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Rhubarb Custard Bars

April 24, 2024 by Lindsay 29 Comments

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These Rhubarb Custard Bars are the perfect spring party dessert! It’s the perfect combination of shortbread crust, custard, rhubarb and cream cheese frosting that everyone will love.

rhubarb custard bars

*Originally published 6/2011. Updated 4/2024*

Hi Friends!

If you’re looking for a delicious way to use up some of the beautiful rhubarb that you might see in the garden or on grocery store shelves during the spring and early summer months, these Rhubarb Custard Bars are worth a try!

I first published this recipe way back in 2011 because it’s one of my dad’s very favorite desserts. When I saw some rhubarb at the store the other day, I decided it was high time to make a batch and show you all just how easy and delicious they are.

How To Make Rhubarb Custard Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

These bars have 3 layers but each one is super easy to put together.

To make the shortbread crust, just mix together some flour and sugar and then cut in cold butter until you have a crumbly mixture. Press it into the bottom of a pan and stick it in the oven. It will look super dry and crumbly but will come together in the oven as the butter melts.

While the crust is cooking, mix together the custard. Simply whisk together a little flour, eggs, milk and sugar. Then stir in the sliced rhubarb. Pour the mixture over the crust when it’s done baking and stick it back in the oven.

Once the bars have cooked and cooled to room temperature, it’s time to make the frosting. Use an electric mixer to mix some cream cheese, cool whip and vanilla. Then add powdered sugar until the frosting is sweet enough for you. Spread it over the top of the bars and enjoy!


Best Rhubarb Custard Bars

creamy rhubarb custard bars

Here’s how you make them:

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Rhubarb Custard Bars with Shortbread Crust

rhubarb custard dessert bars
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These Rhubarb Custard Bars are the perfect spring party dessert! It’s the perfect combination of shortbread crust, custard, rhubarb and cream cheese frosting that everyone will love.

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Yield: serves 12 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Crust

  • 1.5 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 8 Tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Filling

  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1.5 cups milk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 5 cups sliced rhubarb (fresh or frozen)

Frosting

  • 8 oz cream cheese, room temp
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup cool whip, thawed
  • 1/2 – 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Combine 1.5 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add cold, cubed butter and use a pastry blender to cut butter in until mixture is crumbly.
  3. Press mixture evenly into a 9×13 pan lined with parchment paper. Mixture will be very dry and crumbly.
  4. Bake for 15 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, combine 1/3 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, milk and eggs in a bowl and whisk until well combined.
  6. Stir in rhubarb.
  7. When the crust is done baking, pour rhubarb mixture over crust and bake 40-45 minutes or until set.
  8. Cool to room temperature.
  9. To make the frosting, combine cream cheese, vanilla and cool whip. Beat with an electric mixture until smooth.
  10. Add powdered sugar, tasting as you add until desired sweetness is reached.
  11. Spread topping over bars once they’re cooled. Cut and serve.
  12. Store in the fridge.

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Old Fashioned Rhubarb Custard Bars FAQs

What makes rhubarb a good choice for custard bars?

In case you’re not familiar, rhubarb is often described as red celery. It grows in stalks similar to celery and has leafy greens at the top. In it’s raw form, rhubarb is quite tart. It lends itself well to baking because it can be added to sweet desserts for a bit of a contrasting flavor for a nice balance of tart and sweet. It also holds up well when baked and maintains its shape.

Can frozen rhubarb be used in this recipe and if so, how does it affect the cooking process?

Yes! You are welcome to use frozen sliced rhubarb. No need to thaw ahead of time, just use as directed in the recipe.

What are some alternative crust options for these rhubarb custard bars?

You could make these with a graham cracker crust if you wanted to or try something a little different like a gingersnap crust.

How can you tell when the rhubarb custard bars are perfectly cooked?

When the bars are done, the custard should be set. The outside should be firm and slightly jiggly in the middle.

rhubarb custard shortbread bars

Can the sugar in the recipe be substituted with a healthier alternative?

You can play around with cutting back the sugar in this recipe if you want to. Try cutting back to 2/3 or 3/4 cup in the custard part or cutting back on the amount added to the frosting.

How do you store rhubarb custard bars? What the best way to store them?

Since these bars have a cream cheese frosting, they need to be stored in the refrigerator. I usually just cut and store in a glass container with a lid.

Is it possible to make a gluten-free version of these bars?

Yes! Just use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend (I like King Arthur Measure for Measure) in place of the flour to make these bars gluten-free.

Can other fruits be combined with rhubarb for a different flavor profile in these bars?

You could try. Some fruits like strawberries and raspberries that would mix well with rhubarb tend to have a higher water content and may affect the set of the custard.

What are some serving suggestions or garnish ideas for rhubarb custard bars?

You could garnish these with fresh fruit like raspberries or sliced strawberries, make a rhubarb sauce to drizzle over the top or make little reddiwhip flowers to garnish.


Rhubarb Custard Shortbread Bars

These Rhubarb Custard Bars are the perfect spring party dessert! It's the perfect combination of shortbread crust, custard, rhubarb and cream cheese frosting that everyone will love.

