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If you are a lemon curd fan, you need to make this rhubarb curd ASAP! It’s easy, delicious and crazy refreshing!
For another take on refreshing rhubarb flavours, try a Rhubarb Moscow Mule!
Every year when rhubarb is in season I buy loads and loads of these tart and fragrant shoots and cook them and bake with them in so many different ways. You can see it for yourselves in Rhubarb recipes on my blog!
Along with my son and lovely mother-in-law, I am also a huge lemon curd fan. England does curds so well and they are easy to find in all sorts of shops.
The only problem I have with curds is that they are impossible to resist eating by the spoonful. That is exactly what I did when I made this rhubarb curd and that act of indulgence didn’t even make me feel guilty.
It made me feel happy because this rhubarb curd is something very special.
Making rhubarb curd
You’d be surprised how easy and quick curd making is!
As I was used to seeing various curds priced quite highly in shops, I assumed making them was a lengthy and complicated process. In reality it only takes about 30 minutes of hands-on time.
It’s much easier to do if you have a This is an affiliate link.food processor. This makes the task of getting the juice out the rhubarb and making a mixture of other ingredients quicker and simpler.
Once the ingredients are ready, it’s just a matter of heating them together in a saucepan until it has the right consistency. Although it is tempting, do not turn the heat up to make it go faster! The results are not good!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Using a food processor makes this recipe far easier than if you do everything by hand.
- Warm the ingredients over low heat only. Although it is tempting to turn the heat up to make it go faster, this will cause curdling and make it impossible to get a velvety texture.
- To make sure the curd is as smooth as possible, put it through a fine sieve before chilling. Although this step is not essential, it will will remove any leftover lumps.
- Rhubarb curd is delicious with pancakes, toast or cakes.
Serving suggestions
Enjoy this delicious rhubarb curd dolloped on scones, pancakes, crumpets or spread on toast!
Or bake a delicious vanilla sponge cake and fill your layers with this luscious rhubarb curd and you won’t be disappointed!
Storage and leftovers
This curd will be safe in the fridge for up to a week. It could also be frozen and eaten with 2-3 months.
More rhubarb recipes
Rhubarb Curd
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Food processor
Ingredients
- 400g /4 long stalks rhubarb
- 3 eggs, large
- 170g / 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
- 3 tsp cornflour/corn starch
- 150g / 3/4 cup caster sugar/ granulated sugar
- a drop of pink colouring, optional
Instructions
- Wash and cut rhubarb stalks in 2″ sections, put them in the bowl of a food processor and process until then turn into a pulp. Push it through a fine sieve with a spoon to extract all the juice, then discard the pulp. You should get about 300 ml/ 1 1/4 cup of rhubarb juice.
- In a food processor or blender mix eggs, sugar and cornflour/corn starch until you have a homogenous mixture with no lumps remaining. Alternatively you can do this step by hand using a bowl and a whisk.
- In a saucepan combine 1 cup of rhubarb juice, egg, sugar and corn starch mixture and cubed butter, set the pan over low heat and star cooking it while stirring with a whisk the entire time until butter melts and the curd thickens. Do not turn the heat up to speed up the process or the eggs will turn into scrambled eggs and the curd go lumpy!
- Take off the heat when the curd is the consistency of thick sour cream. You may push it through a fine sieve again to ensure there are no lumps and the curd is silky smooth. Add the remaining rhubarb juice to increase the tart flavour of the rhubarb and a drop of pink food colouring if desired as the curd loses its colour when cooks!
- Chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight. The rhubarb curd will thicken when chilled.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just wanted to say that I first made this in 2018, and it was so good. I gifted some to my mother and my mother-in-law, and they loved it too. And I kept it in the freezer until I could gift it, and it was still good! We’ve just harvested more rhubarb, so I’m about to make it again. Thanks!!
Oh I love hearing that, Christine!
WOW WOW WOW!!!
This is amazing! Smoothest curd I’ve ever made. I was nervous about whole eggs instead of just yolks, but it turned out beautifully! I spooned some of it (still warm) over vanilla ice cream, and I’m in heaven!
I’ll be using this recipe for a long time I think 🙂
I never get tired of hearing that, Laura! Enjoy!!
Making this right now. Is there any use for the pulp, or has all the flavour gone with the juice?
I haven’t found any use for it and like you said it’s pretty tasteless. It is fibre still, so some people might be able to figure out how to use it.
I processed 450g (2 long stalks) and got 1/2 cup liquid. Your recipe says 400g (4 long stalks) for 1 1/4 cup liquid. Looks like I need to process 1200g (6 long stalks) to get the 1 1/4 cups of liquid. How is it possible to have that much difference? Or am I misreading it?
Hi John, every recipe is dependant on the product used. It sounds like your rhubarb stalks weren’t as juicy unless they weren’t actually 450g. Sometimes I buy limes and they barely have any juice in them. Maybe try using 4 long stalks? It’s very difficult to answer this question without being in the kitchen with you.
I loved the taste of this, but I couldn’t get it to thicken to save my life, in the end I cooked it for so long (30mins+) it went grainy but still not thick, any ideas why? the butter was straight from the fridge? should I have used just egg yolk not the whole egg?
My rhubarb grows like wild thing so I want to have another go, can you offer a suggestion please 🙂
Thank you
Hi Candice, I honestly haven’t had any issues with the curd thickening. The cornflour in it should do the trick just fine. Maybe add another teaspoon next time you try? To avoid the curd becoming grainy, try to stir it with a whisk continuously.
My low heat was so low it did the same thing. It never thickened and it got grainy. Solved this by turning the heat up slightly.
It sounds amazing, what do you think about using it on a pavlova, maybe with rubato and strawberries on top?
I think it will be absolutely delicious, David. I would add a bit of whipped cream as well.
How long does this keep in the fridge? Is there a way to preserve or “can” it? I might try a rhubarb meringue pie instead of Lemon, What do you think?
Hi Patty, if you read through comments, you can see that one of the readers advised not to can it as per canning guidelines you are not supposed to can cornstarch, eggs or dairy. I would say you can safely keep it in your fridge up to a week. Rhubarb meringue pie sounds absolutely divine!
Hello! This looks incredible, and I was wondering, can I use the rhubarb I have in my freezer? Or does it have to be fresh?
Hi Sheila, I am afraid I’ve only used fresh rhubarb, so cannot tell either way. I wonder if frozen rhubarb would have too much water in it and would dilute the flavour?
I made this with frozen rhubarb and whilst delicious it was a little runny
I think extra moisture in frozen rhubarb contributed to that, Catherine. Glad to hear it was delicious!
Oh my goodness! I just made this, using my vitamix blender to “cook” it. I don’t know how I am going to wait 3 hours to dive in again! It is so darned yummy! Not gonna have enough rhubarb in my life this spring! Thank you so much for posting this! First time I have ever made a curd.
You are very welcome! I am so happy that your first attempt at a curd turned out successful! Enjoy!
DarciW: I would love to know how to “cook” it in the vitamixer! Please share!
Diane A