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Rhubarb applesauce combines two homegrown favorites into one rosy pink sauce that’s tangy, sweet, and perfect for spooning over everything from oatmeal to pork chops.
The rhubarb adds a bright tartness that wakes up basic applesauce, and the color is beautiful: a soft blush pink that looks lovely in jars on the pantry shelf.
This recipe has been reviewed for safety and accuracy by a Master Food Preserver certified through the University of Cornell Cooperative Extension.
This is still applesauce at heart, so you can it using the same hot-pack, boiling-water canner method as you’d use for standard applesauce canning. The rhubarb cooks down quickly alongside the apples, and the whole thing gets pureed to a smooth sauce before canning. It’s a simple project that makes good use of early spring rhubarb or frozen rhubarb you’ve stashed away.
Rhubarb is quite acidic, so there’s no need to add lemon juice for safe canning. The combination of rhubarb and apples creates a sauce that’s tangy enough to balance out rich, fatty foods but still mild enough for kids to enjoy on toast or stirred into yogurt.
Fresh or frozen rhubarb both work well here. Frozen rhubarb actually breaks down faster since the cell walls have already been ruptured by freezing. If you have rhubarb in the freezer from spring, this is an excellent way to use it up in fall when apples are at their peak.
Notes from My Kitchen
I started making rhubarb applesauce as a way to use up the last of the frozen rhubarb before the new season started. It turned out to be one of those happy accidents that became a regular part of my canning rotation. The pink color is so pretty, and the flavor is more interesting than plain applesauce without being weird or unfamiliar. It’s similar to cranberry applesauce and strawberry applesauce, but with its own unique flavor.
My kids love this version because it’s a little tangier than regular applesauce but still sweet enough to feel like a treat. It’s also become my go-to sauce for serving alongside pork roast or sausages. The tartness cuts through the richness in a way that plain applesauce doesn’t quite manage.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Recipe Name: Rhubarb Applesauce
- Recipe Type: Mixed Fruit Applesauce
- Canning Method: Water Bath Canning or Steam Canning
- Prep Time: About 20 minutes
- Cook Time: About 20 minutes
- Canning Time: 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts
- Yield: About 4 pints
- Jar Sizes: Quarter pints, half pints, pints, or quarts
- Headspace: 1/2 inch
- Ingredients Overview: Apples, rhubarb, water or juice, and optional sugar
- Safe Canning Recipe Source: University of Georgia Extension (fruit puree method)
- Difficulty: Easy
- Similar Recipes: This is similar to other fruit and applesauce blends, like pomegranate applesauce, but the flavor is closer to rhubarb canning recipes like rhubarb sauce and rhubarb jam, with but with less sugar.
Ingredients
All you really need is rhubarb and sliced apples, plus a bit of water or juice to get the mixture cooking without scorching. Sugar is optional but helps balance the tartness of the rhubarb.
- Apples: 16 cups sliced (about 4 pounds prepared, or 5 to 5½ pounds as purchased). Choose sweet, flavorful apples that cook down quickly for the smoothest sauce.
- Rhubarb: 8 cups sliced (about 2 pounds). Fresh or frozen work equally well. Cut into ½ inch pieces.
- Water or Juice: 6 cups. Apple juice or apple cider adds extra flavor, but water works fine.
- Sugar: ½ to 1 cup (optional). Rhubarb is quite tart, so you may want more sugar than you’d use for plain applesauce. Add gradually and taste as you go.
You can use any type of apples, but sweet, aromatic varieties that fall apart when cooked work best for sauce. Peeling is optional; if you leave the peels on, run the finished sauce through a food mill to remove them.
Step by Step Instructions
This is a simple recipe, and all you’re doing is cooking the fruit until tender, blending or food milling, and then canning.
Cook the Fruit
Combine the sliced apples, rhubarb, and water or juice in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook, stirring often, until the apples are completely tender and the rhubarb has broken down into the sauce. If the pot starts to look dry at the bottom, add a splash more liquid and keep stirring so nothing scorches. Total cook time is usually 15 to 25 minutes on the stovetop.
This can also be made in a slow cooker. Most slow cookers make applesauce in about 3 to 4 hours on high, or 6 to 8 hours on low, stirring occasionally.
Puree the Sauce
Once the fruit is tender, puree to your preferred texture. A food mill gives the smoothest sauce and neatly removes any peels. An immersion blender works well too. However you blend it, make sure the finished sauce is a true puree with no large chunks, since an even texture helps ensure consistent heat penetration during canning.
Season and Reheat
Stir in sugar if using, starting with ½ cup and adding more to taste. Rhubarb is quite tart, so taste as you go. Bring the applesauce back to a full boil before canning.
Fill Jars
Ladle the boiling hot rhubarb applesauce into hot pint jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, adjust headspace if needed, wipe rims, and apply lids and bands to fingertip tight.
