How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce – Fresh or Frozen Fruit
This strawberry rhubarb sauce is a delicious, versatile sauce that captures the taste of spring. Make this delicious topping with fresh or frozen fruit.
Also Read: Heart Shaped French Toast, Strawberry Parfait, Mandarin Orange Sauce, Stewed Rhubarb, Blueberry Sauce
Use whatever combination of fresh and frozen strawberries and rhubarb you have. In early spring, I often use fresh rhubarb and frozen strawberries.
Recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce
Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
- 2 cups diced strawberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 cup water, divided
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2-2/3 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- In large saucepan, bring rhubarb, strawberries and 1/4 cup water to boil, about 5-8 minutes. No need to thaw frozen fruit, just be sure it is in equal sized pieces, about 1-2 cm (1/2 to 1 inch).
- Add juice and sugar and simmer until fruit is as tender as you'd like. For chunky, noticeable pieces of fruit only cook 2-3 minutes, if you like very tender fruit cook 5-10 minutes.
- In a separate small bowl, mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup water. Stir until fully dissolved. Gradually stir into fruit mixture when it has reached desired consistency. Bring to boil, stirring continually. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until sauce thickens and becomes glossy.
- Taste and adjust sweetness to your liking. Remove from heat and let cool. Mixture will thicken further as it cools.
- Keep in fridge for up to 5 days. Fruit sauce with cornstarch does not freeze well.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
How Tender Do You Like Your Fruit?
I love having visible pieces of fruit in my sauce. To do this, cook the sauce as briefly as possible. It takes about 7-12 minutes of cooking time to sufficiently heat the fruit before adding the cornstarch. Longer cooking time will soften the fruit further, especially the rhubarb which will disintegrate into small pieces.
If you prefer a very smooth sauce, in addition to cooking the fruit longer, puree your sauce with a blender or strain it through a sieve. For both of these options, I recommend you puree or strain before you add the corn starch. Add the pureed mix back to the pot, heat and then add dissolved cornstarch and boil for 3-5 minutes. You can also adjust sweetness at this point if you’d like.
Ingredients for Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce
Strawberries & Rhubarb
Do you prefer more strawberries or more rhubarb? Whichever you prefer – this sauce is totally customizable so change the proportions to what you love most. When you use more strawberries than rhubarb, your sauce will have less natural thickness, so I recommend you use the cornstarch to thicken it.
Want to use just strawberries? Yup, you can do that!
Want to use just rhubarb? Of course, you can do that too! Check out this stewed rhubarb recipe too.
Sweetener
I usually use regular granulated sugar in this recipe, but you can use whatever sweetener you prefer. Start with a small amount, taste and adjust to suit your personal preference. The sweetener is just for flavour in this recipe, so vary the amounts as you’d like.
Cornstarch
The rhubarb in this sauce makes it quite thick already, so the cornstarch in this sauce is optional. It will make the sauce thicker and a little more translucent.
If using cornstarch, be sure to dissolve the cornstarch in a little water to dissolve before adding to the pot. A good rule of thumb is to add 1/4 cup liquid to 1-3 Tbsp of cornstarch and use 1 Tbsp of cornstarch for every cup of liquid you want to thicken. You must also bring the mixture to a full boil to activate the thickening power of cornstarch. Stir for about 1- 2 minutes as you begin to see the change until the sauce is glossy and smooth.
Additional Ingredients
For extra flavour consider adding other ingredients like orange zest & juice, fresh peeled ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla extract, rose water, Grand Marnier, etc.
How will you use your strawberry rhubarb sauce?
I’d love to hear your recipe ideas and how you end up using your sauce. Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram at #getgettys or Facebook @GettyStewart.HomeEconomist.
Sign up to get articles by Getty delivered to your inbox. You’ll get recipes, practical tips and great food information like this. Getty is a Professional Home Economist, speaker and writer putting good food on tables and agendas. She is the author of Manitoba’s best-selling Prairie Fruit Cookbook, Founder of Fruit Share, a mom and veggie gardener.
