Rhubarb Jelly • Easy Canning Recipe (2024)

“Thanks for a beautiful rhubarb jelly recipe! I just wanted you to know that I made this for my local county fair & it won BOTH 1st Place and Best of Show! It is delicious!” ~Melissa

rhubarb jelly is a fun (and easy!) project

Jelly making is one of my most favorite things to do in the kitchen. I never get tired of the magical transformation of fresh juice into a sparkling jelly. Part of the fun is dreaming up new recipes since almost any fruit or vegetable can be jellied ~ and it’s especially satisfying when things turn out vibrant and bursting with flavor like this one. Rhubarb is ideal for jelly making because it has a super tart flavor to begin with and can handle all the extra sugar.

what you’ll need to make rhubarb jelly

• fresh rhubarb stalks, thick or thin, and any color
• pectin
• a high speed blender like Vitamix, or a food processor
• a muslin jelly or nut milk bag. If you like to make jellies it pays to get an inexpensive jelly strainer, pictured below to make the process easy and hands free.
• A large saucepan, stainless steel is best.
• If you want to can your jelly you’ll need a water bath canner or a deep cooking pot with a rack that fits in the bottom. Be sure the pot has a close-fitting lid. Alternatively you can skip the canning and freeze your jelly for longer storage.

where to find rhubarb

If you’ve got rhubarb growing in your yard this is an ideal project. Rhubarb has a relatively short season, but backyard rhubarb can keep producing right through the summer. It’s available in the produce section of many stores from about April through the end of summer. Consider freezing it for later use, just wash and dry the stalks, then slice. Arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze until solid, then fill heavy duty freezer bags and force out any excess air before sealing.

I love to fill small Weck canning jars with rhubarb jelly

They’d make beautiful and unexpected gifts for the holidays down the road. And the jar is just as pretty as the jelly!

does the color of rhubarb affect its flavor?

Rhubarb comes in many shades, from palest green to deep crimson, but the flavor will be consistent, so no worries. Your jelly will vary in color depending on your rhubarb, but it will definitely be pretty in any event 🙂 The vanilla beans add a subtle depth to the flavor.

This could make the best pb& j sandwich of your life! Actually I made mine an almond butter and rhubarb jelly sandwich, even better 🙂

Jelly making basics

• Jelly is made by cooking fruit juice with sugar, and adding pectin.
• Pectin is added to create the gelled consistency.
• Sugar also helps the gelling process.
• If you’re planning to can your jelly it’s important to follow a trusted recipe exactly, any changes can affect the safety of the finished product.
• If you’d like to play with a recipe, consider making a small batch and keeping it in the refrigerator or freezing it for longer storage.

How to can jellies

• To can your homemade jelly, ladle or pour the boiling liquid directly into your hot sterilized canning jars, and be sure to leave 1/4 free space at the top. Wipe down the rims of the jars, and close up your jars securely but not super tightly.
• Place on a rack in a canner filled with boiling water. The water should cover the jars by at least one inch. Cover the canner.
• Bring the water back to a boil; boil gently for the number of minutes specified in your recipe. Add 1 minute of processing and sterilizing time for each 1000 feet of additional altitude.
• Remove the jars to a protected surface and cool, away from drafts, undisturbed for 12 hours.

About sugar and canning

• This recipe contains a lot of sugar, although it’s not sweeter than other jellies I’ve had. I used a classic, tried and true recipe because when it comes to canning, it’s not advisable to play around with proportions if you want to have a safe product.
• However there has been new research that proves that sugar does not play a role in canning safety, as has been previously believed.
• Sugar does play a roll in helping a jam or jelly ‘gel’, so if you want to reduce the sugar you’ll need to use a “no or low sugar’ pectin, like this one. I’ve used this for many of my lower sugar recipes and it works great. Note that you should not try to develop your own canning recipe for safety reasons. If you want to play, plan to refrigerate or freeze your recipes.