With a sweet-tart flavor, Ruby Rhubarb Syrup is just the thing for the best cocktails and mocktails, and is a beautiful, delicious topping for pancakes, waffles, and desserts. Easy to make, with only 3 ingredients, plus water!
Easy Rhubarb Simple Syrup
This homemade Ruby Rhubarb Syrup has become a spring and summer tradition around here. I first started making it more than 10 years ago, treating friends and family to rhubarb margaritas and rhubarb mojitos…or simply swirling rhubarb syrup into tall glasses of ice with club soda.
Beyond drinks, we use this gorgeous flavored syrup as a topping for ice cream, cheesecake, pancakes, and waffles. It’s also pretty wonderful swirled into a bowl of morning yogurt. Anything that needs a pop of color & flavor.
This pretty, ruby-hued simple syrup is so easy to make, I’m certain it’ll become a staple of your summertime enjoyment, too!
What You’ll Need
I love the simplicity of this rhubarb syrup recipe. You only need 3 ingredients – some chopped rhubarb, sugar, and fresh lemon juice – plus water!
- Rhubarb – You can use either fresh or frozen to make this simple syrup. For the prettiest red/pink-hued syrup, use a red or pink variety of rhubarb.
- Sugar – This dissolves in the syrup to add sweetness.
- Lemon juice – Adds brightness and enhances the rhubarb flavor.
How To Make Rhubarb Syrup
This rhubarb simple syrup is truly “simple”! Here’s how to make it:
- Cook the rhubarb. Bring the rhubarb and water to a boil in a saucepan. Cook until the rhubarb is tender, then stir and smash it a bit to release all of its flavor and color.
- Strain the rhubarb. Strain the rhubarb through a fine mesh strainer lined with a double layer of cheesecloth. Once strained, add enough water to equal 3 cups of liquid.
- Dissolve the sugar. Add rhubarb liquid back to saucepan and return to a boil. Stir in the sugar and cook until it dissolves. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice.
- Cool. Strain again if you desire a super clear, pure look (or skip this straining). Then pour the finished syrup into a glass container with a lid and store in the refrigerator.
Recipe Variations
Rhubarb pairs so well with other fruit, especially berries, that you can easily change up the flavor to this simple syrup.
- Raspberry rhubarb simple syrup. We actually make this combination a lot since we have a raspberry patch in our yard. I love to use the syrup for this raspberry rhubarb cosmopolitan – and I add it to mojitos, margaritas, and gin & tonics as well. Just add raspberries along with the rhubarb, then cook and strain together!
- Strawberry rhubarb simple syrup. A classic combination, we love to make this after we pick strawberries at the local u-pick, or when we find great berries at the farmers market. We use it the same as I just mentioned above with the raspberries.
- Blueberry rhubarb simply syrup. This would be a lovely way to enjoy a blueberry lemonade – simply add some rhubarb along with the blueberries in my blueberry basil lemonade!
No matter what berry you add, always make sure you end up with 3 cups of liquid to combine with the sugar for the appropriate texture.
Serving Suggestions
The possibilities for how to use this rhubarb simple syrup are nearly endless.
A couple of my favorite things to make with this rhubarb syrup are the Rhubarb Margarita and the Rhubarb Mojito. These two beverages have been so fun for entertaining during the spring and summer. When our mint is flourishing (rather, taking over the herb garden!), the mojito is the absolute perfect way to enjoy its bounty!
In the cocktail category, beyond margaritas and mojitos, this syrup is also a beautiful addition to mimosas (in place of the traditional orange juice), gin & tonics, and vodka lemonades!
For a non-alcoholic beverage, we like to pour a bit of syrup over ice in a tall glass and then top it off with club soda. Or pour a bit into some lemonade. If you like mint, muddle a few leaves of fresh mint in the glass – our daughters love this drink!
But you don’t have to stop with drinks! This rhubarb syrup is fantastic poured over scoops of vanilla ice cream, cheesecake, and pound cake. And it has definitely made an appearance on our summertime breakfast table, replacing the traditional maple syrup – served with pancakes, waffles, and French toast.
How to Store Rhubarb Syrup
Properly stored in the fridge, this fresh syrup will keep well for 2 to 3 weeks. Store it in a sealed glass jar or container.
Can You Freeze This?
Yes! It’s easy to freeze this syrup! Simply pour the cooled syrup into a glass jar or container, leaving about 2″ at the top for expansion when it freezes and thaws. It’ll keep well frozen for about 6 months or so. When you’re ready to use it, just let it thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter.
More Rhubarb Recipes:
- Raspberry Rhubarb Skillet Coffee Cake
- Cinnamon Rhubarb Bread
- Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam
- Rhubarb Custard Pie
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Ruby Rhubarb Syrup
Ingredients
- 6 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb – look for red/pink rhubarb for the prettiest color!
- 1½ cups water
- 3 cups sugar
- ½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the rhubarb and water to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook the rhubarb until it is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir to break up and release all of its juices.
