Rhubarb's Keto-Friendliness: What You Need To Know

Rhubarb is a popular ingredient in keto-friendly recipes. It is low in net carbs, containing 3.12g of net carbs per 100g serving, and is free of harmful ingredients. This makes it an excellent ingredient for those following a keto diet, who need to limit their net carb consumption to 20-30g per day to stay in ketosis.

Rhubarb is often used in keto desserts, such as crumble, cobbler, crisp, and tart. It pairs well with other fruits, such as strawberries, and can be used in both fresh and frozen forms.

When creating keto rhubarb recipes, it is important to consider the other ingredients used. Almond flour, coconut, and low-carb sweeteners are popular choices to keep the dish keto-friendly.

Rhubarb is keto-approved due to its low net carb content

Rhubarb is a vegetable that is often used in desserts and pairs well with other fruits. It has bright red stalks similar to celery and a very tart flavor. When cooked down with a sweetener, it takes on an incredible and unique flavor.

Rhubarb is a great option for those following a keto diet because it is low in net carbs, containing only 3.12g of net carbs per 100g serving. To stay in ketosis, it is recommended to limit net carb consumption to 20-30g per day. In addition to being low in net carbs, rhubarb is also minimally processed and free of harmful ingredients, such as non-keto sweeteners, highly refined oils, and food additives.

When incorporating rhubarb into your keto diet, consider pairing it with healthy fat sources, such as virgin olive oil, grass-fed butter, or MCT oil. This is because the body uses fat as energy while in ketosis, so including these sources in your diet is important.

There are many delicious keto-friendly recipes that utilize rhubarb, such as rhubarb crumble, rhubarb crisp, rhubarb tart, and even keto strawberry rhubarb crumble. These recipes often include other low-carb ingredients, such as almond flour, coconut, and low-carb sweeteners, to create tasty and keto-approved treats.

So, if you're following a keto diet and looking for some tasty rhubarb options, give these recipes a try! With its low net carb content, rhubarb is definitely a keto-approved ingredient.

Rhubarb is a vegetable, though it's often used in desserts

Rhubarb is a versatile ingredient that can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. When it comes to desserts, it is commonly paired with strawberries, custard, and cream. It is also often used to make compotes, jams, and chutneys, which can be served with meat or cheese or used as a filling for tarts and pies.

Rhubarb can also be used to make refreshing cocktails and drinks, such as gin-based beverages and spring cocktails like gimlets and sangrias.

When buying rhubarb, look for thin, red-pink crisp stalks, as these are the freshest. Rhubarb should be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for later use.

• Rhubarb crumble: A classic dessert that combines rhubarb with a crispy, oaty topping.
• Rhubarb crisp: Similar to a crumble but with a truly crispy topping, usually made with almond flour and other low-carb ingredients.
• Rhubarb pie: A traditional dessert with a buttery shortcrust, gooey rhubarb filling, and crumb topping.
• Rhubarb coffee cake: A moist cake with soft chunks of rhubarb and a brown sugar crumb topping.
• Rhubarb ice cream: A simple no-churn ice cream made by beating whipped cream into condensed milk and swirling in stewed rhubarb.
• Rhubarb tarts: Mini galettes filled with a combination of rhubarb and strawberries, sprinkled with lavender sugar and lavender buds.
• Rhubarb cobbler: A rustic-style skillet cake flavoured with large chunks of rhubarb, vanilla, and brown sugar.

Keto rhubarb crisp recipes

Overview

Rhubarb crisp is a classic dessert, but it can be challenging to get the topping crisp and crunchy rather than soft and soggy. The secret is to bake the topping separately from the filling. You can also use frozen rhubarb, which works surprisingly well.

Ingredients

The ingredients for keto rhubarb crisp vary slightly between recipes but typically include:

• Almond flour
• Erythritol-based sweetener (e.g. Swerve, Monk Fruit Erythritol Sweetener)
• Butter
• Rhubarb
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Xanthan gum
• Vanilla extract
• Nuts (e.g. pecans, almonds)
• Coconut flour

Method

The basic method for keto rhubarb crisp is as follows:

• Preheat the oven to 300-350°F.
• Make the topping by mixing together almond flour, sweetener, cinnamon, and salt. Add butter and mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
• For the filling, combine rhubarb, sweetener, and xanthan gum in a baking dish. Add lemon juice, vanilla, and/or stevia extract if desired.
• Cover the filling with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling and the rhubarb is tender.
• Remove the foil and break the cooled topping into pieces. Place the topping over the filling and serve warm, with whipped cream or keto ice cream if desired.

Tips

• Choose the reddest stalks of rhubarb for a gorgeous deep pink colour.
• Erythritol-based sweeteners are a must for a truly crisp topping.
• If you don't like coconut, you can replace it with additional almond flour.
• Press down the topping firmly before baking to help it crisp up.
• Rhubarb is quite juicy, so use a thickener like glucomannan or xanthan gum.
• The topping will become less crisp as it sits, so you may want to keep the filling and topping separate until serving.
• Top with keto vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for a truly indulgent dessert.

Keto rhubarb crumble recipes

Rhubarb crumble is a delicious dessert that can be made keto-friendly by substituting traditional crumble ingredients with low-carb alternatives. Here are some recipes and tips to achieve the perfect keto rhubarb crumble:

Keto Rhubarb Berry Crumble

This recipe replaces apples with berries to reduce carbs while adding sweetness and flavour. It also uses low-carb ingredients like almonds, coconut, and low-carb sweeteners instead of brown sugar and flour.

