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I am here to show you just how easy it is to freeze rhubarb!
Summer is in full swing and it’s time to start thinking about preserving the season’s bounty for the cold, dreary winter months ahead. Here in Colorado, I am freezing up rhubarb to save for pies and other recipes in the dead of winter. I get my rhubarb from my mom and her plants are producing way more than they can eat, so she’s happy to share! I am happy to take the excess and toss it in the freezer. Do you also have tomatoes, zucchini, or chard / other greens coming out of your ears? If so, I have tutorials for how to freeze those items as well:
- How to Freeze Fresh Tomatoes
- How to Freeze Zucchini and Other Summer Squash
- How to Freeze Swiss Chard and Other Greens
Now, back to rhubarb. Freezing fresh rhubarb for a later date is super easy, so let’s get started. Make sure you check out the tasty recipe ideas at the bottom of the post. Don’t forget to check out my recipe for Red Raspberry Rhubarb Limeade. It is UH-MAZING. 🙂

How to Freeze Rhubarb
It's very easy to freeze your rhubarb.
Ingredients
- Rhubarb
Instructions
- Once you have gathered your rhubarb, wash it well and trim off the root end.
- Chop the stalks into bite-sized pieces and set them aside.
- Start a pot of water boiling. You can either blanch or steam the rhubarb, but I prefer blanching, as steaming is not as consistent.
- While your water is heating, prepare an ice bath.
- Once your water is boiling, place your rhubarb in the water for 2-3 minutes.
- Strain off the rhubarb and toss it in the ice bath as quickly as possible to stop the cooking.
- Let the rhubarb stay in the ice bath for 5-10 minutes so it’s completely chilled. Most, if not all, of the ice will be melted.
- Pour off the water and let the rhubarb drain in a colander.
- Line a few cookie sheets with parchment paper and then spread a single layer of rhubarb on each pan.
- Place in the freezer for an hour, or until mostly frozen.
- You can now transfer to your freezer bag or other container. I like to pick up the edges of the parchment paper and create a funnel that easily dumps the rhubarb into my container.
- Now you can easily scoop out the right amount for whatever recipe you need!
- Will keep in the freezer for 9-12 months.
What Do I Do With All This Rhubarb?
I love rhubarb. It is high in vitamins C, A, and K, as well as calcium and manganese, among others. I actually like it fresh and raw. Some people think I’m weird, but I love the tartness of it. It’s like eating a lemon wedge (yes, sometimes I do that too). 🙂 If you’re new to using rhubarb or just need some new ideas, check out these delicious recipes gathered from around the Web. Some of these will have some non-real food ingredients in them, but they are easy to substitute. I tend to look at recipes for inspiration and then tailor them to suit my own dietary needs. Many rhubarb recipes call for tons of sugar, but you can often dramatically reduce the amount of sugar you use, or use other natural sugar-free options.
- Rhubarbade from Common Sense Homesteading – I made a big batch of this using my frozen rhubarb and it’s delish! It may be my new favorite drink!
- Persian Lamb Stew with Rhubarb & Mint from And Here We Are … – I would have never thought to put rhubarb in stew! This recipe looks amazing.
- Strawberry Rhubarb Pecan Loaf from Smitten Kitchen – Some substitutions would be needed (like using coconut oil instead of vegetable oil and a different form of sugar), but this recipe sounds tasty!
- Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote from David Lebovitz – I’d cut the sugar/honey back, but the rest of it sounds delish!
- Rhubarb-Walnut Muffins with Rhubarb Jam from GNOWFGLINS – This gluten-free recipe sounds amazing. I may just make a batch of this soon!
- Rhubarb Cherry Berry Cobbler from Real Food Real Deals – My favorite way to eat rhubarb is in some sort of cobbler, served with homemade vanilla ice cream. Major yum!
- Slow-Cooked Lamb with Rhubarb from The Local Cook – Another savory dish with rhubarb. Love it!
- Rhubarb-Lime Cardamom with Streusel Muffins from Redeeming The Table – I would have never thought to combine rhubarb and lime, but I like the sound of these!
- Rhubarb Water Kefir from Plus Other Good Stuff – You all know I love water kefir, so I am sure to love this. I’ll be making this for sure!
- Soaked Rhubarb Coffeecake from Plus Other Good Stuff – If you can tolerate soaked grains, this sounds like a wonderful recipe.
- Rhubarb Horseradish Sauce and Pickled Pink Relish from Real Food Road – Two creative ways to utilize your overabundance of rhubarb!
- Raw Rhubarb Butter Crumble Bar from The Mommy Bowl – These look tasty, plus they are grain-free!
- Blueberry Lavender Rhubarb Jam from Healthy Green Kitchen – You could play with the amount and kind of sugar, but I love the concept of adding blueberries and lavender.
- Strawberry Rhubarb Pudding from Primal Kitchen – This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
- Strawberry & Rhubarb Mini Pies from PaleOMG – I love her recipes. They are always delicious, plus, she’s a local Denver girl too!
- Strawberry-Rhubarb Smooth from Real Family Real Food – I love the addition of basil to this recipe. It’s an interesting combo, but I bet it’s good!
What is your favorite way to eat rhubarb? Do you have a favorite recipe? Leave a comment below!
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My favorite way is my own version of rhubarb pudding. Cook the rhubarb in a skillet with some water and a little honey, until it breaks apart. (You can add in some coconut oil for a little fat). Once it’s all broken apart, I add cinnamon and a little water with a thickener (usually arrowroot starch, but any should work.) Cook until it’s nice and thick. I eat it warm. Sometimes I add coconut milk in with the water and thickener – yum!!
Hi Mandie – That sounds delicious and oh-so-simple! I will give that a try. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Self-promotion alert! (LOL) I have two rhubarb recipes to add to your list. I can’t wait to check out the rest. I absolutely adore rhubarb.
http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2013/05/22/pork-chops-with-rhubarb-chutney/
http://empoweredsustenance.com/rhubarb-lemon-lovin-muffins/
Awesome! Thank you for sharing! We could always use more rhubarb recipes! 🙂
There is no need to blanch rhubarb – you can just cut it up and freeze as is. I have been doing it that way for years as did my mother before me.
Hi Berny – Thanks for the tip!
I simple wash, chop and place into freezer bags. I do not blanche and it seems to work fine. Do you put rhubarb in your kombucha?
Hi Grace! Yes! You can totally skip the blanching part. I do that quite frequently now because I am always in a hurry. Some people are purists though and never freeze veggies without blanching. And yes, it’s great in kombucha too! 🙂