Sweet, tart and lusciously silky rhubarb and season’s juicest berries come together for a rustic rhubarb galette — a free-form tart that’s even easier than pie.
The classic spring strawberry-rhubarb pair get a little more flexi here. Use raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or any berry your heart desires. Their sweetness balances rhubarb’s bright tartness backed in a flaky, buttery pastry.
A galette is pie’s laid-back cousin: no crimped edges, no special pans, just flaky pastry wrapped around a sweet and juicy filling.
The season for this hot pink sexy stalk is short — so let’s take full advantage. Does the internet need another galette recipe? Since when was pleasure ever about need. Spring is in the air. Rhubarb brings joy. Hoping to spread a little of it — mini, hot pink, and wrapped in flaky pastry.
This recipe makes 8 mini or 2 normal size galettes.
Why this Rhubarb Galette Recipe Works
- Rustic & easier than pie. Galettes are pie’s laid-back cousin — rustic, forgiving, and requiring none of the same precision to make.
- No soggy crust. Cornstarch thickens the fruit juices as they bake, preventing a soggy bottom and keeping the pastry crisp and flaky.
- Macerating the rhubarb. Draws out its juices, mellowing rhubarb’s tartness and tenderizing the fibrous stalks before baking.
- Open-faced top. Exposes the fruit to the oven’s heat, enhancing caramelization and concentrating flavor.
- Sweet-tart balance. Sweet, juicy berries pair with tangy rhubarb and buttery pastry to create a galette bursting with bright spring flavor.
What is a Galette?
A galette is a free-form French pastry made by folding dough over a sweet or savory filling. No pie dish, no crimped edges — just rustic, beautiful simplicity.
In Italy, this pastry is called a crostata.
The beauty of a galette is its flexibility. Once strawberry and rhubarb season passes, you can use the same technique with other sweet or savory fillings. The galette skies the limit!
When is Rhubarb Season?
Rhubarb is in peak season in California from April through June.
The arrival of rhubarb at the farmers market signals the start of spring.
Buying: Look for firm, crisp stalks with vibrant color. Thinner stalks are often sweeter, more tender and less stringy than thicker ones.
Storing: Keep unwashed rhubarb loosely wrapped in the refrigerator crisper for up to one week.
Prepping: Trim and discard the leaves before using. Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid and are not safe to eat.
How to Make this Rhubarb Galette
Galettes are one of the easiest baked desserts to make — flaky pastry folded around jammy fruit, free-form and imperfectly perfect.
Start with the dough. Homemade dough needs time to chill — or use store-bought. Either way, cold dough is the secret to a flaky crust.
While the dough chills, prep the filling. Rhubarb in one bowl. Berries in another.
Roll dough and embrace no stress baking while assembling. Or use a my little hack from the video.
Brush with melted butter and vanilla, sprinkle with brown sugar, and bake until the crust is golden and the fruit is bubbling.
This recipe makes 8 mini galettes or 2 larger ones. Best served warm with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or crème fraiche.
Cooks Tips
- For the sweetest stalks, choose the thinnest and firmest rhubarb stalks with deep shades of red near the base.
- Use ripe, flavorful berries — good fruit makes all the difference.
- Start with very cold butter for the flakiest pastry dough.
- Chill the dough for at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days). It also freezes well for up to a month.
- If the dough gets sticky while rolling, pop it back in the fridge for 5–10 minutes.
- Embrace the rustic look. Galettes aren’t meant to be perfect — uneven edges are part of the charm.
- When possible, buy local, organic fruit grown sustainably.
Rhubarb Galette
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted, cold butter cut into cubes
- 1 egg beaten
- 3 tbsp ice water
Filling
- 8 stalks rhubarb
- juice 1 lemon
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups mixed fresh berries such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or sliced strawberries
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp almond flour optional
- 1 egg lightly beaten with water
- 1/2 cup melted salted butter
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract or paste or 1 vanilla bean split
- 6 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Mix flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and salt in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, food processor or by hand in medium bowl. Add cold butter; mix or pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle in beaten egg, then add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until dough just begins to come together to form a ball. Do not overmix. Divide dough in half; flatten halves into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Cut rhubarb stalks into 4–5 inch pieces for the galette topping. Thick stalks can also be sliced vertically into thinner pieces. Place trimmed rhubarb into shallow baking dish; add lemon juice. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Toss to coat. Let stand, tossing occasionally, while preparing remaining ingredients.
- Place berries into medium bowl; top with remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and cornstarch. Do not mix ingredients yet; if you do, they'll be overly juicy by the time you're ready to use them.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Cut 1 chilled dough disk into 4 equal pieces. Work with 1 piece at a time while continuing to refrigerate others. Roll 1 dough portion into rough circle on lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, using 6-inch cookie cutter as template. If dough starts to get too soft and becomes hard to work with, return it to refrigerator or place in freezer for a few minutes to chill it slightly.
- Gently transfer dough to prepared baking sheet by rolling dough onto rolling pin, then unfurling it inside cookie cutter on baking sheet with edges of dough lining sides.
- Toss berries with sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle dough with almond flour, if desired, to absorb any errant berry juices. Top dough circles evenly with berry mixture, straining excess juice to leave behind in bowl. Top with trimmed rhubarb stalks.
- Fold edges of dough circles tightly over filling. Refrigerate galette. Repeat with remaining dough and filling, rolling dough scraps as necessary. You will have 4 rounds per disk for 8 galettes total.
- Heat oven to 425ºF.
- Whisk egg and 1 tablespoon water in small bowl; brush crust with egg wash.
- Melt 1/2 cup butter in small saucepan; add vanilla, scraping in seeds from pod or adding vanilla paste. Brush crusts and rhubarb with vanilla butter; sprinkle with brown sugar.
- Bake 25–30 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or crème fraîche.
More Rhubarb Recipes?
If you’re looking for more ways to bake with rhubarb, try some of my other fav rhubarb desserts. The season for this hot pink stalk is short – let’s take full advantage.
- Vanilla Poached Rhubarb — an easy way to create lusciously silky, sweet rhubarb with endless ways to enjoy it.
- Strawberry Rhubarb Galette — the classic spring pairing gets a subtle upgrade with chopped dates in this rustic free-form tart.
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp — the classic sweet-tart combo topped with a crunchy, crumbly layer.
- Rhubarb Cake — tangy-sweet stalks baked into a vanilla-cardamom spiced almond flour and yogurt cake for a bright, naturally gluten-free dessert.
- Rhubarb Tart — crisp puff pastry topped with ginger-vanilla filling, rhubarb, pistachios, and honey.
- Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake — caramelized rhubarb baked over a warmly spiced yogurt cake for a super sexy spring dessert.
If ya tried it, I'd love to hear — leave a comment below and tag me on IG, @danielagerson, so I can see too!
There's a whole lot more seasonal recipes and colorful produce guides waiting for ya on the site.
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