This Easy Rhubarb Tart recipe creates a really delicious dessert from simple ingredients. Make your own melt in the mouth shortcrust pastry or use ready-made all-butter pastry for an even quicker fix. Fill the tart with a simple mixture of rhubarb, sugar, and cornflour and pop it in the oven.
What is rhubarb?
Rhubarb is a hardy perennial plant with pink, red or pale green stems that are most often used in desserts like crumbles and pies.
It has a tart flavour and is too sharp to eat raw, but combined with sugar and other ingredients it has a delicious tangy taste.
How do you grow rhubarb?
Rhubarb is grown from a crown. This is a thick rhizome which is planted just below the surface of the soil.
Rhubarb plants like lots of moisture and you need to mulch the plant to keep it from getting too dry.
When is rhubarb in season?
The best rhubarb is available in Spring. The earliest rhubarb you can buy is forced, this means it has been grown in the dark. Forced rhubarb has pale pink stems and is tender and sweet.
Rhubarb grows throughout the summer but as the season progresses the stems become tougher.
My garden rhubarb
I have several well-established crowns of rhubarb in my garden. They have been in the garden for at least 50 years and pop up every year providing lots of delicious rhubarb stalks.
How to make Easy Rhubarb Tart
Homemade shortcrust pastry is quite easy to make, especially if you have a food processor. However, if you don’t feel confident about making pastry or simply don’t have time, then buy a ready-made all-butter shortcrust pastry to make your Rhubarb Tart.
Full details and quantities are contained in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Make the pastry
Make the shortcrust pastry by putting the fats, flour and ground almonds in a food processor and processing until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and salt, then add the egg yolk and pulse to bring the mixture together.
Why do you include ground almonds in the pastry?
I like to add ground almonds because they make the pastry very short, which means it will crumble when you eat it. The pastry does not taste strongly of almonds and it seems to enhance the taste of the tart.
Knead only very lightly, then wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 20 minutes.
Make the Rhubarb Tart filling
- Cut off the leaves and put them in the compost. Wash the rhubarb thoroughly.
- Slice the stalks into small slices about 1/2 cm or 1/4 in thick because this will mean the rhubarb cooks evenly and quickly.
- Mix the sliced rhubarb with sugar and cornflour.
- Spoon the rhubarb mixture onto the pastry on the pie plate. Leave 2 cm around the edge clear.
What does the Cornflour do?
I add cornflour to all my pie fillings, it soaks up some of the juices from the fruit. This means that the pastry does not go soggy and you also get a slightly thickened juice in your pie filling.
Add the pastry top
Brush the outside edge of the tart with milk. Roll out the lid of the tart slightly larger than the plate. Use the rolling pin to help you lift it onto the tart.
Crimp and Trim
Trim the edges of the pastry and crimp with your thumb and forefinger to seal the pie. Use the tip of a knife to make two holes in the middle of the tart lid to let out any steam.
To finish the Easy Rhubarb Tart
Brush the top of the tart with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Then bake at 180C for around 45 minutes, do check on your tart after 35 minutes as oven temperatures are not always entirely accurate. The pastry should be golden brown.
Serving Suggestion
Serve Easy Rhubarb Tart warm with Easy Vanilla Custard Sauce or with cold ice cream. You can also serve it with cream or Greek yogurt.
Make more fruit tarts
I hope you enjoy making and eating this Easy Rhubarb Tart. The same pastry can be used with many different fruits including gooseberries, blackcurrants, blackberries, apples, and cherries, so there can always be pie on your table.
More Rhubarb Dessert Recipes from Farmersgirl Kitchen
This simple Rhubarb Bakewell Tart recipe is a variation on a classic and delicious British dessert. The tart has a sweet almond shortcrust pastry shell filled with a rhubarb compote and topped with a frangipane almond sponge.
Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars are a delicious combination of flavours and textures. The base is a bit like a flapjack, sweet, crisp and oaty.
Peach and Rhubarb Upside Down Cake is really moist and the perfect dessert cake. Eat it warm or cold as a dessert with cream, yogurt, custard or ice-cream.