Ingredients:

• 500 gms rhubarb, trimmed and diced into 1"/2.5 cm chunks
• 500 gms mixed berries (raspberries or strawberries), fresh or frozen
• ¼ cup monk fruit, erythritol, xylitol, or alternate sweetener
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon and a squeeze of lemon juice
• ⅓ cup erythritol, xylitol, or alternate sweetener
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour (optional)
• ¾ cup desiccated coconut
• ⅓ cup flaked or slivered almonds

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 165°C / 330 F fan forced. Simmer the rhubarb, berries, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sweetener in a saucepan over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until the rhubarb softens. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed.

To make the crumble, melt butter with the sweetener until lightly golden. Add the almond meal, coconut, almonds, and salt. Combine to form a chunky mixture.

Place the rhubarb berry mixture into a baking dish and top with the crumble. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Serve hot with cream and/or ice cream.

Keto Rhubarb Crisp

This recipe bakes the topping separately from the filling to achieve a truly crispy topping. It also uses erythritol-based sweeteners like Swerve to ensure the topping crisps up properly.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• ⅓ cup Swerve Brown
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 5 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 2 pounds chopped rhubarb
• ⅓ cup powdered Swerve (adjust to taste)
• ¼ + ⅛ teaspoon glucomannan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300°F. In a food processor, combine almond flour, shredded coconut, chopped pecans, sweetener, cinnamon, and salt. Add butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Spread the mixture on a baking sheet, cover with parchment paper, and press down firmly. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Let it cool, then break into pieces.

Increase the oven temperature to 350°F. In a baking dish, combine rhubarb, sweetener, and glucomannan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until bubbling. Top with the crumble and serve warm with whipped cream or keto ice cream.

Low Carb Rhubarb Crumble

This recipe uses almond flour, flaxseed meal, low-carb sweetener, and butter for the crumble topping. It also recommends Lakanto or Swerve as granulated sweeteners.

Ingredients:

• 6 stalks fresh rhubarb, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp Lakanto or similar sweetener
• ¼ cup flaxseed meal
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Simmer the rhubarb, sweetener, and water in a saucepan until cooked. Meanwhile, make the crumble topping by combining the remaining ingredients and rubbing them together to form large breadcrumbs.

Spread the rhubarb over a small baking dish and sprinkle the topping over it. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Serve on its own or with low-carb ice cream.

The Best Keto Rhubarb Crisp

This recipe features a custard-style filling with sour cream and eggs, resulting in a creamy centre. It also includes a bottom and top crust for extra crunch.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups almond flour
• ¼ cup sukrin brown sugar sweetener (optional)
• 3 tbsp powdered monkfruit erythritol sweetener
• 1/8 tsp salt (adjust if using unsalted butter)
• 5 tbsp salted butter, melted
• ¼ cup chopped pecans (optional)
• ½ cup full-fat sour cream
• 1 tbsp almond flour
• ½ cup powdered monkfruit erythritol sweetener
• 1 ½ cups rhubarb, diced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, whisk crust ingredients (except butter). Add melted butter and mix until crumbly. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine filling ingredients (except rhubarb and xanthan gum). Add rhubarb and xanthan gum, and mix well. Grease an 8x8 inch dish. Pour half of the crumble crust, then the filling, and top with the remaining crumble.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the crust is slightly browned and the filling is bubbly. Serve warm with whipped cream or low-carb ice cream.

Other keto rhubarb dessert recipes

Rhubarb is a keto-approved food, and there are several dessert recipes that use this ingredient. Here are some delicious keto rhubarb dessert recipes to try:

Keto Rhubarb Dream Bars

This is a layered dessert bar with a shortbread crust, a layer of rhubarb custard, and a creamy topping. It is a low-carb, sugar-free version of a classic rhubarb recipe. The recipe uses almond flour, coconut flour, erythritol sweetener, fresh rhubarb, eggs, heavy cream, almond milk, xanthan gum, vanilla extract, cream cheese, and sugar-free cool whip. The bars are baked in a 9 x 13-inch pan and then chilled before serving.

Keto Rhubarb Crisp

This dessert features a sweet-tart rhubarb filling and a crispy, sugar-free, and grain-free topping. The key to achieving a truly crispy topping is to bake it separately from the filling. The recipe uses almond flour, shredded coconut, pecans, Swerve sweetener, butter, and rhubarb. The filling is baked first, then the topping is added and the dessert is served warm with whipped cream or keto ice cream.

Keto Rhubarb Berry Crumble

This dessert is a twist on the classic crumble, using rhubarb and berries instead of apples. The recipe is low-carb and sugar-free, replacing traditional crumble ingredients like brown sugar and flour with almonds, coconut, and low-carb sweeteners. It can be served hot with cream or ice cream, or enjoyed cold for breakfast with Greek yogurt.

Low Carb Rhubarb Crumble

This sugar-free and gluten-free rhubarb crumble is another delicious option for a keto-friendly dessert. The base is made by simmering rhubarb with a sweetener of choice, and the crumble topping is made with almond flour, flaxseed meal, and butter. The dessert is baked until golden brown and can be served on its own or with low-carb vanilla ice cream.

In addition to these recipes, you can also try keto strawberry rhubarb sauce, rhubarb coffee cake, or strawberry rhubarb crisp. You can also make a low-carb version of the traditional English dessert, April Rhubarb Fool, by folding puréed rhubarb into whipped cream and sweetening it with a keto-friendly sweetener.

Frequently asked questions