Rhubarb Bread Recipe with Fresh Rhubarb Making 2 Loaves (2024)

May 27, 2018June 18, 2023

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This Rhubarb Bread recipe is a great classic quick bread that is easily made. The fresh taste of rhubarb is a pleasant change from the usual fruit in bread. It’s incredibly easy to make at home. Served warm with a pat of butter, this quick bread featuring rhubarb is a great breakfast or snack option.

Table of Contents

Rhubarb Bread with Buttermilk

Our Rhubarb Bread recipe uses buttermilk which is an ingredient that we don’t always have in our refrigerator. Do not fret. There’s an easy remedy to not keeping buttermilk on hand.

Can I make buttermilk?

Yes, and the process is simple. Make buttermilk by simply using lemon juice and milk! Our friend, Marybeth, explains how over at My Fearless Kitchen. Mix one Tablespoon of lemon juice with one cup of milk. Stir and let sit for several minutes and you have buttermilk!

Rhubarb Quick Bread

Who doesn’t love a good quick bread? You essentially mix all the ingredients in one bowl, pour it into a bread pan and the result is the perfect snack or breakfast. This Amish Rhubarb Bread is no exception.

We love our rhubarb plant that grows each spring. If you are not familiar with rhubarb, you cut off the leaves and just use the stalks. If you try to eat it alone, you would be in for a surprise. It is extremely tart and requires a lot of sugar to sweeten it up.

We are always looking for new rhubarb recipes outside of the typical rhubarb pie or cobbler. This Rhubarb Bread recipe comes from our favorite Pot O’Gold cookbook. The original submitter of the recipe says it is good hot or cold, with or without butter.

How to Freeze Rhubarb

Buttermilk rhubarb bread is a great recipe for using up frozen rhubarb.We try to freeze some of this summer garden staple so that we can enjoy it year round.

Cut the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces and either blanch it in boiling water for about 1 minute OR just freeze it raw. Spread the pieces on a cookie sheet in one layer and put in the freezer for at least 2 hours. Once frozen, transfer to freezer storage bags or containers and put in the freezer. It will keep for up to one year.

When pulling it out of the freezer to use, you do not have to thaw the rhubarb but you can. If you use it from frozen, you might want to add a few more pieces to the recipe as it will shrink as it thaws.

Ingredient List

Brown sugar
Vegetable Oil
Large egg
Salt
Buttermilk
Vanilla extract
All Purpose Flour
Baking soda
Chopped Nuts
Rhubarb Stalks

How to Make Rhubarb Bread

Step By Step Instructions

Prepare two bread loaf pans by greasing and flouring all sides.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients in the order listed in the recipe card below.
Pour batter into the prepared pans – divide evenly between the two.
Bake for 40-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the loaf.
Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing bread from pans.

Full recipe and ingredient list for Amish Rhubarb Bead is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.

Recipe FAQs

This is a Rhubarb Bread recipe with buttermilk.This is an ingredient that many people don’t always have in their refrigerator. You might be asking “Can I make buttermilk?” or “What can be used in place of buttermilk?” You can make buttermilk by simply using lemon juice and milk! It’s basically one Tablespoon of lemon juice to one cup of milk. Stir and let sit for several minutes and you have buttermilk!
You can use fresh or frozen rhubarb in this recipe.
Want a fancier version? Try our Rhubarb Nut Bread which has a sweet, crunchy topping.
This rhubarb quick bread can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Visit our Amazon store for our favorite pantry essentials and kitchen gadgets.

How do you take the tartness out of rhubarb?

Rhubarb is a naturally tart vegetable, and if you’ve never tried a piece, you’ll get a big surprise if you bite into the stalk when it’s raw. To take out the tartness, sugar is required which is why rhubarb is typically used in desserts with ample amounts of sugar in the ingredients.

Our Favorite Rhubarb Recipes

We have several rhubarb recipes on the blog, see our roundup of our recipes and some from our friends here.

Grandma’s Rhubarb Pie

Rhubarb Muffins with Applesauce

Rhubarb Streusel Dessert

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Rhubarb Crumble

Rhubarb Bread

This Rhubarb Bread recipe is a great classic quick bread that is easily made. Served warm with a pat of butter, this quick bread featuring rhubarb is a great breakfast or snack option.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: amish rhubarb bread, buttermilk rhubarb bread, quick bread with rhubarb, rhubarb bread, rhubarb bread with buttermilk

Servings: 18

Calories: 241kcal

Author: Barbara

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups brown sugar packed
2/3 cups vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb
2 1/2 cups unsifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cups nuts pecans or walnuts, chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Prepare 2 loaf pans by greasing and flouring all sides.
Mix all ingredients in order listed until fully incorporated and smooth.
Pour into prepared loaf pans.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool in pans for 5 minutes before inverting pan to remove bread.

