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Rhubarb lemonade concentrate bottles up that tart-sweet flavor of early summer to enjoy long after the rhubarb is gone. Instead of turning the stalks into another jar of jam, you capture them as a punchy concentrate that mixes into instant lemonade whenever you want it.
Table of Contents
- Notes from My Kitchen
- Quick Look at the Recipe
- Rhubarb Lemonade Concentrate Ingredients
- Adjust the Ratio to Your Taste
- Yield Notes
- How to Make Rhubarb Lemonade Concentrate
- Canning Rhubarb Lemonade Concentrate
- Waterbath Canning Altitude Adjustments
- Serving Ideas
- Rhubarb Lemonade FAQs
- Rhubarb Canning Recipes
- Rhubarb Lemonade Concentrate Recipe
- Drink Canning Recipes
This recipe has been reviewed for safety and accuracy by a Master Food Preserver certified through the University of Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Rhubarb can be prolific, so when it’s coming in faster than you can use it, this is a good way to put some up. Alongside the usual rhubarb canning recipes like rhubarb jam and rhubarb syrup, a drink concentrate is a way to hold onto that early-summer flavor in a different form.
This homemade rhubarb lemonade concentrate is something apart from all the jams and spreads, and it’s a good way to use up a big flush of stalks while capturing the tart rhubarb flavor in a glass you can pour all year long.
This recipe is based on a tested canning method for fruit purees from the NCHFP, and it’s one of more than a dozen lemonade concentrate canning recipes I’ve built on those guidelines, from strawberry lemonade concentrate to blueberry lemonade concentrate. It’s also close to canning rhubarb juice on its own.
Rhubarb is a juice version rather than a puree (like the strawberry version). You simmer the stalks and strain out the juice, then combine it with lemon and sugar. Because rhubarb is quite tart and acidic on its own, this recipe leans on it to do some of the work.
Rhubarb juice is plenty acidic and is safe for canning on its own without the lemon or sugar, so feel free to adjust the proportions to suit your tastes.
Notes from My Kitchen
Rhubarb can be prolific, and when it’s producing, it’s producing. I can only bake so many crisps before I start looking for other ways to use up the pile on the counter. This concentrate is what I make when I want something that feels a little special, without an all-day canning session to get there.
I like opening a jar on a hot afternoon and mixing a quick pitcher for the porch, and I lean on it when company shows up or I’m tired of plain iced tea. It’s a little tangy, and it gives you the refreshing flavor of rhubarb long after spring has come and gone.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Recipe Name: Canning Rhubarb Lemonade Concentrate
- Recipe Type: Fruit Drink Concentrate
- Canning Method: Waterbath Canning
- Prep/Cook Time: About 1 hour (mostly straining juice)
- Canning Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: About 5 pints
- Jar Sizes: Half Pint, Pint or Quart
- Headspace: 1/4 inch
- Ingredients Overview: Rhubarb juice, lemon juice and sugar
- Safe Canning Recipe Source: Fruit puree canning times consistent with National Center for Home Food Preservation guidance
- Difficulty: Easy! Once you’ve extracted the juice, everything is quickly heated and ladled into jars for processing
- Similar Recipes: The process is similar to other fruit based lemonade concentrates, including Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate and Blueberry Lemonade Concentrate, and it’s close to Canning Rhubarb Juice. You can put up the plain version with Canning Lemonade.
Rhubarb Lemonade Concentrate Ingredients
This concentrate is essentially a homemade rhubarb syrup balanced with lemon juice, then canned for shelf stability. You cook the rhubarb with a little water to extract the juice, strain it, and turn that juice into a canning-safe concentrate with lemon and sugar.
- Rhubarb Juice: Provides the tart rhubarb base and rosy color, made by simmering rhubarb with water and straining
- Lemon Juice: Adds classic lemonade flavor and a little extra acidity
- Sugar: Balances the tartness and gives the concentrate body so it tastes full when diluted
You can use fresh or bottled lemon juice here. Fresh, strained well, gives the fullest flavor, while bottled is convenient and has a steady acidity. Rhubarb is quite acidic on its own, which is why this recipe uses less lemon than the other fruit concentrates and still stays well within a safe range for water bath canning.
Adjust the Ratio to Your Taste
Both the rhubarb juice and the lemon juice are safe to can on their own, so the exact ratio is up to you. Rhubarb is acidic enough that it stands in for part of the lemon here, which is why this recipe uses less lemon than the others. Lean toward more rhubarb or more lemon to suit your taste, and raise or lower the sugar however you like, all without affecting whether the concentrate is safe to can.
