Keto Rhubarb Dream Bars are a layered dessert bar made of a shortbread crust, a layer of rhubarb custard, and dreamy cream topping! This is one of my favorite rhubarb recipes made to fit the low carb diet.
These Rhubarb Dream Bars are a delicious dessert to serve to from the time rhubarb starts to pop out of the ground and is ready to harvest! This makes an impressive dessert to take to picnics, family reunions or potlucks!
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❤️ Why you'll love it
✔️ It is a great way to enjoy dessert in a low carb rhubarb recipe!
✔️ These sugar free, gluten free rhubarb bars have 16 generous servings with only 4 net carbs per serving!
✔️ You can use frozen rhubarb if you don't have fresh rhubarb!
🥘 Ingredients
Almond flour, choose finely ground almond flour
Coconut flour
Coconut oil, if it is not in the melted state, melt it before using it
Granulated erythritol sweetener, be sure to use a keto approved sweetener.
Salt, to enhance flavor
Fresh rhubarb, if using using frozen rhubarb, keep in the frozen state when adding to the recipe.
Large eggs help the custard to form
Heavy cream, added to boost fat and flavor.
Almond milk, be sure to buy unsweetened plain almond milk
Xanthan gum, is used as a thickening agent
Vanilla extract, to enhance flavors.
Cream cheese, to stabilize the topping.
Sugar free cool-whip, to blend into the topping to make it fluffy
Cooking spray, to coat the baking dish
🔪 Instructions
FOR THE CRUST
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, using a fork or pastry blender, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, erythritol, salt, and coconut oil until mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Press the flour mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
FOR THE FILLING
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, combine the eggs, erythritol, almond milk, heavy cream and vanilla until well combined.
- Sprinkle the egg mixture lightly with xanthan gum whisk until well combined. Stir in the rhubarb.
- Pour the rhubarb filling over the partially baked crust and return to oven. Bake for 50 minutes, or until custard has set and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
FOR THE TOPPING
- In a medium sized mixing bowl using a hand mixer on medium speed, combine the cream cheese, powdered erythritol, and vanilla. Fold in the sugar-free whipped topping.
- Spread the whipped topping over completely cooled bars. Store in refrigerator.
🥄 Equipment
Medium bowl
Large bowl
Pastry blender or fork
13x9 baking dish
Electric mixer
Hand whisk
Mixing spoon
Rubber scraper
🥫Storage
Store keto bars in an airtight covered dish in the fridge up to 5 days or freezer up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
📖 Variations
- Make a strawberry rhubarb version and sub fresh strawberries for half of the rhubarb.
💭 Top Tip
- Be sure to press the shortbread crust evenly and tightly into the baking dish using your fingers or the back of a tablespoon and do not skip the baking part.
🙋 FAQ's
Yes, you can substitute heavy whipped cream. Just be sure your cream cheese is softened before folding them together.
If your coconut oil has solidified, then I recommend melting it prior to adding to your crust ingredients.
To get the correct crust ratio, you need to use a 9 x 13 baking dish. The crust in the photos may look like it is thicker, but due to the nature of the ingredients, the custard baked into the crust some, making the crust look thicker than it is.
The original recipe calls for flour, which is used to thicken. I removed the flour and experimented with Xanthan Gum. You could also just add an extra egg or two to help the dream bar custard firm up more.
📚 Related Recipes
The original Rhubarb Custard Bars that inspired this recipe.
Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Pudding is another keto rhubarb recipe.
Rhubarb Cheesecake (not keto) is creamy and delicious with a rhubarb swirl.
Mom's Rhubarb Sauce is one of my favorite rhubarb recipes!
🍽 Serve with…
Serve this keto rhubarb recipe with your favorite sugar keto friendly ice cream.
🏫 The last word
I made a non keto version of rhubarb custard bars for years and because I love that recipe so much, I decided a keto version was needed.
Some readers have indicated they either had too much crust, or too little. I recommend making sure the ingredients are measured correctly and pressing evenly into the crust. Because of the nature of the keto ingredients, the crust will not be the exact same as the regular recipe.
