How to Use Freeze-Dried Rhubarb (With a Rhubarb Bread Recipe)

Freeze-dried rhubarb rehydrates in about 5 minutes and works in almost anything you'd use fresh rhubarb for — pies, breads, sauces. Below is a real rhubarb bread recipe from a Harvest Right customer who freeze-dried an entire windfall of it, plus the exact rehydration method she used.

A Reader's Story: Debra's Free Rhubarb Windfall

Debra M. from Rexburg, Idaho, found more rhubarb than she knew what to do with through a neighborhood email list — free for the taking. She freeze-dried it and ended up with about 7 quarts, vacuum-sealed into 2-quart containers for later use. Her first project with it was a rhubarb bread, and she shared the recipe with us.

How to Rehydrate Freeze-Dried Rhubarb

Cover the freeze-dried rhubarb with water and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Since dried pieces tend to float, set a canning lid inside the mason jar to hold them under the water. Drain thoroughly before using it in a recipe.

Debra's Rhubarb Bread

A crunchy-topped, sweet and nutty quick bread built around rehydrated rhubarb.

Topping:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon soft butter

Wet ingredients:

• 1½ cups brown sugar
• 2/3 cup oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Dry ingredients:

• 2½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions:

1. Fold 2 cups of rehydrated, drained freeze-dried rhubarb into the dry ingredients.
2. Fold in 1½ cups of nuts.
3. Combine the wet and dry mixtures.
4. Pour into 3 small or 2 medium greased loaf pans.
5. Sprinkle the sugar-butter topping over each loaf.
6. Bake at 350°F for 40–45 minutes.

More Ways to Use Your Freeze-Dried Harvest

If rhubarb season leaves you with more than you can use fresh, freeze-drying it — like Debra did — is the easiest way to stretch it well past the season. The same rehydrate-and-cook approach works for other freeze-dried ingredients too; see using freeze-dried herbs in cooking for another example. And if you're new to freeze-drying overall, our beginner's guide covers the basics before you start. For a full list of what freeze-dries well, see foods you can freeze dry.

Thinking about freeze-drying your own harvest? See the full freeze dryer lineup to find the right size.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you rehydrate freeze-dried rhubarb? 
Cover it with water and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Since the pieces float, weighing them down with a canning lid inside a mason jar keeps them fully submerged. Drain well before using.

Can you bake with freeze-dried rhubarb the same way you'd use fresh?
Yes, once it's rehydrated and drained — it folds into batters and doughs the same way fresh rhubarb would, as in the rhubarb bread recipe above.

How much freeze-dried rhubarb do you get from a fresh batch?
It varies by batch size, but one reader freeze-dried a large windfall of fresh rhubarb into about 7 quarts, which she vacuum-sealed into 2-quart containers for later use.

What else can I make with rehydrated freeze-dried rhubarb besides bread?
Anything that calls for fresh rhubarb works — pies, sauces, and compotes are all good next steps once you've got the rehydration method down.