Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars Recipe (2024)

Do you have plenty of rhubarb to use or maybe you are anticipating how much you will need to use up this season? These yummy Rhubarb Bars are so simple to make!

Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars Recipe

These bars are delicious….if you are a rhubarb lover!! If you are like me, your rhubarb season is once a year and usually only short-lived. It starts to appear in April and reaches it’s peak in June as long as we have rain. That is what happens to me. I try to make as many items as possible during that season, but this is one recipe that I make year after year. Several years ago, I had a neighbor that gave me a recipe that was very similar to this.

Over time, I have tweaked it and changed it to make it fit perfectly for us. This recipe is what I would call the “fig newton” type of rhubarb bar. I guess that is kinda what it reminds me of. It has a top and a bottom and then a nice sauce layer in the middle. They hold together well and are, Oh….so tasty!

Another great thing about this sauce mixture is when you have that abundance of fresh rhubarb, you can make the sauce ahead of time and freeze it. It saves time for these bars to be put together in time by making the top and bottom crumble/crust for them.

I have also used cherries from our bushes or plums from our trees as a substitute for the rhubarb and made them that way. So, you can see that these bars are delicious and versatile for what you have on hand, regarding fruits.

Fresh rhubarb is the best for flavor, taste, and texture, but frozen rhubarb will work just as well. Top it all off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream when you are ready to serve!

Ingredients in Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars

• Arrowroot powder. You could also use cornstarch or another thickener if you don’t have arrowroot.
• Water.
• Sugar. I use cane sugar. I’ve not tried this recipe with a sugar substitute.
• Rhubarb. The rhubarb can be fresh or frozen, depending on the season.
• Vanilla. This can be Homemade Vanilla Extract or from the store.
• Butter. If you use salted butter, you can leave out the salt in this recipe; otherwise, use unsalted.
• Oats. I use old-fashioned oats or rolled oats for this recipe. Quick oats will not work the same.
• Brown Sugar. This is one item I don’t buy in bulk because it hardens so quickly. Just keep on hand what you need.
• All Purpose Flour. You can also use gluten free flour mix for a gluten free version.
• Baking Soda. I buy this in bulk from Sam’s Club.
• Salt. Any kind of salt will work. I use pink salt.

Instructions for Making Rhubarb Dessert Bars

In a saucepan, stir together the arrowroot powder or organic cornstarch, water, sugar, rhubarb, and vanilla.

Cook this mixture until it is thickened and bubbly on low to medium-low heat. It usually takes about 20 minutes.

While this is cooking, mix together in a bowl: butter, oatmeal, brown sugar, flour (or gluten free flour mix), baking soda, and salt.

Use a pastry blender or fork to get a crumbly consistency.

Grease a 9 x 13 pan. (Merissa actually made this 9×13 pan for me! 🙂 ) Place 1/2 of the crumble mixture in the bottom of your pan and pat it down firmly. Now pour your rhubarb sauce mixture over the bottom crust. Place the remaining crumble mixture over the sauce and pat down slightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool slightly. They are best to cut while they are still a bit warm.

Need to print this Rhubarb Bars recipe for your Recipe Binder? Grab it below!

How to Store Leftover Rhubarb Bars

Once the pan has cooled, you can cover it with plastic wrap and store the leftover bars on the countertop or in the fridge. (Refrigeration is not required.) If only a few bars are left, you can put them in an airtight container and store them on the counter or in the fridge.

You could also wrap the bars in parchment paper and a freezer bag and put them in the freezer for later if you can’t eat them all now. (But it’d be better to half the recipe, use an 8×8 baking pan, and make smaller amounts instead.)

This Rhubarb Bars Recipe makes an incredible bar for a church gathering or potluck.

Enjoy!

More Rhubarb Recipes

• Here’s how to make delicious Rhubarb Smoothies!
• ThisRhubarb Buttermilk Cake Recipe is so ridiculously good!
• And if you have even more rhubarb in your garden right now you might want to consider making and canning up some Strawberry Rhubarb Jam.

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This recipe for Rhubarb Bars was originally posted on Little House Living in May 2014 and has been updated as of July 2023.