If the crust is not baked prior to adding the custard, it is likely this recipe will fail. Be sure the crust is baked until browned. The when the rhubarb filling is added and baked, it will bake slightly into the already pre-baked crust. (check the images). This might make the crust seem thicker than it actually is but it is the best portioning of ingredients I had in testing to get a successful dessert.
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If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating
📖 Recipe
Keto Rhubarb Dream Bars
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Ingredients
Crust Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour , finely ground
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 3 ounces coconut oil
- ¼ cup granulated erythritol sweetener
- ½ teaspoon salt
Custard Ingredients
- 5 cups fresh rhubarb , diced
- 4 large eggs
- 1½ cups granulated erythritol sweetener
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup almond milk , unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Topping Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 2 cups sugar-free cool whip , thawed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered erythritol
Instructions
FOR THE CRUST
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, using a fork or pastry blender, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, erythritol, salt, and coconut oil until mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Press the flour mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
FOR THE FILLING
- In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, combine the eggs, erythritol, almond milk, heavy cream and vanilla until well combined.
- Sprinkle the egg mixture lightly with xanthan gum whisk until well combined. Stir in the rhubarb.
- Pour the egg mixture over the partially baked crust and return to oven. Bake for 50 minutes, or until custard has set and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
FOR THE TOPPING
- In a medium sized mixing bowl using a hand mixer on medium speed, combine the cream cheese, powdered erythritol, and vanilla. Fold in the sugar-free whipped topping.
- Spread the whipped topping over completely cooled bars. Store in refrigerator.
Heidi says
Great dessert. Love being able to use my rhubarb while on keto.
lazydaisy says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I've started to use rhubarb only because of this cake and it's one of our favourites now. I made it several times, always a winner!
Laura says
I made it the other night, but I cut the recipe in half since there is just 2 of us. It was delicious! I might make the strawberry rhubarb version next time. Definitely a keeper recipe.
Ceil says
Made it yesterday for a birthday, it turned out good, but, it was 1” high. This recipe is for a 9x9” pan. The crust was skimpy and didn’t hold together when cutting it to serve. I will make double crust next time and try butter instead of coconut oil. Rhubarb filling was plenty, topping could have been double.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Ceil, I'm not sure what you did since you don't indicate if you made any changes, but I definitely made this in a 9x13 inch pan and had a decent sized crust as you can see in the photos. I hope you still enjoyed the recipe. Shelby
Susan says
Can I use plain milk. Instead of almond milk? Or heavy cream.?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Almond milk is used due to its low carb content. Using regular milk will change the sugars and carb count. Heavy cream is too heavy, but you could probably use half heavy cream and half water. If carbs don't count, search for the rhubarb custard bars on my website, which is the non keto version of this recipe.
BARBARA A BROWN says
made this last night it was great. made just half but did not look like enough crust so made more should have left it because crust is a little thick, but it is so good. Satisfied my sweet carving thank you
Jenn says
I used a stevia/swerve mix and I forgot it was twice as sweet as Swerve and used the normal amounts and it was crazy sweet, if I had just used Swerve i think this would have been amazing. However as I made it, I could just drink black espresso with it and not need sweetening!
Kate Wilkins says
My mums neighbour gave me some rhubarb from her garden and with a quick interweb search I found your rather excellent recipe. I made them a couple of days ago and lucky for me the rest of my family wont touch rhubarb so I get to eat them all myself. Yum & thanks.
Kate
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Kate, thank you so much for trying my recipe and leaving a review. I'm so happy you enjoyed them and Yay for getting to eat them all by yourself! That doesn't happen in my house anymore with my son's family living with me. Everything disappears in a day. lol Thanks again! Shelby
Josephinr says
Rhubarb season is so short. Can you use frozen rhubarb instead of fresh?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hello, yes, you can. Just be sure it is still frozen. Thawed rhubarb will be too soft. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the recipe! Shelby
Linda Starr says
I have been freezing my chopped rhubarb (from my garden) for 25 years and I'm ready to pull out a 2 qt. plastic container from my freezer and make some rhubarb crisp. This recipe sounds good too.
Ceil says
I use frozen rhubarb all the time.
Ceil says
I chop and freeze rhubarb right out of the garden in plastic bags. Fill the freezer, the same with cranberries, I freeze them and use as needed.
