This Easy Rhubarb Compote recipe is a winner! It has so many uses, only 4 ingredients, and is made in under 30 minutes. If you are after a quick and easy way to use rhubarb, this is it!
Also take a look at my Anzac Biscuits recipe to see it in an Anzac Biscuit Ice-cream Sandwich!
This recipe will keep on giving, as once you’ve made it, it can be kept in the fridge and used in so many different ways. It’s delicious simply dolloped on top of yoghurt and cereal, or spread on toast, crumpets and as a topping on scones or pikelets. It can also be used in cake batters or cake fillings (sponge cake with cream -yum!), with apples in a crumble, swirled through ice-cream…the list is endless!! It can also be used in savoury dishes such as duck or pork (like cranberry sauce is used with turkey). It really is worth making and having a jar of this ready to use in your fridge, or if not using within 2 weeks, simply freeze it.
What is Rhubarb Compote?
A rhubarb compote is rhubarb pieces cooked down in a sugar syrup over low heat until the rhubarb breaks down and becomes soft and jam-like. This recipe has sweetness but still has that distinct tart flavour that rhubarb lovers expect. If you do prefer your compote sweeter, then simply add more sugar (say 1/4 cup extra). There are also so many other optional flavours you can add to this recipe, such as liqueur or port, ginger, cinnamon, or orange zest/juice. I have made it before and added 2 tablespoons of gin to the mixture, which was very nice! See below in ‘About the Ingredients’ for more suggestions.
About The Ingredients
With only 4 ingredients in this recipe, it really is so quick and simple to make. The 4 ingredients are rhubarb, sugar, lemon, vanilla with water added.
As rhubarb is very tart on its own, rhubarb is always cooked with sugar (or other sweeteners) and is sometimes combined with other red fruits like strawberries and raspberries which add colour while still complementing the rhubarb flavour.
You can add other flavours to this Compote if you like. I’ll list a few of my favourites below:
- add 2 tablespoons of alcohol to your rhubarb mix: gin, grand marnier, rum.
- take out 50ml water and add 50ml orange juice and some orange zest.
- add a cinnamon quill
- add ginger juice – peel and grate a 1 inch piece of ginger and squeeze to get juice or push down through a very fine sieve. Add the juice.
Vanilla – you can use vanilla extract, vanilla paste or 1 vanilla pod in this recipe.
This really is a very simple recipe. All the ingredients are prepared quickly and all put in one pot to cook. I store mine in sterilised jars once it’s cooled down, but you can store in an airtight container in the fridge if using within 2 weeks, or store in the freezer for up to a year.
Equipment
- large pot
Ingredients
- 1 kg rhubarb stalks stalks only, washed and trimmed at each end
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract, or 1-2 vanilla pods
- 3/4 cup water
Instructions
- Chop the rhubarb stalks into small pieces (see photo).
- In a large heavy based pot, add the chopped rhubarb stalks along with all the other ingredients, and cook over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb is completely softened and has broken down with some small pieces still intact (but soft)- approximately 20-25 minutes. Once it starts to thicken, keep an eye on it so it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pot. Reduce the heat to low and taste. Add more sugar if required (1-3 more tablespoons) as each batch is slightly different depending on the rhubarb. Cook a few more minutes until compote has thickened and there are only very small pieces left and most of the rhubarb is stewed.
- Remove from the heat and discard the lemon and vanilla pod (if using). Allow compote to cool to room temperature before putting into sterilised jars or clean containers and placing in the fridge. Makes approximately 4 cups.
Storage:
- The Compote can be kept in the fridge in a sealed container or jars for up to 2 weeks or you can freeze for up to a year.
Notes
- add 2 tablespoons of alcohol to your rhubarb mix: gin, grand marnier, rum.
- take out 50ml water and add 50ml orange juice and some orange zest.
- add a cinnamon quill
- add ginger juice – peel and grate a 1 inch piece of ginger and squeeze to get juice or push down through a very fine sieve. Add the juice only.
4 Comments
Michael Edgecombe
May 9, 2020 at 6:47 pmHi Katy, I found that limes work as well as lemons – I sliced them up to release more of the flavour. I also had a pomegranate left over from a photoshoot, so I threw in the seeds – delicious!
Katrina
May 11, 2020 at 10:40 amThat sounds delicious Michael. So glad you loved it and yes the limes would have worked perfectly too.
Sara
December 16, 2021 at 9:18 pmEasy to follow recipe can’t go wrong I’ve made 3x now and love it with muesli and yoghurt so good! Thanks for sharing
Katrina
December 20, 2021 at 2:05 pmThat’s so great to hear that you’ve made this 3 times Sara! I just made a batch myself to have with my granola for Christmas Day morning. Thank you for letting me know.