The Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Recipe
You’re going to love this strawberry rhubarb pie recipe! Sweet, fresh strawberries and tart rhubarb come together in a flaky crust for one of summer’s favorite fruit desserts.
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Up in the Midwest, there is much delight when rhubarb season rolls around each year. Not only do we get this tart produce, but it also means that winter is finally over.
If you’ve been around here at all, you know how much our family delights in this humble vegetable. One of the reasons I love it so much is that there are so many ways to enjoy it. Some of my favorite recipes are my sourdough rhubarb cake, mixed berry rhubarb jam, rhubarb spoon cake, or rhubarb shrub. And right at the top of the list is this rhubarb strawberry pie. It captures the best of summer, but in a pie. I’m sure once you taste it, it’s sure to become one of your favorite recipes.
If you’ve never cooked or baked with rhubarb before, don’t be intimidated. It’s typically sold in your local grocery store without leaves (the rhubarb leaves are toxic) or at a farmers market. It’s simple to prepare; simply wash the stalks, trim the ends, and cut into ½ inch pieces. Rhubarb is stringy like celery. I’ve found the best way to cut it is to use a sharp knife while the rhubarb is resting on a cutting board.
The Best Rhubarb Strawberry Pie Recipe
Rhubarb and strawberries have long been paired together, and for good reason! Bright, juicy strawberries temper the tart flavor of fresh rhubarb. Rhubarb alone is so tart that it’s almost unpalatable and needs all the sweetness it can get from fruit or sugar.
When making fruit pies, one common issuethat is the soft, juicy mess the fruit filling can be. Simply stated, the filling is known to be a sloppy mess. But with a combination of tapioca starch and all-purpose flour, it thickens the fruit juice perfectly. Just what you want!
To that, I like to add a touch of lemon. A little bit brightens the strawberry and rhubarb. In addition, my favorite ingredient: butter. It’s not obvious that it’s there, but it makes the filling just a bit extra. Just like my peach pie and apple pie, butter makes the filling rich and oh, so delicious.
I hope that you enjoy making this pie too, whether it’s for your family, to gift to a neighbor, or just because. It’s the perfect summer dessert for any occasion and is completely worth the effort!
Equipment
- 9″ Pie plate
- Rolling pin
- Pastry cutter
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Large bowl
- Pastry brush (optional)
Old-Fashioned Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Ingredients
- Pie crust – Use your favorite pie crust. I like to alternate between using my grandma’s recipe and my sourdough recipe. Regardless of what recipe you use, you’ll need a top and bottom crust, so be sure that your recipe makes a double crust. Double the recipe if it’s a single crust recipe.
- Strawberries – Strawberries are the star of this tasty dessert! Use ripe fruit for the best tasting fruit pie.
- Rhubarb – The tartness of the rhubarb complements the sweet strawberries so well. Choose firm, large stalks and twist at the base of the plant instead of cutting with a knife.
- Sugar
- Lemon – Lemon juice and lemon zest brighten the strawberry rhubarb filling.
- Butter – Use cold unsalted butter to add richness to the pie filling. While you can opt to leave it out, I think it adds a just a hint of richness to the fruit filling.
- Tapioca starch – Tapioca starch thickens the fruit juices in the pie filling. If you can’t find tapioca starch, you can substitute corn starch.
- Flour – Just a touch of all-purpose flour
- Egg – A simple egg wash creates a shiny top
- Cream – Thins out the egg, making it easier to brush over the lattice crust.
- Tubinado sugar – You can make a great pie without the sugar topping, but if you have it, I highly recommend it!
How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Prepare
Prepare pie crust according to your recipe. Cut the pie dough in half, and wrap each piece in plastic wrap or beeswax wraps. Refrigerate for an hour to chill the butter properly and let the flour absorb the liquid. Cold butter is key for a flaky crust!
Wash and trim the ends from the rhubarb stalks. Cut the rhubarb into ½ inch pieces and add to a large bowl. Wash the strawberries and pat dry. Remove the tops, leaving as much of the fruit as you can. Slice the strawberries and add them to the bowl with the rhubarb.
Add 1 tbsp lemon juice, ½ tsp lemon zest, 30 g (¼ cup) tapioca starch, 10 g (1 tbsp) all-purpose flour, and 250 g (1¼ cups) sugar to the bowl and stir to combine. Let the mixture rest to let the starch soften while you roll out the pie crusts.
Fruit pies are notorious for having excess liquid from the fruit as it cooks. This pie uses a combination of flour and tapioca starch to thicken the fruit filling. With juicy fruit like strawberries, the pie needs a thickening agent so you’re not left with a soupy mess. Flour alone can give the fruit filling a distinct flour taste, and starches alone can leave the filling feeling sticky. A combination of flour and tapioca starch allows the fruit filling to set with a lovely texture.
Assemble
Remove a dough ball from the fridge and place on a lightly floured work surface. Keep the other pie dough in the fridge to keep cold until you’re ready to roll the top crust. Roll the pie crust into a circle 12 inches in diameter for a 9-inch pie plate
Transfer the pie dough into the pie plate. I roll the pie dough onto the rolling pin and lift it over the pie plate and gently unroll it once it’s centered. Carefully lift the edge of the pie dough up while pressing the dough into the corner of the pie pan.
Spoon the strawberry rhubarb pie filling into the pie crust, leaving all the excess liquid behind. Add cubed butter to the top of the filling.
