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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}
omgggggThis was super good i doubled it and put it in a huge jelly roll pan I usually don’t measure lol… so had to add a bit more than double for the base .. The topping custard i doubled then did 3 extra eggs as they were med size and my rhubard was still fairly frozen so i floured it and well i left it in the oven approx 20 min longer with the oven off too make sure the rhubard was not juicy any longer…. This is to die for i am doing a market this weekend and we will see how it goes if it gets there at all…. Thanks love it….
I’m glad the bars are a win for you, Carolyn!
Just made these and they turned just perfectly! I baked them about 5 min longer but I think once they completely cool they’ll be just right.
For me personally that white crust on top is exactly what I want. Reminds me of home made lemon bars with that delicious meringue-y crust. Its going to be a challenge to not gobble these up! I think I’ll sprinkle a little powdered sugar on them. I cut out a 1/2 cup sugar but my rhubarb may be a little tart and I think they’ll benefit from the extra powdered sugar! Yum!!
I’m glad the bars are a hit, Carolyn.
I made it exactly as written, except I used 3/4 C sugar based on the comments about it being too sweet, and it was lovely! I was even able to enjoy after letting it cool for about 15 minutes on the oven and putting a slice (or two) in the fridge for another 10. I used fresh rhubarb in mine and baked it for a little over 30 minutes. It did form a thin crust on the top but I didn’t mind it at all. I will add vanilla next time I make it. Pretty easy and a fun spring / summer treat! Thank you for the recipe!
I’m glad you’re enjoying the bars!
They were delicious but the top was all mushy not bar consistency. Not sure what I did wrong.
The top of the bar should be a bit custard-like, Michelle. However, the base should be firm.
We love these bars, always get asked for the recipe! My only problem is that they are a bit of a pain to get out of the pan…. Usually get quite stuck. I grease my pans with olive oil. Any suggestions to fix this?
I’ve been making them with parchment paper lately, Renee. If you line the pan with parchment, you should be able to lift out the bars and then easily slice them out of the pan.
I made these quick and easy bars and my husband loved them. I will be making often.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying them, Nancy.
These were AMAZING! I added 1/2 lemon zest to the crust, took them to next level!
I’m so happy to hear they’re a hit, Kathy.
Delicious…. I made a mistake and put in 1/2 cup of powdered sugar in the base. I put 1 1/2 cup white sugar in the filling and doubled the rhubarb, because that’s what I had. I ALWAYS pour boiling water over the rhubarb and let it sit maybe 5 minutes then drain. It turned out perfectly. Thank you for sharing. Also it was so easy to make.
I’m so glad you like the recipe, Sandra.
I made the recipe with 1 1/2 cups of sugar. It was delicious and fairly simple to make! The most effort was the crust but it was worth every bite! I’ll definitely make this again!
I’m thrilled you enjoyed them, Amy.
I baked in glass casserole for 35 mins. The squares were very tasty but too runny and the top was crusty. I don’t know why they were not solid but very runny custard. What could I have done wrong? Maybe I beat the filling too much before folding in the rhubarb?
That possible, Diane. Did they firm up as they cooled? Did you try putting them in the refrigerator? It’s always hard to guess when I’m not in your kitchen with you.