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Rhubarb Bars with a shortbread crust and tangy rhubarb custard filling are a fun, easy spring dessert. Browse all the best rhubarb recipes!
Finally, the brown-grayness of winter is giving way to a brilliant spring, and I have been enjoying every second of it. The fresh produce stands in the county are opening and selling beautiful produce.
Asparagus and rhubarb are some of my favorites. And spring is the only time you can find rhubarb unless you freeze some for next year, which I will show you how to do.
How To Freeze Rhubarb
My mom always froze rhubarb, and it was handy to have on hand to make these bars or a pie in the winter.
All you need to do is wash the rhubarb, dice it up, and freeze it 4 cups per bag. Easy Peasy. 4 cups is a perfect portion to thaw out and make these bars or a pie.
Rhubarb Bars
These rhubarb bars feature all the goodness of spring. The recipe’s simplicity allows the rhubarb to shine in all its tangy glory.
The crust is a simple shortbread made from a crumb mixture of flour, sugar, and butter.
The buttery sweetness of the crust perfectly complements the zing of the rhubarb. With less than an hour from start to finish, what excuse do you have for not making them?
Rhubarb Custard Bars
Many of you have made the recipe with success. Below are several tips to help those who have run into problems. Let me know in the comments if you have questions.
I’ve gotten comments on a white crust forming on top of the bars, and I believe this is from beating the egg mixture too long.
Also, several people have commented that they would like it if the bars weren’t quite so sweet. This is a personal preference; feel free to cut the sugar to one cup if you prefer a more tart rhubarb dessert.
Another issue is people not baking them long enough. Continue to bake them until they are no longer jiggly, even if that is longer than the time stated in the recipe. The temperature of your starting ingredients can vary from cook to cook, not to mention variations in oven temp accuracy.
Be sure to cool the bars completely before cutting them, preferably in the fridge.
Rhubarb Bars Recipe
To make rhubarb bars, you will need the following:
For the crust
- all-purpose flour
- butter
- powdered sugar
For the filling
- eggs
- sugar
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- rhubarb
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and powdered sugar. Using a pastry blender cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pat the crumbs into a well greased 9 x 13 in baking pan. Bake the crust at for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
- While the crust is in the oven, mix together eggs, sugar, flour, and salt. Gently stir in the diced rhubarb. Pour the rhubarb mixture over the hot crust.
- Return bars to the hot oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325° F and bake for 30-35 min or until the filling is set and no longer jiggly.
- Cool for 30 mins on the counter. Refrigerate and chill completely before cutting into bars.
Best Rhubarb Recipes
Fresh rhubarb and sweet strawberries topped with a crunchy oatmeal crumble make a Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp that no one will forget. Bakery style streusel-topped Rhubarb Muffins are tender, studded with tangy rhubarb bits, and topped with a crunchy brown sugar streusel.
Check out a few more of our favorite rhubarb desserts: Old Fashioned Rhubarb Pie, Rhubarb Coffee Cake, Rhubarb Crunch, and Rhubarb Sauce with Strawberry Jello.
Rhubarb Bars
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cold butter cubed
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
For the filling
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups white sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 cups rhubarb, diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and powdered sugar. Using a pastry blender cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pat the crumbs into a well greased 9 x 13 in baking pan. Bake the crust at for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
- While the crust is in the oven, mix together eggs, sugar, flour, and salt. Gently stir in the diced rhubarb. Pour the rhubarb mixture over the hot crust.
- Return bars to the hot oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325° F and bake for 30-35 min or until the filling is set and no longer jiggly.
- Cool for 30 mins on the counter. Refrigerate and chill completely before cutting into bars.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{recipe originally published May 2014 – recipe notes and photos updated 5/23/23}
I don’t bake with rhubarb enough. These bars look delicious and I hope I get a chance to try them 🙂
Nothing brings me back to my childhood like rhubarb in the early summer. My mom grew 4-5 big bushes by her garden. 30+ years later they are still there! I need to make a batch of these bars to take me back. Have pinned!!
