Pickled Rhubarb
Sweet, spicy and slightly tart, this pickled rhubarb is the perfect condiment to feature on your cheese platters and charcuterie boards this holiday season- just like my favorite honey fermented cranberries.
It takes just under 20 minutes of hands-on kitchen time to make it, and is a great way to put some extra rhubarb to use.
I'll be honest- I've always thought of rhubarb being used in sweet foods like pies and jams- never as a savory ingredient. And recently, I've been slightly obsessed with pickling fruits and veggies- my pickled cherries, Russian pickled mushrooms and pickled shredded carrots are some of my recent creations that have all been huge hits.
And when I found a bunch of rhubarb that I really wanted to use, I thought- why not pickle it too?
Quick Look: Pickled Rhubarb
- 🔪 Prep time: 10 minutes.
- ⏲️ Cook time: 5 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 8.
- 📋 Main ingredients: Fresh rhubarb, vinegar, water, sugar, salt, garlic, and black peppercorns and star anise.
- ♨️ Cooking method: Slice rhubarb into pieces 🡢 prepare the vinegar brine with spices 🡢 bring the brine to a boil 🡢 pour over the rhubarb 🡢 let cool and refrigerate until pickled.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥣 Serving ideas: Serve with grilled meats, burgers, sandwiches, salads, or add to a cheese and charcuterie board along with black olive tapenade and crackers.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
- The simplicity of this recipe is almost as great as its stunning flavor. I've tried a LOT of pickled fruits and veggies- even pickled Brussels sprouts and this one truly stands out for its amazing sweet and tart flavor.
- It's also pretty versatile- you'll find lots of different ways to use it, in the serving ideas section below.
Recipe Ingredients
Rhubarb: Washed, and pat dried rhubarb, sliced ½'' or ¼'' in thickness.
Garlic: I added whole garlic cloves for a bit of extra flavor- like I did when I made sweet pickled green beans.
Spices: I used whole spices here- star anise and black peppercorns (used them for my quick pickled shallots too!). You can also try using other spices like bay leaves, nutmeg or cloves to bring another layer of flavor to the pickled rhubarb.
Sugar: Sugar helps with preserving the rhubarb, and is an important component of the brine aka the pickling liquid.
Vinegar: This is the base for the brine. I used white vinegar here to let the flavor of the rhubarb and the spices shine through.
Salt: This one's again, important to help preserve the rhubarb. Use Kosher salt or sea salt if you can.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Apple cider vinegar is a great alternative to white vinegar in this recipe. It has a nice fruity and crisp flavor which works well with the other ingredients- I used it for my quick pickled red cabbage too.
- For some extra earthy flavor, you can also add some sliced ginger into the mix.
- Experiment with other mix-ins like pink peppercorns, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, mustard seeds etc. to enhance the flavors of the pickled rhubarb.
How to Make Pickled Rhubarb
Wash, dry and chop the rhubarb into pieces ½-1/4'' inch in thickness. Transfer to a glass jar with an airtight lid.
In a pot, add the vinegar, whole spices and garlic along with the salt and sugar and bring it to a boil.
Once the mixture comes to a boil, take it off heat and pour it into the jar with rhubarb.
Let it cool down completely, then close the lid and refrigerate.
💭Top Tip
Make sure you have enough of the vinegar brine mixture to cover the rhubarb entirely.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- If you don't have enough liquid to cover all of the rhubarb pieces, dilute the brine with some water, bring it up to a boil again and then pour it over the rhubarb. I did this when I made my pickled radish too.
- Stick to a 1:2 ratio of salt to sugar for the pickling liquid.
- Allow the pickled rhubarb to sit in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 days before you use it. This allows the rhubarb to soften just a bit, and for the flavors to develop and deepen even more. I always do this when I make curry pickled cauliflower too.
- When picking rhubarb for this recipe, make sure you choose ones that are soft and tender, and ideally have that bright red color.
How to Use Homemade Pickled Rhubarb
You can use your homemade pickled rhubarb in your sandwiches, hot dogs and burgers, just like you would pickled peppers or onions. It also tastes stunning when featured on a cheese board along with pickled raisins and an assortment of cheeses and crackers.
You can also add some of it to your simple salads to jazz them up, or pair it with some roast chicken or any other protein of your choice, as a side dish.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
You can, but balsamic vinegar has a much stronger flavor which can mask the flavors of the other ingredients. Also, it is quite dark, so you may want to combine it with regular white vinegar for this recipe.
Your pickled rhubarb can stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to a month. Just make sure the fruit is all well covered with the vinegar brine, which helps preserve it.
More Fruit Pickles & Preserves
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this pickled rhubarb or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Pickled Rhubarb
Ingredients
- 4-5 rhubarb
- 3-4 garlic
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 star anise
- 1 cup vinegar
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Wash, dry and chop the rhubarb into pieces ½-1/4'' inch in thickness. Transfer to a glass jar with an airtight lid.
- In a pot, add the vinegar, whole spices and garlic along with the salt and sugar and bring it to a boil.
- Once the mixture comes to a boil, take it off heat and pour it into the jar with rhubarb.
- Let it cool down completely, then close the lid and refrigerate.
Notes
- If you don't have enough liquid to cover all of the rhubarb pieces, dilute the brine with some water, bring it up to a boil again and then pour it over the rhubarb.
- Stick to a 1:2 ratio of salt to sugar for the pickling liquid.
- Allow the pickled rhubarb to sit in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 days before you use it. This allows the rhubarb to soften just a bit, and for the flavors to develop and deepen even more.
- When picking rhubarb for this recipe, make sure you choose ones that are soft and tender, and ideally have that bright red color.