Jenny says
Best Rhubarb dessert ever and to think it’s keto! I did use frozen rhubarb but I strained it really good and it came out perfect. Can’t sit to be able to share this recipe with my family once COVID is finished.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Jenny! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for sharing your experience using frozen rhubarb! Shelby
Daisy M. says
Great recipe! Can make with or without the Whipped topping. Easy to half this recipe, too, for a smaller dessert when needed. Thanks!
Julie says
Delicious! The best Keto recipe I have come across so far in the 2+ years we have been keto!
thank you so much for sharing the recipe! Truly the BOMB!!
Cheryl says
Can I use melted butter or crisco oil in place of coconut oil?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Cheryl, if you want to keep it keto, I recommend sticking with melted butter instead of crisco (which is vegetable shortening and not keto). Enjoy!
Darcy says
Would this hold well if made a day or 2 in advance of serving?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Darcy, I think it would be fine. However, I recommend baking it, then the day of serving add the whipped topping portion.
Jacki DeVaney says
Do you think it would be ok to use confectionary sweetener instead of the granular? I could taste the crunch from the granular sugar. My husband loves this dessert. 🙂
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Jacki, Yea, I think the confectionary sweetener would work in this recipe. I hope he loves the keto version!
jen says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I have been trying so hard to eat well and when rhubarb season came around I wasn't sure if I'd be able to find a recipe that would hold to my restrictions. This far exceeded my expectations, and my teenage son who is always critical of my healthy diet loved them too 🙂
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Jen, you are very welcome! I'm so happy they were successful for you and your family loved them also!
Julie says
The crust was soft & mushier, is this right or what went wrong.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Julie, no, the crust should not be mushy. Without knowing exactly what you did I can't say what went wrong. It could be your oven temp was not hot enough, or you didn't prebake the crust long enough. The instructions say to bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. If you made any substitutions to the recipe, that could also have an affect on the outcome. If you can tell me what you did, I can help you troubleshoot better.
Jacki DeVaney says
I think that if you use frozen rhubarb, the crust might turn out mushy. JMHO
Lorry says
I have one more question, has anyone tried to make this with frozen rhubarb, not fresh? We only get it fresh around here once a year and I know for a fact I can not only have this once a year LOL
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Lorry, I haven't made it with frozen, but I really don't think it should be a problem. I'm happy you enjoy it that much! 🙂
KellBell says
I made this using frozen rhubarb. I received so many rave reviews, everybody loved it. It was my first time making it so I don't have anything to compare to, but I do think the crust turned out a bit softer (soggyish) compared to what it should have but we just scooped into dessert cups and used a spoon, nobody complained.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Kelly, thanks for stopping by! I am happy you tried the recipe 🙂 The crust should have not been soggy, but as long as it tasted great, no problem, right?! 🙂 I hope you make it again. It is one of our favorite recipes here!
L. Hunt says
OMG my favorite dessert keto recipe ever, thank you thank you thank you, if you haven't tried this your really should, totally the bomb!!!!! 5 +++++ stars
L. Hunt says
Forgot to mention,
I actually froze it and it was perfect, I also used real whip cream and worked like a charm 🙂
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Thank you, this is great for my readers to know! When I update the post I will be sure to mention this. I appreciate your input!!
Michelle says
Did you freeze this with the cream topping on or was it just the base and custard you froze?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Michelle, I'm not sure how the reader did this, but I think it would be ok to freeze it with the topping on. I would freeze it in the number of portions you wanted to serve it in. Thanks for visiting!
Jacki DeVaney says
L. Hunt. How much liquid Heavy Whipping Cream did you whip up to amount to 2 cups?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Jacki, about 1 cup of heavy cream should whip up to about 2 cups.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Thank you SO MUCH! Glad you enjoyed it, I'm so happy!
Dee says
I made this tonight for dessert with friends. Everyone loved it. This makes such a big pan...can it be frozen?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Dee, I haven't frozen it but don't think it should be an issue. It should last up to a week in the fridge however. There is only two of us here and I usually make the big pan and haven't had to refrigerate since it is usually gone within the week. I'm happy your family loved the recipe and thanks for stopping by.
