Four-ingredient rhubarb compote makes the most of rhubarb's fleeting season. Sweetened with just honey and sugar, this beautiful compote is wonderful stirred into yogurt, spooned over ice cream, spread on muffins, and more.
Beautiful rhubarb is the star of a silky smooth, not-too-sweet compote that is as versatile as it is easy to make. A little sweetener, a little vanilla, and a little time on the stove (15 minutes or less) produces a gorgeously hued jammy compote that's wonderful served over slices of busy day cake or oat flour cake, used to dress up oat flour pancakes or oat flour waffles, stirred into tangy Greek yogurt, or slicked on oat flour blueberry muffins with or without a dollop of honey lemon curd to make them a bit extra.
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Why I Love Making Easy Compotes
I love making seasonal preserves, such as strawberry rhubarb jam and honey-sweetened strawberry jam. Rhubarb compote is a jam-adjacent concoction that is a little more of a dessert sauce than a true preserve recipe. I love using honey and sugar to sweeten rhubarb's naturally tart flavor, but you can use all sugar or all honey if you prefer. It's just perfect drizzled over scoops of vanilla ice cream or one-ingredient banana ice cream, or slathered on toast or muffins. I also love it swirled into my breakfast yogurt, with or without gluten free granola.
- Seasonal goodness. Make the best of rhubarb season with this simple recipe that lets the truly tart flavor of rhubarb shine.
- Not too sweet. I lightly sweeten the compote so that it's not overly sweet. This makes it a great finish to sweeter treats like cake or gluten free shortbread.
- Special. Unlike lemon curd, rhubarb compote isn't really available for purchase. It's a recipe that's best made at home, particularly if there's a flourishing rhubarb plant in the garden.
Ingredient Notes
Just four ingredients go into this vibrant compote, and I've outlined them below, along with some substitution suggestions. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions.
- Rhubarb - Fresh, firm rhubarb (no brown spots) is best here! The rhubarb does not have to be pink or red to be ripe, but if you want a very bright color, choose stalks that are red.
- Honey
- Granulated sugar - For a caramel note, substitute light or dark brown sugar.
- Vanilla - Pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste adds depth of flavor. For a simpler compote, you can omit the vanilla.
How to Make Homemade Rhubarb Compote
A few easy steps are all that's needed for this delicious treat:
1. Place ingredients in pot: Add the rhubarb, honey, sugar, and vanilla to a pot.
2. Mix: Stir the ingredients together.
3. Boil: Bring mixture to a boil.
4. Lower: Then lower the mixture to a simmer.
5. Cook down: Simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
6. Remove from heat: When the mixture is smooth, remove from the heat.
Tips & Variation Ideas
- Do your own texture - I like a smooth, almost pureed texture for my compote. But you can cook the rhubarb for a bit less time so that it has more texture.
- Just honey - I LOVE rhubarb sweetened with honey. The floral notes in both the honey and the rhubarb complement each other perfectly. Substitute the ½ cup of granulated sugar for honey.
- Vegan - Swap sugar or maple syrup for the honey to make this a vegan compote.
- Sweeten to taste - I like to lower the amount of sugar a bit, so I start with ½ cup of honey, taste, and then add sugar as needed. Sometimes I add the full ½ cup of sugar, and sometimes just a few tablespoons. You can also add more sugar if you like.
- Make it a strawberry-rhubarb compote - Add 1 cup of chopped strawberries to the pot with the chopped rhubarb to make a strawberry-rhubarb compote.
- Or raspberry-rhubarb - Raspberries also pair wonderfully with rhubarb. Add 1 cup of raspberries to the pot and adjust the sugar to taste.
Serving Options
- On bread: Rhubarb compote is delightful with or without butter on homemade bread like easy dutch oven bread or leftover porridge bread (or pretty up a batch of homemade bunny bread).
- With muffins: Dollop a big spoonful of compote on a batch of warm gluten free leftover oatmeal muffins or oat flour muffins.
- Scones: I love compote with scones like gluten free lemon cream scones or oat flour scones.
