Rhubarb Applesauce

Marie Overton
May 26, 2022
2 min read

Updated: Mar 29

Growing up in Washington I was not a stranger to Rhubarb. My siblings and I would eat it all summer long, freshly picked and dipped in sugar. I love the sweet and sour taste of rhubarb applesauce.

This recipe makes approximately 7-Quarts of Rhubarb Applesauce.

Ingredients:

15 lbs Apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)
6 lbs Rhubarb (chopped)
1/2 cup water (more as needed)
2 cups Sugar
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Prepare Ingredients and Cook Applesauce:

Person using a teal apple peeler on a countertop. Red apples are nearby. They wear a beige apron with "Marin" text in a kitchen setting.

Peel, core, and slice 15 lbs of apples and chop 6 lbs of rhubarb.

Place them into a large pot on the stove. Add 1/2 cup water and soften the apples. Keep an eye on the apples, stirring them regularly to ensure they soften without burning. Add additional water as needed if the liquid cooks off too much.

Person in red shirt and beige apron using blender filled with green soup in a kitchen setting. Stainless steel pot and red appliance visible.

Blend the soft apples and rhubarb to the consistency that you like for your sauce.

Add 2 cups of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Cook until it reaches your desired thickness.

Canning Rhubarb Applesauce:

Person in apron ladles liquid into jars through a funnel in a kitchen. Counter holds more jars and a pot. Apron reads "Mar". Warm, busy mood.

Using a jar funnel, fill the quart jars with rhubarb applesauce leaving 1/2-inch of headspace.

Make sure to de-bubble the jars and wipe the rim before adding the lid and ring.

Person wearing an apron seals jars of yellow puree in a kitchen. Stainless steel pots and a textured countertop background.

Place the lid on top of the jar and add the ring. Tighten the ring to fingertip tight and process in a boiling water bath canner for 20 minutes if at sea level. Remember to adjust your processing time if you are above 1000 feet in elevation.

Seven jars of green sauce on a kitchen counter. A person uses tongs to lift one jar. Apron text partially visible, cozy setting.

Once your Rhubarb Applesauce has completed processing, turn off the heat, remove the lid and allow the jars to cool for 5 minutes. Then, place the jars on a heat resistant surface 1-2 inches apart. Allow them to rest for 24 hours to cool and completely seal.

Next, remove the ring and wash off the jar, paying particular attention to the threads.

Jars of applesauce on a counter with red apples, a spoon in a small pink bowl, and a larger blue bowl. The setting is a cozy kitchen.

If your jar did not seal, then place it in the fridge and use it immediately. Store the sealed jars in your cool, dry, dark pantry to enjoy for the next 1-3 years. After three years the nutritional value of canned food diminishes. The quality is best in the first year.

If you have any questions about canning with a pressure canner or how to adjust the pressure or processing time for altitude, take a look at our canning basics videos.