Rhubarb Dessert Recipes

Have more rhubarb you need to use up? Try one of these recipes:

  • Rhubarb Crumble Bars
  • Rhubarb Bars
  • Easy Rhubarb Crisp

Easy Dessert Recipes

Need more dessert ideas? Here are a few we love:

  • Mini Lemon Cheesecakes
  • Easy Peanut Butter S’mores Bars
  • Healthy Fruit Crisp
  • Blackberry Crumble Bars
  • Vanilla Cake Parfaits
  • Small Batch Raspberry Lemon Bars

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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Filed Under: Dessert Tagged With: Cream Cheese, Egg, Milk, Sugar

About Lindsay

Lindsay Livingston is a Registered Dietitian and new mom from Columbus, Ohio. On her blog, she shares simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, workouts and snapshots of her life. Follow her on Twitter @LeanGrnBeanBlog and Instagram @TheLeanGreenBean and be sure to subscribe via RSS or email so you never miss a post!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. surlykitchen says

    June 20, 2011 at 10:06 AM

    look pretty tasty. though i must admit i have never eaten rhubarb. it just never appealed to me.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 20, 2011 at 9:51 PM

      it tastes a lot like strawberries in recipes like this!

      Reply
  2. Susan (Oliepants) says

    June 20, 2011 at 10:32 AM

    Okay I always see rhubarb – especially at this time of year. I never know what to do with it. I know it can be bitter so I bet the custard is a perfect balance!!! Love this.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 20, 2011 at 9:51 PM

      girl, give it a try! so good.

      Reply
  3. Maria says

    June 20, 2011 at 10:42 AM

    I love rhubarb (especially in pie), so I don’t think this is weird at all. I mean, anything with cream cheese on top is amazing in my book 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 20, 2011 at 9:50 PM

      i hear ya 🙂

      Reply
  4. bhealthy says

    June 20, 2011 at 11:12 AM

    congrats on winning Itzy’s giveaway! looks like such a great recipe for rhubarb- I think that photo is awesome- I’d eat it!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 20, 2011 at 9:50 PM

      thanks!!! it’s definitely a keeper.

      Reply
  5. Nicole@HeatOvenTo350 says

    June 20, 2011 at 11:19 AM

    This looks delicious! How sweet of you to make it for your dad. I’m happy to add another delicious rhubarb recipe to my collection.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 20, 2011 at 9:50 PM

      yay! hope you like it 🙂

      Reply
  6. Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather says

    June 20, 2011 at 12:03 PM

    I think that sounds super tasty! So sweet of you to make it for your dad.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 20, 2011 at 9:50 PM

      it’s so delicious!

      Reply
  7. Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen says

    June 20, 2011 at 12:55 PM

    Custard is involved? Yes, please!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 20, 2011 at 9:49 PM

      haha give it a try for sure!

      Reply
  8. Meri says

    June 20, 2011 at 12:55 PM

    mmm the topping looks so good!

    Reply
  9. Lisa says

    June 20, 2011 at 1:14 PM

    I hated rhubarb when I was a kid…but now I love it. This looks awesome!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 20, 2011 at 9:49 PM

      me too. it took this recipe to convert me

      Reply
  10. Rachel @ The Avid Appetite says

    June 20, 2011 at 2:13 PM

    Ahhh these look so good! I haven’t had rhubarb, but give me a custardy bar any day 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 20, 2011 at 9:48 PM

      you should definitely try it!

      Reply
  11. Erica says

    June 20, 2011 at 5:43 PM

    Fruity desserts are seriously the best! This looks amazing. I bet your Dad LOVED it!!!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 20, 2011 at 9:48 PM

      i know!! they’re my favorite 🙂

      Reply
  12. Maris (In Good Taste) says

    June 20, 2011 at 6:15 PM

    The photo is not bad. How could anything that looks this good look bad! Yum!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 20, 2011 at 9:48 PM

      aww thanks 🙂

      Reply
  13. sarah (sarah learns) says

    June 20, 2011 at 10:18 PM

    oh wow, these look delicious!! i love love love rhubarb! now i’m kicking myself for not freezing a bunch when i had unlimited access to my friend’s rhubarb!

    Reply
  14. Tessa says

    June 21, 2011 at 6:17 PM

    How I wish I could find rhubarb here in AZ 🙁 This looks fabulous.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 22, 2011 at 11:15 PM

      awww major bummer that you can’t! wish i could mail you some 🙁

      Reply
  15. Sarah K. @ The Pajama Chef says

    June 21, 2011 at 7:59 PM

    sounds great!

    Reply
  16. lori says

    March 2, 2015 at 7:24 PM

    These look sooo good, I am definitely going to try this recipe.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      March 3, 2015 at 3:07 PM

      hope you like them!

      Reply

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Lindsay Livingston The Lean Green Bean Healthy Living Tips and Tricks

I'm a Registered Dietitian and mom of three from Columbus, Ohio. I use this blog to share simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and an honest glimpse of motherhood!

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Questions? Comments? Email me: [email protected]

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