The Best Sweet and Savory Rhubarb Recipes

Also known as pieplant, rhubarb is delicious in all kinds of desserts and baked goods—not just pies. It also works well in savory dishes. Here, you'll find all of our favorite rhubarb recipes.

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Wondering what to do with all that rhubarb popping up in your garden or at the farmers' market? Fans of the spring vegetable eagerly await the arrival of rhubarb season each year—if you love it too, consider planting rhubarb at home; an easy-to-grow perennial, sow the crowns once (you typically don't start rhubarb from seeds) and it'll come up year after year. Lucky for you, we're also rhubarb connoisseurs, and that means that we have a collection of recipes that'll help you make the most of this tasty, colorful spring crop.

Rhubarb, either in the garden or in the market, is a delicious sign that the start of spring is officially here; soon there will be asparagus and other seasonal treats, but because rhubarb season is relatively short, you'll want to make the most of its fleeting time. Bakers everywhere love the rosy hue and tart taste of rhubarb, and they use it in pies, crisps, and cakes. Beyond baking, roast rhubarb with rosé wine for an elegant spring dessert or make rhubarb custards or a most refreshing Chilled Rhubarb and Raspberry Soup.

But don't think rhubarb recipes are all desserts; botanically rhubarb is a vegetable, but one that we treat as a fruit. It has a very tart flavor and is always cooked with a sweetener, even when used for savory recipes. Try it in a rhubarb-cherry sauce served with meat or a spring salad with goat cheese.

Here's what you need to know to make the most of rhubarb: Look for thin, red-pink crisp stalks, as these will have the best texture. If the stalks are floppy, this is a good indication that they were picked too long ago; you'll want to leave those behind. When you get home, wrap the rhubarb stalks in plastic and refrigerate for up to one week. You can also freeze rhubarb and enjoy it for months to come. To use rhubarb, rinse it well then trim the bottoms and tops of the stalks. If there are any leaves, slice off and discard (the leaves are toxic). If the stalks are stringy, remove with a small paring knife, as you would for celery.

Now the fun part: There are so many ways to cook rhubarb. Be sure to try rhubarb as a compote or a refreshing drink as well as baked in muffins. And don't forget how it's sweet-tart flavor pairs with savory foods, how about some rhubarb chutney with that bacon at your next brunch?

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Rhubarb Crumb Cake

Sidney Bensimon

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Rhubarb: Our Best Sweet and Savory Recipes for This Spring Treat

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Rhubarb Crumb Cake

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Rhubarb-Strawberry Lattice Pie

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Rosy Rhubarb-Meringue Cake

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Rhubarb-Strawberry Tart

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Rhubarb and Beets

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Pavlova with Rhubarb and Pistachios

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Pistachio-Rhubarb Yogurt Cake

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Rhubarb-Raspberry Cheesecake Squares

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Rhubarb Buckle

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Rhubarb Custard Pie

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Rhubarb Fizz

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Rhubarb Muffins

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Rosé-Poached Rhubarb

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Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

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Rhubarb Meringue Pie

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Pork Chops with Rhubarb-Cherry Sauce

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Strawberry-Rhubarb Sangria

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Baked Thick-Cut Bacon with Rhubarb Chutney

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Rhubarb Pie

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Rhubarb Salad with Goat Cheese

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Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

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Poached Rhubarb with Elderflower Sabayon

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Vanilla-Rhubarb Tart

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Chilled Rhubarb and Raspberry Soup

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Rhubarb Crumb Bars

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