This easy rhubarb sauce recipe is one of the most delicious ways to celebrate the summer growing season. It was first published in the Yankee “Recipe with a History” column in 1998, submitted by Stella Van Vloten of North Easton, Massachusetts. Stella recalled her aunt making the sauce every summer in her Salem Depot, New Hampshire, kitchen during the 1920s — and was delighted to later get the recipe herself. In turn, we’re delighted that Stella shared the recipe with Yankee, because we look forward to sharing it with you every year on the YankeeFacebook page and through our New England Today daily e-newsletter.
Our favorite rhubarb sauce recipe from the Yankee archives. Photo Credit : Aimee Tucker
1. Make a syrup with 2 cups of water and 2 scant cups of sugar. Boil together a few minutes. 2. Add 3 pounds of rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces, to syrup when it starts boiling in center. Watch closely and let boil just 1 minute. 3. Pour into a bowl or pan with a tight cover. Leave tightly covered until cold, “and you will find a sauce very different from any you have ever eaten.”
Armed with 1½ pounds of fresh May rhubarb, I decided to make a half batch.
This rhubarb sauce recipe starts with (you guessed it) fresh rhubarb. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerAdd the chopped rhubarb to your sugar-water syrup once it starts boiling. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerAfter boiling for precisely 1 minute, pour the mixture into a bowl. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerFor the best flavor, cover the bowl and allow the sauce to sit until completely cooled, then refrigerate until ready to use. Photo Credit : Aimee Tucker
Once fully cooled, my rhubarb sauce looked a lot like the version in the photo above, with maybe a touch more liquid. I wanted a final sauce that was more saucy and less chunky, so I decided to strain out the rhubarb, roughly chop and mash it, and add it back to the juice. When I make this rhubarb sauce recipe again (because I totally will), I’ll chop the rhubarb into a smaller dice at the start — but you can leave the pieces large, if that’s your thing.
Delicious homemade rhubarb sauce. Photo Credit : Aimee Tucker
A perfect combination of tart and sweet, this simple rhubarb sauce recipe is a winner. I used it on top of vanilla ice cream, but it would be equally delicious on top of pound cake with fresh whipped cream or swirled into oatmeal or Greek yogurt.
Are you a fan of rhubarb sauce? You’ll love this easy recipe!
Want even more rhubarb? Learn How to Grow Rhubarb or try our recipe for Strawberry-Rhubarb Coffee Cake.
This post was first published in 2017 and has been updated.
Aimee Tucker is Yankee Magazine’s Home Editor and the Senior Digital Editor of NewEngland.com. A lifelong New Englander and Yankee contributor since 2010, Aimee has written columns devoted to history, foliage, retro food, and architecture, and regularly shares her experiences in New England travel, home, and gardening. Her most memorable Yankee experiences to date include meeting Stephen King, singing along to a James Taylor Fourth of July concert at Tanglewood, and taking to the skies in the Hood blimp for an open-air tour of the Massachusetts coastline.
