Rhubarb recipes: Delicious ideas, tips & more!

March 25, 2026

Rhubarb is the start of spring for me every year. I love the fruity, tart flavor – perfect for sweet rhubarb recipes such as crumble or cake, but also for a delicious chutney. Here you can find a few tips on rhubarb and my favorite rhubarb recipes ❤️.

What is rhubarb actually?

Botanically speaking, rhubarb belongs to the knotweed family and is therefore a vegetable. Nevertheless, it is often used like fruit due to its fruity aroma, especially in desserts. The edible parts are the fleshy stems; the leaves contain oxalic acid and should not be eaten

Harvesting & planting rhubarb

Planting time: Rhubarb can be planted in spring or fall. It prefers a sunny to semi-shady location with deep, nutrient-rich soil.
Harvest: The first stems can be harvested from the third year of growth (approx. from April). The stems should be carefully twisted out and not cut off so as not to damage the plant. Incidentally, the plant is only harvested until June 24 – after that it is allowed to recover.

Freeze rhubarb – so it keeps for longer

If you want to use rhubarb beyond the season, you can easily freeze it. To do this, wash and peel the stalks and cut them into pieces. Place them in portions in freezer bags or tins. Optionally, you can blanch them briefly before freezing – this helps to preserve the color.
Rhubarb will keep for up to 12 months in the freezer – and can be processed immediately, e.g. for compote, cake or chutney.

Do you have to peel rhubarb?

Not always, but often it makes sense. Peeling is particularly recommended for older, thicker stalks or green rhubarb, as the skin can be fibrous and contain more oxalic acid. Young, tender stalks with red skin often do not need to be peeled – simply washing and cutting off the ends is enough.

My favorite rhubarb recipes

Here you’ll find my personal favorite recipes with rhubarb that come back to the table every year. Simple, delicious and full of spring flavor! I hope you enjoy trying them out and feasting on them.

Rhubarb cake with pudding & crumble

Whether with crumble, on shortcrust pastry or with pudding – this cake is easy to make and tastes just like spring. My recipe is beautifully moist and guaranteed to succeed!

Rhubarb crumble

A quick classic: mix rhubarb pieces with a little sugar and cinnamon, place in a baking dish and cover with crispy crumble. Enjoy warm with vanilla ice cream after baking.

Apple and rhubarb chutney – fruity & simple

Make your own simple apple and rhubarb chutney – fruity, spicy and versatile. This rhubarb recipe is perfect if you fancy something savory and slightly sweet. The chutney goes well with cheese, grilled food or simply on bread.

Easily memorize photos and recipes on Pinterest

On Pinterest, you can easily and conveniently save my recipes. Just click here, pick one you like, and pin it to one of your boards.

You can use the following image to pin this recipe by clicking on the photo once. The “Pin” button from Pinterest will then appear at the top left. Einfach drauf klicken.

What do you think of my rhubarb recipes?

Praise, Criticism, Opinions

If you have tried a recipe I would be very interested in your opinion. Just leave me a comment below or let me know what you think of this recipe on Instagram. I’m always happy to receive praise, more tips and friendly criticism.

Best regards

Rhubarb cake with crumble & vanilla pudding

5 from 2 votes

Simple rhubarb cake with crumble and pudding - fruity, creamy and crunchy. Perfect for rhubarb season and quick to make!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Baking time 55

Total Time 1 20

Servings: 26 cm Springfrom

Course: Cake recipe, Crumble cake, Rhubarb cake, Simple cake

Cuisine: Europe, Germany

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

For dough & crumble:

380 g Wheat flour Type 550 or 405
250 g Cold butter
130 g Sugar
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
½ Packet of baking powder approx. 7 g
some lemon zest
1 a good pinch of salt
1 Egg

For the pudding:

1 packet of vanilla custard powder
2 sugar
500 ml Milk

For the coating:

700 g Rhubarb Weighed with shell
2 Tbsp sugar
some butter for the mold

For sprinkling:

Powdered sugar

Equipment

1 Kuchen-Springfrom 26 cm diameter

Method

Wash the rhubarb, peel if necessary and cut into pieces. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp sugar and set aside.
Prepare the vanilla pudding with milk and sugar according to the packet instructions and leave to cool.
Mix together the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and salt. Add the butter in small pieces and the egg and knead into crumbles. Remove 1/3 of the dough and place in the fridge for the crumble later. Continue to knead the remaining crumble dough into a smooth/homogeneous dough. Press into the greased springform pan and raise a rim.
Spread the pudding over the base. Drain the rhubarb and place on top. Sprinkle the remaining crumble loosely over the top.
Bake at 180 °C top/bottom heat for approx. 50-55 minutes until the crumble is golden brown.
Leave the cake to cool completely and dust with powdered sugar. It is best to place in the fridge for 2-4 hours before serving.

Notes

Better after cooling: The rhubarb cake tastes even better when cooled because the flavors of the pudding, rhubarb and crumble can combine perfectly. So: patience pays off!
Marinate the rhubarb beforehand: If you marinate the rhubarb with a little vanilla sugar and lemon juice before baking and then drain it, it will be particularly aromatic and the cake base will stay nice and juicy, but not mushy.
Storage: Wrapped airtight, the cake will keep in the fridge for about 2-3 days. Simply bring to room temperature briefly before serving. Alternatively, it is also easy to freeze - preferably in pieces.
Leftover rhubarb? No problem! Make a quick compote with sugar, vanilla and a little orange juice. Goes wonderfully with yogurt, ice cream or as a fruity topping on cakes and pancakes.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

Share the recipe via…

Leave me a comment

0 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Hi, I’m Shiba

I’m glad you’re here. My dishes are very much inspired by the cooking skills of my mother, who comes from Pakistan. I also present Palestinian dishes that I learned about from my husband’s family. So you’ll find lots of dishes from 1001 nights here!

I hope you enjoy browsing and cooking.

more about me…

free EBooks

Subscribe to our newsletter