Sweet and Tart Rhubarb Curd

All you lovers of lemon curd, you’ll love this pretty pink homemade rhubarb curd recipe! It’s sweet and tart, with a silky, creamy texture that’s just perfection. Rhubarb curd is delicious on toast or biscuits, on a peanut butter sandwich, or used as a cake filling.

Be sure to check out some more of my favorite rhubarb recipes, like my roasted rhubarb ice cream, strawberry rhubarb jam, rhubarb oatmeal bars, and rhubarb crumble with custard.

This site contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  This means that I may make a small commission if you purchase a product using those links.  This in no way affects my opinion of those products and services.  All opinions expressed on this site are my own.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Uses Simple Pantry Ingredients. This is a straightforward recipe that uses simple ingredients. When fresh rhubarb isn’t in season, you can usually find bags of frozen rhubarb at your local farmer’s market grocery store.

Versatile. Rhubarb curd is good in so many ways. In my vanilla rhubarb layer cake (coming soon), I whipped some of the rhubarb curd into the buttercream, with more spread between the cake layers for a delicious filling. It’s fantastic on toast with peanut butter, swirled into yogurt or ice cream, or spooned over pound cake.

Pretty. The natural color of the curd is just lovely. While you could add food coloring for a more vivid pink color, I love the slightly beige, blushing pink hue.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

• Rhubarb. You can use either fresh or frozen rhubarb, whichever is available.
• Water. Adds moisture to the rhubarb to help it soften as it cooks.
• Sugar. Sweetens the rhubarb, which is extremely tart without sugar.
• Freeze-Dried Strawberry Powder. Adds a little more natural pink color to the rhubarb curd, and enhances the flavor.
• Corn Starch. Helps to thicken the curd as it cooks.
• Egg Yolks. Add richness and makes the curd creamy and silky.
• Butter. Adds richness, flavor, and a luxurious texture.

Tools

• Double Boiler. Setting up a double boiler is as simple as placing a heatproof (stainless steel) bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should not be touching the water. Using a double boiler is a gentle way of cooking homemade lemon curd or rhubarb curd, so that you slowly heat and thicken the mixture without scrambling the egg yolks by cooking it too aggressively directly on a burner.
• Silicone Whisk and Silicone Spatula. With lemon curd, you need non-reactive bowls and tools, due to the high acidity level of the lemon juice. You probably don’t need to be as cautious with rhubarb, but it doesn’t hurt, either.
• Medium-Sized Saucepan. You’ll be using a saucepan to cook the rhubarb until soft, reduce the rhubarb liquid, and then to use as a double boiler.
• Blender. Use for pureeing the cooked rhubarb.
• Mesh Strainer. Use a fine mesh strainer to strain the liquid from the rhubarb puree, and to strain the cooked curd so it’s silky and smooth.

Instructions

Cook and puree the rhubarb.

• In a saucepan, combine the rhubarb and water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for a few minutes, just until the rhubarb starts to soften.
• Pour the mixture into a blender, and puree until smooth.

Strain and reduce the rhubarb juice.

• Set a strainer over the saucepan, and pour the rhubarb puree through the strainer so you can collect the liquid, but discard the pulp.
• Bring the liquid back to a simmer over medium heat, and boil until it’s reduced to 1/2 cup. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Cook the curd over a double boiler.

• Now, set up a double boiler. You can do this by placing a saucepan with several inches of water on the stove, and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. You’ll also need a non-reactive stainless steel bowl to set on top of the saucepan. The bottom of the bowl should not directly touch the water.
• In your stainless steel bowl, whisk together the sugar, strawberry powder and corn starch (Image 1). Whisk in the egg yolks and the reduced rhubarb liquid (Images 2 & 3).
• Set the bowl on top of the pan of simmering water. Cook the rhubarb curd over the water, stirring constantly but gently with the spatula – no need to stir aggressively. Continue stirring and cooking the rhubarb curd, until it’s thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, and it leaves tracks against the side of the bowl (this means when you swirl the curd against the side of the bowl, run your finger through the curd – if it’s thick enough, your finger will leave a track through the curd without the curd running back through). This process can take anywhere from 15-20 minutes, depending on how vigorously your water is boiling (Image 4).

Add butter and strain the curd.

• Remove the bowl from the heat. Whisk in the cold butter, a few pieces at a time, until it’s completely disappeared and the curd is smooth. If the rhubarb curd has cooled down too much and you’re having trouble getting the last few pieces of butter to melt, you can place the bowl back over the hot water, long enough to finish whisking in the butter (Image 5).
• Now strain the curd (to remove any bits of cooked egg) by passing it through a wire mesh strainer. It will thicken more as it cools.
• Store the rhubarb curd in a lidded glass jar, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks (Image 6).

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to use fresh or frozen rhubarb?

Either works! I have a few rhubarb plants in my back yard, and they’re generally ready for harvesting by the end of May – early June. This is about the same time that you’ll find fresh rhubarb in your grocery store. Otherwise, check your local farmer’s market (such as Sprouts) for frozen chopped rhubarb.

Can I freeze or can jars of rhubarb curd?

It’s not advisable to can anything in a water bath that contains eggs or dairy. You can certainly freeze jars of the curd, though, leaving 1/4 inch “headspace” at the top for expansion.

Can I make a lower sugar version?

For a lower sugar rhubarb curd, reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup.

Does rhubarb curd have a thick or thin consistency?

The consistency is certainly not as thick and jellied as store-bought lemon curd, and is more like warm pudding. It’s spoonable, spreadable and creamy. It has the perfect texture for filling a cake, and soaks into the cake making it so moist. If you want a thicker curd, try increasing the corn starch just a little, or cooking the curd a few minutes longer.

Where can I find freeze-dried strawberry powder?

In the US, you can find freeze-dried strawberries in most major grocery stores, and you can easily and quickly crush them into powder. I also buy bags of the strawberry powder on Amazon, to add to smoothies or even buttercream. If you can’t find it though, it’s not absolutely essential to this recipe. I added it simply to add a little more natural pink color, and to enhance the flavor of the rhubarb. It does add a slight grainy texture to the curd, but this is completely unnoticeable when used as a cake filling.

Will this recipe work for a half-size or double batch?

Certainly, you can cut it in half or double it. A double batch will likely take longer to cook and thicken, though.

What kind of food coloring should I use for a brighter pink color?

For a pinker pink color, try using a few drops of soft pink gel food coloring. The natural color of your curd will largely depend on the color of your rhubarb. Some rhubarb is more pink/red, while other stalks can have a greener color. But even if the reduced liquid is a vivid pink, the color will be muted when combined with the yellow egg yolks and butter, for a more beige-pink hue.

What can I use rhubarb curd for?

• As a cake filling.
• Spooned over pound cake.
• Swirled into ice cream or yogurt.
• As a filling for mini tartlets.
• On toast or biscuits.
• In a peanut butter sandwich.

You Might Also Like

Please check out my Amazon Shop for a curated collection of some of my favorite cake pans from trusted brands, baking tools, ingredients, pretty things and fashion finds. I recommend products that I buy and use every day!

Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!