Roll out the top crust into a circle 12 inches in diameter. For a lattice top, use a pizza cutter, pastry cutter, or sharp knife and cut into 8, 2-inch strips
Carefully thread the strips over and under one another, pulling back the strips as needed to weave. Press the edges of the strips into the edges of the bottom crust to seal. Use a kitchen shears and trim the dough an inch from the edge of the pie plate.
Fold the edge of the pie dough up and crimp the edge of the pie crust, working your way around the entire pie.
In a small bowl, mix an egg with 1 tbsp of cream. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash using a pastry brush and then sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake
Place the pie pan on a baking sheet and place it in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes at 425°F/218°C. Leaving the pie in the oven, reduce the temperature to 375°F/190°C and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes.
The pie is done when the top is golden brown, the fruit mixture is bubbly, and the temperature of the pie filling is 200°F/93°C.
Serve
The hot fruit pie filling right out of the oven will be very messy to serve. The filling sets as it cools, so be sure to let the pie cool completely before serving. Allow the pie to cool for at least 4 hours at room temperature before serving.
- Enjoy a slice of strawberry rhubarb pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or simply by itself!
- Be sure to brew some coffee, tea, or iced coffee to sip on while you indulge on this summer treat.
Store
Cover the pie with a piece of foil or plastic wrap and store at room temperature for 2 days. For longer storage, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions
This is a great pie to make 1 day in advance. The fruit filling will have plenty of time to set overnight. In addition, the pie crust can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Baked pie freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and then allow to come to room temperature before serving. If you plan to freeze the pie, don’t add the sugar topping. It will weep as it thaws.
Be sure to save this recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie so you can make it all summer long! If you made this recipe, let me know and leave a rating!
The Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2½ cups strawberries
- 2½ cups rhubarb cut into ½ inch pieces
- 250 g sugar 1¼ cups
- 30 g tapioca starch ¼ cup
- 10 g all-purpose flour 1 tbsp
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp lemon zest
- 42 g butter 3 tbsp
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp heavy cream or milk
- 10 g turbinado sugar 1 tbsp
- 1 double pie crust
Instructions
Prepare
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/218°C with the oven rack set in the lower half of the oven.
- Prepare pie crust according to your recipe. Cut the pie dough in half, and wrap each piece in plastic wrap or beeswax wraps. Refrigerate for an hour to chill the butter properly and let the flour absorb the liquid.
- Wash and trim the ends from the rhubarb stalks. Cut the rhubarb into ½ inch pieces and add to a large bowl. Wash the strawberries and pat them dry. Remove the tops, leaving as much of the fruit as you can. Slice the strawberries and add them to the bowl with the rhubarb.
- Add 1 tbsp lemon juice, ½ tsp lemon zest, 30 g (¼ cup) tapioca starch, 10 g (1 tbsp) all-purpose flour, and 250 g (1¼ cups) sugar to the bowl and stir to combine. Let the mixture rest to let the starch soften while you roll out the pie crusts.
Assemble
- Remove a dough ball from the fridge and place on a lightly floured work surface. Keep the other pie dough in the fridge to keep cold until you’re ready to roll the top crust. Roll the pie crust into a circle 12 inches in diameter for a 9-inch pie plate
- Transfer the pie dough into the pie plate. I roll the pie dough onto the rolling pin and lift it over the pie plate and gently unroll it once it’s centered. Carefully lift the edge of the pie dough up while pressing the dough into the corner of the pie pan.
- Spoon the strawberry rhubarb pie filling into the pie crust, leaving all the excess liquid behind. Add cubed butter to the top of the filling.
- Roll out the top crust into a circle 12 inches in diameter. For a lattice top, use a pizza cutter, pastry cutter, or sharp knife and cut into 8, 2-inch strips
- Carefully thread the strips over and under one another, pulling back the strips as needed to weave. Press the edges of the strips into the edges of the bottom crust to seal. Use a kitchen shears and trim the dough an inch from the edge of the pie plate.
- Crimp the edge of the pie crust, working your way around the entire pie.
- In a small bowl, mix an egg with 1 tbsp of cream. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake
- Place the pie on a baking sheet and place it in the bottom half of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes at 425°F/218°C. Leaving the pie in the oven, reduce the temperature to 375°F/190°C and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes. The pie is done when the top is golden brown, the fruit mixture is bubbly, and the temperature of the pie filling is 200°F/93°C.
Serve
- The hot fruit pie filling right out of the oven will be very messy to serve. The filling sets as it cools, so be sure to let the pie cool completely before serving. Allow the pie to cool for at least 4 hours at room temperature before serving.
- Enjoy a slice of strawberry rhubarb pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or simply by itself!
- Be sure to brew some coffee, tea, or iced coffee to sip on while you indulge on this summer treat.
Store
- Cover the pie with a piece of foil or plastic wrap and store at room temperature for 2 days. For longer storage, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions
- This is a great pie to make 1 day in advance. The fruit filling will have plenty of time to set overnight. In addition, the pie crust can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Baked pie freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and then allow to come to room temperature before serving. If you plan to freeze the pie, don’t add the sugar topping. It will weep as it thaws.
Strawberry and rhubarb, a match made in heaven! I made this for my daughter’s birthday and served it with a dollop of whipped cream. Delicious! Leave me your questions and comments, but until then, happy eating!