15 Minute Thick Rhubarb Compote with Ginger

It’s officially rhubarb season…and you need this easy rhubarb compote with ginger in your life! Just 4 simple pantry ingredients, it’s lower in sugar than most recipes to celebrate the sweet-tart flavour of rhubarb with just the right amount of ginger.

You probably have never heard anyone describe rhubarb as comfort food…but it absolutely falls into that category for me, which is probably why I am on a tear creating rhubarb recipes like my rustic rhubarb galette and now this very good, thick, sweet-tart rhubarb compote!

Rhubarb is one of the foods forever linked to my childhood, because my avo (Portuguese for grandmother) had massive rhubarb plants in her garden. While my cousins were fans of dipping the raw stalks in sugar – something I never caught on with – I greedily gobbled up any pie or crumble my grandmother made.

As far as plant-based recipes go, rhubarb is far more versatile than you might expect: you could make a crumble. A pie. A muffin. I actually love fruit-forward dessert recipes more than chocolate. (If you’ve got a copy of my book Good For Your Gut, I highly recommend than you make the blackberry crumble bars because they are out of this world!) But you could also take in a more savoury direction by pickling it, making a chutney or adding to a stew. 

Also, random dietitian nerd fact: rhubarb is actually a vegetable, not a fruit! Also see: tomatoes and cucumbers are fruits, not vegetables.

Fall in love with this easy rhubarb compote!

Now is what you would call a good time to get to the farmer’s market and grab some of this late spring treat. And maybe put a rhubarb plant in your garden and get ready for years of deliciousness! Let’s get compote-ing.

This easy rhubarb compote is the perfect way to fall in love with rhubarb because it is SO much easier to make than jam and can even more versatile. Just keep some in the fridge and enjoy it all week long on overnight oats, ice cream, pancakes, yogurt bowls or – my fave – piled onto a piece of sprouted grain or sourdough toast! The ginger is such a perfect partner to rhubarb and really takes this compote over the top.

FAQ: Do I need to peel rhubarb?

Rhubarb is at its peak in late spring and early summer: the stalks are tender and do not require peeling. As the season goes on, rhubarb tends to get a bit tougher, so if you are harvesting later in the season, you may enjoy peeling away the tougher outer layer before using.

I like my compote thick so it doesn’t make my toast soggy – if yours looks a little too dry, just add a splash of water at a time until it looks right.

Tips, tricks and substitutions

• You can store this compote in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it in a freezer bag (be sure to remove all the air!) laying flat in the freezer for up to a month or two.
• Don’t want to use sugar? You can absolutely substitute maple syrup.
• Flavour variations: you could try this with a bit of lemon zest or a squeeze of lemon juice for freshness, swap out the ginger with a bit of cardamom or cinnamon too. Both go so well with rhubarb.

More rhubarb desserts

• Nourishing Rhubarb and Rolled Oat Crisp
• Easy Rhubarb Galette
• Roasted Rhubarb Spice Muffins