The sugar is there for flavor and body, not preservation, so cutting it back changes only the taste. Straining is a quality choice too. Run the rhubarb through a jelly bag for a clearer juice, or use a fine-mesh strainer and don’t worry if it comes out a little cloudy.
Yield Notes
A “batch” of rhubarb lemonade concentrate uses:
- 6 cups rhubarb juice (from about 9 cups diced rhubarb, roughly 2.5 to 3 pounds, simmered with 3 cups water)
- 2 cups lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
- 6 cups sugar
That should make a canner batch of about 5 pints. (See notes on yields)
How to Make Rhubarb Lemonade Concentrate
You’ll make the rhubarb juice first, then turn it into a concentrate and can it while it’s hot.
Juice and Strain the Lemons
Start by juicing the lemons, then strain the juice well to remove seeds and pulp. Lemon pulp can add bitterness, so it is worth straining it out before combining everything. Set the strained lemon juice aside.
Extract the Rhubarb Juice
Chop the rhubarb and combine it with water in a pot, then simmer until the stalks are completely soft and the liquid is strongly flavored. Strain it through a jelly bag or a fine-mesh strainer, lining it with cheesecloth if you want a clearer juice, and measure out the rhubarb juice you need. Plan on about 9 cups of diced rhubarb, roughly 2.5 to 3 pounds, simmered with 3 cups of water, to get the 6 cups of juice this batch calls for.
Heat the Concentrate
Combine the rhubarb juice, strained lemon juice, and sugar in a clean pot. Stir to start dissolving the sugar, then heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring often, until the sugar has fully dissolved and it reaches 190 degrees F. Do not let it boil. You want it hot and well mixed, but not cooked hard.
Canning Rhubarb Lemonade Concentrate
Since there’s rhubarb juice in this recipe, the canning time is a bit longer than when you’re canning plain lemonade.
Prepare a water bath canner, jars, lids, and rings before you begin filling jars. Keep the jars hot until needed.
Ladle the hot concentrate into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims, adjust the lids, and load the jars into the canner. Process the jars for 15 minutes (half pints, pints, and quarts are all the same), adjusting for altitude.
When the processing time is complete, turn off the heat and let the jars sit in the canner for 5 minutes before removing them. Set them on a towel to cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. After cooling, check seals and store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator. Properly sealed jars can be stored in the pantry, and you should refrigerate after opening.
This recipe follows the canning times for “fruit purees” as set out by the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Their times for all three jar sizes are the same. Do not can this in half gallon jars, the largest size jar allowable is quart.
(This exact same recipe could also be frozen in freezer-safe jars with appropriate 1” headspace.)
Waterbath Canning Altitude Adjustments
The altitude adjustments for water bath canning Rhubarb Lemonade Concentrate are as follows:
- For Under 1,000 Feet in Elevation – 15 minutes for half pints, pints, and quarts
- For 1,001 to 6,000 Feet in Elevation – 20 minutes for half pints, pints, and quarts
- Above 6,000 Feet in Elevation – 25 minutes for half pints, pints, and quarts
Once the jars are sealed and shelf-stable, all that is left is turning the concentrate back into lemonade.
Serving Ideas
To reconstitute, mix 1 part concentrate with 3 parts water. For a 1 pint jar, you’d add 3 pints of water. For simplicity, you can just add a pint to a half-gallon mason jar, which holds 4 pints, and then fill it up the rest of the way with cold water.
That gives you a rhubarb lemonade that’s tart and refreshing, and you can adjust to your own tastes. It’s also good with sparkling water for a fizzy rhubarb soda, mixed half and half with iced tea, poured into a pitcher with sliced lemons and a handful of berries, or drizzled over shaved ice and summer fruit.
Rhubarb Lemonade FAQs
A pint jar (2 cups) of rhubarb lemonade concentrate makes about 1/2 gallon (8 cups) of prepared lemonade. Mix 1 part concentrate with 3 parts water, then adjust to taste. That’s 2 cups concentrate with 6 cups water.
You do need to strain the cooked rhubarb to get a juice, but how clear you make it is up to you. Strain it through a jelly bag for a clearer juice, or use a fine-mesh strainer if you don’t mind it a little cloudy. That only changes how the finished drink looks, not whether it’s safe to can.
Both fresh and bottled lemon juice work here. Fresh, strained well, gives the fullest flavor. If you choose bottled juice, make sure it is plain lemon juice with no added ingredients that would affect flavor.
If you’re looking for other ways to put up a rhubarb harvest, there are plenty more rhubarb canning recipes to try, from rhubarb jam and rhubarb jelly to a simple rhubarb syrup.
