Here's a crowd-pleasing gluten-free dessert! This Raspberry Rhubarb Fool is an easy dessert to make for a large group. Not too sweet, and not too tart, it's a glass of ruby-red raspberries and rhubarb layered or folded into delicately sweetened whipped cream.
Lightly sweetened clouds of whipped cream, layered with a rustic raspberry-rhubarb compote make this Raspberry Rhubarb Fool a popular dessert. Layer it parfait-style in dessert glasses, or serve it in mini dessert cups for a tasting party.
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❤️Why you'll love this recipe
It's pretty, it's delicious, and it's so easy to make!
Traditionally, a dessert fool was made with stewed gooseberries and whipped cream. Nowadays, it is more commonly made with berries. Since my love for rhubarb knows no bounds, I combined stewed rhubarb, also known as rhubarb compote, with raspberries and folded it into whipped cream.
While this dessert recipe originated in England, those red and white layers look Canadian to me. Perfect for a Canada Day party!
And for my American friends, adding a handful of blueberries on top would easily change this into a patriotic dessert to celebrate the Fourth of July.
Try this Cherry Coconut Fool, too! It's light and fluffy.
🛒 Ingredients
You'll find a complete list of ingredients in the recipe card below. Here are a few notes:
- rhubarb: You can use fresh or frozen rhubarb.
- raspberries: You'll combine these with the rhubarb and sweeten the mixture with a little maple syrup.
- heavy cream: You'll whip the cream and add a little Greek yogurt to it to stabilize it.
🔪 How to make a Raspberry Rhubarb Fool
- Prepare rhubarb compote. Combine diced rhubarb, water and maple syrup or 0-calorie Monkfruit sweetener. Add raspberries and stir until smooth. Leaving a few small chunks of fruit is fine. Let it cool. You can make this compote several days in advance and refrigerate it.
- Whip the cream. Next, whip the cream with vanilla and powdered sugar to the soft peak stage. Add Greek yogurt and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
- Serve this Raspberry Rhubarb Fool layered parfait-style, or fold the fruit into the whipped cream and watch it transform into swirls of pretty pink and white. Finally, top with a sprig of mint or some crumbled cookie crumbs (use gluten-free ginger snaps) to add a little crunch.
If you're wondering. . .
I did a little digging and found this explanation on lovefood.com. "Where does this name 'fool' come from? It's very simple - that sweet thing you have at the end of a meal is just a small, unimportant, trivial tit-bit, isn't it? So it's called a 'trifle' or a 'fool'."
Whatever the historical explanation for the name, this Raspberry Rhubarb Fool is delicious and it's by no means an unimportant, trivial tit-bit to me! It's dessert!
👍🏼Helpful Tips
First, this easy raspberry rhubarb parfait-style dessert combines summer fruit with whipped cream, but not just any whipped cream! I discovered a secret way to keep whipped cream stiff, so it is stabilized in this dessert.
My tip? Add a little firm Greek yogurt. That's it. It doesn't change the taste at all.
🔁 Possible Variations
You have choices in how to serve this dessert. You can layer it, parfait-syle, as in the photos above, or you can fold the fruit into the cream, making beautiful pink and white swirls!
Serve as a full-sized dessert in a dessert glass or as a mini dessert in a tiny glass.
Looking for more ways to enjoy rhubarb? Here are 10 Ways to Use Rhubarb Besides Pie!
🗒 More delicious gluten-free dessert recipes
- Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding (Easy)
- Easy Lemon Curd Fruit Dip
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Quinoa Cupcakes
- Cashew Milk Mexican Hot Chocolate
When you make this raspberry rhubarb fool recipe please leave a comment and a star rating below. I love hearing when you've made one of my recipes. Thanks in advance! Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox.
📖 Recipe
Easy Raspberry Rhubarb Fool
Ingredients
- 2 cups rhubarb, diced
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 cups raspberries
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup Greek yogurt (firm)
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, or powdered monkfruit
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- gluten-free ginger snap or other cookie crumbs for garnish
Instructions
- In a saucepan combine rhubarb, water and maple syrup. Over med-high heat, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until rhubarb is very tender. Add raspberries and stir until well combined. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.
- Using a chilled bowl and beaters, whip cream until soft peaks form. Add yogurt, powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat.
- Alternate layers of raspberry-rhubarb compote in dessert glasses and top with an extra dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with fresh mint leaves or with cookie crumbs. Keep chilled until serving time.
Manuela
I love that it isn't too sweet, but it's a great balance of tartness and sweetness. The kids loved it. The recipe yield calls for 8 servings; however, I was only able to layer 4 fancy dessert cups (maybe I was overly generous with the rhubarb+raspberry compote per cup, and there were 2 layers of this with the whipped cream and yogurt in between). I might double the compote recipe next time, as I have A LOT of leftover whipped cream + yogurt. I garnished with toasted sliced almonds.
Elaine
Thanks so much for sharing how this worked for you! Happy to hear your kids loved it. Adding toasted almonds is a great idea. Thanks for commenting!
Dee
We had this for a Christmas dessert without the rhubarb. I layered it in small dessert glasses. It looked so pretty and was perfect after a big dinner. Rave reviews!
Terri @foodmeanderings
This looks the THE PERFECT easy and delicious Canada Day dessert to me! I LUV rhubarb soo much and who doesn't love whipped cream. I was planning on making some more compote and now I know exactly what I'm doing with it!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks so much, Terri! Happy Canada Day!
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
Love those luscious layers of whipped cream and compote! This is a perfect recipe for Canada Day!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks, Leanne!
MDIVADOMESTICA
What a great way to end a meal! I don't think dessert is unimportant at all. It's the best part of the whole dining experience - especially for those with a sweet tooth.
Cathy
What a beautiful dessert with so many things going for it! I love that you've used maple syrup and not much sugar. Your tip for whipped cream is something I must try. And I appreciate that it's a perfect recipe for Canada Day and the Fourth of July, as I'll be celebrating both this year.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Cathy! Lucky you! Two celebrations in one week. Have fun!
Yvonne Langen
Desperate to try these. I absolute love raspberries and I love how you've incorporate Greek Yogurt into the recipe to keep things a bit lighter.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Yvonne! You can always sub in more Greek yogurt (and less whipping cream). It's a very versatile dessert and easy to adapt to use different berries or fruits. Thanks for commenting!
Denise from Urb'n'Spice
A great idea for Canada Day and any other day, as well. I love individual desserts like this, Elaine. They are perfect for summer menus using seasonal fruit and I am sure just as versatile using frozen berries in the winter. A great recipe - thanks for sharing! 🙂
Flavour & Savour
Thanks so much, Denise! Yes, this recipe works well with frozen fruit as well.
Charlotte
This is the perfect tasty treat for Canada Day next month! Love it!
Flavour & Savour
That's what I'll be making too! Thanks for stopping by.
Colleen
Thanks for sharing another way for me to use up some rhubarb. This looks so fresh and delicious. I'd be a "fool" not to try it 🙂
Flavour & Savour
Good one, Colleen! Hope you get a chance to try it soon!
Kristen Kaethler
This looks like the perfect recipe to use up some of my rhubarb. Can't wait to try it!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Kristen!
Jackie
Can't wait to try this. Perfect timing, Elaine!! My rating is based on all of the other goodies I have found and made on your blog - it will be delicious.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks so much for your kind words, Jackie! I love using rhubarb in different ways while it's in season. This one was fun to make, and fun to eat!