More Fruit Tart Recipes
Rhubarb & Blueberry Tarte Tatin – Fab Food 4 All
Gooseberry Galette – Tin & Thyme
Spiced Blackberry & Pear Lattice Crust Pie – Only Crumbs Remain
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Easy Rhubarb Tart Recipe
Equipment
- 23 cm pie plate
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry
- 180 grams (1¼ cups) plain flour all-purpose flour
- 40 grams (⅓ cups) ground almonds
- 50 grams (¼ cups) vegetable fat
- 75 grams (⅓ cups) butter
- 30 grams (2 tablespoon) caster sugar superfine sugar
- 1 pinch (1 pinch) salt
- 1 large (1 large) egg
For the filling
- 300 grams (2½ cups) rhubarb finely sliced
- 125 grams (½ cups) caster sugar superfine sugar
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) cornflour cornstarch
To finish
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) of milk
Instructions
To make the pastry
- Make the shortcrust pastry by putting the fats, flour and ground almonds in a food processor and processing until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the sugar and salt, then add the egg yolk and pulse to bring the mixture together. Knead only very lightly, then wrap in clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C
- Divide the pastry into two pieces. One piece of dough should weigh about 50 more than the other.
- Roll out the smaller piece of dough to fit the base of a 23 cm (9 in) pie plate
To make the filling
- Mix together the sugar and cornflour in a large bowl and then add in the chopped rhubarb.
- Spoon the rhubarb, sugar and cornflour mixture into the pie plate.
Assemble the tart
- Roll out the lid for the tart to be slightly larger than the plate.
- Brush the edge of the pastry that is on the plate with milk Lay the top of the tart over the fruit and trim and crimp the edge. Make two holes in the middle of the tart top to let out the steam.
- Brush the pastry with the milk and scatter over the dessertspoonful of caster sugar.
- Bake for 45 minutes until light golden brown.
Wendy says
Nothing wrong with Jus-Rol- I always have some in the freezer. Perfect for making something quickly and well… and your tart looks very well indeed! I could quite fancy a slice now!
MaryMoh says
Congrats Janice, on your son's wedding! There must be so much celebrations going on. Love your rhubarb tart, especially with ice cream. Enjoy your weekend!
Chele says
Yum!
LDH says
Looks very tasty! I'd love to have a piece right now!
Charlene says
That's funny because I made a rhubarb crumble last night! Mmm, rhubarb!
Angelnorth says
Mmm, I made a rhubarb crumble yesterday while my folks were here! Your tart looks lovely!
Mary says
What a gorgeous tart! Our weather in Oregon turned this weekend and we are not only damp, its cold. My husband adores rhubarb. I'll have to make your tart for him. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings…Mary
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
I love rhubarb and usually get an abundance of it from my parent’s and my husband’s Nan. I never think to make a tart. This looks so delicious. I’d have my slice covered in double cream!
Janice Pattie says
I know what you mean. I usually go for crumble or fool, but actually I really enjoyed making and eating this tart!
Choclette says
As you know I’m a big rhubarb fan, so if I was anywhere near this tart it just wouldn’t be safe. Fab tip about adding cornflour to the fruit. Will try to remember next time I make one!
Janice Pattie says
Ha! We are united in our love of rhubarb. I love how the cornflour soaks up the juices and makes a sort of sauce.
Gill says
I’ve made this 3 times now and each time everyone has loved it. Thanks 🙂
Janice Pattie says
Hi Gill
Thank you so much for letting me know. I’m so glad you enjoyed the Rhubarb Tart.
Nigel says
Lovely recipe using the last of this year’s rhubarb. It is in the oven as I write.. I’ll just mention that in the step-by-step process it doesn’t actually say when to add the caster sugar and salt from the ingredients list into the pastry but it’s safe to assume they go in with the other dry ingredients before incorporating the fats.
Janice Pattie says
Thank you, Nigel. I hope you enjoy your tart, I can almost smell it from here. I’ll check the recipe and make sure that I amend that part, I don’t know what I’d do without my readers noticing these things, I think I just get too close to the recipe and don’t see the omissions! Thanks again.
Lesley says
I love rhubarb in any recipe, but wrapped up in a pastry case makes this recipe a real winner for me. Crisp pastry and sweet/sour rhubarb, a winning combination.
Janice Pattie says
Thanks, Lesley. I think rhubarb is at its best served simply 😊
Cat says
Love rhubarb and this is such a great recipe. I like mine with lashings of cream.
Janice Pattie says
That sounds like the perfect way to serve it!
Chloe Edges says
Yum – that crust looks perfect!
Janice Pattie says
Thank you, I like a nice crust.
Midge @ Peachicks' Bakery says
Oooh this looks lovely! Great idea for using up leftover rhubarb! Thanks for sharing with #CookBlogShare
Janice Pattie says
Thanks, Midge
Mary says
Is this just as nice with a cup of tea?
Janice Pattie says
It certainly is, Mary.
Mary says
What do I do with the egg white?
Janice Pattie says
Hi Mary, you could use the egg white in place of the milk to glaze the tart. Or set it aside to make meringues later.