Rhubarb Syrup - Homemade Simple Syrup Recipe (2024)

This homemade Rhubarb Syrup recipe is a basic simple syrup made by stewing rhubarb with sugar and water. It is excellent for making Rhubarb Lemonade and to use as a simple syrup in alcoholic drink recipes like this Rhubarb Martini!

The Rhubarb Plant

Rhubarb is considered a vegetable, even though it is used mostly in sweet recipes. It is perennial plant, meaning it comes back on it's own every year.

Rhubarb grows in stalks and is very tart. Similar to the tartness of a lemon or lime, and it requires a sweetener to help reduce that tartness.

If you are harvesting rhubarb on your own, the best way to do so, is to pull at the base of the stalk and pull up. You should not need a knife to harvest the rhubarb plant as it usually comes up out of the ground easily.

This article on the Old Farmer's Almanac is a great resource if you are interested in learning how to plant, grow, and harvest your own rhubarb.

🥘 Ingredients

Rhubarb Stalks, if you do not harvest your own rhubarb, it can be found when in season in the produce section of the grocery store. I have also found it at roadside stands being sold by a producer.

Granulated Sugar

🍽 Equipment

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1 ½ quart Saucepan

Fine mesh sieve

Storage jar

🔪 Instructions

Step 1

1. Place the rhubarb, sugar, and water in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and continue to cook for 7 minutes, or until rhubarb has broken down and softened.
2. Remove the rhubarb mixture from the heat and allow to cool at least 15 minutes.

Step 2

1. Strain the solids from the syrup into a storage jar using a fine mesh strainer.
2. Store the syrup in the refrigerator until ready to use.

💭 Top Tips

• When looking for rhubarb to make this syrup recipe in particular, always look for bright red stalks. They will produce a nice red hue to the syrup.
• Instead of discarding, puree the stewed rhubarb solids that have been strained from the syrup. Add some sweetener to the rhubarb puree and dehydrate for a fruit leather.
• Use your preferred granulated sugar free sweetener instead of granulated sugar. I recommend this brand.
• Cool the rhubarb syrup completely before storing. It can be stored in the refrigerator up to two weeks or in the freezer up to 6 months.

Uses for Rhubarb Syrup

• Use the rhubarb syrup to sweeten co*cktails instead of simple syrup
• Sweeten ice tea, water, or seltzer water
• Drizzle syrup over fruit salad to enhance the sweetness
• Make a Rhubarb Vinaigrette

More Rhubarb Recipes To Try

📖 Recipe

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