Healthy Stewed Rhubarb

Healthy stewed rhubarb is something I make a lot of at this time of year. Rhubarb is one of my favourite ingredients, I love it, particularly those tender pink stems of the new season rhubarb on our supermarket shelves.

This easy stewed rhubarb recipe only contains 3 ingredients and one of those is water! It super quick to too, and only takes minutes to prepare and cook.

I love sour fruits like rhubarb, lemon and lime, so don't add sugar to my rhubarb. I often add the rhubarb to other sweeter dishes, so I don't want it overly sweet.

So I've made sugar free stewed rhubarb, refined or otherwise. If you want to sweeten things up that's absolutely fine, just add a tablespoon of your favourite sweetener to the pan. Honey would be my go-to.

Healthy stewed rhubarb ingredients

• Rhubarb - you can use any variety of rhubarb, the pink stems do tend to be more tender and slightly sweeter. However, this is rhubarb we are talking about and rhubarb is sour.
• Vanilla - I always use a good quality vanilla extract, it makes all the difference as you get real depth of flavour. If I can find extract, vanilla paste works really well too.
• Water - I only add a little water to poach and stew the rhubarb in. You don't want to add to much, otherwise you risk it being too soggy with water.

How to stew rhubarb

• Place all the ingredients into a large saucepan or frying pan, over a medium heat on the stove.
• Cook for 5 minutes, at which point the rhubarb will be soft, but still holding it's shape.
• This is perfect if you want to add into other desserts.

• For a softer stewed rhubarb similar in consistency to a compote, cook the rhubarb for a further 3-5 minutes.

Recipe variations

• Sugar - I like to keep my stewed rhubarb sugar free as I'm often adding it to other dishes that may already contain sugar. However, if you prefer to sweeten your rhubarb I would recommend adding a tablespoon of honey, or maple or agave syrup if you are following a vegan/plant based diet.
• Almond - I flavour the rhubarb with vanilla which adds a sweet flavour without the need for sugar. You could also add almond or orange extract, as both pair really well with rhubarb.
• Stewed rhubarb and apple - add some sliced apples to the pan along with the rhubarb. You could also add some ground ginger or cinnamon to the mix.
• Stewed rhubarb and ginger - when stewing the rhubarb try adding some stem ginger plus some of the syrup from the jar.
• Juice - I like to hero the flavour of rhubarb, so only add water when poaching my rhubarb. If you want to add other flavours you can do that too. For example orange and rhubarb are a great flavour combination, so you could swap the water for some freshly squeezed orange juice.

Serving suggestions

Stewed rhubarb is a great addition to a variety of other dishes. I like adding stewed rhubarb, layering it with Greek yogurt and topping it with some seeds and nuts for an easy protein rich breakfast.

You can also add stewed rhubarb to a variety of sweet dishes, like this Rhubarb & Custard Layered Dessert or my Rhubarb & Ginger Clafoutis

Useful hints and tips

1. This recipe is easily multiplied and stores well. So double the recipe and store in the refrigerator or freeze for a later date.
2. Containing no dairy or gluten, this stewed rhubarb is suitable for dairy free and vegan diners, and also coelics or anyone following a gluten free diet.
3. Allergy advice: gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

FAQs

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Additional recipe suggestions

If you like this recipe then try some of my other rhubarb recipes:

• Rhubarb & Orange Loaf Cake
• Easy Rhubarb & Ginger Cake
• Rhubarb Frangipane Tart
• Rhubarb & Almond Loaf Cake
• Easy Rhubarb Crumble
• Rhubarb & Strawberry Crumble

If you love rhubarb as much as I do, then have a read of my Best Rhubarb Recipes post.