Thanks, Erin! I have good memories about picking rhubarb when I was little too.
I have been pining for some rhubarb this week! We moved in December and last summer we had a huge rhubarb plant, this year we have zero 🙁 I need to get my hands on some and make this!
This is better than any pie that I’ve made. My husband says no need to roll out pastry anymore!! So yummy!!
Thanks, Judy. My husband says the same thing. I’m happy to know they were delicious.
Just the comment I have been waiting for.
Love these Mallory, so perfect for Summer!
Thanks, Matt!
These look so delicious! My rhubarb is so close to being ready, I can’t wait much longer! I will definitely try these.
Thanks, Karen. Let me know if you try them.
Hi there, was wondering 5it would be too much to add strawberries to the rhubarb mixture? Love that combination!
You might be able to add a substitute a few strawberries in for some rhubarb. I would worry about them getting too watery since strawberries are more juicy than rhubarb. You could try adding a bit of corn starch. I’ve never tried it so if you do let me know how it goes. I love strawberries and rhubarb too!
Try adding strawberry jam , same flavor not as wet . We do this for our rhubarb pie , my father in law likes it a little sweeter and strawberry jam does the trick .
I LOVE LOVE LOVE rhubarb! I will be making your recipe this summer for sure, they look delicious! 🙂
I recently made a rhubarb crisp and am trying to think of ways to use more rhubarb without making everything into a dessert, especially after I found myself eating the crisp for breakfast! Here’s to spring without gaining 10 pounds!
Rhubarb is great though. I think technically its a vegetable. If only we could cut out the sugar. But is just too good!
Danish and probably other Scandinavian cooking uses rhubarb more like a vegetable a lot in fresh recipes like salads and more dinner/non-sweet recipes. Worth checking out! Also, rhubarb is great in chutneys, which still call for sugar to balance it out but I always cut the sugar in half and they’re excellent. I use it as a marinade and glaze then for pork loins or other roasts.
WHAT……..rhubarb crisp isn’t for breakfast! I eat it for every meal when I make it. I love rhubarb crisp.
I adore shortbread. My hubby ADORES rhubarb, so this has us written all over it! Thanks for a great recipe!
Stopping over from Whimsy Wednesday. I am a huge fan of rhubarb anything. I’ve made pies and crisps, but not bars yet. Pinned to try!
Let me know if you try them Jill. Thanks for stopping over.
Tried these today and there really are very delicious. Added a little salt to the crust and 1 tsp. vanilla to the filling.
Hi! I need help! I thought I followed all the instructions but when I brought it out of the oven it had a white crust and didn’t look anything like your picture… Can you tell me what I did wrong?…I think it was something with the eggs… I forgot to beat them first before I put the sugar in…would that do it? It was slimy underneath and this weird crust on top. I baked it longer than it said to try and fix that…. The bottom crust was awesome! Thanks for any help i did this one other time too with another recipe and I want to know what I did wrong…Thanks!
Hi, Sheila. I don’t know for sure what’s wrong, but try baking them longer until they are no longer jiggly. And then refrigerate overnight before slicing them. The white foam may disappear slightly after that. I took my pictures after they had been chilled overnight. Let me know if that helps.
Did you use fresh rhubarb or frozen? Frozen has juice in the bag. I try to drain it first. Also may need to bake slightly higher heat. My oven has done that. Extra 5 degrees. (Or little longer at 325)
Hi, Sheila,
My mother’s rhubarb custard pie gets that white, lacy crust on too, and it’s my favorite part! It’s just a meringue that forms from the eggs and sugar, and definitely has something to do with how the eggs are beaten. I would suggest considering it a bonus.
The crusty topping is what I am searching for. I think it for you really beat the eggs and sugar you get the crust….I will try that.
I don’t think they have us baking them long enough and at a high enough temperature… I left mine in the oven for 40 more minutes and raised the temperature, still not brown at all.
Hi Jill, the bars shouldn’t turn brown at all. The crust will be lightly browned after baking, but the bars themselves should look as pictured.