Notes

This is a Rhubarb Bread recipe with buttermilk. This is an ingredient that many people don’t always have in their refrigerator. You might be asking “Can I make buttermilk?” or “What can be used in place of buttermilk?” You can make buttermilk by simply using lemon juice and milk! It’s basically one Tablespoon of lemon juice to one cup of milk. Stir and let sit for several minutes and you have buttermilk!
You can use fresh or frozen rhubarb in this recipe.
This rhubarb quick bread can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Try our favorite Rhubarb Dream Cakerecipe.
The nutritional information is auto-calculated and can vary depending on the products used. It should not be used for specific dietary needs.

Nutrition

Rhubarb Bread Recipe with Fresh Rhubarb Making 2 Loaves (2024)

FAQs

Does rhubarb need to be cooked before baking? ›

Do You Need to Cook Rhubarb Before Baking? The short answer is no, you don't need to cook rhubarb before baking a rhubarb pie.

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How to cook rhubarb without it going mushy? ›

Method. Put the rhubarb into a saucepan with the orange zest, juice, sugar and 2 tbsp water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 8 mins until the rhubarb is cooked but still holds its shape.

Get More Info ›

How much of the rhubarb stalk do you use? ›

Never take more than about a third of the stalks at one time. Stop harvesting rhubarb before midsummer and let the plant continue to grow.

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Do you have to skin rhubarb before cooking? ›

Wash any residual soil off the rhubarb stems. Some rhubarb varieties are prone to being stringy, and rhubarb which has been left too long on the plant can also develop a 'stringiness' – if this occurs, pull away any thick, fibrous strands before cooking. Peeling rhubarb is rarely necessary.

Learn More Now ›

What are the rules for rhubarb? ›

The rule of thumb is not to harvest rhubarb the year you plant it. Give plants time to produce a sturdy root system. The second year after planting, pick only a few stems from each plant. By not picking heavily, you're allowing leaves to generate energy that enhances root growth.

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What happens if you don't cook rhubarb? ›

Typically, you would only eat the stalk of a rhubarb plant, which is safe to eat both raw and uncooked, according to Richter. The stalk contains no poisons, and you will normally not get sick eating it, though you'll likely want to sweeten or cook the stalk before eating it to make it more palatable.

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What happens if you don't peel rhubarb? ›

So, in conclusion: You don't have to peel rhubarb before eating it. Of course, you can if you want to. But doing it means that some of the lovely red flavor is going to disappear. I usually just prepare rhubarb by rinsing it and then cutting it into thin slices!

Get More Info ›

Is floppy rhubarb still good? ›

Rhubarb damaged by freezing temperatures will have black, shriveled leaves and soft, limp leaf stalks. It's safe to harvest rhubarb if the plants show no signs of damage 2 or 3 days after the freeze event. Damaged rhubarb stalks (blackened foliage and limp stalks) should be pulled and discarded.

What takes the tartness out of rhubarb? ›

Although it can be eaten raw, rhubarb tends to be too tart this way, and it's usually best when cooked with plenty of sugar. It goes well with both ginger and strawberries.

What is the best sweetener for rhubarb? ›

My advice is yes, try honey! The recipe pictured above (and linked below) includes some honey along with the sugar; try making it with just the honey and see how it turns out. Sometimes, depending on how tender and fresh the rhubarb is, I even cut the sugar down by half.

Keep Reading ›

What enhances the flavour of rhubarb? ›

While cinnamon may be a more common spice to pair with rhubarb, citrusy, herbal cardamon lends a warm, citrusy note to a dish. A big pinch of ground cardamom can be added to any cake, pie, or compote, or you can simply add a little to the whipped cream you'll be topping your rhubarb dessert with.

Discover More ›

When should you not pick rhubarb? ›

The best time to harvest rhubarb is during the months of May, June and early July. After this, it's best to let the plant be, so it can regrow and recharge to survive the winter. You can cut the flower stalk away before it blooms to help extend the harvesting season.

Explore More ›

How much rhubarb for 4 cups? ›

A pound of cut rhubarb yields 3 to 4 cups of chopped rhubarb. To chop rhubarb, cut the width of the stalk into 1/4-inch or 1/2-inch pieces.