- Cake: Compote is lovely, draped over slices of gluten free busy day cake or gluten free coconut loaf cake with a side of whipped cream.
Proper Storage
You can use the USDA's canning instructions for preserving rhubarb compote, or store it in the fridge or freezer. Here's how
- Fridge - Transfer the cooled compote to an airtight container (I love a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid) and store it in the fridge for up to 10 days.
- Freezer - Place the cooled compote in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw the compote in the fridge before serving it.
More Rhubarb Recipes
Happy baking! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know. Please leave a comment below, reach out with any questions, and tag me on Instagram @Cucina Nicolina ❤️
Rhubarb Compote
Ingredients
- 4 stalks rhubarb , leaves removed, washed and coarsely chopped lengthwise
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a heavy saucepan, toss the 4 stalks rhubarb with the ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Bring to a slow boil and stir, making sure that the honey and sugar dissolve.
- Lower the heat and simmer for about 7-10 minutes until the rhubarb is soft and a sauce-like compote forms. Remove from the heat and cool a bit before serving.
Notes
- Do your own texture - I like a smooth, almost pureed texture for my compote. But you can cook the rhubarb for a bit less time so that it has more texture.
- Just honey - I LOVE rhubarb sweetened with honey. The floral notes in both the honey and the rhubarb complement each other perfectly. Substitute the ½ cup of granulated sugar for honey.
- Vegan - Swap sugar or maple syrup for the honey to make this a vegan compote.
- Sweeten to taste - I like to lower the amount of sugar a bit, so I start with ½ cup of honey, taste, and then add sugar as needed. Sometimes I add the full ½ cup of sugar, and sometimes just a few tablespoons. You can also add more sugar if you like.
- Make it a strawberry-rhubarb compote - Add 1 cup of chopped strawberries to the pot with the chopped rhubarb to make a strawberry-rhubarb compote.
- Or raspberry-rhubarb - Raspberries also pair wonderfully with rhubarb. Add 1 cup of raspberries to the pot and adjust the sugar to taste.
Bethy says
I have rhubarb growing in my backyard, here in Richmond, CA. I never liked rhubarb as a kid, but really want to try making this.
Would it be possible to make it without the sugar but with org. agave nectar?
Thank You!
Beth says
How delicious. I grew up with rhubarb in New England, and was sad I missed the season here last year. I have a bunch in my fridge right now, and I've been using it to make a ginger rhubarb syrup that makes a delicious (and delightfully pink!) drink when cut with seltzer. When I was very small the rhubarb in our back yard seemed taller than I was! My mom would give us a stalk of rhubarb and a little cup of sugar, and my sister and I would sit out on our back porch and dip the stalk of rhubarb in the sugar and eat it raw. Sweet and tart and perfectly summery.
Whitney says
Just made a batch with my rhubarb from my CSA. I had all green stalks so its not as pretty of a color but tastes delicious.
Amy says
Okay, I've got this cooking on my stove as I write this, and I've got a question: I assume when you say, "make sure the honey and syrup dissolves," that the syrup you are referring to is the syrup created by the cooking ingredients and not that there is some form of "syrup" that should be in there that is not listed in the recipe? Just checking!
Amy says
Oh, thank you! I am a great lover of rhubarb -- usually making crumbles or pies -- and getting ready to go out and cut my first stalks from my garden. We shall have compote before the day is done!
helen says
Oh my!
tea_austen says
I just had my first rhubarb compote of the year on top of waffles (two thumbs up), and Greek yogurt is a favorite combo. It freezes well, too. Both the compote and chopped up stalks.
Rhubarb needs a colder winter than N. Calif to be happy, which is probably why you don't see as much of it down there. Up here it's a sure sign of spring at the market, and the crazy pink (HOT PINK) shoots coming up from dark soil in March/Feb are a reminder that all hope is not lost; brighter days are on their way.
Your mother sounds lovely, which is no surprise to me at all. xox
lo says
i cant wait to try this- it looks/sounds so good. a little scared cos ive never made any kind of compote before and this seems too easy- but im going to try!