Marianne says
Oh my goodness. I followed the recipe to a “t”, including baking times. Turned out perfect and my husband absolutely loved it! Thank you!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Marianne! So glad it turned out perfect for you! I made this again last week and it is always a hit with my family!
Chris says
Is the Swerve in the topping the granular also, or the confectioners?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Chris, you can use either, but I prefer the Swerve Powdered.
Bonnie Miller says
I was wondering if it is liquid or solid coconut oil in the bar part?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Bonnie, you can melt the coconut oil if it has solidified. It should still measure the same. I hope this helps!
Roger says
Swerve is not listed in the cream topping but it is included in the preparation. is that just a typo or is swerve included in the topping?
Shelby says
Hi Roger, so sorry! When I changed recipe cards that ingredient was inadvertently omitted. I have updated the recipe now - there is swerve in the topping also.
Joell says
I am making these today! So excited to try them. I am at the topping part, and the instructions say to cream together the cr cheese vanilla and swerve but there is no measurement for that ingredient?
Shelby says
Hi Joell, so sorry I didn't see this before now. We are in major kitchen renovation and I haven't had a chance to log in. Yes, there is swerve in the topping, the ingredient was omitted by error when updating the recipe card.
Becca says
Is the swerve in the topping granular or powdered?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Becca, you can use either, but powdered works best since it will dissolve better.
Traci says
Wow! These look amazing! I definitely don't play with rhubarb enough...this is a great way to do it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Ashley says
Watch the cooking time on the crust. Glad I checked.. it was golden brown at 12/13 minutes. Also, directions for tipping says to mix swerve in, but it’s not listed in the ingredients??
Shelby says
Hi Ashley, thank you for mentioning this! It did get fixed....there is swerve in the topping.
Bonnie Adler says
For the topping, is Swerve granular or powdered?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Bonnie, I would use the powdered sweetener for the topping. I will make sure to update that in the recipe card. Thanks for asking!
Suzanne says
This recipe looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing it. I can't eat Cool Whip. Do you think I could substitute heavy whipped cream for the Cool Whip?
Shelby says
Hi Suzanne, thank you 🙂 Yes, I do think you could sub heavy whipped cream for this. I would be sure my cream cheese is nice and soft before I stirred it in. In all reality, it would probably be a better flavor profile than cool-whip!! I may have to do this myself next time I make this recipe. 🙂
Hannah says
I made this today but without the whipped topping. I don’t think the crust measurements are correct for a 9x13 pan. I ended up making another 1/2 recipe of the crust but it could have easily been doubled to look like the thickness of the crust in the photos. Also, the crust instructions say to add salt but there is no salt listed in the ingredient list. Overall the flavor and texture of the bars is good.
Shelby says
Hi Hannah, thank you for your comment and review! I will fix that salt issue ASAP! Also, I think the crust layer looks thicker on the cut slices because the custard baked into it more than it would have a conventional flour crust. My actual crust layer was pretty thin (as it should be). I'm glad that overall you enjoyed this recipe!
nancy patrick says
agree, the crust ingredient amts are not correct for a 12 x 9 in pan.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Nancy, if you want to double the crust ingredients, you could do that. This is a thin shortbread layer. It should be enough to cover a 9x13 pan as I have done so many times.
Marie says
These bars are a dream! Delicious layers and perfect to make this time of year while rhubarb is in season! Pinning this recipe!
Laura says
I never had rhubarb bars and this sounds like a perfect recipe. I love rhubarb and de
Michaela says
So good.!!!
I used Sugar-free Marshmallow syrup in place of the vanilla.Just for the fun of it.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Michaela! Thank you and the Marshmallow syrup sounds good! Shelby
Sally - My Custard Pie says
You know I'm going to hunger after anything with custard don't you?! This is a really original way of combining two favourites.
Lisa Bryan says
I keep saying that I need to make more rhubarb recipes - and this one sounds delish! Love that it's keto friendly as well.
Lauren says
I only had coconut flour then used butter in the crust and also added hemp heart for a bit more crunch. So good!!!!!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Lauren, this is good to know! I love you added hemp heart, great idea!
Sonal says
Omg ? these keto rhubarb bars look so decadent and amazing. Rhubarb is such an under rated ingredient but makes amazing desserts. I am bookmarking it to ty soon.