Simple Rhubarb Compote
Last week, on a much-needed grocery shopping trip, I couldn’t help but spy, tucked into the corner of the produce section at Whole Foods, a ton of fresh rhubarb.
It was just sitting there, silently willing me to pick it up and take it home with me. Fully expecting it to cost a small fortune, I searched for the price and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was only $2.49 a pound.
Not cheap in the grand scheme of things, but for rhubarb, practically a steal! I took it as a sign. Without any sort of plan or recipe in mind, I snatched up a lot of it. About two pounds to be precise.
I could have made a pie, a crumble, and any other number of delicious creations. But after a bit of deliberation, I ended up preparing it one of my favorite, go-to ways.
A ridiculously simple rhubarb compote made with just four ingredients: rhubarb, lemon peel, sugar, and vanilla. It is delicious as a topping on yogurt for breakfast, tastes even better on steel-cut oatmeal, or can even be swirled into ice cream.
Simple Rhubarb Compote
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fresh rhubarb roughly chopped
- ½ cup water
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- thinly shaved peel of half a lemon or orange
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients (excluding vanilla) in large sauce pot.
- Heat to medium-high and stir occasionally until rhubarb begins to break down completely.
- Remove from heat, stir in vanilla bean paste (or extract), and allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate and use as desired.
- This recipe has just the right amount of sugar, so that the rhubarb still maintains its distinct tart flavor, without being too overpowering. However, if you find it too tart for your liking, feel free to add a bit more sweetness with sugar, maple syrup, or whatever else your heart desires.
39 Comments on “Simple Rhubarb Compote”
This is lovely! So bright and fresh, with just the right amount of tartness. Delighted to see it freezes well, too. This is a recipe that will be in regular rotation during the rhubarb season.
Simple and delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe – I was hankering after some rhubarb, and got a couple of bunches in my shopping today. Initially I was going to make a crumble, but then remembered I’ve been wanting some compote for a while.
Came out perfect and looking forward to having it on my yoghurt in the morning!
This rhubarb compote looks wonderful for crisps and for topping on ice cream or cake!
Love this recipe! So easy and the lemon adds just enough to brighten in up and add another layer of subtle flavor. This is heavenly served over vanilla or strawberry ice cream!
I love this recipe and have used it many times. I have the rhubarb compote in my porridge 😋 it’s also delicious spread on toast as a jam.
Thank you so much for creating and sharing this recipe! I’m cooking with rhubarb for the very first time. Thank you for an easy to follow, low ingredient recipe I can cook over the stove
Love this! Wonderful over yoghurt, tried it over cheese cake also! Easy to make,
very simple. Made half recipe. Substituted erythritol for sugar, and used a little less of it. Served on top of kefir chia pudding.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
I added fresh raspberries and sliced strawberries while cooking. When sour cherries are in season, I pit and add them as well. Great on yogurt or vanilla ice cream.
Just made this for the first time. When I sampled it, WOW! Never knew how well rhubarb and lemon went together. Will be using it for breakfast at our church this Sunday to go with mini German pancakes.
Easy to use this recipe to scale up or down and add more sugar for your own taste. Very happy with the outcome.
Can it be preserved by boiling for 10 mins in jars like jam?
Hi! Preserving and canning requires checking the pH of the contents and this recipe has not been tested or intended to be canned for pantry storage. You need acid of a certain level to safely preserve jams and compotes – please don’t do this unless you are a very seasoned preserver and have the tools necessary to tweak or adapt the recipe to make this possible.
However, the compote lasts for quite some time when stored in the fridge! You can also freeze any extras or leftovers too. Hope this helps!
Super easy recipe. After reading reviews I reduced the amount of orange peel to a couple one inch pieces and it resulted in a subtle orange zest flavour. Probably still could reduce the sugar a little if you like it more tart.
loved it! i substituted 1/4 of the rhubarb for haskaps (honey berrys) and we had the with biscuits soooo yummy!
Such a fabulous and easy to follow recipe, thank you! Beautiful flavour. The kids had it with dairy free yoghurt and asked for seconds. 🙂
That’s so great to hear! Thanks for the feedback Natalie!
Hey
Yummy recipe and great to see nutrition guide. How much is a ‘portion’ in that respect?
Thanks
Easy to make and delicious too. Think the orange zest was a little overpowering, but I’ll use less next time and see if that works better. Thank you!
Yum! Perfect balance of sugar allowing tartness of rhubarb to come through. Love it 🙂
Easy, simple and DELICIOUS!
Check out Jamie Oliver’s ginger and rhubarb kinda soufflé. Uses rhubarb compote. Delicious!
I made a big delicious batches of this recipe. I love it but we didn’t use it all. Can I use it in a pie – perhaps add strawberries to it? How would I modify a strawberry rhubarb pie recipe if I am using compote rather than just the rhubarb junks? I assume I would eliminate the sugar…any other suggestions?
Hi Sandra! Glad you enjoyed it. I personally wouldn’t use something like this in a pie – I guess you could put a small layer in the bottom of an otherwise regular pie recipe (apple, strawberry, etc.), but I would use it for other things. It goes wonderfully with ice cream, could be put on oatmeal/overnight oats, pancakes, etc. I just don’t think the texture when it’s cooked down like this is best for a pie, but maybe swirled into a cake or something could also work!
Hey!
I had something like this in a cafe recently, so keen to make it at home.
How long will it last in the refrigerator in a jar considering I’ll be using only a few spoonfuls at a time..?
Thanks!
I would say about a week (to be safe), probably a bit longer! If you don’t think you’ll use it in a short time, you could also freeze a portion and defrost it at a later date ?
The nutritional information states that the amount for a serving is 1 serving. ?!
What is the actual volume that was used to calculate the nutritional information?
(This was delicious on a Butter Pecan Angel Food cake… Or toasted, buttered plain angel food cake slices! 😋)
Hi Gail, sorry about that. I have provided some more details – I typically don’t like to provide a “serving” for a recipe of this nature that can be used in so many different ways, but provide a recipe yield and if people ARE interested in the specific nutritional information for a given quantity, calculating from that point onward. However, I would say that a serving is roughly a 1/4 cup? Please revisit the recipe box for updated info.
I love this recipe. Is it possible to can this for use later in the year and if yes how?
I would just freeze in a container and thaw in fridge before using!
This stuff is addictive! I love rhubarb pie and I know for some it is an acquired taste, but for such an unique flavor that rhubarb has you would be passing up one of natures most unique treats! I only have seen rhubarb in small quantities oand only rarely in the regular grocery stores…so I planted my own and glad I did!!!
Thank you all for the lovely comments and words! Please be sure to let me know if you've tried the recipe 🙂
I love rhubarb — this compote looks fantastic. Makes me excited we still have some rhubarb left in my garden 🙂
It just occurred to me that I've never cooked with rhubarb. So strange, I need to fix that.
Yum! Rhubarb compote is one of my most favorite summer recipes! Thanks for motivating me to hunt some down before it's to late.
My husband loves rhubarb and this for sure will make him happy!
Oh my gosh; those rhubarb hearts are TOO adorable! I still can't believe I've never cooked or baked with rhubarb and think that needs to change ASAP. This is great motivation 🙂
What a lovely and simple recipe – I have several big rhubarb plants, so I'll be giving this a try for sure – thanks!