- Set a fine mesh strainer lined with a double layer of cheesecloth over a large bowl. Pour the rhubarb mixture through the strainer to remove the pulp. To get the most rhubarb juice out, pull up the corners of the cheesecloth and gently press on it with a wooden spoon to squeeze out the remaining juice. Measure the strained juice and add enough water to equal 3 cups.
- Return the liquid to the saucepan over medium-high heat and stir in the sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar dissolves, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and let cool. Strain again for the clearest ruby syrup, then pour into a container and refrigerate. Keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Nutrition Information:
This post was first published in 2012, then updated in 2022.
I don’t have any regular sugar, do you think this would work with grade b maple syrup?
Try This!
Rhubarb Juice.
Rough cut a seven or eight quart pan full of the biggest, most fat Rhubarb you have. Fill the pan with water. Cook this till the rhubarb is soft. COOL!!! or Burn! Pour the rhubarb threw a cloth covered colander. Hang and/or let sit till All the juice has been extracted. Pour back into to pot and add; 1 – 64oz can of unsweetened pineapple juice, 1 – 3oz raspberry ‘Jello,’ 3c. Sugar or to taste. The original recipe had 5c. of sugar. I thought it was way too sweet. This can then be heated till the sugar is dissolved. Can or freeze. My kids loved it growing up. But now we add ice and Vodka! Woo Wee, what a wonderful nightcap, anytime of the year! Thank you for the Margarita recipe, one farmgirl to another!!
Fun! Thank you so much!
Thank you for the recipe. It is delicious! I used the leftover pulp in some muffins this morning. It was yummy!
I made this tonight, my boys are going to be excited in the morning. Thank you so much.
Hi Stacey – I hope you all liked it!!
Have you ever tried freezing this recipe? I would like to give it a try, but not certain we would have an entire batch used up within a month. Thanks!
Looks yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Brenda!
Your picture is just lovely. This syrup is wonderful in soda water, and I also enjoy using it in my home-brewed kombucha for its second ferment.
Wonderful! I need to make a batch yet this spring!
This came out beautifully, with a nice slightly-tart sweet flavor. Since I only came up with two cups of juice after dripping and pressing, I poured the additional water through my rhubarb pulp to eke out the last of the flavor and color. The syrup is such a pretty color, too.
Wonderful! I’m so glad you liked it, too. Thank you for letting me know. :)
I made a second batch–a double batch–and it came out even better! I extracted about 1/2 cup of the juice with a juicer, but that was about as much as my juicer wanted to do. The rest of it was exactly as you have in the recipe. I love this stuff and have used it in milkshakes, on ice cream, and in homemade soda. :) Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I also love rhubarb and think of my mother when I see, or taste it! I don’t have any growing in my garden and you have inspired me to do just that! This syrup looks like something I NEED to have on hand for the rest of my life! Your photos are fab! Can’t wait to make some. May I share this link on my FB page?:)
I can’t wait to try this! I am crazy about rhubarb.
Mmmm I love Rhubard, this looks delicious!
Love the color! Can’t wait to try this!
Thank you, Maria. It’s stunning – hope you like it, too!
Also, thanks for the cookbook rec! We’re moving to the mid-West (Kansas!) tomorrow and I’m so excited for the new culture. I’m expecting it to be a little like the South I know and love, but slightly different? I can’t wait!
Best wishes on your move!!
My grandma grew rhubarb out by the tractor sheds. My grandpa hated it and every year, he would ‘accidentally’ run the tractor over it. That darn plant loved it! It kept growing bigger & bigger! It always made me giggle how much she loved it & he cursed it.
This syrup looks absolutely delicious.
I told myself (early 20s self), that the moment I bought a house, I would do 2 things: plant rhubarb & plant asparagus (since they both take a while to establish before harvest). Well, it looks like we’re closing on a house on Thursday, so I better get to it, no?
:)
We should be friends :) We’re both farm girls :)
Ha! Rhubarb IS hard to kill!!
Oh, my!! You are going to turn me into a full rhubarb convert yet! I’m drooling over that bowl of berries with ice cream and RRS. If I’d already made some, we could have had that tonight. I did see some good-looking rhubarb today in the grocery so I’ll make a trip back. Hope your week’s going well so far!
Our oldest daughter completely inhaled this syrup over ice cream and berries. This would be a good place to start with rhubarb! :)
This is the first time I have heard about Ruby Rhubarb Syrup and I just remember my Aunt Sue when I hear about it.. Thanks for the post anyway..
I just love the color of this syrup. I don’t think that I ever had had rhubarb but I keep running into recipes this spring that include it. I’m going to keep an eye out for it at the store or farmers market :)
If you like some tart with your sweet, rhubarb is wonderful!
Wow that is stunning!
I like to add a little rhubarb syrup to sparkling water! Make your own Rhubarb Pop! Yum.
I haven’t done that yet…thank you! :)
Rhubarb definetly makes me think of my mom, too. Looks delish!