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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}
do you have good blue berry jam recipe i would love to get one and thanks for the rhubarb squares i am making this one for sure thanks again jean
Thanks, Jean. I hope you enjoy them. I have actually never made blueberry jam. That would be a good project for me to tackle this summer.
Fantastic recipe! I did add two teaspoons of cinnamon to the filling. I had to bake it for an hour for the filling to set. Everyone loved it so I will be making it again!
Thanks, Wanda. Cinnamon is a great idea. Thanks for sharing your experience.
These bars were excellent! Next time I think I’ll add less sugar, as I found them sweet. Everybody that I shared them with loved them as is!
Great recipe!
I’m glad you loved them, Amy. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Have this in the oven right now!
Awesome, Rhonda. Your in for a treat! Hope you enjoy.
I just made this! Easy. I had to bake it 10 minutes longer to set. And, couldn’t wait until it cooled! So, the taste and texture are wonderful! The recipe is a keeper. Thank you for sharing it. My friend had just given me the rhubarb. Perfect timing.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Teri. I’m glad you liked it!
I was wondering if you can use frozen rhubarb. I have some in the freeze and would like to use it now that I have found a good recipe.
I would think you could. I would just be sure to drain it well after it thaws so it isn’t too watery. Let me know how it turns out if you try it.
Had this recipe saved to try it. Made it last night and it is very good! I did have to cook it much longer than the recipe says. It was probably another 10 minutes, at least. I just kept checking it until it looked not jiggly. The bottom is pretty crumbly, so next time I will try to pat that down better.
Very delicious rhubarb dessert!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Jen. Thanks for sharing your experience with the recipe. I appreciate knowing how it turned out for others.
Ohhh yummy! Rhubarb is one of my favorite summer treats! Hopped on over from SITS, great blog!
Thanks, Reyna!
I made this, and it was very tasty. However, it was very runny, and I did cook it for the 30 minutes. It did not set up till it had been in the fridge overnight. The rhubarb was well cooked. Is the the way it is supposed to be, or should it be cooked longer.? The photo gives the impression that this is served like a square or bar cookie, but mine more closely resembles a thin slice of pie.
Check for doneness by wiggling the pan a bit in the oven, it should barely jiggle when they are done. They will be runny if they are hot out of the oven. Be sure to cool them completely before slicing. Putting it in the fridge overnight will help it set up too. I served mine as a bar like in the picture. They are a bit to gooey for finger food though. Most of us used a fork. I hope you enjoyed them!
I live in the UK is icing sugar the same as powered sugar needed for this recipe
Powdered sugar is a finely ground regular sugar. If icing sugar is similar to that, it should work.
Icing sugar is the same as powdered sugar, in Canada anyway.
Thanks for the clarification, Louise. I have never ran across icing sugar here in Pennsylvania.
Powdered sugar is icing sugar it is what is used making icing and to shake over some baked good, caster sugar is also known as instant dissolving sugar very fine grain. you can go on line and fine what all the sugars are.