintessential Upper Midwestern cocktail.

Or, skip the gin and tonic and go with a mocktail of rhubarb syrup, lime juice and seltzer. This is a baller afternoon refresher.

You can also use it as a pancake syrup, or wherever else you want a drizzle of springtime.

In a savory application, mix some rhubarb syrup with red wine or balsamic vinegar to make an easy gastrique sauce, which you can then use with chicken or any other white meat; it would even be good with a firm, white fish like grilled swordfish.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ rating and a comment below; Iโ€™d love to hear how everything went. If youโ€™re on Instagram, share a picture and tag me at huntgathercook.

A bottle of rhubarb syrup with rhubarb stalks in a wooden box.
5 from 15 votes

Rhubarb Syrup

An easy to make, classic Midwestern treat, you can use your syrup in any number of ways.
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Servings: 20 servings
Author: Hank Shaw
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Macerating time: 3 days
Total Time: 3 days 15 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1/2 pound chopped rhubarb
  • 1/2 pound sugar (see below)

Instructions 

  • Put the chopped rhubarb in a glass container, like a Mason jar. Pour in enough sugar so the rhubarb is completely buried by about 1/2 inch. Close the jar and shake well. Let this sit on the counter overnight.
  • The next day, all the sugar should have dissolved. Shake the jar to be certain. Add another 2 tablespoons of sugar to the jar and shake to dissolve. Repeat this process each day until, in the morning, you see sugar on the bottom of the jar that has not dissolved.
  • You can strain and use the syrup now, but you'll get a pinker syrup if you leave the syrup to rest another week or so. If it's hot in your kitchen, like hotter than 75ยฐF, put the syrup in the fridge on Day 3.
  • When you're ready, strain out the rhubarb. You can use it in rhubarb bread or muffins or pie, or as a garnish for drinks. Pour the syrup into a clean container and store in the fridge, where it will keep indefinitely.

Notes

If you want a redder syrup, add a handful or two of chopped strawberries when you start the recipe.ย 

Nutrition

Calories: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.004g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 12IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.03mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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32 Comments

  1. This recipe popped up right after a neighbor gifted me with an armload of rhubarb. The syrup was aces with a Sicilian lemon ricotta cake and a not quite sweet enough rhubarb crumb cake. Instead of using the strained rhubarb in *another* quick bread, I found that dehydrating it in the oven for ~4 hours at 150ยฐ F was time well spent. The dried bits will be perfect for my next batch of granola.

  2. Trying this now! Thanks for another great recipe. As to using the strained rhubarb, do you have a recipe you could point toward for rhubarb bread or muffings?

  3. My aunt always made rhubarb wine and as I recall it was a lovely, dry wine. Havenโ€™t thought about it for years but this recipe reminded me. Might have to try a batch

    1. Kathy, exactlly what I’m thinking! Just wish the sugar could be replaced with…monk fruit as sweetner?

  4. Speaking of fermentation, have you ever tried keeping the sugar concentration lower with the intention of fermenting it? Wondering if there’s an opportunity for a wine, or even vinegar. Or maybe that would just be gross.

  5. How does the taste compare to syrup made by cooking the rhubarb?
    Using heat allows me to use much less sugar, which I like. I also like to add a bit of ginger, cardamom or vanilla for some variety.
    If I strain the syrup I usually dehydrate the solids for fruit ‘leather’. A drizzle of strawberry jam adds some color and sweetness. If I don’t strain it I like to stick blend it all together for a thicker sauce.

  6. Speaking of rhubarb . . . I made this sauce by accident: Finely chop rhubarb, cover with maple syrup, and cook till rhubarb is soft. Delicious is an understatement.

  7. Having made copious amounts of rhubarb butter, ketchup and crisp already, whittled up a batch of this tonight. โ€œThe patchโ€ still doesnโ€™t look like it has been touched.

  8. This is clever. Very clever. I have rhubarb granola in the oven right now. As I was making it, I couldn’t help but wonder what I could do to get more rhubarb flavor into it. This might be the answer and definitely worth a shot (instead of the honey). My kids enjoy rhubarb soda, crisp, muffins, breads….this would be yet another thing they would like. Thanks!

  9. I like that the rhubarb does not get cooked. It reminds me a a way a preserving fruits that a French woman told me about. I never got to do her way, we lost contact before I could get it written down.

  10. We get so much rhubarb each year that we struggle to even use fractions of it in pies, marmelade etc. This way I can store it in a concentrated form for use all year instead of filling up the freezer with chopped stems. Excellent! Rhubarb syrup production starts this evening. Thanks for this great recipe.

  11. I’m a rhubarb addict, but, so far, only have used it in jams, cakes and savory dishes. This syrup is a great idea! Thanks !

  12. My German immigrant grandparents used to make a “rhubarb-ade” when I was growing up in the 1950s. Lemons cost money and may have been out of season in the hot summers on the farm. Thanks for this jolt to my memory organ.

    1. Well, we’re waiting! How did they make it? just this syrup and water? Sounds too cool to miss, and my German farmer grandparents would probably have made this too.