Rhubarb Canning Recipes
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Rhubarb Lemonade Concentrate
Equipment
- Canning Jars, Lids and Bands
Ingredients
For the Rhubarb Juice
- 9 cups diced rhubarb
- 3 cups water
For the Concentrate
- 6 cups rhubarb juice, from above
- 2 cups lemon juice, fresh or bottled
- 6 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
Make the Rhubarb Juice
- Combine the diced rhubarb and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the stalks are completely soft and falling apart and the liquid is strongly flavored, about 15 minutes. Simmer gently, and keep the pot covered.
- Strain through a jelly bag or a fine-mesh strainer lined with damp cheesecloth, and let it drain. For a clearer juice, do not press the pulp. For a little more yield, press gently. Measure out the rhubarb juice you need for the concentrate.
- At this point, the lemon juice and sugar are optional, and it's perfectly fine to can plain rhubarb juice with these instructions with no additions. To make a propper lemonade concentrate recipe, the juice is mixed with a good bit of lemon juice and sugar for flavor.
Make and Can the Concentrate
- Before you fill jars, prepare a water bath canner and bring the water up to a simmer, and wash your jars and lids in hot soapy water. Keep the jars hot until you fill them so they do not crack when they meet the hot concentrate. There is no need to sterilize, since the jars are processed for more than 10 minutes.
- Juice the lemons and strain the juice well to remove seeds and pulp, which can add bitterness. Set the strained lemon juice aside.
- Combine the rhubarb juice, lemon juice, and sugar in a clean pot. Stir well so the sugar begins to dissolve before the mixture heats up.
- Heat over medium heat, stirring often, until the sugar has fully dissolved and the mixture reaches 190°F. That is hot and steaming, just short of a simmer, so a thermometer takes the guesswork out of it. Do not let it boil.
- Ladle the hot concentrate into the prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Run a bubble tool or thin spatula around the inside of each jar to release trapped air, then wipe the rims with a clean damp cloth.
- Center a lid on each jar and screw the band down to fingertip tight. Load the jars into the canner, making sure they are covered by an inch or two of water.
- Bring the canner to a full rolling boil, then process for 15 minutes, adjusting the time for your altitude (see notes). Start timing only once the water reaches a full boil.
- When the time is up, turn off the heat and let the jars sit in the canner for 5 minutes before lifting them out. That short rest keeps the liquid from siphoning out.
- Set the jars on a towel and leave them undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Do not retighten the bands while they cool, and you may hear them ping as they seal.
- After cooling, check the seals by pressing the center of each lid. A sealed lid will not flex. Store sealed jars in the pantry, and move any that did not seal to the refrigerator to use first.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looking to put up more than just rhubarb? These other drink canning recipes are worth a look.
Drink Canning Recipes
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Hello, I did a triple batch and only got 8 cups of juice from 27 cups of rhubarb. Why is this? Thanks
It seems like you had really dry rhubarb? With a triple batch, you should have started with 9 cups liquid, and then simmering it with the rhubarb should have given you quite a bit of juice. I’m kind of confused how you ended up with less juice than the water you started with even with all that rhubarb.
I followed the instructions on making the juice but it only yielded 3 cups. Can I dilute this to make 6 cups or make another batch?
Wow, your rhubarb must have been pretty dry, especially starting with 3 cups water. That can happen though. I’d say make another batch and combine them.
Rhubarb has such a wonderful flavor in lemonade, and this is one of the easiest ways to put it up, especially with stringy late-season rhubarb. Everything gets strained out, so you’re just getting great flavor with enough sugar to balance all that tart. It comes out super refreshing and perfect for summer.
How long will this last in the fridge after opening? I have made this a few time and did add honey and small amount of sugar. Taste great.
So glad it’s been a hit, and honey is a lovely way to sweeten it! Once opened, keep it in the fridge and use it within about 1 to 2 weeks. Enjoy!
In the recipe it says it is a concentrate, when you go to use it, do you add more water?
Yes, it’s a concentrate, so you dilute it when you serve. Mix 1 part concentrate with 3 parts water, so a pint of concentrate plus 3 pints of water makes about a half gallon. You can adjust it a little stronger or weaker to taste. Enjoy!
It would be wonderful to have this without sugar. Can you use honey or another sweetener ?
Yes, you’ve got options here! This is a high-acid concentrate, so the lemon juice and the rhubarb’s own tartness are what keep it safe on the shelf. The sugar is just for flavor, so you can swap in honey, use another sweetener, cut the sugar way back, or even can it unsweetened and just sweeten each glass when you serve it. If you go with honey, start with less than the sugar called for since it’s sweeter, and know it’ll add a bit of honey flavor and may darken the jars over time. Enjoy!