Roasted Rhubarb

By Melissa Clark

Updated May 20, 2026

  • Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
Media 1 of 2
Ready In
25 min
Rating
4(36)
Comments
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Roasting rhubarb is an excellent way to cook the cut stalks. The steady heat helps the pieces keep their shape, softening them without causing them to fall apart. You can add sugar to taste, but keep in mind that rhubarb’s sweetness level varies widely. Forced rhubarb, typically available in winter and spring, has a rosier color and milder flavor, often needing less sugar. Traditional rhubarb, harvested in late spring and early summer, is sharper and may need a bit more. Serve roasted rhubarb doused in cream or spooned over ice cream or pound cake. It freezes well, too.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 2 cups

  • 1 ¼  pounds rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)

  • ½ to ⅔ cup sugar

  • 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise; 1 teaspoon cardamom pods; or 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced into coins, for flavoring (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put the rhubarb, sugar and any optional flavoring in a 2-quart baking dish or a 9-by-13-inch pan, and toss well.

  2. Step 2

    Roast, tossing once or twice, until the sugar is dissolved and the rhubarb tender, 12 to 20 minutes. 

  3. Step 3

    Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
36 user ratings
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Comments

dimmerswitch

The cardamom listed as an optional is delightful in this. Used the seeds from green cardamom pods and rubbed them into the sugar.

Laura

I use maple syrup... healthier, and more delicious!

A

Different varieties of rhubarb are different colors regardless of whether they are forced. If yours is tasty but mostly green, it may be Victoria, an old sweet variety.

Laura in NJ

I'm tempted to slice the rhubarb very thinly and roast using this method, then running a stick blender through the lot and canning it as rhubarb butter. The pH of rhubarb is low enough to safely water-bath can it, and preserving this in jars will save my limited freezer space.

Dale

Laura: Why do you say healthier? Any proof of that? It is a wee bit tiresome to hear what some people deem a healthier form of glucose, sucrose or whatever, which according to many trained nutritionists end up as molecules which to your body, looks the same. Enjoy it if you like but let brown sugar or molasses or whatever be enjoyed as in this case moderation with a seasonal dessert.

Bill

Threw in a couple of strips of Cara-Cara orange zest; sublime!

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