These vegan rhubarb bars are sure to please a crowd! With an oat crust, delicious jam filling, and oat crumbles on the top. They are like a rhubarb crisp that are a bit more portable and a lot more crust. Top these with the vegan mint crème anglaise and you have the perfect pairing.
Rhubarb
The rhubarb jam in these vegan rhubarb bars is perfectly tart, and a bit sour. If you do not want to make your own rhubarb jam, buying some at the store is perfect! I do like making my own though but where I live, rhubarb season is so short so sometimes you miss the opportunity. If you are making your own, you could also throw some strawberries into this jam, if you are looking for something a bit sweeter and less tart! Strawberry and rhubarb are a great combination.
The color of your rhubarb will dictate what color your jam is. While testing out this recipe, I had purchased rhubarb that was a bit on the greener side and my jam came out a bit brown looking. When taking these photos, I just happened to get rhubarb that was so beautiful and dark pink on the outside, so I ended up with a jam that was a nice pink/red hue. These different colored rhubarbs do not taste any different at all! The hue of these fruits are determined by different genes, or varieties
Mint Crème Anglaise
In this recipe, I include how to make mint crème anglaise. It is totally optional to make it, but I love the pairing of rhubarb and mint. It balances these vegan rhubarb bars quite well. If you do not know what crème anglaise is, it is a pouring custard. A typical crème anglaise is made with milk, egg yolks, and sugar. To make this vegan, I used oat milk – you can use soy milk here too, but I would stay away from almond or rice milk as it doesn’t have enough fat for this to be a rich custard. Instead of using egg yolks, I used cornstarch. The egg yolks in a typical crème anglaise recipe are for thickening. The cornstarch does a fantastic job with this.
To make this flavored with mint, I just throw a bit of mint in the custard when it is cooking. I then process it in a blender to break down the mint leaves and pass it through a fine mesh strainer to pick up any of the bigger mint leaves. In the end, you end up with this nice minty pouring custard that pairs perfectly with these vegan rhubarb bars. If you find your crème anglaise is a bit too thick to pour, you can just add a splash of oat milk to thin it out a bit!
One last thing of note – you must use old fashioned oats, you cannot substitute for quick cooking oats. Quick cooking oats absorb liquid differently than old fashioned oats. You will end up with a different texture!
If you love bar desserts, check out my vegan s’mores bars, or my vegan blueberry corn cookie bars!
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Vegan Rhubarb Bars
- V
- VG
- DF
Nutrition per portion
Ingredients
- Rhubarb Jam
- ¾ lb of Fresh Rhubarb, Chopped into ½ inch Pieces
- ¾ cup (150g) Granulated Sugar
- ⅛ tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 ½ tsp Lemon Juice
- Mint Crème Anglaise
- 1 cup (215g) Oatmilk
- 2 tbsp (20g) Cornstarch
- 2 tbsp (25g) Granulated Sugar
- ¼ cup Mint Leaves, Chopped
- ⅛ tsp Kosher Salt
- Rhubarb Bars
- ¾ cup (170g) Vegan Unsalted Butter, Softened
- ¾ cup (165g) Brown Sugar
- 1 ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 ½ cup (190g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ cup (120g) Old Fashioned Oats
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
Method
For the Jam- In a medium sauce pan, add the chopped rhubarb, sugar, kosher salt, and lemon juice to a pan, and heat over medium heat.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb releases its juices and mixture comes to a boil, about 8 minutes.
- Continue cooking over medium heat until majority of the foam subsides, and the jam is thick, about 15-18 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and transfer to a heat safe jar. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
- In a small bowl whisk together the sugar, and the cornstarch to break up any clumps.
- In a medium sauce pan, add the oat milk, chopped mint, kosher salt, sugar, and cornstarch mixture. Whisk together and heat over medium heat.
- Whisk often until the crème anglaise starts to boil and thicken. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Transfer to a blender, and blend until smooth.
- Pass through a fine mesh strainer to remove any clumps, and then place into a jar. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray an 8"x8" pan with spray oil and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add your flour, oats, and kosher salt. Whisk together.
- In a large bowl, add the softened butter, and brown sugar. Beat with a hand mixer on high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the vanilla extract, and mix again for another 30 seconds.
- Add in the flour oat mixture, and mix again until just combined and no dry pockets of flour remain.
- Put about 3/4 of the dough into the prepared pan. Press into an even layer.
- Add the jam on top of the dough and spread into an even layer. Top the jam with the remaining dough and break into crumbles.
- Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown on the top. Remove and let fully cool (about a half hour) before slicing.
- Serve a slice with the mint crème anglaise on the top for the perfect spring/summer treat.
This is hands down the most delicious rhubarb recipe ever