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Rhubarb Jello Dessert

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This old-fashioned rhubarb jello dessert takes just 9 ingredients and comes together with a buttery shortbread-style crust, jammy sweet-tart rhubarb, and the easiest crumble topping ever! This will be a hit at the potluck every single time.

  • Author: Kylie
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 12 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Units Scale

CRUST

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened + more for greasing pan
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 4 tablespoons milk

FILLING

  • 6 cups sliced rhubarb (1/2" pieces)
  • 6 ounce (family size) package strawberry jello

TOPPING

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 10 tablespoons butter, softened

Instructions

  1. PREP. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 white baking dish with butter.
  2. MAKE CRUST. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Use two forks or your fingers to cut softened butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add eggs and milk and mix just until a shaggy dough forms. Don’t overmix!
  3. PRESS CRUST. Crumble the dough into the pan. Gently use your fingers or the flat bottom of a measuring cup to press it into an even layer in the bottom of the pan. If the dough is sticking, place a piece of parchment paper between your fingers and the dough and continue to press out. 
  4. ADD RHUBARB + JELLO LAYER. Spread sliced rhubarb across the crust in an even layer. Sprinkle jello powder evenly over rhubarb.
  5. MAKE TOPPING. In a medium bowl, combine sugar and flour. Cut butter into the flour and sugar until it’s well combined and resembles a coarse crumb.
  6. TOP + BAKE. Sprinkle topping over the jello/rhubarb layer. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the edges are bubbly and the crumble turns light golden brown. By this point, the rhubarb should be super soft and jammy. 
  7. LET COOL. For the easiest slicing, transfer the pan of bars to a wire rack to cool for 1 hour. Then transfer to the fridge for at least 1-2 more hours. Slice and serve with Cool Whip. Enjoy!
  8. SHARE THE LOVE. If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating and review below!

Equipment

Notes

  • If your stalks of rhubarb are on the larger side, cut them in half lengthwise before you slice them into 1/2″ pieces.

  • If, like me, you end with a grocery order that delivers 3 super wide stalks and 2 skinny stalks, just make sure that the pieces of rhubarb are cut into uniform-sized pieces so they cook evenly.

  • Frozen rhubarb works in a pinch. Just thaw it completely and drain off as much liquid as you can before layering it over the crust.

  • If the crust dough is sticking to your fingers while you press it out, a piece of parchment paper between your hands and the dough is a total game-changer.

  • Don’t skip the chill time! I know it’s tempting to slice into this while it’s warm (and honestly, warm with a scoop of ice cream is delicious), but if you want clean, tidy squares, that 1-2 hours in the fridge is a must. The jello layer needs time to set up.

  • The jello powder is doing double duty here. It sweetens the tart rhubarb AND thickens all those juices into a jammy, sliceable layer. Make sure you’re using the full 6-ounce family size package, not the smaller 3-ounce box.

  • Strawberry jello is the classic pairing here, but raspberry, cherry, or even cranberry work beautifully too if that’s what you’ve got in the pantry.

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/rhubarb-jello-dessert/