Canning Rhubarb Applesauce
Without canning, rhubarb applesauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to a year. For shelf-stable storage, process the filled jars in a boiling water bath.
Prepare your water bath canner while you’re cooking the fruit. Lower the filled jars into the canner, making sure they’re covered by at least 1 inch of water. Process for 15 minutes for pints or 20 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude as noted below.
When processing is complete, turn off the heat, let jars rest in the canner for 5 minutes, then remove and cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours before checking seals.
Altitude Adjustments
For water bath canning, processing times increase at higher elevations:
- 0 to 1,000 feet: 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts
- 1,001 to 3,000 feet: 20 minutes for pints, 25 minutes for quarts
- 3,001 to 6,000 feet: 20 minutes for pints, 30 minutes for quarts
- Above 6,000 feet: 25 minutes for pints, 35 minutes for quarts
Yield Notes
This recipe is written for a 4-pint batch. If you’d like to scale it up or down, here are the quantities for a single pint:
- Apples: 4 cups sliced, which is about 1 pound prepared (peeled, cored, sliced), or about 4 medium apples as purchased
- Rhubarb: 2 cups sliced (about 8 ounces or ½ pound)
- Liquid: 1½ cups water or juice
- Sugar (optional): About 2 to 4 tablespoons per pint, adjusted to taste
For the full 4-pint batch, you’ll need about 5 to 5½ pounds of apples as purchased (which yields 4 pounds prepared) and 2 pounds of rhubarb. Frozen rhubarb doesn’t need to be thawed before cooking.
Serving Ideas
Rhubarb applesauce works anywhere you’d use regular applesauce, but it’s especially good in places where a little extra tang is welcome. Serve it alongside roasted pork, grilled sausages, or baked ham. The tartness cuts through rich, fatty meats beautifully.
For breakfast, spoon it over oatmeal, yogurt, or pancakes. It’s also lovely swirled into cottage cheese or layered in a parfait with granola. The pink color makes it look more special than plain applesauce.
In baking, use rhubarb applesauce as a substitute for regular applesauce in cakes, muffins, and quick breads. It adds moisture and a subtle tang that works well in spice cakes and oatmeal cookies.
Rhubarb Applesauce FAQs
Yes, frozen rhubarb works perfectly and doesn’t need to be thawed first. Freezing actually breaks down the cell walls, so frozen rhubarb cooks down even faster than fresh. Just add it to the pot frozen along with the apples and liquid.
No. Rhubarb is naturally very acidic, even more so than most fruits. Combined with apples (which are also acidic), this sauce is plenty safe for water bath canning without any added lemon juice.
Yes, sugar is optional and not required for safe canning. However, rhubarb is quite tart on its own, so most people prefer at least a little sugar to balance the flavor. Taste as you go and add only as much as you need.
Sweet, aromatic apples that cook down quickly work best. Good choices include McIntosh, Cortland, Fuji, Golden Delicious, and Jonagold. Avoid very firm apples like Granny Smith, which take longer to break down and can result in a grainier texture.
Rhubarb Canning Recipes
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Rhubarb Applesauce
Equipment
- Pint or Quart Mason Jars
- Canning lids and bands
- Large heavy-bottomed pot
- Food Mill or Immersion Blender
Ingredients
- 16 cups sliced apples, about 4 lbs prepared, 5-5½ lbs as purchased
- 8 cups sliced rhubarb, about 2 lbs, fresh or frozen
- 6 cups water or apple juice
- ½-1 cup sugar, optional, adjust to taste
Instructions
- Combine sliced apples, rhubarb, and water or juice in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until apples are completely tender and rhubarb has broken down, 15-25 minutes.
- Puree to your preferred texture using a food mill (for smoothest sauce) or immersion blender. Make sure finished sauce is a true puree with no large chunks.
- Stir in sugar if using, starting with 1/2 cup and adding more to taste. Bring applesauce back to a full boil.
- Ladle boiling hot applesauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, center lids, and apply bands to fingertip tight.
- Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes for pints or 20 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude. Let stand in canner 5 minutes before removing.
Notes
No Lemon Juice Needed
Rhubarb is naturally very acidic, so no lemon juice is required for safe canning.Recipe Yield and Scaling
This recipe makes about 4 pints. For a single pint, use: 4 cups sliced apples (1 lb prepared), 2 cups sliced rhubarb (8 oz), 1½ cups water or juice, and 2-4 Tbsp sugar to taste. For the full batch, you’ll need about 5-5½ lbs apples as purchased and 2 lbs rhubarb.Altitude Adjustments
- 0 to 1,000 feet: 15 minutes pints, 20 minutes quarts
- 1,001 to 3,000 feet: 20 minutes pints, 25 minutes quarts
- 3,001 to 6,000 feet: 20 minutes pints, 30 minutes quarts
- Above 6,000 feet: 25 minutes pints, 35 minutes quarts
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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